July 11, 2003 - Where�s Waldo (read: Souljourn)
Everywhere and nowhere all at once.
School has begun, and I won�t even try to lie to you and say that I�m totally in the swing of things and that I�m so organized and on top of my homework and reading assignments; cause I ain�t.
I set up a schedule, Life Happens people. Yeah that�s right I revisited an old but valid paradigm. Murphy�s Law is very much in effect mode.
I�m not going to kvetch here because I wanted this. I�ve worked for it and I got it. So I�m tweaking my life here and there, and trying to do the very best I can to juggle it all. Wish me luck.
Instead of going back and trying to write an entry for every single day, I�m going to do one big sha bang right here.
While I was out being studious and academic, I missed writing; I thought of you guys and even stole moments to read my dailies. For shame, shame, yeah I need to get a life, but until that happens I did what I needed to do. I got my diaryland read on�
For those who continued to stop by, Thank You. I appreciate it. You are part of the inspiration / motivation that is making me set aside my Bus100 text to make this update a reality.
Without further ado, away we go�
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June 28, 2003 - Dazzling Meets Her Twin
A person I�ve developed a friendship with via the net is in town for a bit. We met today. She�s everything I thought she�d be.
I have a NEW best friend, and that my friends, makes me feel simply marvelous.
We had lunch, talked, laughed, rented some DVDs and hung at the bat cave.
She needed rest and a little space and I did try to honor her wishes.
I hope she enjoyed herself, that her schedule will permit her the opportunity for us to spend more time together, before she returns home to the west coast.
I would link her; however her diary is presently locked.
The sad reality of all this is, I�m getting sad just thinking about the fact that she�s not going to be here forever, she does have to go home and she has a very real life to get back to.
*sigh*
I�m going to miss her something terrible.
:-(
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June 28, 2003 - My 1st Skinny Cow Experience
To K-lo and all the other W.W. peeps, I was finally brave enough, and equally over come by both intrigue and ice cream Jones to buy some Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice cream Sandwiches.
Let me first begin by saying Thank You K-Lo!
and 2nd They are mucho DELICIOUS! If you�ve not tried them, DO.
I could hurt myself for not having tried them sooner, but there�s no point in crying over spilt milk.
Not to mention I�m way too cute to hurt myself.
Hey! I just checked you can get free coupons!
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June 29, 2003 - Arachnophobia
I awoke in the mid of the night to visit the l.g.r. (little girls room), Lawd have mercy. I was greeted by sugar ants and what looked to be a 
brown reculsa.
Typically I�m cool with bugs and the like, but SPIDERS?! that�s where I MUST draw the line.
Without hesitation I killed it and flushed it. Promptly thereafter I realized I didn�t have to use the potty and tried for hours, in vain to drift into slumber.
*riggin friggin Spider*
*sigh*
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June 30, 2003 - Southern Zodiac
While visiting C I visited here to find out that I�m Boiled Peanut , surprisingly enough its quite accurate.
Also, on the seriously cute for summer tip, from C�s page is the Summer Shoe Pledge *eh hem* Ladies and Gents govern your feet accordingly.
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July 1, 2003 - David Byrne
I discovered this artist while searching for something else.
I�ve rocked his CD, in my player since the last week of June. Yeah, say what you will, I�m quirky like that. I find a groove and I stay there until I�m ready to move on. �Look into The Eyeball is eclectic and upbeat. It�s gotten me through quite a number of days already and I�m still listening to it (for the record it�s July 11th).
Rock on David B.!!!
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July 3, 2003 - 3 Pairs of Dungarees
I don�t wear blue jeans.
How un-American.
Right.
It has to do with my mom, and her mother the �ungrandmotherly� Grannie Agnes*.
Neither of whom approved of women wearing pants.
In their country, women did not wear dungarees
Only men did and they were for the ones who did physical or manual type labor jobs.
Nice.
I�m 32 years old, 1st generation American, about as Patriotic as one can be, and I don�t own nor wear jeans.
Well now that I�m in college student mode, I want to wear em, and I realized I needed to go buy some.
After work I stopped by 2 stores. I tried on 10 pairs of Jeans.
!@#$ !!! can we get some uniformity in cuts? All jeans of the same style, maker and size are NOT cut, nor sewn, nor fit the same. RrRrRr!!! I learned why girlfriends shop together � its to keep from killing the brainless / witless sales associates, who give the blankest-assed stares when you ask them to get you a larger size. RrRrRr !!!
*riggin friggin pre-pubescent pencil, stick figures* RrRrRr !!!
I ended up at Old Navy, I decided I am not going to pay a fortune for what I call �transition� clothing. K-lo knows full well what I�m talking about.
I�m training - losing pounds and inches daily. Don�t get me wrong, I give my clothing which no longer fits, away as donations to Goodwill. But damn I�m not John D. Rockefeller and I can�t afford to keep changing my wardrobe every 10 days because my clothes are hanging off me and look like crap.
Being a loser is hard work, ain�t it K-lo?
Long story short, I found 3 pairs of jeans. 2 pairs I really like and 1 pair I don�t like so much and I�ve already worn them.
*sigh*
Am I now completely, totally, like American because I wear blue jeans?
Oh yeah I forgot to mention I realized the reason I had to try on so many pairs of jeans until I found pairs that fit is because Baby�s Got Back!!! That�s right I got bun-nage. Must be all those squats I�m doing. Now when I hear that Sir Mix-a-lot song �Baby�s Got Back� I�m gonna laugh because I�ll think of my Blue Jean experience.
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July 4, 2003 - Independence Day
My firm recognizes 9 holidays, (the same ones recognized by the NYSE). I�m on call and working from home. Secretly hoping and praying to the mainframe Gods that we don�t have a �situation�.
I have chores to do, homework and reading assignments. Oh yeah, I also need to work out. While typing, I�m washing laundry, pressing clothes and I�ve already pushed the vacuum and cleaned my bathroom.
What�s the work mockingbird?!...Uh that would be Multi-tasker.
I rock.
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July 4, 2003 - Annapolis Waterfront Style
Invited to Annapolis by Soren*, I partook of BBQ gourmet style. Our hosts had a bevy of libation, desserts and the normal BBQ fare to include SEAFOOD! Had I died and gone to Heaven? The jury was still out, but for the time being I sipped Sauza Diablo one after the other, then moved indoors to watch the Naval Academy�s pyrotechnics display in the A.C., sans mosquitoes. Sylvia* generously poured wine, I had the pleasure of meeting a charming and interesting Engineer. The children sensed we were getting way too cozy and bum rushed us. It was cool. I realized what they were up to and our conversation shifted to college. I settled in, the wine took affect and I smiled the rest of the evening and practiced nodding knowingly at all who spoke in turn.
I believe this is what is known as �getting n-i-c-e�. I was a first for me, and quite an experience I must add.
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July 5, 2003 - Bus100
I met my prof. for Business, Dr. Milton Lawler. He has to his credit (2) Bachelor�s, (2) Masters, and (2) PhD�s. The man is brilliant, but more importantly patient and completely down to Earth. He�s from Ant�s way � Talladega, AL.
It would be awful dumb of me to ask if he knew Reuben Studdard, but guess what?! He says that in the 205 they all are fam. I can vouch for that, when visiting Ant, I was made to feel as if I were part of the fam too, eventhough I was only there a few days to hang out and experience true Southern Hospitality.
I came away from the class feeling like an �A� is totally attainable. This is going to be a promising semester.
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July 7, 2003 - Making a Mockery
I got teased and mocked tonight in my Soc100 class.
I�d read and took extensive notes. At one point I realized that not a single other student was engaged in the discussion our Prof was attempting. How rude and stupid.
Who spends thousands of dollars on a single course to gossip, giggle and talk while the Prof is trying to disseminate info? � the mindless idiots, dressed to the nines in clothes 6 sizes to small for them. That�s who.
For what it was worth I held discussion with the prof for the majority of the lecture, when I realized that I was getting mentally tired. I stopped and waited. I looked around the room, no one else raised his hand, no one else attempted to speak. One by one heads turned and looked directly at me. Our prof�s visage gradually reddened. I sat there thinking �uh oh�. I thought it was me, I was the reason for the reddening.
After class I learned from 2 older, non-traditional students that my discourse kept them interested in the subject matter. They informed me that I was being ridiculed, talked about, laughed at by the 2 geniuses who sat directly in front of our prof. I had no idea all of that was going on. My eyes stayed on the prof.
I took a deep breath, the air was thick, hot and mosquitoes were about. We 3 talked for 15 mins. We decided since we are the oldest students, in our class, we will sit together, study together and help each other through the course.
While driving home, I sat thinking �I�ve grown a heck of a lot.� The old me would have confronted the 2 geniuses, exchanged curses and insults and or knocked heads w/ them.
That night, I had no desire to fall to that level. In this instance my knees didn�t bend to that extent.
I wasn�t even angry after being told what was transpiring while I was trying to learn.
Sometimes we need others to help us see through the lens.
I�m growing and changing, I�d felt it and believed it for a long time.
It�s a totally different story to have complete strangers thank you for inspiring and encouraging them.
They said �I� was an example of impassioned student hood they wished to emulate.
Talk about having my socks knocked off. All I�d set out to do was learn and contribute to the class.
That was the single nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while.
*sigh*
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July 8, 2003 - Tornados
I think Mother Nature is at Ocean City, away on Vacation; and that Father Time is putzing around with the weather dial.
Two tornadoes touched down in Maryland. Trailers, trees and property were destroyed. 25,000 families were without power. Roads were flooded. Traffic in many areas had reached nightmarish proportions.
Mother Nature get your rootie poot back here and on the double.
Father Time doesn�t know his head from a hole in the ground.
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July 9, 2003 - Classmates.com
I rec�d an electronic notification on my cell phone, that a former classmate was trying to contact me. Over the past couple of days we�ve been emailing. I remember him. His memory leaves a bit to be desired. At any rate, he�ll be in Maryland about a week and wants to get together.
I�ll let you know how it all turns out.
I�m thinking in the very least, he can help me get back in contact w/ some school mates from Germany.
* * *
July 10, 2003 - What THIS Woman Wants
I keep looking at my Income Statement and Balance Sheet.
I�m obsessive about my goals.
I�m overly ambitious.
I�m getting on my own nerves.
Have I ceased and desisted?...No SIR!
Driving home last night, I saw a sign at the local Ruby Tuesday�s. I decided to go against my original plan and stop by there to talk with the manager. Maybe s/he needs a Mixologist for the weekends.
Making mental note to read, correct and print my Mixology vitae for this chance interview.
Question for the Day: Why does Souljourn who is already busy to the hilt, seek to put more on her proverbial plate of life? Does Souljourn need to seek medical help and or medication? Nah�a well made Margarita or Grey Goose Martini should do just fine.
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July 11, 2003 - Getting Closer
I�ve been spending more time and making an effort to come out of my den. Quality time is vital. I know that yet, I don�t� make the effort. What is wrong with me?!
So this week, even when I didn�t want to, had not thought of it, and wanted to do other things on my �to do� list, I spent time gaffing and laughing w/ Lar�s mom.
She�s awesome. She makes me laugh. She genuinely cares.
Despite the fact that she�s a parental unit, she does not act like one.
- No nagging
- No getting on your case
- No Yelling
- No telling your business
So what is wrong with me that I can�t get my act in gear to interface with her more?
I know what the deal is.
I�m hoping if I write about this, I�ll be more aware and conscious of what I�m doing and why and make serious, real efforts to change.
SHE didn�t do anything to me. SHE does NOT deserve what I�m doing.
*Period, end of discussion*