DJ, Won't You Play This Girl a Love Song?

All I can say is Wow.

Last night I went with a some friends from work to see Jamie Foxx. Did I mention WOW?

He's hilarious, he acts, he sings...man, does he sing, and he's an "Oscar winner...but ghetto."

He's quite full of himself; however, who wouldn't be with that much talent...and good looks?

The Portland crowd, although lacking in bodies, was ready for some Jamie Foxx...and boy, did we get some.

We had awesome seats...10 rows back on the floor, smack dab in the middle! I'd swear he was singing directly to us!

Oh, and he had Speedy opening for him. Speaking of hilarious!

An excellent show, all in all. Definitely worth the steep price.

In Demand

Apparently, my blogging is in demand...by one, if not many. ;-)

Thanks for the suggestions of topics, Reader 492!

I think, at this point, I'll pick #6 - one of the least provocative topics. We'll see if I can actually manage to deal with some of the others at a later time.

Where is one place you've always wanted to go, but haven't been able to yet? Outside the US? Within the US? Within your state?

Outside of the US, I've always wanted to go to Jamaica, but I haven't been able to get there yet. I can't remember how long I've wanted to go to Jamaica, but it was definitely before Stella wanted to go. I have no clue what put the desire in my heart; however, after hearing some fairly negative stories, I'm still curious and would love to visit one day.

As far inside the US, I'd like to visit Hawaii and New Orleans. I have wanted to visit Hawaii for as long as I can remember. Not sure if it has anything to do with Fantasy Island or not, but it's highly possible.

The main reason I want to visit New Orleans is because my favorite football team is the New Orleans Saints, and has been since my early twenties. I had a boyfriend that was from Louisiana, and I picked it up from him. I lost him, but kept the favorite team. I've always rooted for the underdog, and the Saints have been underdogs, for the most part since I've been loosely following them.

I have just listed the three places I've always wanted to visit in my lifetime. And, for now, these are the ONLY three places I have any desire to see. Ever. I'm not that fond of traveling, to be honest.

You can also see this list on my 43 Places page, as well.

Been Busy

[crickets chirping]

Hey...

YOU! Over there! Reader 492!

Turn around, and face me.

Second challenge met.

Dreaded Day

WAY not looking forward to Valentine's Day...you?

Yeah, right!

Woo-hoo! nothin'. I couldn't stay up. What were they thinkin' airing Lost so freakin' late at night?? I was way too tired to stay up. I'll have to watch it...ahem...a different way.

Hump Day

Out of town...that's where I'd rather be. I've had a fairly rough week already, and it's only Wednesday. Here's to hoping the week flies right on by, and next will be better.

The best part of today is the fact that Lost starts up again tonight. Woo-hoo!

Normalcy

Day by day, and week by week,
the normalcy drones on.
Is that a good thing?
Are you sure?

If things are too normal,
or stable, if you will,
will I become bored?
Or, lose momentum?

What will become of me?
The what ifs
creep upon me,
like a stalker in the night.

We can set goals,
small and large.
Near and far.
But, will the normalcy get us?

The day in,
and day out.
The week in,
and week out.

Random Shoe Monday

You and I both know that it's far more enticing to walk or run outside than it is to spend 45 minutes to an hour stomping on a treadmill. And, if you're lucky enough to have a gym membership, you might possibly at least have a view! However, I have a treadmill at home, and although it's quite convenient (and I'm not complaining, by any means) it tends to get quite boring at times.

Anyhow, I was anxious to go for my walk today outside at lunchtime. It was crisp and cold, but not too cold. The sun was trying to poke through the clouds, and even though I had my sunglasses just in case, it wasn't succeeding much. Traffic seemed like normal for this time of day.

I love to walk outside so that I can enjoy my surroundings as I walk. I can be quite observant, at times, and today was no exception.

As I was marching along to the beat of Billy Squire's Stroke Me on my iPod, I came upon what looked like a fairly new pair of men's or boy's shoes in the front yard of a house along my path. One shoe was bent in the back as if someone had been walking with their foot just slipped inside without actually having the shoe on. I looked around to see if anyone was in sight. No one was anywhere in sight. The neighborhood was quite still, actually. I shrugged it off, and kept it movin'.

Not even a half block later, on a corner lot, in the corner of the yard closest to the sidewalk, I spotted two more pair of shoes, and what looked like brand new books. These shoes also looked new. They weren't sitting all neat and tidy in a line or anything, it was as if someone had emptied a backpack or bag in a sort of heap in some random yard. Even though I had just looked around to see if anyone could explain this strangeness to me, I looked around again. And, again...nothing. I kept going.

About a block and half further down the path in another yet random front yard was what looked like a brand new pair of women's shoes. Black pumps this time, and a size 10. I totally could have worn them. And, I'll admit I was tempted to snag 'em. But, I kept walking, laughing at this point.

It doesn't stop there. I saw at least two more shoes along the rest of my walk today. These weren't in pairs. There was one men's hiking boot turned upside down along the fence line of a business, and the other was a children's sandal in the strip of grass that separates the sidewalk from the curb in front of yet another random house.

I'm sure there's a mystery to be solved here; however, I'm just grateful that it wasn't raining today so that I could enjoy my walk outside, maybe a little more than I would have any other day.

Could You Do Me a Favor?

Down in the depths of the portion of my brain that is deeply affected by my negative voice, I have this issue, if you will. It is merely a mental hurdle. I try not to give it too much credit.

For now, I have actually jumped this mental hurdle. And, I'm proud of that fact. However, I vow to try and never become so cocky as to say that I've actually conquered this issue.

I used to always get stuck on the how, and not focus enough on the what.

Yesterday, a daily inspiration was delivered to my inbox from an online newsletter in which I subscribe. The following quote brought this all back to the forefront of my mind:

"Once the 'what' is decided, the 'how' always follows. We must not make the 'how' an excuse for not facing and accepting the 'what.'"– Pearl S. Buck

This, my friends, is exactly what I used to do, and at some point may revert back to. If you ever find that I'm doing this, please, please point it out. Thank you.

Sweeeeeeeeet!

Today I weighed in at...well, I won't tell you how much because girls just don't do that. But I will tell you this much...it was:

FORTY-TWO POUNDS DOWN!

Hum Drum

Stuck? Could I be stuck? I haven't thought of anything to write about today. Honestly, there's plenty I could probably write about, but who really wants to hear all of that babble, anyway?

Do you want to know what I had for breakfast? How about lunch? I could tell you, but you'd just try to compete. That would be no fun. Or, maybe it would.

How about my favorite band? I've talked about music a lot lately, haven't I? But, honestly, I don't know that I have a favorite band...or that I could even pick a favorite singer, for that matter.

I could talk about my past relationships, or past behaviors I've learned, and am trying to get as far away from as I can. But, how could one really summarize those in one post?

Or, I could talk about the Blazers...but I don't really know much about them, or even enough to talk about how they're doing this season.

I could talk about past jobs, or past friends. But, that seems so...yesterday.

I dunno. Maybe I'm just bored of writing. Could it be?

I haven't had a lot of time to come up with something to write about today.

Playing the Victim

"Them 'er the breaks, kid," Jack sighed, trying not to sound too harsh, but down-playing the matter a bit.

"Why, daddy? Why me? I just don't get it," Hannah cried.

Jack didn't know what to tell her. He just hugged her tight, and let her weep against his chest.

Hannah was a fifth grader at Somerset Middle School. Her elementary years has gone fairly smooth, much to Jack's fretting along the way. He had always been somewhat of an overprotective parent. Worry Wart is what they called him, Hannah and his wife. However, this year, the first of four middle school years, was different. Hannah had trouble from day one; although, Jack couldn't quite pin down the root of the issue.

Hannah had trouble waking up in the morning....every morning, so it seemed. She ran late most days. She said kids would tease her at school, nearly on a daily basis. When Jack and his wife would ask, Hannah made up stories about how kids would call her names and make fun of her. She never really went into depth. After a couple months of this, they urged and pleaded for her to explain, she finally admitted that the kids would call her fat, or names related to her weight. As mean as it was, and we all know kids are the worst, one had even called her fat ass.

Jack and his wife, Shannon, had been unsure what to do about this problem. It had been merely seven months since school started, but it seemed an eternity. Especially, with what seemed like daily episodes. These incidents were affecting Hannah's behavior. Not only, socially, but in her school work, and her daily life. Hannah had trouble focusing, and her grades were dropping. She didn't listen, and talked back more often than not. Shannon, especially, was struggling with this area. Hannah had always been such a cooperative and obedient child.

After having a serious talk, Jack and Shannon decided it was time to do something. And, they needed to do it fast! Jack asked Shannon to contact a local doctor, and get some referrals for not only weight loss clinics, but for a recommendation of a local counselor that was well equipped for working with adolescents.

Jack knew he needed to talk to Hannah, and let her know what was going on. He also knew it would be such a touchy subject with her. He had to be able to explain it to her in a way that didn't make her feel like a failure, or that she was a bad child. Her already fragile self-esteem couldn't take another blow like that. Jack realized that the best way to approach it would be with facts. And, to take responsibility for he and Shannon's participation in her gaining the weight she had over the last few years. Right then and there, he also realized that he and Shannon would need counseling, as well. He informed Shannon that, this time, he'd take care of getting the referral.

Jack and Shannon did talk to Hannah, and they felt it went well. Although Hannah didn't really understand the complexity of the problem, she seemed to grasp the need for her to lose weight, and that it would help her in the long run. She was willing to give it a try, if it meant feeling better about going to school.

Months passed, and Hannah had set-backs, but she did lose weight. The family attended counseling on a bi-weekly basis, together and separate. Hannah continued to struggle with wondering why this had happened to her. She would eventually learn that playing the victim will only keep her stuck.