i started this blog on 6/1, so its a long one..prepare yourselves..

ok, the graduation..

was to quote the kid “the best time of my life so far”..

she really enjoyed herself, so it was all worth it..

i met her and dex at the salon and dex took off to run some errands while we got a bit of pampering in the form of much needed hair love from my man montgomery…

i know that i run him crazy…i just need things to be a particular way and he just hates that i color my hair..

so we spent like three hours there and when he cut my hair we playfully bickered over how i wanted it styled..i ended up changing it after he did it and he just walked away..

this is how it always is…

anyway, the kid was very happy with her hair.. and so we finally made it out of there and had about 2 hours to spare before the ceremony..

needless to say that at the very last minute i changed clothes twice..it was shoe drama.. or rather shoe drama brought on by dex

i had planned to wear this cute dress that dex bought me for my bday from LB..

i love the dress and lucked up on it..it was the last one in the store and just happened to be my size

as you can see (in the pic below), its cream..what you can’t see is the lovely brown flower pattern along the bottom..

well the shoes, comfy wedge 4 inch heels..thank gawd for wedge heels..are cream with a floral like pattern also but not the same as the dress,..the brown is slightly lighter..

so dex kept insisting that the two did not match..

and out of character i listened to her and went to change into another dress and the only shoes that would work with it were these three inch skinny heels that i have owned for at least a year but have never worn..

needless to say, the skinny heels and i we were just not that into one another that day, they were killing my feet!!!

so i walked outside and started to head over to the church but ended up turning around and walking back in the house and changing back into what i had on previously

i told the kid to just go ahead and walk across the street to the church and i would catch up..

i also told dex to go but she insisted on staying with me, trying to convince me to wear different shoes…i was like GOOOOOO!!!

as if she knows anything really about fashion..

you do not have to be all matchy like you are wearing garanimals..

so whatever!! GOOOOO!!!!!

LOL

anyway, i finally changed and made it to the church..

all of the kids were in the hallway together, laughing, hugging and giving off nervous energy..

it was nice to see them all in their caps and gowns and suits and heels..which btw my kid refused to wear and i don’t blame her..

the graduation was supposed to start at 6pm and the principal went to the alter and started speaking but then they realized that three of the graduates were not there yet..

WHAT!??!?!?!? are you kidding me?

so, the organist played and we sat and waited..the kids got more and more nervous to walk down the aisle..and finally after waiting 15 minutes, two of the had arrived and they decided that they could not wait any longer and it began..

its such a small school that the procession did not take long and the mass began..

btw the third girl arrived 45 minutes late!!!

can you imagine? that just so sucks!

i was having a bit of camera drama..my pics are not the greatest.. the next camera that i get i will actually read the instructions..oh let me quit playing..i will not..i have had this camera for going on over 5 years..

anyway, i have a funny lil video of the kid being the cut-up that she is after receiving her diploma…but of course its still on the camera (only pictures transfer to the disk at wallgreens.)..oh well..

during the awards part of the ceremony, she also got a couple of awards, one for most improved in math and sportsmanship..

i was like what?

i was the coach of the basketball team, there is no way..not my kid..but they meant just in general, school spirt, etc..

she cried when they announced her name for that one..you see even she thought that was unbelievable!!

LOL!

all of the kids were crying their eyes out..i tried not to laugh..but i just found it all so extra dramatic..but it was sweet too..

they had really developed a bond..and they knew were going to miss it and that things would not be the same..

so, we spent time taking pictures after the ceremony (which lasted an hour and 15+)

finally we gathered the troops and hopped on the “infamous shuttle” and headed over to Zed 451

the kid and her dad’s aunt

Zed 451 is a beautiful place..

going there was the icing on the cake for the kid of a week that had been full of surprises and fun and emotions..and you name it..

the kid and her buddy laduane

we had a lovely dinner, laughs and just a really fun time..its all you can eat and well i think everyone made sure we got our moneys worth..

finally we saw everyone back to their cars or put them in cabs and the three of us went home and crashed..

fast forward to saturday..

the kid and i went to see the chicago force slaughter the Clarksville Fox 40 to zero

i ran into my honey bunny homey michelle who i had not seen in months…(we need to get together soon!!!!!!)

anyway these ladies are some fierce players and the game was fun but when you are winning by so much, it is easy to just start drifting off and the crowd was a tad bit blah..

the chicago spirit did their best to try to pump them up but it wasn’t too effective…but i was loud and cheering enough for all of them!

fast forward a little further to sunday..

lady c and i went to see the chicago sky do their thang on the bball court.

the game was a bit frustrating..i mean there were moments when i wanted to go over to the bench and coach..for one their coach had them running a 2-3 defense and it just wasn’t working..among other things..

anyway, the entertainment during timeouts and at 1/2 time was really fun..

there was this group of kids who did a great dance number to a mixed version of the wild wild west by will smith..now that was fun..

and the group of youngsters that keep the crowd hyped during the entire game did some amazing tumbling..

needless to say, the end was a nail biting disappointment when they lost by 2 on a missed shot that would have tied the game and sent it into OT

what else, oh wednesday and i was off to see jamie lidell..

he is a crazy, crazy man..i would go and see him anytime..if you get the chance, don’t pass it up..

he moved around so much that all of my pics have like halos on them..this is the best one..

the crowd was so into it..i love that..he has such an incredible voice..it was worth way more than the 25 bucks i paid..

he spent at least 15 minutes mixing on a board..it was sweet! i was impressed.

his opening act was great..her name is jennifer o’connor and she has a lovely voice..

but the crowd was so rude..they progressively talked louder and louder during her set..

the abbey pub was a hot box..they need to invest in some air conditioners..but i love the space..any place that i can get a seat and chill out before and during the show if i want, even though they don’t have assigned seating is cool with me…cuz i can’t stand SRO

and besides that, they had pretty decent sound..

but don’t get me started re the pub part where i had dinner…here are the twitts from my twitter:

Initial impression of the abbey..the employees are ugh -07:54 PM June 04, 2008

I finally had to tell the chick that i have been sitting here for 10 minutes..no water no menu nothing pffft! First n last for sure -08:03 PM June 04, 2008

I’m sorry what was your order again one of the other girls grabbed it out the window…i repeat never again -08:26 PM June 04, 2008

I decided to ne da bigger person and tip inspite of -08:45 PM June 04, 2008

hmm, thursday..dex got me a new bag to add to the bag collection..its not my typical style but a week or so ago, we we were in sears checking out the lands end section, one of dex’s favorite shops, i spotted it and made a casual, you should get this for me comment to which she replied, you need a girlfriend..(this has become her reply to every request nowadays)

anyway, she called and happened to mention that she was there once again and i said “oh you should get me that bag” and she blah, blahed and started talking about the different ones and their prices and said that she would send me texts of them..even though i kept telling her “its the one on the mannequin”..so three text messages later of pictures of bags that i do not like..she finally listened and found the bag that i wanted and then said that the other ones were bigger and cost less and i don’t need a cream bag and i replied well thanks but no thanks, i want what i want..

lo and behold 15 minutes later, she calls me back and says if you meet me at the store i will get your bag..and because i had just left the grocers i couldn’t..i had to take the groceries home..so she tried to hardball me, oh well, if you are not downtown..but i made her see “MY light” and she bought the bag and i met her later to pick it up and we grabbed a quick dinner at panera bread before she went to class …

cute aint it? not my typical style but summer perfect.

ah…i love my (h)ex..dex

today i was going to go to the printers row book fair and this small art fair, called urban arts retreat but i ran an errand, stopped by a clients new location and it started pouring raining…so after awhile, my client drove me home, i clunked down and didn’t leave back out until about 8pm..

i went to put the pics on a disk and stopped by the northside cafe to have a drank and chat with a friend then came home and finished this dang blog..

finally..

lol

oh here is the picture of the kid when i presented the laptop to her..its kinda blurred but i am sure you can see her excitement..

its after 1am and now i am going to bed..

this is what i always advised people when i worked in corporate america..

take every friggin day coming to you..

i mean we are the country that takes the least amount of vacation time from our jobs..

but i digress, that’s not really what this post is about.

there is this new book by ed park called personal days that i have come across all over the place..in mags, on the web..

it is apparently about a fictional new york city office where all sorts of mayhem and madness takes place..

reviews posted on amazon:

“If you think Pam and Jim have it bad, try spending a day with Lizzie, Jonah, and Pru at their ‘Office‘-like company. You’ll laugh, cringe, and thank God you don’t work there.”—Cosmopolitan

“Personal Days feels like a lot of jobs do. It starts off a lighthearted adventure in white-collar living, then spirals into something more sober.[Park's] sardonic humor will ring true to cube monkeys everywhere, and he succeeds in creating an oddly haunting, ultimately entertaining portrait of office life and the tenuous yet powerful relationships we build with colleagues.” –Fast Company

the line in the fast company review about “the powerful relationships we build with colleagues” brings to mind the only thing that i ever really miss about corporate america…besides the benefits..

the people..

i worked with some of the coolest folks ever..we had so much fun

we would throw a potluck simply because it will be thursday in two days,

we joked and laughed and took smoke breaks just like the smokers (although we did not smoke)..

we were snarky at times and made up nicknames and code words for people…it was childish, yes but hilarious and got us thru the days (without murdering somebody..we did work in investments after all)

i would post all kinds of bad ass notes in my cube or on my screen saver, like “we dem tek we fa”, which essentially is “who do they take us for” in patois.

we would send crazy messages over DOS to pop up on someone’s computer when they were on the phone or in a meeting..

just silly but so much fun..

mind you, i worked with some azzes too but i am very good at putting people in their place, so they did not have that much effect on me..

i had my lil rules, in particular i would never lunch with someone that i did not care for..

fine i have to deal with you when it comes to work matters..

but my lunch? my only lil hour (or sometimes hour and a half – oopssi!) away from the office was off limits for nonsense..

my coworkers would say hey lets go here and the first question out of my mouth was “who’s going?” and let them say just one wrong name…and it was Naw..see ya when ya get back..

i just would not..

one of the other rules and i still do this, even at clients offices, is that if someone walks into my space and just starts rambling off without so much as a hello..i just stop whatever i am doing and look at them and say..hello and how are you?

it is the ultimate in slow your roll, you are in my space, i did not sleep with you last night (my mother used to say this if we did not say good morning) have the courtesy to at least say hello.

as you can imagine, they loved me in corporate america

LOL!!!!!

but anyway, the book is on my must have list..i would have gotten it today but i just placed an order for Apartment Therapy’s: The Eight-Step Home Cure & also their Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions yesterday and i am trying to be a good girl and follow a budget..somewhat..

oh and wait until you see the sweet wallpaper that i also purchased yesterday..i am posting that tomorrow

and the graduation, etc blog will post before the end of the night..

i have given up trying to find the reader..so i am off to get the pics on a disk.

usually just a snippet here, a video there but i don’t see how i can not post about politics..

besides the fact that it is a huge thing for me, we are in the midst of one of the most historic moments in our countries history and i am so struck in a good and bad ways by the various takes on this moment amongst our citizenry..

today i came across this article from the huffington post that i must share..

it is encouraging..that in spite of the insanity from the clinton voters who are saying that now that barack has won, they will vote republican, (which btw they must be forgetting that they will suffer the consequences also – DUH!!! and i really did not want to publish the link to promote it anymore but i believe in being informed)

..but back to frank schaeffer’s why this 50 yr old white life long republican wants obama to win, here is a man who is just being honest and real about what is necessary..not acting out of anger or fear (oh god a black man!!!) or just plain stupidity cuz they didn’t get what they wanted..but acting out of the love for what is right not just for himself but for us all..

and here is an article from a clinton supporter who expresses almost to the ‘t what i feel..that she had an opportunity to make up for the campaign madness and go out with dignity but here it is four days later and she has yet to publicly congratulate barack and move forward

New Essay on White Women Threatening to Oppose Obama by Tim Wise

being it that we are the home of house music..i thought it very fitting to start with the man himself frankie knuckles..

i am hoping to go and check him next friday at the boom boom room

although with the humidity and the high 80 temps, it feels as if we are in the midst..

i just wanted to take a moment to check in..

the blogs about the graduation, the concert (jamie lidell was ridiculous!!! and so much fun, just the type of show i like, where i leave sweatin because i was dancing so much not to mention it was hella hot in the abbey) and everything else that i have been up to are coming by the end of the weekend..

and people, go to the blog and check out my new layout..i spent a bit of time making changes the other day, planning a few more..liking what i am feeling from it so far..

anyway, i have just been incredibly busy working AND having fun..

i just had a virtual/phone consult @ 8am this morning and i am off to a client soon

but i wanted to check in and leave a couple of interesting videos which will be a new thing..

actually i am planning (key word planning!! LOL) to post several things each week..a video, a quote and a song of the week, along with a fashion moment (which i don’t blog about as much lately but love, love) amongst other things..

so, here’s the quote of the week:

“If you don’t want to provide a marriage certificate and you’ve got a job that does that, then you should think twice about why you got the job in the first place and maybe you should get a new job. Talk about a slippery slope, Mr. County Clerk down in San Diego.”

**San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, in a Reuters interview, responding to news that San Diego County Clerk Gregory Smith may allow clerks with moral or religious objections to remove themselves from processing same-sex marriages (source: alternet.org)

today i am doubling up on the videos..they are both disturbing in their own way..sorry to be a debbie downer as you enter your weekend but i think they are both important to see and i would rather be a bit perturbed and informed than happy and clueless..

i chose the first video because for one, i love, love john cusack, and secondly, i think he is so on point on this one..and his new movie, war, inc is a must see!

oh and am i the only one who is put off by hillary clintons actions of late..

talk about sore ass loser.

and this second video, which spotlights one of the most mind boggling things i have ever seen..i still can not wrap my mind around it..i hate to say it and i do not believe that they mentioned it in the interview but i think the fact that the guy looks like he could be of arab descent may have had something to do with the response

i have started a blog about the graduation and the wkend but i can not finish it for a couple of reasons..

blogger is down as i am writing this and i have to get the pictures off the camera (still haven’t found the reader and when I do i will never take it out of the house again. i just hope i did not lose it…hoping its in one of my many bags that i switch up using on the regular!!!)

anyway, we had a blast..

so hopefully by tomorrow i will be able to finish the blog and get the pics but in the meantime, i thought i would share some of my favorite web links..

free listen to donna summers new album – a lot of funky dance tunes..i especially like crayon, mr music and the queen is back & fame (mind you these are the first few songs..and i am still listenig to it as i type this…so its a must have and i had to take a moment to order it on amazon…for 10 bucks! so worth it..

werk!

planning to check her out 8/30 at ravinia..if you are in chicago and want to make it a group thang, let me know..

and since it is officially Pride Month, i thought i would share some of my flickr pride favorites from all over the world!

have a sweet day…

oh i almost forgot to mention that i am going to see jamie lidell on wednesday!

should be fun! tickets are still available he will be at the abbey pub

she was consumed by her macbook from the moment she saw it..(the picture i took of her is hilarious..i just need to find my reader in order to get it off of the camera!!!!)

she has apparently been up since 4:30am making tv newscasts, garage band sessions, and only the heavens knows what else..

anyway, something completely odd happened yesterday..

allie gave her friend his invite to tonights dinner and somehow a teacher took it from him and gave it another teacher who gave it to another teacher who gave it to the principal..

you would have thought that she had passed him a love note..it was a friggin party invite, goofs!

so needless to say, in their nosiness of course they all read it..and part of it references the shuttle that dex has arranged with her job to pick us up to go to the restaurant so that we all get there at the same time and there is no parking drama, etc..it says something like a shuttle will be provided to take you to/from the school..

so the principal takes it upon herself to devote an entire letter to what has “come to her attention”…noting that they “do not condone or sponsor any trips and or transportation of students following the eighth grade graduation…..blah blah blah..

when i checked my home vmail, which btw i rarely do (so don’t leave me messages people!!) but have been because people may call re the graduation..she had left me this long vmail, which i half listened to and then i called her and left her one of my own..

i was like, what? i don’t know what your vmail was about but basically you don’t know what the hell you are talking about..

it took everything i had in me to not act like the taurus that i am…but hey, we have one more day to deal with them…so it was definitely an peace of mind moment

side note: i would not take those bebe azz kids anywhere and i definitely would not get a shuttle for them

anyway, the weather has decided to cooperate..sunny in the 60′s..with the way things have been, 80 one day, 40 the next, we dare not ask for more..

its get the kid off to school, a client for a short session, make sure dex gets the cake, flowers and the kid at 12:30, head to the salon @ 1:30, chill and whatever else until the graduation at 6..

should be fun…

mind you it is not because i did not like it..i actually thought it was hilarious the few times that i did see it..

but i am not sure if i will actually go to the theater to see it..what do you think Lady C, since you are my running buddy as of late?

i mean it would probably make a fun girls night out and i am looking forward to seeing j hud since she has been on the low for months now..

but of course none of us can hide from all of the buzz about the movie..

speaking of movies, i am on to #2 of the 40 b 4 40 chicago movies..and i have decided that it will be Love Jones…

i have seen this movie plenty of times but not for years..so, it will be fun..i love Larenz Tate and Nia Long..

i haven’t seen either of them in anything for awhile now…

and the soundtrack is one of the bests ever..just a great mixture of music..

after that, the next in line is The Sting..starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, which i don’t recall if i have seen or not..

oh, as a side note, i watched margot at the wedding..did you guys see it?

..she was a looney!!! a good role for nicole kidman but a crazy tail character..

anyway, tomorrow is my kids big day..one of my clients came to me yesterday and asked me if it would be alright if they gave her a laptop as a gift..

i was like..she will totally freak and love it!

i work with some of the most incredible people..

i am completely grateful..

heading out to run a couple of errands, spend a bit of time at a clients, go to iguana to chill a bit and then come home and check off the list to just make sure that we are good to go for tomorrow..

oh and did i mention that its 40 degrees…wow!

chow bellas

so as i was entering things in my calendar, i decided that i would just post links to some of the lists from local sources here..

Going – Chicago basically a list of any and every event you can think of and the people who say that they are going..

New City – a bare bones list filled with a nice mixture of listing broken out somewhat by category.

Goldstar i use this all the time for discount tix..gotta check out out bear force one – the gay air force one

and here are some of the other must do’s..

Gospel Fest..seems like yesterday that i posted this blog about this..

do division – a cool lil fest in my hood..

farmers markets galore – oh i love this city at times..

and i am on a serious budget but i will have to swing by the first ever domino design district chicago..i mean it is my favorite magazine after all..

printers row book fair – who doesn’t love a good book?

and who could forget Pride! – last year was a wicked blast!!! i am so planning to top last year..right lady C! Devyn , you coming or what?