Bye Bye 2009

Happy New Year!!!

No resolutions...unless you want to resolve to add or knock more stuff off the life list (I guess that counts).

TTDBYD will be back in 2010 ready to take on the world again one goal at a time.

Everyone be safe and have a fantastic New Year's Eve.

12 Days of Christmas...Part 1

Yes I have a Christmas wish list. LOL.

I asked for exactly 4 things this year...none of which can be wrapped up and stuck under the tree.

Present #1 (pretends to unwrap gift)

I found out today that I was accepted to graduate school.

Yeah me!!

I think I explained my school situation in a different blog post--it's really convoluted, but basically this is a REALLY good opportunity for me--plus getting my Master's is one of the top 10 things for me to do on my list. Funny part is...I got accepted to my undergrad rival school....oooh who to root for during college basketball season...such a conundrum. LMAO.

*God is GOOD*

New Book--Official Release of "Raw Emotional Lyrics"

So I mentioned this earlier, but now I can make the "official" announcement.

A really good friend of mine named "Poetizer" just got her first book of poetry published. After months and months of hard work--it is DONE! The book is called "Raw Emotional Lyrics."


Proud to say the editing was done by yours truly as well as some of the photos. I took on this project awhile back because the book is truly very good and extremely honest. Here's a slice of the synopsis:

"...My transgressions have been buried in the depths of the earth. The dead skin of life's tribulations has shredded from my thoughts poem by poem leaving a trail of matured wisdom, a vision guided by spiritual reflection and filtered into a soul of purpose. I've carried my cross. My burdens weren't mine to bear. I had to fulfill this task so that others wouldn't have to see themselves in a place of uncertainties, confusion and darkness. I survived life after death…so will you!"

I highly recommend it! Check out the link from the publisher.

Thanksgiving

I wanted to take a second and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. One of my Facebook friends made a good point this morning and said that the things we're thankful for today should be the the things we're thankful for all year...I concur.

This is actually a weird/first for me. This year I will not be with my family. My parents and child are on the West Coast--I won't see them until Christmas. The rest of my family is in the midwest and I won't be making the trip up--I have a recording session this weekend and some projects to tackle.

Since it'll just be me--I am not cooking this year. Instead I've decided to volunteer to serve meals and/or deliver food to people. I can't lie this has been a rough year for me--and for lots of other people I'm sure, but considering it can (and has) been worse, I think I owe it to myself to do for someone else. I encourage anyone else to do the same because you never know when you might find yourself in someone else shoes.

In any case...regardless of my situation, here are 10 quick things I am thankful for:

1. My daughter is healthy and happy--and funny and brilliant!
2. I have some great friends who've pulled me through when I needed them
3. I'm writing again (this is a BIG one--because I was on block status for over a year)
4. I've accomplished more than 3 of my "list" goals this year (I shoot for a minimum of 3 a year)
5. I finished my graduate school application last week
6. I'm not where I want to be but I'm getting there--progress is always good!
7. I've managed to stay healthy this year (so far...cross fingers!) despite several people I know coming down with H1N1 etc etc
8. I found out that I have 2 weeks of vacation at Christmas which means more time with the family than I anticipated
9. I happen to like my job and the people I work with...I'm thankful I'm working--been laid off before (twice as a matter of fact)
10. That despite it all--I'm still standing.

Happy Thanksgiving all! Stay safe. Eat well. Be thankful!

Just do it.

So my last post, I asked what people would do if they didn't have to worry about certain things...I posted the link to this elsewhere and received some interesting responses.

I know with everything that's going on in our daily lives it's really easy to forget to dream about something bigger or even focus on accomplishing even the small things. We have this tendancy sometimes to push things to the back burner for "someday" or "later" or listen to the doubters (who may even be our own selves) who tell us we shouldn't do this, or it's a bad idea to do that.

Today I throw all of that out the window.

1. First...for those that read my baby name blog... I'm finally finishing up the text and the plan is to push a book version to publishers (in theory) by the end of the year. Too many people have asked me for it and I figure I've been sitting on it long enough.

2. Tomorrow I am turning in my application for grad school. Those that know me know I'm actually already in graduate school, however...a really good opportunity presented itself to me and I'd stay kicking myself if I didn't at least try to do this. So cross your fingers for me and I will let you all know how it goes in a few weeks.

3. Speaking of books... I mentioned a few posts back that I helped a friend get her book published--the cover and text have just been approved and are going to print. Hopefully (again, fingers crossed!) I'm thinking that the book will be ready by Christmas or just after the first of the year at which point I will post up all the information so you all can check it out.

No more sitting on stuff. I figure if I can do everything I've been doing in the middle of everything else, you have no excuses...lol. So get moving!

On a sidenote--I think I missed this, but I've been doing TTDBYD for a just over a year! If I haven't said so yet, THANKS you guys for all the support

What Would I Do With My Life If...

I was driving in to work this morning...my commute is now a little under an hour since I moved. To avoid traffic, I take a back road that cuts through a Civil War battlefield (Realization: I moved to the STICKS!!! WTH was I thinking??)--one day when it's not raining (like today!) I will have to take some pictures. Anyway, the one upside to this (yes there IS an upside!) is that I get some time now in the morning to think about things and pull together my daily plan of attack.

What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain?
The same thing we do every night Pinky. Try and take over the world.

This morning thought was...what would I do with my life if I didn't have to worry about bills and stress and working?

In theory, I've always said I would put all my stuff (all little bit of it I have left after I condensed it all this go around with the move) in storage, pack a bag or two and spend at least a year traveling the world and writing. I would love to take my daughter along for at least part of that (not all because I don't think she's quite old enough to appreciate it all and she's still in kindergarden). But if I didn't have to think about it, I would just literally pack up and go.

So I ask you...what would you do with your life if you didn't have to think about it?

Item #138- Make a List of 100 Things That Make Me Happy

First I have to say thank you to Amber...you just helped me knock a goal off my list.

I've had the TTDBYD blog now for about a year!

It's hard to believe. The year has been...well I guess "challenging" would be the best way for me to describe it. I've been through quite a bit with life, love, goals etc... and sometimes I think I need to remind myself about the things that make me happy and ultimately make me...well ME.

I set this goal in January. Believe it or not this list was actually a little hard to do, but FINALLY...here it is: My List of 100 things That Make Me Happy

Audrey
a beautiful summer or early fall day
a compliment
a day off
a good rainy day
a great pedicure
a night spent drinking and playing cards/dominos with friends
a really good steak
accomplishing one of my goals
amusement parks
an open mic
back/head massages
beautiful scenery
being the catalyst for someone else's accomplishment
bubbles
cake from Tiffany's Bakery
chocolate…GOOD chocolate
dancing in the house
DC during the 4th of July
discovering out of the way spots that only I know about
doing something nice for someone else
doing something silly just cause I can
dreaming
driving with the windows down and singing loudly and badly
empty notebooks
encouragement
finding a great new song (or an old song that's new to me)
finding money I didn't know I had
finding something beautiful where it shouldn't be
finding the "perfect word"
finishing a poem
fresh flowers
getting a great deal on something I wanted
getting good grades…in grad school (I have a 4.0)
girl's night out
good art
good conversation
good jokes
good music
good sleep
great quotes
hearing a random (but utterly retarded) song while I'm out and remembering a funny moment associated with it
holding hands with someone
hugs and kisses (especially from Drey!)
IHOP
IM chit chats with one of my favorite people
inside jokes
laughing until I cry
learning a new word
listening to Drey when she gets excited about stuff like losing a tooth
live concerts
living!!
loving someone (despite the circumstances)
making a hot new beat
making funny faces at people just to make them laugh
making mix cds
my birthday
my new red computer
new babies
New Year's Day (I always see it as a chance to start over)
playing guitar hero
playing with kids (I'm a big one myself)
popping bubble wrap
popsicles (red or the pineapple ones my daughter likes!)
postsecret and the Sunday morning paper
prayer/God
proving someone wrong about me
rainbows
reading a good book
reminicing with friends
Scrabble
seeing an inspiration story and thinking "I can do that!"
sitting back to watch while my friends perform or record
smiling at people and having them smile back
spending time with friends/people I love
spontaneous road trips
standing on my head because Drey wants to see mommy do her trick
stargazing
stepping out in brand new shoes or a brand new outfit
strawberry ice cream
surprising other people
taking great photos
telling someone one of my hilarious stories
the beach
the moments when I feel extra confident
the perfect margarita
the smell of cupcakes
Trefoil Girl Scout cookies
unexpected surprises
vacations
visualizing my dream trip
watching a great college b-ball game
watching a really good movie
watching Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (the liquor store scene still cracks me up)
weddings
when things go "all wrong" but we can laugh about it and write it down later
when things go "just right"
winning lottery tickets
writing sessions
yoga

So after 30 days...

So as of this week my 30 day challenge is over...

No I didn't accomplish everything, but..I've most definitely, looking over it all, made some progress...(yeah for progress!! LOL). Of the things that I posted here in this blog...

I did keep up with my blogs relatively on schedule, finish my b-day book, re-do my resume and portfolio--it's snazzy...lol (and if anyone needs a resume revamp let me know!!), I wrote 5 brand new pieces (not 10, but that's ok), did a couple of freelance gigs this month (and one in progress), made time to write, hit up 4-5 venues--I even took protegee #2 out and had her perform for the first time on Monday.

The biggest change I caught in myself is my attitude...to say I have been tested in the last 30 days would definitely be a massive understatement, but where old me would've handled situations a certain way, new me--or should I say, work in progress me-- took time to do things a little bit different...and sometimes uncomfortable. But I feel better about it. :)

I won't make excuses for the stuff I didn't do, although I will say a few things were precluded by the move to the new place (which will be wrapped up at the end of the week). So we start over again and we make some time to set some new smaller goals.

And today I woke up feeling really good...with this song in my head:

Poem #3

I said I would...so here I post the third of the ten poems I said I would try and write during my 30 day challenge. Short and sweet.

Love Equates to Slow Suicide

I watch smoke curl
from lips that only yesterday swore
for the 99th time
they'd never touch another cigarette
Curse your name between
inhales
and exhales
wondering
why you never pointed out
that love scars lungs, damages your heart
and eats away at you like cancer
maybe then
I would've kicked my habit

Day 13...

Almost to the halfway point of the 30 day challenge! Yea me! LOL.

What I've accomplished so far:

2 new pieces written (I will post at least one of the 10 sometime in the 30 day challenge).
-I've been to two venues (including one last night--had a great time! trying to get back into performance shape)
-I missed church this past week :( but made up for it with a huge overdose of the WORD channel on Sunday...lol
-I finished my birthday book. It's called The Masquerade: What Mask Are Your Wearing? --not a bad read. Has a lot of good exercises in it.
-I revamped my resume as part of my school application. I had to convert to a CV...who knew I'd done that much stuff? lol

Still working on a few more things...but not doing too bad.

How's everybody else coming along with their goals?

Weapon of Mass Destruction

Introducing my new weapon of mass destruction...my new custom built (red!!) laptop



No more excuses for not posting blogs or getting some writing done!

Thought for the Day: Create your attitude

Good advice...

Day 7...

Outside on lovely Friday evening...yes WITH the laptop in tow...lol. Enjoying the quiet moment I said I would give myself. Good music, and my patio fireplace. I'm about to write again.

If I'm really going to live my life, this is a great place to start. Enjoy!

30 Days...Day 3...

So, I'm 3 days into my 30 day challenge and so far I'm not doing so good. Egh! I didn't expect miracles overnight, but still...

Well... then again I had some serious things to take care of in regards to my house so I can forgive myself this weekend...lol.

I did go to church yesterday and I did spend some time both Saturday and Sunday writing, but the majority of my weekend was spent cleaning in preparation for moving at the end of the month and the county inspector who's coming this week...that's a whole other convoluted story. Today we'll work on the staying positive part...lol. And actually in the process of cleaning the house I found not one but 7 brand new fresh notebooks...talk about motivation.

As it turns out though, this is actually a little harder than I thought it would be. The smaller changes are proving to be more difficult than the larger ones. Go figure. However, I am not one to back down from a challenge so I continue...more updates to come

The 30 Day Challenge

This morning I saw an interesting segment on one of the religious channels of all places...go figure.

The topic was making change in your life and they brought up the idea of a 30 day challenge. It was geared toward married couples trying to strengthen their relationship. The way it's supposed to work is you list 30 things you would like to change and goals you'd like to accomplish and you work for 30 days to do those things. They're not supposed to be major, just subtle changes. The catch to it was, you're not supposed to tell anyone what the 30 things are...so that a) if you don't get through all of them, you're only accountable to yourself and b) if you do it right then the other person should be able to see the changes.

In my case, I'm not married but I've been looking at some places in my life where I could stand improvement and thought it might be worth trying this out. I'm going to bend the rules a little here for purposes of the blog and post part of my list:

stop swearing (this is going to be f'ing hard! LMAO)
finish reading the book I got for my birthday
finish the book I am currently writing
rebuild my resume
rebuild my portfolio
work out my finance schedule
add money to my savings
write 10 brand new poems (that's one every 3 days or so)
go to church every Sunday for the whole month
tell at least one person a day that I love them
schedule a check-up
make sure I spend some time everyday talking to my daughter
get my freelance stuff back up to a consistant level
do/say at least one positive thing everyday
update at least 1 of my blogs every 3-days or so
move (I'll be doing this at the end of the month!!)
get everything together for the new business launch (shhhhh! I'll tell y'all all about that shortly)
attend at least 2 open mics or readings
do better about keeping in contact with my friends
make time every day to write and/or meditate

I will give you all updates as it goes. Anybody else want to take me up on this?

Moving Right Along. Suggestions for a Birthday Goal?

I've been bad...well sorta. LOL. I haven't done much in the way of making a dent on my life list. Well...that's not entirely true, I have some plans in the works to make some things happen, because my goals are BIG ones (most of them) and circumstance has kinda put me a tough position. Such is life, I suppose.

However...

While I am preparing for my goals, I have been helping someone else move their's along. A really good friend of mine is working on publishing her first book and so I've been helping her through the process...(yeah progress!!! LOL) When it's ready I will debut it here. I can't say much yet except that it's very good stuff.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking about which thing to tackle next... my birthday is next week, so I'm thinking that may be a great excuse to at least attempt to knock off something or maybe add something new.

Suggestions?

Vacation

I have not foresaken the list... lol. In fact I have been revamping some things in order to accomplish more. Plus, I have been on vacation so you will excuse my absence (<<< writes lame excuse on tardy note).

I roadtripped over 2,800 miles from DC to Miami to Atlanta and back to DC. Along the way I stopped and saw some friends, got some ideas together, did a lot of writing (of course) and made some important decisions... In the wake of everything that has gone on personally and just generally speaking...I'm realizing that life is far too short and so the list becomes more important than ever...

my thoughts...look like this pic. LOL. I'm ready to jump in feet first

Notes from DC Carnival

Between the hot weather, the music and the sights and sounds...it almost felt like the islands...lol.

This is DC Carnival Weekend...

More Movie Madness

Believe it or not, in the last few weeks I've been able to knock a few more movies off the list:

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly I'm not crazy about Westerns, but this one was very good!! I have a new appreciation for Clint Eastwood. And may I say, if you like characters in a movie..."Angel Eyes" is a cold blooded beast.

It Happened One Night Cute comedy. Clarke Gable. Not too shabby! ;)

Seven Samauri Ok, so I found out the movie Magnificent Seven is actually a more American remake of this movie (chalk that in the trivial pursuit/useless fact category...lol). It's subtitled, but easy to watch and keep up with. If you were ever a fan of kung fu theater type movies this might be up your alley.

Some Like It Hot Marilyn Monroe. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curits--IN DRAG. It doesn't get much funnier than that.

Sunset Boulevard I may have to add this one to my new list of favorites. I was not expecting to like this movie as much as I do, but I literally couldn't stop watching it. A broke writer. A pseudo love plot involving a manipulative crazy older woman and a younger man. Delusions, attempted suicide, and a great plot twist with a psycho scene at the end that just keeps you hanging on the edge. I see now why this made the list.

"...You used to be big... I AM big, It's the pictures that got small."

I have to admit most of the yahoo movies have been pretty good (save that ONE that I hated!). TCM has several more coming on this month, which I'm going to try and TiVo and/or squeeze in...gotta love modern technology.

Check. Item #55- Attend A Earth, Wind and Fire Concert

I'm back on my game plan.

So of course there is a story to tell with this...

For the last 3 weeks, it has rained almost every day here in DC. Last night was the Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire concert. Of course it was outdoors and of course I had lawn tickets. You see where this is going....lol

It started raining heavily about ooooooh 6:00...show time was 7:30--not just raining-- THUNDER STORMING. It rained all the way up until, I kid you not...the second Earth, Wind and Fire took the stage. And suddenly a hole opened up right over the whole venue. I had managed to find a great spot on the ledge of this wooden patio, so I was up off the wet grass and able to see over the sea of umbrellas.

Best. Show. Ever.


At first I was kind of disappointed because they did all of my favorites-- Reasons, Fantasy, Let's Groove Tonight, Serpentine Fire... all EXCEPT one. Then Chicago came out and the rain started again...lol. I like Chicago...not a huge fan--I tend to think of great/cheesy 80s hits like "You're the Inspiration" (which they performed last night...lol) and "Glory of Love" from the Karate Kid...but I do like them!



About 11, I contemplated leaving since the drive back was long (the show was way out in Maryland), but something told me not to go just yet...


EWF comes back out and performs... September! (which if you know me is sort of my unofficial theme song)

I can officially be happy now...lol. I laughed, danced and sang with the people around me. All in all I had a ball. So check another one off the list.

What's Next...

I have missed y'all. It's been a busy few weeks --in a lot of positive ways.

Let's see... two movies knocked off the list Goldfinger---(LMAO @ Pussy Galore, how the hell did they get away with THAT in the 60s??? ) and Blow Up--which was weirder than weird (and, perhaps I missed the significance somewhere but Yahoo! could've KEPT that movie. It was like Yellow Submarine meets LSD meets Alfred Hitchcock meets mimes playing tennis...LMAO)

I got my ticket to see Earth, Wind and Fire in a few weeks. Yeah! excited about that. Show is June 10, so I will come back with an update and hopefully pictures then.

And I have been issued a challenge, which I have decided to add to the list...

For those that don't know I am a spoken word artist. My work goes across the board from politics to relationships, but... the one thing I never, ever do is love poems.

Recently, I've started training a really great writer for her mic debut. She tells me I should write and perform a love poem on stage. Now understand...this is 180 degrees from my normal...I would consider myself more a "concept" poet if I had to put a name to it. My style is more rapid fire delivery and tactical wordplay and hence why I've never written or performed a love piece. Needless to say this will require some work on my part.

I could use some motivation though...lol. I guess we'll see how this little experiment comes out.

New item---#143 Solve a Rubik's Cube

The latest in a long line of super nerdy retarded things I want to do...



I don't want to be super fast at it, but I would like to be able to accomplish it, because up to this point I've never been able to. It's the epitome of nerdiness I know... but hey...lol

Let's All Go to The Movies...

...or stay home and go on a movie watching binge.

I've od'd on popcorn. If I cut myself right now I'd bleed melted butter. And, I can officially say I have a new appreciation for Turner Classic Movies because as of late, I have been on a serious movie kick. As it turns out a lot of the older movies from the Yahoo! list that I mentioned in a previous post, have been scheduled on TCM. Of the 100 films...I have about 60 that I haven't seen.

So... aside from The Graduate, which I watched earlier, In the last week or two, I've had a chance to screen:

• Annie Hall (Woody Allen at his most neurotic)
• Blazing Saddles (which if you haven't seen is absolutely hysterical)
• Grand Illusion (a black and white French WWI film)
• Double Indemnity (highly recommend)
• Maltese Falcon (...when you're slapped, you'll take it and like it. Humphrey Bogart was a pimp!)
• Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (Redford and Newman in the same movie--enough said)
• Nosferatu (the original Dracula movie)
• Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepurn. Such a lovely actress)
  

It crazy...watching these films, you gain a new appreciation for what makes a good movie without all of the glitz and glam and overkill. It's sort of the same effect as listening to older music. So, I'm no Siskel and Ebert (or Ropert) but I'm not doing too bad either...lol.

PS...My goal is to have the complete list done maybe by the end of the year or at least 1 year from when I put it on the list.

When Opportunity Meets Luck...

Yesterday it was announced that President Obama would be coming to speak at the university where I work. People who wanted to attend had to sign up for a lottery system. The only person on my entire floor who scored a ticket was....(drumroll please)...

I had great view of our President. Watch this morning's economic speech here.

Off the List- Eye of the Tiger

I went to Philadelphia yesterday. I had an hour or two to kill and couldn't resist a side trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a pic with the Rocky statue. And yes...I ran the steps. Lol. Didn't sing the song though.

Yo Adrian!

Mrs. Robinson, the original MILF

So, I bet you're wondering what the title has to do with anything...

Earlier tonight I watched The Graduate. It was on the Yahoo! list. I'd seen bits and pieces of it before, but never straight from beginning to end. I highly recommend it, but tell me why when I watched it...all I could think of was this...

Horseback Riding

This was not on my list...this is on my friend Des' "list." I went horseback riding this afternoon. She found a spot that gives free lessons on Sundays, so we met up and tried it out. I've never been horseback riding so I was game...

It was muddy from yesterday's rain, a horse tried to get my attention by grabbing onto my shirt, but it was actually fun. Surprisingly enough I didn't even do too bad. I got a horse that was pretty cool and I didn't bust my ass...I even managed to get my horse Twist up to a moderate pace, so I'll consider it a success. Here's me with my new "friend"


Des on her high horse...literally...lol


At the end of the lesson. Next time I'll have to remember to bring some carrots.

Off the List- Reason #776 Why I (Sometimes) Like DC

Actually this is not quite "off list"...this goes along with the "Do Something Unique to Each Season"

Today I went to the Smithsonian Kite Festival. This happens once a year at the beginning of spring and coincides with the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival. If you've never been, Cherry Blossom Festival is a big deal in DC...there are only about 2-3 weeks out of the year where the blossoms are really nice to see.

Despite the drizzle we have going on I managed to get some really nice shots of some of the several hundred kites that were flying.

100 Films to See Before You Die

This list was published by Yahoo!

Unlike some other lists, there are some cinema classics as well as more recent greats on the list. Overall some good picks... I guess that means I'll be adding to my Netflix queue. Among Yahoo's picks:

Alien (1979)
Blade Runner (1982)
Casablanca (1942)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Die Hard (1988)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
The Godfather (1972)
Goodfellas (1990)
Jaws (1975)
The Matrix (1999)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Raging Bull (1980)
Rear Window (1954)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Star Wars (1977)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Click to see the rest of Yahoo's pick for 100 movies to see before you die

In looking this over, I see quite a few movies that I have wanted to see and haven't had the chance, as well as a few that I have seen and would like to revisit...so I have decided to add this movie list to my personal list.

Spring Cleaning

I haven't forgotten you guys. LOL.

It's been very crazy lately and busy...in a good way. I'm working on a few upcoming things/events and trying to get myself ready for a poetry show in Philadelphia in 3 weeks. I'm also working on making some life changes--some minor, some major. I've made a few additions to the playlist--just adding a few songs that fit the theme. Speaking of...here is today's musical inspiration/motivation. Enjoy!

Forbes List of America's Most Visited Tourist Attractions

I came across this article today. Forbes Traveler has composed a new list of America's Most Visited Tourist Attractions

Here's the top 10:

1. Times Square, NY
2. Las Vegas Strip
3. The National Mall in DC
4. Faneuil Hall Boston
5. Disney World (FL)
6. Disneyland (CA)
7. Fisherman's Wharf/Golden Gate Park San Francisco
8. Niagara Falls, NY
9. Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park (TN/NC)
10. Navy Pier, Chicago

Of those 10, I have yet to visit # 5, 7 or 9

Some other big (I thought) tourist attractions actually fared farther down on the list than I thought. On a top 25-- The Grand Canyon came in at #20 behind Delaware Gap National Park at #14. And number #25 was Waikiki Beach Hawaii. Some places, like Mount Rushmore and the Seattle Space Needle which I thought would be pretty obvious choices didn't make the list.

Hmmm...any thoughts? any opinions on what should or maybe should not have made the list? I mean if you had to play tour guide to someone visiting the states for the first time what would you recommend as a "must see" for a tourist?

Item #55- Attend a Earth, Wind and Fire Concert

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a music junkie. I listen to music just about most of my day. As you can probably tell by my playlist, my tastes kinda run across the board. I can go from Kayne to Charlotte Church to Abba to Kraftwerks in 3 seconds flat. I am an absolute fan of everything--except maybe country music which I am teaching myself to tolerate in low doses...lol

Music was a big part of my upbringing. I remember vividly dancing around the house to Elvis with my mother (don't judge...lol...this is the reason why my tastes are so far reaching now--and why my 4 year old knows all the words to Jailhouse Rock). In short I was exposed to a quite a bit musically...old jazz, 50s rock n roll, but most prominent in my house was old school R&B. I'm talking the O'Jays, Temptations, Chaka Khan, a lot of Al Green and Earth Wind and Fire.

So no surprise I am a fan of all of those, most especially EWF. Some of the best music ever made and sampled came from EWF. Tell me you can listen to a song like "September" or "Let's Groove tonight and not want to dance. The intro to "Shining Star" is just classic. So I added EWF to my list some years back in the hopes that maybe I'd get a chance to see them.

Well...imagine my surprise to find out they are touring in 2009!

Apparently they are touring domestically over the summer...they have not posted up any dates yet other than the New Orleans Jazz festival, but you better believe I am going to find a way to go see them--hopefully they will come through DC so maybe I won't have to travel too far. As soon as I get further information I will update. But in the meantime in case you're wondering why I am so hyped:

I want to break a Guinness World Record

...but not THIS Guinness World Record

What I've Learned So Far...

In chronicling my life list, I've come to realize a few things...

1. the more I accomplish, the more I realize there's more I want to do---if that makes any sense.

2. nothing I have on my list is really as easy as it seems. I've hit several road blocks (most recently some runaround concerning my schooling and funding). I get frustrated, however I am going to find a way to work around it--you can count on that.

3. people who are not living their own dreams will always attempt to find a way to derail yours. I refuse to let this happen.

4. my accomplishments, no matter how small are just that--accomplishments! Sometimes the smaller things turn out to be more amazing and have bigger impact than the larger ones

5. i am learning something about myself everytime I knock something else off the list.

I'm being kind of introspective today and in doing so I'm adding a few more things:

New items:

• get paid to do something on the list (preferably the travel...lol)
• video/photograph/document my accomplishments whenever possible
• take photos nice enough to be blown up and framed/displayed as art in my house
• sit down and make a realistic budget/savings plan (this includes an emergency fund) and stick with it

This is just a side note and not an official list item, but I am also going to start really re-focusing on my writing. I am a writer by profession and it is how I make money outside of my 9-5 (whether that be through poetry or freelancing).

Like I said, I am musing today and being a little introspective.

On a lighter note though, spring is coming in a few weeks (in theory)...any new list suggestions or good ideas for spring activities?

Random Kindness on a Humpday.

Something really cool happened to me today and I thought I would share it.

I decided to catch the shuttle bus uptown today so that I could run a few errands during lunch. As I was waiting on the bus an older gentleman approached with his wife. He sat down next to me on the steps while she stood in line. They proceeded to ask me a question about the shuttle and we made small talk for a sec before the bus pulled around the corner.

So we get on the bus and I end up sitting behind them, when I see the gentleman pull out a fold up map. It becomes obvious after a minute that they don't really know where they're going, so I ask if I can help. Now up to this point I just assumed they were here maybe visiting their grandkids at school or something (I work on a university campus). But they proceed to tell me that they've been in the university hospital for days and were basically taking advantage of the nice weather today to get out for awhile.

Me being me, I point out where we are on the map and then recommend a few places to eat in the neighborhood where the shuttle stops. And then I tell them where to get on the train to see some of the museums and such. They thank me and I don't think anything else of it...

As I'm getting off the bus, the gentleman hands me a business card. I read it and come to dead stop in the middle of the sidewalk. On the front:

And on the back:


When I turned back around the man and his wife were walking the opposite direction up the sidewalk, so I put the card in my wallet, and now I am sharing it here.

Hope you guys have a great day!

Black History Month

I'm all about culture, new experiences, travel and the like. I think it's difficult to have an appreciation for the world unless you've actually seen it.

That being said seeing as how it is Black History Month, here are some ideas for places/things to see. Of course this is not an extensive listing, but just some starter points to add to your "to do list".

Washington, DC

Lincoln Memorial- a grand tribute to the president that signed the Emancipation Proclamation, inspired our 44th President and site of the "I Have a Dream Speech"

Frederick Douglass Historic Site- tours of Douglass' DC Home and historic documents

Chicago

DuSable Museum of African American History- offering special programs all month long and year round celebrating acheivements of African Americans

Atlanta

Dr. Martin Luther King National Historic Site, the King Center- located in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta. Tours of the home of Dr King as well as the King center are available. Ebenezer Baptist Church is located in the same neighborhood

Birmingham, AL

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute- photos of famous moments in Civil Rights history. Birmingham is also the site of the Sixteeth St Baptist Church bombing

Harper's Ferry, WV

Tour the town, just north of DC/Baltimore- site of John Brown's abolisionist revolt

Baltimore, MD

Great Blacks in Wax Museum - Where all the greatest acheivers are immortalized in wax

New York

Lots of doings in NYC, but I would recommend as a starter, the Harlem Hertiage Tour a walking tour of a community that is synonymous with African American culture.

Again, not an all inclusive list, but you can check with any local library or nearby university for events in other cities/areas.

I would also recommend adding books, movies and music to your celebration. I can build a decent list if anyone would like suggestions.

Off the List- Reason #512 Why I (Sometimes) Like DC

I decided I would take in some culture today. First I went to visit the Phillip's Collection--which is an amazing collection of art from Mattise, Picasso, Van Gogh... Today however was the last day of the showing of the Jacob Lawrence Migration Series.


It's a beautiful set of paintings depicting the migration of blacks from south to north. You can view the entire set at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, so it's rare to see it here.

After which, I hopped the train and headed to Chinatown to check out the Chinese New Year Parade



It was pretty cool. The weather was perfect...about 60.



I even had a (lol) celebrity sighting...I saw former Mayor Marion "the bitch set me up" Barry.

The only downer was they couldn't light the giant firecracker because...there was a gas leak. Leave it to DC to have a gas leak next to a 3 story tall incendiary device. Eh, well...

Item # 128 Take a picture with "The Awakening" (on the National Habor in DC)

I got a new camera just before the inauguration. Finally!! My original plan was to drive up to Baltimore and take some pictures. Unfortunately, it's a little too cold, so I elected instead to test the camera at the DC Waterfront and knock another item of my list in the progress.

This is the Awakening...


It's a 100 foot sculpture of a giant coming out of the ground. It used to sit over at Hains Point in DC until about 2 years ago when the artist sold it and last year it was moved over to the new waterfront.


I added it to the list because I have great memories as both a little kid and a teenager going over to Hains Point. I don't think I got a clear shot of it, but to give you some perspective on how big this actually is...the knee cap is actually worn smooth in the front because all the kids (including me) used to use it as a sliding board.






I think the new camera works pretty well. Maybe I'll take that trip to Baltimore next weekend.