Saturday

It's a cold, crisp, sunny day in The Big Easy. I made a Saturday breakfast of eggs, grits, and sausage with orange juice and cappucino. I did some things around here with regard to actually moving from the trailer to the house, and talked to Roberto about putting up some shelves in the downstairs pantry and installing a new faucet and shower head in the bathroom upstairs. Roberto has a cold, so I suggested that we actually start the work next week.

I'll be leaving in a few for a mani-pedi, and to go to the grocery.

Sounds boring, huh?

Maybe I'll change it up a bit, maybe not. At any rate, I'll have good posts tomorrow.

What about you? What are you doing today?

George Lopez

I love the George Lopez show. I never saw his standup - heard it was funny but uber vulgar. What about you? Are you a fan?

My Dear Friends, If You Can Read This...

I'm going to need you to comment, okay? I've made it easier to comment. You don't have to comment on everything, but pick some things and comment, please.

I hope I don't have to send you a nasty email.

Yes, I'm talking to you.

That's all. Smooches!

King Cake

What are your favorite kinds? Who makes the best one?

Recipes

In case you didn't know, I love to cook. Soon, I will be posting recipes of items I think you might like. I'm open to suggestions. What recipes would you like to see?

Romany Malco

I love this guy. He's funny, and very easy on the eyes. What do you think?

Question

You're stranded on a desert island. You have your choice of three creature comforts. What are they?

The Most Important Meal of the Day

What is a typical breakfast for you? Is it different on the weekends?

Date Night

In the beginning of a relationship, is it still a given that the man pays for the date? How about after you've been dating a while?

Ladies, what would you do if at the end of the date you discover you're expected to pay?

Guys, do you think it's unfair to to assume you'll be paying?

Cold

It's cold this morning, at least by New Orleans standards.  I put on tights, something I almost never do, and they are living up to their name.  I am sucked in like a sausage, but I am warm, and I look cute.   I guess it's worth the trade-off, but I can't wait until it warms up.  I'm hot natured, but I cannot stand when my feet are cold!   It's supposed to be cold all week.  April can't get here fast enough.   What about you?  How is the weather where you are?  What extra bundling up do you do when it's cold? Tiger Lily

Do You Sudoku?

http://websudoku.com

Monday Morning Funny

This never gets old.:

Golden Globe Awards

Some observations...

Jennifer Lopez looks amazing.

Viola Davis looks fantastic - something about her looks more youthful than usual - almost schoolgirlish.

Don Cheadle wears a bald head beautifully.

Eva Mendes, who already has it going on, looks stunning, with turquoise bling around her neck (a Van Cleef and Arpels, circa 1974), laying on her beautiful caramel skin. Her stylist is brilliant.

Okay, the dress isn't bad, but Drew Barrymore should not have worn that color, I don't care if her eyeshadow does match (whoever said that was a look?), and that hairstyle is not flattering.

I love Ricky Gervais.

Johnny Depp is all about the work - I love that about him. Makes him sexy.

The stars must be in alignment - everybody's skin is is dewey, supple, shiny and healthy looking.

Maggie Gyllenhaal looks like she's wearing cheap sheets gathered with a rubber band at the shoulder, and a thick nylon elastic belt around her waist. No. Just, no.

Gerard Butler is hot.

I'm pulling for Slumdog Millionaire, drumroll...

YEAH!! Best screenplay - Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionare!!!
Best Original Score.
Best Producer.
BEST MOTION PICTURE!

Okay, Monk didn't win. You know I was pulling for Tony Shalhoub. It's okay. He's won many awards and has already proven himself.

What in the hell is Renee Zellweger wearing? Some kinda wide, fishtail thing that's solid black from the waist down, sheer black at the top, with what looks like a white t-shirt underneath - whatever.

Laurence Fishburne should not have worn that red tie.

Who let Tracy Morgan take the mic?

Steven Spielberg is the man. That's all.

A quasi aside: I love the Irish!

The co-stars of Slumdog Millionaire are adorable!

Mickey Rourke won Best Actor, Drama, for his work in The Wrestler. I loved Mickey Rourke a long time ago. I believe it was during the time of Year of the Dragon. Apparently, he's still has it, at least in terms of acting. I'm sure there's a story behind the indoor, nighttime sunglasses, the hair, and the skin that looks a leeeeetle too tight for a mature man such as Mr. Rourke, but when I look at him, I'm taken back to that time when he was brilliant and beautiful, and I absolutely loved him.

I pray no one is this stupid!

Some sleazebag had the unmitigated gall to put this in my inbox:

Hello,

I am Mr Abu Bakar Bin Saud from Malaysia.

Some years back,I invested some amount of money with an investor in
Ontario , Canada and it has yeilded some reasonable interest which is due
payment.

I wanted the Due-funds transferred to my account by Swift, but the issuing
said company/Investor that they cannot transfer more than Five Thousand
Dollars to any bank account outside North America/south America within one
month (30days).

Meanwhile,I have tried to open an account with Bank-One in Texas and
Washington Mutual in California in United States but I need to be
physically presence to sign the mandate. I must confess that this is not
possible now because I am medically down to make such a long distance trip.
So,i was told to provide a contact in Canada,or United States of America to
receive the funds on my behalf.

I am in need of your assistance on this matter, if you could help receive
the funds and forward to me. Sincerely,you are not going to face any risk
in rendering assistance.

AND PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAN YOU ARE NOT SPENDING ANY MONEY ON THIS AND I
WILL OFFER YOU 12% OF THE MONEY YOU RECEIVE.

Once i received your response,I will send you the contact details of the
investor in Canada so that you can open talk with him.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours Truely,
Mr AbuBakar Saud.




This kind of thing truly, truely burns me up!

Marty - 1955

The first time I saw this movie, I was in high school and it was at my dad's insistence. If he enjoyed something, it was a given that my siblings and I should enjoy it too. If you didn't enjoy it the way he did, there was something wrong with you. That's just the way he was. What he enjoyed most at that time was a new VCR and an expanding movie collection. We spent a greater part of that summer getting acquainted and reacquainted with the classics. Before we began watching Marty, Daddy explained this was a 'sleeper' hit, meaning it won critical acclaim despite great things not being expected at the time of the film's release. It was nominated for eight Oscars and won four, picked up two awards at Cannes, including the Golden Palm, won a Golden Globe, and many others. Even today, this is impressive.

If you haven't seen it let me set it up for you without spoiling it:

The story is of Marty Piletti (played excellently by Ernest Borgnine), a thirty-something bachelor who lives and works in the Bronx with his beloved, widowed mother. It's at her urging that Marty attends a dance at the famous Stardust Ballroom. While there, he witnesses a woman named Clara (again, excellent portrayal by Betsy Blair), being dumped about two minutes into a blind date. Marty comes to Clara's rescue, and they seem to hit it off. That's all I'll say.

I loved this movie for a few reasons. First, the entire movie was well acted. Mrs. Piletti, played by Esther Minciotti, was the typical overbearing mother who wants her son to settle down, yet isn't quite ready to let him go. What I liked most is the honesty of this movie. It deals with feeling 'not good/smart/pretty enough' and the emotions that come with it, in a raw, sincere manner. In a time when movies swept many of life's unpleasantries under the rug, Marty took its issues head on and put the hurt front and center. There's also a "wait a minute - what am I thinking!" moment that merits mentioning.

If you've seen it, let me know what you think. If you haven't, I believe you'll be pleased when you do. If you don't love it, my daddy was right - there is something wrong with you!

Sunday Morning In the House

I'm sitting in my house on the sectional my son recently moved from downstairs to the den upstairs. It's quite comfortable. As is my custom on Sunday mornings, I've put on the music I feel like hearing. It's an eclectic mix with a recurring theme - right now I'm listening to Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are. Before that, Chante Moore's Love's Taken Over, and before that, Chicago's Just You and Me. Picked up on a theme yet? If there's any doubt, Al Green's L-O-V-E Love is now playing? Get it? Got it? Good.

When I burned this CD in the early summer, I was really feeling it. I had someone in my life I was diggin like crazy, who, after years of a 'dry spell' reawakened my hope for the possibility of a relationship that went deep. Butterflies in the stomach, missed him when he was gone, goofy grinning when he called. It's a lovely stage, and one I hadn't had in years.

Unfortunately, it took about a month for things to turn to dirt. (That's Sunday morning talk. Also, the issues that led to our demise are a story for another post.) He still calls from time to time, and I am polite, but there is nothing in the world this man can offer to entice me to voluntarily sit at any table with him. I am grateful to him for one thing, though. Despite things not working out between us, my renewed hope for something beautiful did not die. I vow never again to get into that kind of funk.

I don't know who or where he is. I may have already met him. I just know there is one who gets me, who loves me, and will allow me love him the way I want. Until we're joined, I'm going to continue enjoying my life. Once we're joined, we'll enjoy it together.

Okay, I gotta go now. Al Green is singing I'm So Glad You're Mine, and I must sing with him. This requires my full attention. Besides, I can't post with my eyes closed - yet.

How often is your hair trimmed? Do you use a professional? Do you do it yourself? Are you happy with your ends?

Ugly Betty's back on tonight. WooHoo!!!!

Are you watching tonight?

The Very Best of Everything

I made a comment on Monica Mingo’s site (hereinafter referred to as Monnie), which I often do. A few days ago, a young woman wrote to her seeking advice. She had been seeing a young man, and things were going well. There was no commitment between them. He went home for the holidays and had not called her. She called him. She called him again. She left messages. He ignored her. I don’t think I commented on that post - my response would have been redundant, as my sentiments were pretty much the same as many of the other commenters. Later, this young woman wrote back to inform Monnie her gentleman friend ignored her because he had a woman in his hometown to whom he "owed respect". My comment was: "WTF? I hope she’s already yelled "Next" and lost his number." I wrote it and moved right along, not giving it a second thought, until I saw my words on a later post, where Monnie asks what happens when "Next" is few and far between. You can read the post here: http://creoleindc.typepad.com/rantings_of_a_creole_prin/2009/01/what-came-first.html.

I thought back on the many times I stayed in a relationship past its expiration date. It wasn't easy to walk away after investing so much of myself. You see, I was one of these girlfriends who put everything into a relationship. I was patient, understanding, willing to make sacrifices, eager to fix problems. There's nothing wrong with treating a person well, especially someone with whom you're involved. The problem was, while I was trying to be super girlfriend, I put their needs before mine. There was no reciprocation. As you might expect, these relationships came to an end and I was left feeling frustrated, exhausted and unappreciated, and I was to blame. This was where stupidity came in.

After the last debacle, I took time to get to know me better and figure out what was wrong. I discovered what I liked and didn’t like in a relationship. I realized it wasn’t the end of the world to be unattached. After some time, I became content, then I became happy - something I hadn't been in any relationship. Such was my contentment, the thought of getting 'out there' made me uneasy. So, I stayed put. Six months turned into a year. One year turned into a few years with no one. Oh, it wasn't that I didn't want to be involved. Quite to the contrary. I had just gotten too comfortable. Honestly speaking, my need for companionship and that special touch had become so intense, I could barely stand to see a couple embrace on television. (I can think of a few examples. Johnny Depp's kissing scene in Chocolat was particularly difficult to bear.) Yeah, it was really bad.

Having a piece of man when you want more is not better than having no man at all. In any good, healthy relationship, there is an exchange that fits, and the people involved "get" each other. In other words, if I'm bringing you a whole cake, I expect a whole cake in return. I will not settle for a slice or some crumbs. And your cake better be good, too, 'cause that's what I'm bringing, and I deserve the very best of everything. Don’t you?

If I were in this young lady's shoes, I would not deal with this guy anymore. I would yell "Next" and lose his number, even if there was no one waiting in the wings. For me, his dishonesty was the deal breaker, and he handled this situation like a straight up punk. I would not, however, judge her if she decided to stay with him. I am not qualified to speak her truth, only mine.

Things are very different now, because I’m different now. I deal with things at face value. I do not make excuses for bad behavior, and I certainly don’t hang around long enough to watch it get worse. I pay close attention to red flags. I look at how he treats those who are supposed to be dear to him. I detest lies and insincerity. I am unapologetically unwilling to settle.

These days, my comfort zone is significantly larger, and I’m happy. Could it be better? Of course, but I don't feel pressure to pair up with someone for the sake of not being alone, for I am not lonely. Until I do meet that person who's 'it' for me, I'm enjoying the journey. When he comes along, I'd like to think I'm ready.

It is my hope that all ladies in this situation find their truth, that they know what they want with clarity, that they don’t settle, and know above all else, they deserve the very best of everything.

Question

Once you have broken up with someone, is there a grace period before you get involved with another? Is the answer the same whether you or your ex did the breaking up?

Let me be clear:

If you break up with someone, do you have the right to act a fool if you see him/her with someone else? Does it matter if you've only been broken up for a day or two?