Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Gift

Why ask for something you'll never use?
Not so many years ago I was a poor, recent college grad. It was all I could do not to sell plasma. OK maybe I wasn't in such dire straits, but I was far from making millions. Regardless of my financial status, or lack thereof, I always tried to make sure that family and friends received decent Christmas gifts.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

What's my age again?

Can someone please remind me of my age? I can’t seem to make it stick in my mind, and it’s starting to affect my goal setting.
No. 1 goal, finish my list.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

How's my driving

Friends don't let me drive.
Riding with me while I’m driving will definitely make you feel closer to God. And it’s not just because I keep two Bibles in the car. I’m a horrible driver. Perhaps the world’s worse driver. There’s just no better way to put it.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Artsy Fartsy

There is not an artistic bone in my body. Sure I can string a few words together for a decent sentence or two, but I'm not the creative type who enjoys arts and crafts. Yet for some reason I keep wanting to take on art projects to demonstrate my proficiency, or should I say lack of, in in the craft world.  I blame Pinterest. It's a smorgasbord of DIY projects, crafts and so on. I always feel empowered that I too can make a hair flower, decorative wall hanging or some other random project.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Play pimpin' ain't pimpin'

There are many types of people who irk me. I blame my irritable personality syndrome. But perhaps one type that really gets to me is a play pimp. A play pimp to me is anyone who is flaky, gives a lot of lip service but no action, has a bark but no bite and so forth.

That girl is poisoned

The Death Angel is after me again, and this time he’s using my eyesight against me. Sometimes I wonder if bats might have better eyesight than me. I’ve been known to walk into a mic or door a time or two. But usually my bad eyesight has never seriously impacted my health – until I woke up this morning.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Death of a Family

I bet they would go bowling!
My family is DEAD to me! Well some of my paternal cousins are at least. My brother is the only person who loves me (in addition to my parents, granny, aunts and uncles).

Friday, August 30, 2013

Tell me your name

Is it bad I don’t know anyone’s name at church? I’ve been a member since January but still couldn’t tell you the names of half the people who attend. OK to be fair, there are quite a few people I do know, such as the youth, those who serve on the same ministries as me and several others. But that’s maybe 50 people. Hundreds attend the church. I always have to ask, “Who is that?” when someone mentions a name. There is only one possible solution to help my dilemma: name tags!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

the family rant

I love my family. I really do. But sometimes they drive me insane. This is not limited to just my parents and brother. Other family members irk me too, particularly some of my cousins. It's not like they do anything major to annoy me. Unfortunately my irritable personality syndrome magnifies the little things.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

PK Q&A

Usually when I see a Facebook question I don’t respond with my two cents. I’ll observe without getting involved. But the other day I had to give my input when I saw this post from someone who attends my dad’s church:

Monday, August 12, 2013

Romantic writings


Use your imagination to come up with a title for this photo.
My name is Toni, and I read romance novels. For years I used to shun this genre of books. Sure I’ve read books that included some romance in the plot, but it definitely wasn’t the central focus of the storyline. My reading lists contained mysteries, random works of fiction or paranormal books. I left the romance novels to my friend, Cee.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part VII

Of course that meeting with Mya didn't happen. It was completely my fault. I ignored her calls from Thursday until Sunday night. I did half-heartedly call on Saturday, but she didn't answer, and I hung up without leaving a message. I was actually busy most of that weekend which is why I missed a few of the calls. But honestly I just didn’t want to talk to her. I avoid confrontation at all costs (which is a post for another day) As a result Mya sort of told me off via text message. I didn’t really read the messages because I knew she was hurt and upset. This was the first major disagreement we’ve had in our 28 years of knowing each other.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part VI

Mya: Like I really want everyone I invited to come and participate. I really want everyone to get along point blank period. I know you’ve been salty with the entire planning and aggravated with everyone but don’t let it show. I feel both of you guys could have been a little nicer to one another. But it is what it is.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part V

The next morning Mya and I had the following text conversation:

Mya: I woke up to screenshots of your conversation with Lynn.

Me: OK. Personally I feel like $150 is not asking for too much. She knew it would have been at least that much from initial planning. And to have the audacity to call me rude and unprofessional! If that ain’t the pot! We were supposed to plan this together and she went ghost for several months despite repeated attempts to contact her. I am not the one for her to try.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part IV

Lynn: You having an attitude and being short is rude and unprofessional. I’m trying to speak to you and ask you questions and resolve issues. If you’re having a bad day say so but please don’t give off the impression that what Mya’s friends think, need and want as it relates to the biggest day of Mya’s life is miniscule to you.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part III

What follows next is our text conversation (with my thoughts):

Lynn: Hey Hun I am so sorry about being out of touch. I have seriously been beyond busy with work and everything. It’s not an excuse but if we can text that wil …(at this point the message is cut off). I haven’t received an e-mail from you so can you brief me on everything via text?

Cry me a river about being busy with work. I’m busy too but I didn’t just go ghost. And yes you didn’t receive an e-mail because when I asked all the bridal party to send their addresses, you neglected to do that as well.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part II

Unfortunately I ended one problem only to be faced with countless others. Perhaps I should have listened to Lynn and reduced the cost. Most of the bridal party told Mya they weren’t going because the price was too expensive if it wasn’t all inclusive. Mya even told me she wouldn’t pay that much for a trip and that my other friends and I have expensive taste.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Party Planning Woes Part I

Writing is therapeutic for me. I might seriously maim someone if I didn’t write out my feelings in a journal or on a blog (which I use to chronicle things that are just too long to write by hand). I present a series on my biggest stressor right now – planning a bachelorette party!

If someone would have told me beforehand that planning a bachelorette party was going to be a massive headache, I might have gracefully bowed out of the position.

My oldest friend (we go back to the crib literally) declared me the Maid of Honor for her wedding taking place in November. Her sister is Matron of Honor and is planning the bridal shower. My job is the bachelorette party. For some reason I thought it would be a piece of cake.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Naked hour

My kind of t-shirt!
I like being naked. Really. Like. It. As a result I have implemented a daily naked hour. Each day I strip down and lay in the bed. It’s refreshing and gets me energized.


It began one particularly hot afternoon when I came home from work and announced, “I need to lay down and be naked for at least one hour.” Living in Florida means it’s hot 90 percent of the time. That in turn means I’m always sweaty and irritable. Couple that with wearing a bra (a torture device for women), and you have one unhappy camper. Naked hour lets me get my nerves together and allows me to cool off in body and mind.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Principles of Envelope Addressing


Follow this guideline for envelopes.
Students don’t seem to know how to write letters, much less address an envelope, these days. I am on a crusade to make sure that changes. An interesting exchange with a student sparked my motivation for this cause. The way he addressed an envelope left me flabbergasted. The middle was left blank and he placed the address of the recipient in the upper left-hand corner.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

the PK plight

Sometimes I feel like people assume because my dad is a pastor they can just recruit me for all things church related without advanced notice, proper preparation or training. They think I know how to do most things church-related. Sure I grew up in the church, but I wasn’t really involved in all the behind the scenes inner workings. I joined a church in January, and since then they have had me doing this that and the other.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

the silent game



Last weekend I attended an improv show in Jax with a new friend. She rode with me to the show, but her fiancé was picking her up later. Not long after it ended, the fiancé was on his way. The show was in the downtown area, and somehow he got lost. Considering the roads and layouts of downtown, that’s not too hard to do.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The problem with preschoolers


Preschoolers = the Kindergarteners from Recess.
 It takes a special person to teach children, especially preschoolers. That person is NOT me.

I was recruited to assist with the preschool class at Vacation Bible School last week. I work with the youth ministry at church and even help out in Sunday School with the primary class when needed. A Vacation Bible School class would be easy. Or so I thought.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Give Dad his due

Is it just me or do good dads not really seem to get the love and respect they deserve on Father’s Day? Take for instance the cards available for the occasion. Father’s Day cards are a joke compared to Mother’s Day. Most seem to be filled with back-handed compliments, undercover insults or are just plain rude. Fathers are often portrayed as lazy, henpecked or worse in those cards. If I see one more card saying, “Dad here’s your day to do absolutely nothing and not get in trouble with Mom!” I am going to call Hallmark and give them a piece of my mind.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

The definitive reunion


“Reunited and it feels so good!” Peaches and Herb were on to something with that song. It does indeed feel good to be reunited as I discovered during my class reunion last week.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

reunion worries

My high school senior shirt.
Suddenly ten years don’t seem quite that long. In just two days I’m attending my first class reunion. Can you believe it? The days have gone by too quickly. It feels like just yesterday I was walking the halls of high school (actually I was because my job involves working with students, but you catch my drift). 

Monday, April 29, 2013

Business hours

Sometimes a dating woman needs business hours.
Gentlemen callers used to be a little more respectful of when they called a lady. A phone call after 12 a.m. was a definite no-no (unless you were a booty call at which point respect is not a factor). Unfortunately, I’ve started to notice that guys are calling later and later and thinking it’s OK. Newsflash fellas: IT’S NOT! For that very reason a dating woman needs business hours for male callers.


Friday, April 26, 2013

Better, not bitter

Back in my dating prime I didn't take break-ups, disappearing acts or ending "friendships" too well. One minute you're all sprung, infatuated or in “like” with a person. The next they're saying you're unable to reciprocate what you expect in return or are too goofy for them. Even worse they might just disappear from the face of the Earth without even a messenger pigeon.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

the letter

Dear Wesley,
Where's my letter?
Signed your friend,
Toni
Letter writing seems to be a dying art form these days. Facebook, Twitter and e-mail have done away with sending messages, except for the occasional Christmas card. Randomly I send letters or cards to folks whenever the mood strikes (usually at Easter and during the summer). In most cases, people either write me back or at least acknowledge receiving the correspondence. Such was not the case with a certain celebrity.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Green-I-am

Would you like green eggs and ham?
Green Eggs and Ham always was hilarious to me. Sam-I-am was just so persistent about getting the other character to eat the dish. The story was a good example of how we should be open to trying new things. Not to long ago I had my own green eggs and ham experience.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Hymnology 101

The leader always has this handy when lining a hymn.
Growing up a preacher’s child exposed me to a lot of church traditions throughout my childhood, such as hymn lining. Unfortunately future generations might miss out on it. A few months ago I watched a video about hymn lining becoming a disappearing tradition. Hymn lining is a form of call and response and dates back to slavery times within the black church. Typically a leader sings, or lines, the verses of a hymn in a suggested tune and the congregation repeats in kind. The leader chooses from a variety of meters to line the hymn to, such as common, short and long. Thus lined hymns might be sung in a different tune from how one normally hears it.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

the pat down

Nothing to hide here
This time last week I was preparing to head to merrye olde England and gay Paree! Thursday at the butt crack of dawn (also known as 5:30 a.m.) I got up to shampoo and style my hair before we left. I knew we would be constantly on the go during the trip and didn’t want my hair to be a major concern. Also I didn’t want to give TSA a reason to pat down my hair. I’ve read horror stories about the experience. If celebrities have to go through pat downs, what hope would there be for me? Two-strand twists simply hanging down seemed like the best option to combat both problems. So I mixed up some curl-leeper (my fave product) and shea butter and twisted away. Typically twists are how I wear my hair during domestic travels. I never had a problem. Until this trip.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Bad children beware

Children are among my least favorite people. Actually, let me rephrase. BAD children are among my least favorite people. Too often I find myself surrounded by them. Many parents don't seem to think raising well-mannered children is a priority. Instead they let them run around like little heathens. Civilized society should not be forced to deal with their spawns of Satan. Perhaps that's why I was so sympathetic to the Dollar General employee who dispensed some old fashion discipline to a BAD child.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I'm a survivor

The roomie and I had a Scream marathon a few days ago. Between my screams every time Ghostface jumped out and ignored yells saying, “Call 9-1-1,” we discussed our survival plan for a similar situation. You’ve got to have a plan these days for everything. I’m still assembling my zombie apocalypse plan, but the one for a small town serial killer is ready to go and completely fool proof. We won’t be dying because of Ghostface anytime soon. Of course we initially wondered if I would make it to the end because the black person ALWAYS dies in horror movies/thrillers. Or do they? In recent years we’ve actually survived. Based on the movies I’ve seen, here are some of the actors who lived to fight another day:

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Time to go: Part 2

Bad attitudes don't help bad situations. The assistant editor was thrown into a bad situation but part of the problem was his personality. He was a deplorable person, which he admitted. He once called a meeting with three of us reporters to say we are the worse staff members ever. Morale had already been low, and he made it worse by insinuating we all were about to be fired (did I mention this was on my birthday). Yet when you asked for specific details of what we did wrong he couldn’t pinpoint them (sounds familiar). Ultimately the assistant editor was the one let go, and a new editor came in. Finally I would have the leadership, consistency and training I craved. Or so I thought. I was wrong. I thought things would change, and they did in some areas, but they stayed the same in too many others.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

the silver fox

She found her first gray hair too!
Somebody grab a bottle of Clairol ASAP! The gray is coming! Yes, yours truly found her first gray hair on Saturday. There had been a series of false alarms (mainly because a certain white cat is always in my bed which leads to white fur always in my hair), but this time it is official. My dad went gray in his early 30s and I have several other cousins who got silver locs at a young age. It wasn't much of a surprise that I've found gray already.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Time to go: Part 1


Most people ask if I left the news industry because I didn’t like being a reporter. I loved it. By no means was I a world class journalist. Sure I was a good reporter, but I wasn’t GREAT. Still I loved being a reporter. Yes, there was little pay, late hours and no appreciation, but that didn’t outweigh my love of writing, meeting new people and telling their story and just being out and about. The real reason I left was because I was scared of one day hating it.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

what i want to be

I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up anymore. Maybe I never really had it figured out. That thought kind of scares me. Everyone always pointed to me as the person who had a definite career plan. The one thing I’ve always been gung-ho about is being a reporter. I wrote for my middle school and high school newspapers. I interned at newspapers during high school and college. And of course I worked as a reporter for several years post-college. But now I don’t.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

word problems

Everything is better with friends.
I have a confession to make: I suck at word games. Yes, it is a sad but true fact. My word game skills are severely lacking, despite being a spelling bee champion, avid reader and former wordsmith. Scrabble is never a board game you will hear me suggest playing. The Upwords game I had as a child was enjoyed by all of my family members, except me. The knowledge of my poor word game skills should make me stay away from all of them, right? Wrong.

It’s feeding time

Public breastfeeding incidents have been in the news several times over the last few months with some sparking quite a bit of controversy. There was the professor who breastfed while teaching her class and received a reprimand. Beyonce fed Blue Ivy while out at lunch one day. Another story showcased military mothers breastfeeding in uniform. And who can forget the Time Magazine cover story featuring a 3-year-old being breastfed? Just the other day I read an article about three mothers who staged a “nurse-in” at their Delaware mall to spread awareness about a woman’s right to nurse in public. They were asked to leave by a state trooper and security guards.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

this, that and the other

The other night I was perusing "Stuff Christians Like" by Jon Acuff and had a laugh fest for a good hour. It got me to thinking several question about this, that and the other regarding church and Christian life, such as:

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

the professional mourner

All these years I’ve been wasting my talents. I’ve officially found my niche in life – a professional mourner. You have the funeral, and I’ll bring the tears. To think I’ve missed out on this particular career path for so long.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Love, marriage and a baby carriage

Is there something in the water? Everyone seems to either be a) getting engaged, b) getting married or c) having a baby. I can't log on Facebook without seeing an announcement about a friend joining one of those categories. It's enough to drive a single girl crazy, and I am not liking that at all.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Can you testify?

It's a new year which means Writing Wednesday is back in full effect. I promise to do so much better than last year which featured numerous bouts of disappearing (blame it on my chronic sickness). One of my goals for this year is to be healthier. That should translate to writing regularly and not owing the Writing Wednesday Pot. Also I plan on writing an additional post at least a few times a month not on Writing Wednesday.

For 2013 I decided to take it back to the Old School for my New Year's Eve celebration. Instead of partying it up I went to Watch Night Service at church. A watch night service is a late-night Christian Church service held on New Year's Eve. Watch night service is especially important to the black community because many slaves were said to have gathered in churches on New Year's Eve,in 1862 to await the Emancipation Proclamation being enacted on Jan. 1, 1863.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

The best birthday gift ever

An example of the journal
There's just something about a good gift that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now I do so enjoy giving them, but I also enjoy receiving good gifts. I love it when friends and family pick out something that really shows a thorough understanding of my likes. A few years ago a friend made me a bootleg copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon (we were in high school and broke). The other year my Secret Santa bought me a Clawdeen Wolf Doll. The birthday gift I received last year was my absolute favorite.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

I can't be bothered Pt. 2

My generation does not know how to date anymore. Text messages have replaced meaningful conversations. I don't know who thought that was a good idea. It is the absolute worse concept ever, yet none of the young (and old) people of today seem to understand that.

Friday, December 21, 2012

I can't be bothered PT. 1

The older I get the more hellish I become toward the male species. I blame my cynical nature. At the end of the day I just can't be bothered with some of the things they say and do. Case and point this one gentleman I recently started chatting with.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

christmas list - childhood version

"I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need..." Um speak for yourself Mariah Carey. I want a lot. Well my inner child wants a lot for Christmas. A few weeks ago I received the Target, Walmart and American Girl toy catalogs, and the 7-year-old inside of me squealed with glee. I immediately went to work at circling all the things I, uh a yonger version of me, would want. I'm happy to see toy catalogues are still filled with toys. Apparently the children still like them. Of course there were a few tablets thrown in the mix as well, but they were definitely kid-friendly. If I was a child today my Christmas list would look something like this:

Monday, December 3, 2012

Still the last to know

It's happening again. Someone in the family is in a serious condition and no one bothers to tell me until DAYS later. I've said it before, I'm always the last to know when it comes to family matters.

Friday, November 30, 2012

NaBloPoMoem

In honor of me completing this year's NaBloPoMo, I have written a poem.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

loves of my reading life

Reading is my absolute favorite past time. Often I neglect performing necessary chores - such as washing my hair, cooking or cleaning - because I get lost in a good book. Many of the books I read are part of a series, and over the years I have developed "crushes" on several of the main characters. If only the men of the real world were like the ones in the books I read. I promise I would get my act together to be on their team. My book loves include:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

bun head

This week I have been experimenting with wearing a bun every day. Every. Single. Day. Who knew there were so many different bun styles to wear? It's partially out of not wanting to wash my hair every week. I'm trying the every other week approach for the winter.Basically I wear it twisted week one and loose during week two. The buns have helped me stretch not washing my hair.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

the faux beau

One of my male friends has this annoying habit of always asking about my love life. It was non-existent last week. It's non-existent this week. More than likely it will be non-existent next week. Maybe if I was beating guys off with a broom I could understand the perpetual interest in my love lack, or lack thereof. No, I'm perpetually dateless, and he knows this. So during one umpteenth time of him asking about me dating someone I decided to make a faux beau up.

Monday, November 26, 2012

the ghost writer

Recently I was asked by one of my dad's friends to edit a Lenten devotional featuring writers from within their church association. Devotionals were due to me Nov. 11. Guess which writer has yet to turn one in. Yes, my own dear old dad. I've been bugging him about his devotionals for more than a month but to no avail. His excuse is being too busy. Yeah right. Just because you pastor a church, serve as moderator for a church association and as a vice president for the state convention doesn't mean you're busy. Well maybe just a little.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

baby it's cold outside

Sometimes I forget which season is the current one we're in at the moment. Blame it on Florida weather. The weather ranges from hot to really hot. Occasionally we try to throw in something else called less hot. When it's "less hot," natives know to dress in layers for it will indeed be "cold" in the morning, but by noon the temperature will rise to 75 degrees again. That wool coat will be overkill come lunchtime when you are sweating like a pig. At least that was the case last week.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

family holiday traditions

I've always said once I have my own family we would start our own holiday traditions. My parents don't really listen to my suggestions for traditions.And trying to get the rest of my family to follow would nearly be impossible. So I need a familyof my own. Well marriage is pretty far away and children are definitely not on the horizon anytime soon, but I do have a family of sorts - my roommates.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Character death

I'd like to think I don't typically get too attached to a book, movie or TV series character. The key word here is "Think." The reality is I get attached to characters easily. When Mufasa died in The Lion King my face was covered in tears. I still don't think I'll recover from Paul's death on Dollhouse. My lastest major blow was the death of Sirius Black in Harry Potter. Yes, I am tardy for the party, but the loss is still felt just as fresh as if I had read the books when they originally came out.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Being thankful

Things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1. Two awesome roommates
2. My circle of close friends
3. My family
4. Ozzy, who is NOT my cat
5. My job
6. My play family
7. God's grace and mercy
8. You my five followers
9.  My bestest friend
10. Thanksgiving leftovers!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

pre-thanksgiving poem

With the help of my Play Cousin I wrote a special Pre-Thanksgiving poem. Share it with your family and friends next year.

The night before Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Spoiler Alert

There is something about a good spoiler that just makes you want to read or watch whatever it's in regards too. Oh wait, am I the only person who likes spoilers? OK, my name is TONI and I like book and movie spoilers. Knowing the ending first makes it all worthwhile for me.

Monday, November 19, 2012

n-word too deep

Yours truly is a mentor to several young people. I try to keep an atmosphere that is accepting and allows them to be who they are. For the most part they are respectful when around me. If they should slip up and say a bad word, I don't wash their mouth out with soap. I do say, "Language," and they get the message to keep it clean. But the other day I had to put one in check (in a nice way of course) about her word choice. Instead of cussing, she used the dreaded N-Word.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

when bridezillas attack

I have a confession. I am addicted to watching Bridezillas. I blame my roommate K. She is always watching it on Netflix, and being the nosy person that I am, I have to watch it too. The chicks are CRAZY. And not in a good way. These women are demanding, rude, inconsiderate and just plain evil. It sort of makes you dread every being a part of a wedding.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Play to win

I play to win.
There is one rule I live by when going to a shower event: play to win. Whatever game is thrown my way at a shower I play to win. It doesn't matter if it's a baby or bridal shower. Games can range from a bridal shower word search to baby shower bingo. There might even be 100 hundred other guests. Regardless of the situation there is one thing to keep in mind - I PLAY TO WIN!

Friday, November 16, 2012

the hair extravaganza

It's time for me to have a hair extravaganza. I say extravaganza because my hair process takes anywhere from two hours to two days to complete (it depends on how I am feeling). The extravaganza only occurs once every week (actually it's more like every other week), otherwise I would go broke from buying hair products (and never have time to do anything). From start to finish this is my hair extravaganza:

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Coming soon: New American


For voters who've considered suicide when the election is too much.
 It looks like the South wants to rise again (because we all know how well that turned out the last time). There could be a “New America” in the future. The other day I was talking to my Play Cousin about the people that want to secede from the U.S. Residents across the nation have signed petitions requesting that their state – mainly Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and yes even my Florida – be allowed to peacefully secede from the country because of the presidential election. PC and I can find foolishness to talk about even with the most serious of topics (much like Cee and I did during election night). We began to ponder many things if the people were allowed to secede.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

children on strike

What's a living wage for a child these days?
Parents beware! Your children might go on strike if you don’t pay them enough for doing chores. Several weeks ago I read a Dear Abby column regarding allowance pay. The writer said she received $3 a week to do household chores such as taking out the garbage, washing dishes, vacuuming and setting the table every night. The child felt her pay was too little for all she did. She was tired of being her mother’s “slave” and declared herself on strike until the pay increased. At that point I had to put the paper down.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

No Shave November

You won't catch me out in public with my hairy legs showing.
“Sometimes I shave my legs, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I comb my hair, and sometimes I won’t. Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes. It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul ...” Video by India.Arie

Monday, November 12, 2012

Dreamland inspiration

I wonder what he's dreaming about.
Within the past four days I’ve had several weird dreams. Unusually I might have one weird dream every quarter. To have four in just a week has got to be a record.  I once read that dreams mean something. Mine make no sense; however, they are fairly entertaining.


I shared a dream a year ago with some friends. One of them used it as a basis for a book (Roller Derby Vampire Girl) which he wants to get published. Another of my weird dreams would make a good TV or novel series in the fantasy realm. Maybe one of the dreams I had this week could be the basis of another artistic venture.

I’m too lazy to pen a book, script or play myself. Perhaps you, my four readers, might be inspired to create something. Below is a quick synopsis of what I remember from the weirdest dream. Just give me a shout out in the book, moving credits or show premiere (and a check would be nice too). If by chance you have an interpretation of my dream, please share it.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

God save the small town

Growing up I lived in a major city, but after high school I started living in smaller and smaller places. These days I live in a small town. There are a lot of downsides to a small town, such as the lack of a dating pool, cultural diversity and just having something to do on the weekends. My current location is three times bigger than the last one so I will survive (just like Gloria Gaynor) However, living in a small town isn’t all bad. There are also many some a few advantages. People are generally friendlier, and everybody knows your name. It’s like Cheers all over the place. Traffic is practically nonexistent, and I can typically get from one end of town to the other in 15 minutes. That never happened in my hometown.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The cat and the maiden

The cat in his favorite spot - the maiden's bed.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden named Antonia who lived in a magical City filled with Lakes. For many moons Antonia lived alone with just a betta fish, Ralphie, but no friends in the city to really call her own. One day she met another fair maiden, K, who offered the promise of friendship (and cheaper lodging). Antonia packed her belongings and immediately moved in. And soon her days were filled with roommates – and cats.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Lunchtime change


Just a bunch of twists hanging freely.

Some mornings I can’t decide on how I want to wear my hair. I get up about 40 minutes before work (I literally work five minutes from my house). Once I’ve showered, gotten dressed and so forth, I usually have about 10 minutes to spare on my hair. In such a short amount of time I might not have a clear hair vision for the day.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Oh, am I late?

The start of it all.
Usually I’m late for whatever is the biggest TV show, film or book craze. I completely missed watching Lost. I didn’t see Batman Begins or the Dark Knight until the Dark Knight Rises came out. And The Hunger Games series is at the bottom of my reading priority list. I’m not anti being in the mainstream. You know how some people avoid the latest trend because everyone is on the bandwagon. I just don’t have the time to devote to everything as soon as it comes out. Eventually I want to get around to watching or reading whatever. Granted it might be several years later.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Final election thoughts

An interesting exchange happened between an 8-year-old girl and me today.  While sitting next to me (and working my nerves) during a luncheon, she asked who I voted for.

"That's a personal issue, and I don't share how I voted," I said.

"It better not be Obama," she said. "He's a liar. Did you  vote for him?"

"Like I said, it's personal, and I'm not sharing."

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

the end is near

I hope everyone exercised their right to vote today.
At long last election day is here. I feel like both parties have been campaigning for four years. Right now I am so happy this day has arrived. Once that last vote is tallied I might just do a dance of joy. There have just been so much negatvitiy with this election. Of course that probably is the case with every one. Can't we all just run without having to bring each other down? I won't bore you with an analysis on this year's election season, mainly because I'm just not that deep into politics to accurately give one. Seriousness is not an area I handle too well. So today's post will instead provide a list of some of my favorite election/political
/president/whatever movies. While you're waiting to hear the election results, pass the time watching one (or all) of them.

Monday, November 5, 2012

X marks the spot

Who can still write like this?
Apparently writing in cursive is starting to be a lost art. Do the children even know what cursive is anymore? The other day one of my students was signing a form, and I had to say, "What is that?" when I saw her signature. It wasn't like a doctor's signature, which is usually unreadable. Instead it looked like a first grader's attempt at writing in cursive. My best friend, who is a teacher, says students aren't taught penmanship anymore. Then what are they teaching the children? Testing?

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Praise and Worship Mix


My worship is for real.
Some days I like to have random praise sessions. One day it might be at midnight on a Thursday. On another day it’s at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday. The days and times vary but the songs usually are the same. I never know when a desire for a praise break might hit. When it does, I simply answer the call and start playing my praise and worship mix. I enjoy a good sermon at church, but at home it's just the music and me. Like a good sermon, the words of a song can speak to my heart and move me to tears from hearing about how good God is to me even when I don’t deserve it. Therefore I present to you my praise and worship mix. Play any of these songs when you want an intimate time praising and thanking the Lord.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

A fair account

Yay for the fair!
The fair is in town this week! That can only mean one thing, or three – corn dogs, funnel cake and frozen lemonade galore. Last year was the first time I actually had the opportunity to simply enjoy the fair. During my reporting days I always had to cover it. Every day was spent at the fair writing about some angle. Then I switched jobs and participated in the fair fun. A couple of friends and I hit up the rides until our hearts were content. This was of course followed by a feast of fair food. I felt like a kid again enjoying all the fun.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Direct approach

Subtlety is not a concept I comprehend. While most women can instantly recognize when a guy is flirting with or even interested in them, I sadly don’t notice. Usually a friend has to point it out to me, or it’s not until months later that I realize he likes me a little more than just a friend.  It would save me a lot of confusion if guys could just be a little more direct. Don’t beat around the bush because I won’t get it. For instance a male acquaintance recently revealed I rejected his request for a date. Me? Reject a date? I haven’t been on a date in several years. I promise if someone asked me out I would accept (in most cases).

Thursday, November 1, 2012

NaBloPoMo - Guess who's back?

Visit www.nablopomo.com!
Welcome to the start of another National Blog Posting Month. Yours truly will be writing something new each day for the entire month of November. Think of this as a special treat for my followers, (all four of you if you're still there).

 This is my second year participating in NaBloPoMo. It was challenging of course the first time around. Imagine having to figure out a new topic to write about every day.  There’s not that much to talk about on a daily basis in the LC. The struggle was real in trying to avoid Writer’s Block throughout the month

Sunday, October 21, 2012

The Return ... Again

To the four people who read my blog, I am sooooo sorry for my lack of posting. I took a sabbatical in June but started posting again in October. The only problem is I posted on Facebook and forgot to post on my blog. I'm forgetful like that. I promise to make it up to you my faithful readers during NaBloPoMo. That's right! You get 30 days of me posting yet again. Shout out to Cee for introducing me to NaBloPoMo (and Writing Wednesday as well as everything else cool in my life). I'll be gone 'til November.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

hair and there again

This June marks seven years of being natural. Yay! I was natural before it was such a widespread movement. Most of the popular natural hair blogs, Youtube videos and even product lines were hardly on the radar. Initially most of my natural hair journey was trial and error. Now I have vast pieces of knowledge at my fingertips. Every day I'm learning more and more about what and what not to use in my hair, cool ways to style it and so forth. My Writing Wednesday posts for June will be dedicated to natural hair in honor of my seven years.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

bon appetite


I like to eat. There’s just no better way to put it. I like dinner. I like lunch. I like breakfast. Basically I like every meal (though I am not into snacking). Sadly my love for eating does not help my waistline. Gone are the days when I was carless and walked everywhere. That helped keep my much smaller. My brother says we should eat to live, not live to eat. I’m working on it. But there is just so much good food out there. Will I get the opportunity to taste it all? I just don’t know. But please believe I am trying.


Yummy!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

for want of a cast

I have a confession. Growing up I always wanted a cast on my arm and underarm crutches. Don't laugh. Those two things were the epitome of cool in my opinion as a child. The ugly green-eyed monster would rear its head every time I saw someone who was lucky enough to get them. "Why couldn't it be me?" I wondered. I was, and still am, very clumsy. Yet I managed to never really hurt myself (until adulthood). I thought I would be the happiest girl in the world with a cast or crutches. Both just had so much fun to offer in my mind.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

in theaters this summer


Summer time is swiftly approaching, and no one is more excited than me. T’is the season of the blockbuster. Movies choices just tend to be much better during the summer to me. Normally I’m not that big on going to the movies. I used to never have any time. These days I only work a four day week during the summer. I’ve got time to spare. And what better way to do so than in a nice air conditioned movie theater. With the upcoming summer schedule I can’t help but want to see quite a few movies. On any give Friday matinee you might catch me at the following movies:

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Appreciation week


OK boys and girls, let’s all play the imagination game. Everyone close your eyes and prepare for a few mental images. First imagine a world without teachers. Ignorance is the norm as students walk around with empty minds. Next imagine a world with no nurses. Patients have no one to provide constant day-to-day care or an understanding of their ailment. Finally imagine a world without police officers. Citizens have to survive in an unsafe environment where lawlessness reigns supreme. Did anyone like those situations described? Absolutely not!

The month of May is filled with appreciation for several groups of important people. May 6-12 marks Teacher Appreciation and Nurse Appreciation Week, followed by National Police Week May 13-19. In honor of these three groups of wonderful workers here are stories of a few of my favorite individuals.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

a summer kind of love

Lately the weather has done its share of letting me know it's getting close to that special time of year again – summertime! With the arrival of this new season comes vacations, reunions and summer lovin’ – that oh so magical thing the kids sing about in “Grease.” Summer is all about the love, whether you’re single and free to mingle or happily together with someone. No one wants to be left out the fun and “uh-oh those summer nights.” My grandma thinks it’s high time I got a male friend. She wants to see me married. So I figured now is the perfect time to jump on the summer lovin' bandwagon. But it’s going to take some help from all my family and friends. I have prepared a special announcement for all to share: Attention single males between the ages of 27-37! Toni is now accepting applications for a summertime beau. Inquire within.

Do your part everyone and spread the word. All are welcome to apply. Just make sure they fit my three mandatory requirements. The other week I shared mine with my grandma, and she approved. I’d like to think I’m a simple girl for the most part. I’ll gladly work with a brother to an extent. Sure I have my massive list of pre-qualifications. But I don’t cross (that many) people off just because they put down something other than my preferred response. However, I believe everyone is entitled to their top three deal breakers. So for me, any summertime beau applicant must: love the Lord; have straight, white teeth; and be able to conjugate verbs.

Each day I am working to strengthen my relationship with God. I can’t get sidetracked by someone who thinks my relationship is unimportant. Besides, I once dated a guy who thought he was coming back as a cat. That didn’t last long. I thought his religious beliefs were stupid. Of all the things to come back as, he wanted to be a cat. I would at least want to come back as someone rich and fabulous.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

the bad week

I wish I was only having a bad day.
Every now and then we all have a bad day. From sunup to sundown nothing seems to go right. Usually you can take solace in the fact that everything will be better tomorrow (you can bet your bottom dollar). But what happens when it’s a longer period of time, like a week? I’m having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. Not an hour. Not a day. A whole week.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Smarter than a fourth grader

Math has never been my forte. It especially went downhill after I stopped taking piano lessons in high school (playing a musical instrument enhances your math skills).  I’ve always been more of a words kind of girl. Long as I know the basics – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division – I’m just fine. And if nothing else I can figure out elementary school math. Or so I thought.

Rita made this design. I had to figure out how it looks rotated 90 degrees and then flipped. Who cares Rita?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Reunion Buddies Wanted

Sorry that my Writing Wednesday posts were on hiatus for so long. I was sick, on spring break and a tad bit lazy. Now I’m back. I owe the WW pot at least $100. No more breaks are planned for the future.
Coming soon to a writer near you...

Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was a goofy high school freshman. Now I’m a goofy adult. Several weeks ago I was telling my friend, Ebonita, how 2012 marks five years since we’ve graduated from college. It made me think of another approaching milestone– our 10 year high school graduation anniversary in 2013. At first I was all excited because that means a class reunion is coming. Then I realized I need a reunion buddy. Reunions are no fun without one.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

The old young person

As I type these words I am so sleepy.


Am I really only 27? Some days I feel at least 67. It’s not necessarily because of aches and pains. But some of my habits and interests make me feel that way. The little things keep pointing more and more to the fact that I’m getting older.

The first sign was how I go to bed so early. There was a time I could stay up until the sun was out for several nights in a row. But now I’m pushing it if I’m up beyond 11 p.m. Just today the need for sleep hit me at 9:30 p.m. I couldn’t wait to see my bed.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

52 Weeks of Memories: Week 4.2-9

I promise I’ve been getting up, getting out and doing something each week. I just haven’t written about what I’m doing in two months. Here’s a brief recap

 4.2 I participated in a postage party for my former work BFF. She’s getting married this summer. It will be my first “white wedding.” Several of the cards I addressed were to my former co-workers.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The pre-screening

Forgot to post this last week.


Sometimes I wonder if there is a sign on my head that says “Losers welcome!” Most men who’ve approached me in the past and present weren’t worth two rusty nickels. But I sometimes didn’t realize that until after they got my number. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but no one tells you upfront they are a waste of time. After some soul searching, I have decided to take charge of my future. From henceforth any guys asking for my number will have to go through a pre-screening questionnaire. It will help me determine just who is worth my time. I just can’t be bothered with everybody. Too many wrong answers will automatically dismiss someone. The questions are:


Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Italian Mask Caper

'Tis Leap Day and only fitting and proper I present something you shall probably not see again from me for another four years - a fictional post. Once upon a time, several friends and I talked about what would hypothetically happen if we went on an adventure to Italy to replace a broken mask. I was supposed to write a short story about that conversation a long time ago, but I didn't because I'm lazy. Plus fiction writing is HARD. My play cousin and fake beau make it seem so easy. I have about 500 hundred novels in my head but none of the patience to actually write one. So I started part of the tale. It's nowhere near finished and not that great. I am a woman of many talents, but fiction writing is not my forte. Yet I am determined to finish it. Maybe by next Leap Day. Non-fiction chronicles will resume next week.


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Love, Peace and Soul

Apparently I didn't post Feb. 1 on my blog. Here it is as it appeared on Facebook.

The Death Angel has struck again. First he took Etta James from us. This time he has taken the icon of soul himself, Don Cornelius. Who’s next Lord? ‘Tis a sad day of mourning in the land of all that is rhythm. My mother called to tell me the news earlier today. I had to take a moment to blast my old school music and dance on down a Soul Train line of one in his memory. It’s no fun having a Soul Train line with one person for the record. But this was for Don.

Two for one

Sorry I didn’t post last week for Writing Wednesday. I fell asleep after reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” Here are two posts for the price of one to make up for my absence.

In honor of Whitney

When I heard the news about Whitney Houston’s passing it hurt my heart. This was worse than when Michael Jackson died, and I loved his music. Sure I didn’t know her personally, but Nippy was like the crazy favorite aunt of my head. You wanted her to get her life together because you loved her. For the record I blame Bobby Brown! My friends and I say we’re going to make a tribute video to Whitney during our next road trip. I believe it will be a YouTube sensation (meaning all of us and about three other people will watch it). A Whitney tribute won’t be complete without these songs:

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

my favorite things ii

Several years ago for the July 29, 2009 Writing Wednesday I posted a few of my favorite things. If Oprah can do it, so can I. Unfortunately, I’m not at the point in my life where I can give my favorite things out to everyone. Stay tuned. It will happen one day. Until then, here’s a list of what I’m digging right now.


Leonid McGill series by Walter Mosley. I thought nothing could compare to the Easy Rawlins series which features “Devil in a Blue Dress” and 10 other books. Then I read “The Long Fall.” There are a total of four books in this series so far, and I plan on reading each one. I still love me some Easy Rawlins, but I hear Mosley is done with the series. That’s fine with me. I’m team Leonid now.

52 weeks of Memories: Weeks 1.2., 2.2. and 3.2

I haven’t written about my memories in a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean they were non-existent. The start of January means my dry run on this challenge is over. Now it’s time to really play the game and make some memories.

It was all about experiencing a new restaurant Week 1.2. My play cousin suggested the LCR lunch crew and I have lunch at this fairly new restaurant called Ray’s. They had corn nuggets. Sweet. Delicious. Corn nuggets. I was instantly a fan. Ray’s kind of reminds us of our former favorite lunch spot McAlister’s. Sadly the local store closed. Ray’s however is a nice substitute. I was getting tired of Moe’s and Yum’s, our other two regular spots. We ate lunch at Ray’s on a Wednesday and again on Friday. I plan on taking my shero, the chief of police, to lunch sometime soon. I’m suggesting we go to Ray’s.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

the apple remedy

Apples are the best remedy.
We’ve all heard the old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It wasn’t until recently I learned how true it is. A pain in the behind medical condition, literally and figuratively, forced me to see the doctor last week. I was told to come to the appointment fasting because blood work might be required. Bright and early Friday I made my way to the doctor who checked my symptoms and made a diagnosis. Unfortunately I also got a shot in my hip. Thankfully I was given an oral prescription for the rest of the antibiotic (at least until Monday when I have to get another shot).

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The ultimate blocker

Blocker– block·er, noun, /ˈbläkər/ blockers, plural

Dictionary.com definition: A person or thing that blocks, in particular.
Urbandictionary.com definition: The person who blocks the progress of any “play” when a man is trying to talk to and flirt with a woman.

For years I have unjustly declared my father the ultimate blocker. Everyone wants to date the son of a preacher man, but such is not the case for the daughter. Numerous guys, real or imagined, were too afraid to pursue me because my father is a pastor (or maybe because they didn’t even know I was interested). Well there’s a new ultimate blocker in town and her name is MOMMY!

Monday, January 2, 2012

52 weeks of memories: week 8

I concluded my dry run of 52 weeks of memories with a New Year’s Eve party/bday celebration at la casa in Lake City. The evening began with dinner at Red Lobsters, granted about an hour later than planned. I left my parents’ house about three hours behind schedule. We love some cheddar bay biscuits in my crew. We laughed and joked and got to know one another. Oh yeah and we ate a lot of seafood.