President Barack Obama!

I am more than happy to say congrats to Barack Obama for being the first African American President in the history of the United States!! I am also happy to be alive today, to witness this tremendous historic event. I feel so overjoyed for so many Americans, including myself.

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!

Wino's Anonymous

My sister and I were recently told that we need to go to W. A. meetings (Wino's Anonymous) because we love wine so much. Well, we decided to admit to our problem and do something about it, so we currently have daily meetings at an undisclosed location to sample different wines that may not be good for us.

The main problem we have is other people having a problem with us drinking wine. We don't see anything wrong with this and surely don't think it's a problem because our main objective is to drink lots of wine in order to filter out the wines we don't like so we know what to give up when we attend our meetings. How else can we find out which wines are nasty if we don't taste them all?

So, if you love wine and feel you have a problem finding out which wines you need to stop drinking, join us for our Wino's Anonymous meetings for help. We promise to keep your addiction a secret and we will never, ever reveal which wines you dislike. We honor and respect our code of ethics.

Truce or Surrender?

When do you realize enough is enough and raise the white flag? Is that even an option? Do you continue to fight for what you believe in when you feel you're right, or do you just say to hell with it because you're tired of pleading your case and you just don't want to deal with that person any longer? Any of these questions sound familiar to you? Is this a truce or are you surrendering to the bullshit and throwing in the towel?

They sound all too familiar to me. I know most of you reading my blog might think "WOW, this idiot has a lot of drama in her life!", but that's not true. I USED to have a lot of drama in my life, but with growth and maturity, came weeding out the negativity while embracing all things positive.

Just today, I had someone (who shall remain nameless for now) email me and then call me a few hours later about the email where he or she thought I wasn't being very "friendly". I have three letters for statements like this...W T F??? Where is it written in stone that I have to be "friendly" to everyone I meet? I must have missed that portion of the handbook, so if you have a copy, by all means, please highlight that part and send me a copy.

Join me on Facebook...

Grudges

Are you one to hold grudges? How long should you hold a grudge, if you hold one at all? What's the longest you've ever held a grudge?

I bet some of you could hold a record in the Guiness Book for holding a grudge. It's not healthy to hold anger inside like that and no one should hold a grudge against someone. It only makes you bitter and very negative. Back in the day, I used to be the queen of holding grudges and I could tell you the exact year, day and place when you pissed me off. Every grudge had a good reason and I remembered every single reason. Not only was I a grudge holder, I would take it upon myself to get revenge on those people. It wasn't until I grew up and got more mature that I realized it isn't my job to make someone pay for the evil acts they bestow upon others. No, that's not my job and it's not yours either. This year and moving forward in the future, everyone should take a vow to not hold grudges any longer.

When I went to my 10 year high school reunion, there were people there still mad from something that happened 10 or even 14 years prior. All I can say is it's a damn shame that people can be that petty after we've all grown up and are no longer teenagers. Holding grudges brings about hatred and life is too short to hold hatred in your heart for someone. A wise friend once made a comment about someone we know, saying "How is she going to try and sweep off my porch when her own porch is dusty and needs sweeping?" I loved it when she said it and I love it now. I can't wait to go to my 20 year reunion next year just to see if those same people, or even new ones, are still mad from something that happened over 20 years ago. I'll just shake my head and pray for them if they are...and you know who you are.

At any rate, if you think I'm still the same person I was when I was 17 or even 27, you're wrong. I've changed a great deal and I'm a much happier, forgiving, positive person, so if you are hesitant about speaking to me when you see me at the reunion, by all means don't be hesitant. I will embrace you with a big warm hug and we can celebrate what it is....a reunion!

Peace...

Splinters

It's 2009 and time for change. I have always been a stickler for change and don't adapt too well when things stay the same. So, one change I'm going to make for this year is to call my pet peeves splinters because they get under my skin just like a splinter.

To kick this year off, I have a splinter that is really deep under my skin and I can't seem to grasp, even with the most pointed pair of tweezers. That splinter is when I email someone and within that email, several questions are asked, only to have them respond back answering the very last question. Why do I have to number my questions in order to get a response to everything? I mean, this happens more often than not and it really aggravates me, so I'm putting it out there for those of you who do this. Now you know how much it irritates me and if you're reading this and don't know if you're one of those 99 out of 100 people, more than likely you are. It irritates me moreso when clients do it. How can you try to conduct business and ask your client a list of pertinent things regarding their design that they wanted yesterday, only to have them respond back with "Thanks!"?? WTH?? I asked you specific questions! That is not an answer!

Get it together for oh-nine people because we learned basics like this in elementary school. I guess most of you weren't paying attention.

Thanks,
Boss Lady

Family Time in '09

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!! It's a brand new year and time for those dreadful resolutions that no one keeps past February.

My sis sent me a text last night with a great slogan that I told her I was going to steal for my blog. She said go ahead, so here it is...Family Time in Oh Nine! I loved it and from this day forward, this will be my slogan for 2009. I always choose a slogan or song as my theme for the year (a few years ago it was "No More Drama" by Mary J. Blige). This year, I plan to spend more time with my family (those I can tolerate more than 5 minutes) and just have fun. Less stress is always the best, so if I don't stress myself out by trying to be there for everyone else, I should be good. Since my family is so understanding (NOT! and you know who you are), I should be good for 364 more days of seeing them and not having them flake out on me for only visiting 5 minutes at a time. :)

What are your New Year's Resolutions for 2009?

Family Values

Are you close to your immediate family or are you closer to your spouse's family or your friend's family?

I ask this because this tends to be an issue with most families these days. We all know jealousy and even hatred exists everyday, but do those traits exist within your household or family? Jealousy is a strong trait and hatred is even stronger, but they both exist daily and within every relationship around the world. Personally, I am not a fan of using the word "hate" because it is such a strong word and I do not believe in using it against living beings, but that does not mean it is a word that does not exist in everyday vocabulary.

Some of my friends and family have gotten married or adopted other friends and families and they have expressed how difficult it is to spend time with both families, but they try to come to some sort of agreement to where they alternate holidays in order to spend time with both families equally. For instance, my best friend and her husband may spend Christmas here in Houston one year with her family and then the next year they go to Dallas to spend Christmas with his family. They alternate holidays like this all year. I look at them and ask myself is this something I would be willing to do? I guess it would depend on how close I am with my family and how close I am with my man's family. I have been known to be a house hopper, where I visit several friend's houses during the holidays and although I've gotten used to that and my friends have probably gotten used to that, would they be okay with me changing things up if I got married and had other obligations?

I said all of this to say that some of my family members have new families and have resorted to spending their entire holiday season with their new family instead of their birth family. Does this mean they are right or wrong? It doesn't bother me because I totally understand that everyone meets new people along the way, besides, I have tons of friends I try to visit during the holidays to do something different from the norm, but it bothers some of my family members. I guess that's where the jealousy and hatred comes into play. Are these family members jealous that the other family members have a new family or are they just mad that there are other options? Should they be understanding or should both parties realize that changes will occur and things won't always be the same?

What do you think or suggest?

Ego

Beyonce's new CD is out and I absolutely love it! One of my favorite songs is "Ego" and my favorite verse of the songs goes like this...

Usually I'm humble
Right now I don't choose
You can leave with me
Or you could have the blues
Some call it arrogant
I call it confident
You decide when you find
Out what Im working with
Damn...
I know, I'm killing you with them legs
Better yet them thighs
Matter a fact its my smile
Or maybe my eyes
Boy you a sight to see
Kinda sum'n like me...........

It's too big
It's too wide
It's too strong
It won't fit
It's too much
It's too tough
I talk like this
Cuz I can back it up
I got a big ego
Such a huge ego....

If this isn't the strong woman's anthem for 2009, I don't know what is! It's my anthem fo'sho! I have a HUGE EGO if you go by these words!

The Last Pet Peeve of 2008

Since it's almost the end of 2008, I will post one more pet peeve for the year because I'm sure I'll have a whole new list come 2009 since people tend to do things daily to get on my nerves...

Pet Peeve #999...People who pick up your cell phone when it rings and look at it to see who's calling before handing it to you. This pet peeve goes hand in hand with #999.1 and that one is people who pick up your cell phone when it rings and proceed to ANSWER IT because they know who the person is. WTF??

First of all, both of these are flat out rude, unethical and proves you have no home training. Respect other people's privacy! This particular thing happens to me quite often, so I have to resort to keeping my cell on silent, in my purse or strapped to my hip at all times. Leaving it laying around the room obviously invites others to think they have just cause to pick it up and invade your privacy. SMH...What's wrong with people? If someone's cell phone rings and it is obviously not yours, you simply tell that person their phone is ringing. If they tell you to look at it and let them know who's calling, fine, you have permission to look at it, but you should always, I repeat...ALWAYS wait for them to tell you what to do before you take matters into your own hands. Never, EVER pick up someone else's phone and look to see who is calling first. If they wanted everyone to know, they would have a phone that speaks out the name of the person calling.

Get it together people and stop being nosey! Damn!

...Another Pet Peeve (as if you're surprised!)

One of my top pet peeves (it's not #1, but it's a close 2nd) is people spelling my name wrong. A few people have been told they have butchered my name and all I ask is that you please don't do it again, but others continue to add letters or omit letters at their own discretion. Please know this gets under my skin like a splinter! Now, I allow people to give me tons of nicknames and some of them I have grown to love, but when you misspell my birth name or choose to spell a childhood nickname of mine your own way, you are irritating me to no end. 

I am not trying to say I'm perfect by any means, but I make it a point to try to notice how someone spells their name so I don't make the same mistake that others make with my name. For the last time...Ro is NOT spelled with a "w" or an "e" on the end! If someone's name is Rowina, I can understand you adding a "w" to their shortened name, but if the person's name is Romelle or Rokeshia, why would you add a "w" or an "e" after "Ro" when it does not make any sense? *sigh* 

Get it together people and please stop making me post spelling and grammar lessons on my blog. I am not a teacher and have more important things to do than teach you how to shorten someone's name. WTF?? I'm just saying...

 

The Bucket List

The Bucket List is a movie that I thought I never wanted to see, but after watching it on cable recently, I must say I am glad I saw it because it is an excellent movie. First of all, if you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you, but I must say making a "bucket list" is a great idea that I believe everyone should do at one point in their lives.

In the past, I have written down things on a sheet of paper that I would like to achieve and I called that list "goals" or "resolutions". Whatever the list is called, I believe we should all strive to do things we have always dreamed of doing, no matter how far fetched they may seem. I have done things that I have wanted to do, things I have never dreamed of doing, things I am proud of, things I regret, things I am embarrassed by, things I can laugh hard at, every time I think about them as well as things that make me cry whenever they cross my mind. I have achieved things that I can brag about and feel my heart filling with joy each time they are mentioned and I have done things that I will never tell another human being. I firmly believe that not everyone needs to know everything about you, so I am taking some things to my grave. 

After sitting here reminiscing on all of my goals, achievements, mishaps and failures, I realized I have yet to achieve a whole lot of things. With that said, I plan on making a brand new list this holiday season and instead of waiting on January 1 to begin crossing off things on my list, I will start right now...

The first thing on my list is to spend as much time as possible with my family this holiday season and with Christmas being only a few days away, this goal is very much attainable. For the past 6 or more years, I have tired myself out by trying to house hop to 3 or more houses on every major holiday and if you live in Houston or have ever visited, you know that traveling to and eating at several houses in the course of a few hours is nearly impossible to do! Mainly because of how HUGE this city is and how far apart everyone lives. Don't get me wrong, I love being invited by so many people because it lets me feel and know just how much I am loved, so please don't stop inviting me. However, this year, I'm making a point to spend time with my family first and try not to stress myself out by trying to make it to all those other houses in one day. I'm starting by making myself happy and what will make me happy is putting smiles on the faces of my family!

 

The Spirit of Christmas

With Christmas being less than two weeks away, the number one question being asked is "What do you want for Christmas?" Before you yell out an answer that includes material things, take a moment to read this email that was sent to me by a good friend of mine. It really makes you think and reflect on what this time of year should really mean and what gifts you should really be thankful for.

Thanks Cayenne, for this wonderful email!

Another year has come and almost gone and so many things, good and bad, have happened in so many lives. As the end of 2008 approaches, we need to truly take a moment to self reflect. How has God blessed you? Do you really pay attention? Sometimes we are so blessed that we forget to really be truly grateful to God.

You have a roof over your head and a warm bed? Blessed.
You have food in your fridge and dishes to serve it on? Blessed.
You have a job in an economy where hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs? Blessed.
You have healthy children and spouses? Lord have mercy! Blessed.
You have vehicles to transport you back n forth? Blessed.
You have a family who loves you and thinks about you? Blessed.

I could go on about why we should be happy and celebrating life and each other during this season but it does no good if we don't realize it for ourselves. Forget the spirit of Christmas for a second and remember the spirit of Christ. We should be worshipping him and giving lots of praise as we honor him. And in honoring him, we remember his greatest commandment...which is that we love one another. In loving your fellow man, you love Christ. If you are finding that you are not excited about Christmas anymore or that you feel empty or uninterested...it may be because you need a change for the holidays. Maybe visiting a hospital and bringing gifts to children who are battling cancer will make you feel uplifted and joyous as you go home and peak in on your own happy children safely in bed. Maybe donating your time and serving food to those made homeless by Rita, Katrina, and Ike will make you smile when you pull into your own driveway and realize your blessings. I honestly believe that taking the focus off your own grievances and problems to focus on someone else, can turn your humdrum spirit into one of joy. Suddenly, your problems don't seem so big anymore and you can fall to your face and kneel before God and give him TRUE PRAISE AND GLORY.

I said all that to say, this is a beautiful time of year when family and friends should look forward to seeing each other and celebrating life. Let's remember the people who are away from their families in Iraq this Christmas, let's remember the sick children and even the elderly who are cooped up in hospital wards this Christmas, let's remember the families where both parents have been laid off in the recent economy and can't buy gifts for their families this Christmas, let's remember the people who lost their homes, jobs and schools to Hurricane Ike this Christmas, let's remember the thousands of families who have lost their homes in foreclosure this Christmas and most of all let's remember CHRIST this Christmas. He is the reason for the season and we should always remember to be a blessing to others because we are so very blessed.

I love you all and ask that we each seek our hearts and remember what love truly is.

No Comment

I'm sorry, but this is funny as hell to me! Who knew Dubya knew how to bob and weave? Someone should sign him up to fight the heavyweight champion!

Watch the video here.

WTF??

So........

It's that time of year when everyone needs to buy someone a gift. Whether it is a gift for a relative, friend or coworker, we all dread having to go shopping to buy a gift for someone when we don't really know what that person wants or likes right?

Well, that's how I feel, even if you don't agree. I'd rather spend my money on myself. Not to sound like a selfish grinch or anything (for lack of a better choice of words), that's just the reality of it. Besides, you can ask someone all day long what do they really want for Christmas and they won't tell you the truth. I bet most of you don't realize how many people may actually talk behind your back about how horrible the gift was that you bought them. Is that an act of being unappreciative? Certainly, and you guessed it...I CAN'T STAND THAT!!

I said all of this to bring up a situation that occured today. A friend of mine asked a group of us for gift ideas for her secret santa and everything we suggested wasn't good enough. So after about 10 ideas, she said thanks anyway, but I didn't get the answer I was looking for. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you didn't get the answer you're looking for, that means you already knew the answer, right? So why are you asking other people for their suggestions? That's just my take on it...I'm just saying.

Email Etiquette

Have you ever forwarded an email to people, only to get responses back asking you where on earth did you get that email, as if you are the creator of the email? Did they not see the letters "FWD" in the subject line, or did you remove those letters to make it appear as if you sent it, only to regret ever doing that in the first place?

This happens to me quite often and I get irritated sometimes (who am I kidding, I get irritated most of the time). I try to chalk it up to people being email illiterate and not understanding the whole concept of forwarding, but then again, I feel that most of these people actually believe the person who sent them the email is the one who created it. Unbelievable!

A certain family member of mine, who shall remain nameless, is kind of goofy, or shall I say, "slow" when it comes to understanding the whole concept of emailing (replying, forwarding, etc) and has often either sent me the same email I sent to her, forwarded an email to me that someone else had already sent to both of us and she didn’t notice my name on the original email or she simply responded back to me asking where did I get that email from because it was too funny??!?!! Here is how I respond to those crazy emails....When I get the responses asking where did I get that email from, I usually respond back saying "Uhm...it was forwarded to me", while I'm thinking HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE??? Or I click the button to send it to my favorite file folder....TRASH!

All I have to say is I shake my head daily and most likely delete those emails without bothering to respond because if I responded back trying to explain, I’d end up stabbing myself in the neck with a plastic knife. So, if you've never gotten a response back from me after you asked me a stupid question as stated above, now you know why.

Smile!

Naughty or Nice

As we all know, the holiday season is fastly approaching and the main question everyone wants to know is, have you been naughty or nice? I'll answer first...I've been both naughty and nice. I'll tell you how I've been nice, but how I've been naughty will remain confidential between me, Santa and my journal. (insert sneaky laugh)

I've been nice by simply trying to do everything I can possibly do to please everyone else. I've been nice by giving discounts on design work to people for the months of November and December. I've been nice by not kicking someone's ass who needed it kicked. I've been nice by refraining from cursing someone out who most definately deserved it. I've also been nice by holding my tongue when I should be outspoken and tell certain people they're riding my coat tails all the way to the big dance and trust me, I am not as stupid as you look. Last but not least, I've been extremely nice not to throw things back into people's faces when they know they deserve it. Instead, I'm going to continue to be nice enough to pray that they receive their karma in due time. LOL!!!!!!!

I ask Santa to please bring me nice gifts since I've been so nice to everyone else this year. lol

Craziness

Have you ever had someone tell you that you talk too much and never give them a chance to get a word in? I haven't been the person on the receiving end of that statement, but I have been the one to tell someone else they talk too much! If I'm one of those people, I only hope someone tells me I'm getting on their nerves by talking too much. I can take criticism, so by all means, let me have it.

I experience this all the time with people very close to me, but I won't divulge that information because they would kill me if they realize I'm talking about them. (although I think they're too "slow" to realize it) LOL!

Pet Peeves...The List Goes On....

You may have been wondering what my number one pet peeve is. Well, here it is...

Pet Peeve #1...People speaking incorrectly via text messaging or email. We learned early on in school on how to use words correctly, such as "you're" or "your", "their" or "they're" and even "write" or "right".

Come on people!!!!!!!! We learned this in grade school. This is one fast way to turn me off completely! If I meet a guy and he texts me "Your HOT!" you should see my face. I get so irritated and disgusted, I don't even bother texting him back.

I had a wonderful English teacher in school who taught me right away that if you question which word to use, talk it out. For example...

Lesson #1: break down "You're HOT" (since you're is a contraction), to both words..."you" and "are". Now, say the sentence as 3 words instead of 2 and you get "You are HOT!". Simple right? I would think so, but I have yet to experience that.

Lesson #2: the words "your" and "their" are possessive, so saying "Your HOT" or "Their here" makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever! Refer to lesson #1 and learn how to break the word down into two words so you tell a hot chick "You are HOT" instead of appearing like you left a word out of the statement. The correct way to use "Your" would be to say "Your ass is HOT!" and the correct way to use the word "Their" would be to say "Their asses are HOT!" Using "their" when you should be using "they are" and vice versa, simply makes you look like an idiot.

Got it? I sure as hell hope so.

Let's move on to the words "write" and "right". Now, in no way are these two words spelled similar, so there should be no reason for anyone to confuse the two. However, I have met my share of idiots who insist on using the word "write" when they mean or should know to use the word "right". How can that happen you ask? I would have never wondered that myself until it happened. Here's an example...."You know something, your write." Now, what the hell is wrong with that sentence??? In case you're one of the idiots I've been writing about, let me tell you. Not only is the word "write" incorrect, but the word "your" is used incorrectly as well. The sentence should read "You know something, you're right." OR "You know something, you are right." (break the contraction down into both words to ensure you use it correctly)

I'm going to need everyone out there to get it together if you want to impress that man or woman you intend to be your husband or wife one day. I can't speak for everyone out there, but as for myself, I can't get past the grammar ignorance. I also read a book by Eric Jerome Dickey recently called Pleasure, that I swore up and down was written about me at first because the main character in the book had a pet peeve just like this one. She was trying to get rid of a guy she was dating who kept sending her text messages with incorrect grammar and all I could do was laugh and think to myself that I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices this and can't stand it! Pick up a dictionary or thesauras or simply pay attention in school.

That's all for now...
Gemini aka Boss Lady

Have You Ever...??

Have you ever received an email that was meant for someone else, but they sent it to you on accident? What did you say?

Have you ever sent someone an email asking them for their address, only to have them email you back giving you their email address?? WTF? Obviously you know their email address because you EMAILED them to ask for their address. DUH!!

Have you ever secretly lusted behind your best friend's boyfriend or husband and never told them your secret?

Have you ever felt paranoid by certain things because you have a hidden fear or phobia that you don't want to reveal to your friends and loved ones?

Have you ever gone to the hair salon, only to have to come home and redo your hair yourself and feel like why the hell did I go there in the first place??? I could have saved that money!

Have you ever thought to yourself; why on earth does she wear those skinny jeans and half shirt when she knows she's too fat for them??

Have you ever had a friend who had bad breath or body odor all the time and you couldn't find the nerve to tell them?

Have you ever let a friend or family member go around with food stuck in their teeth just because you thought it was funny? You know that's not right!

Have you ever just sat up thinking about questions you could post on your blog and pray the people who they're really about don't realize it's really about them unless you really want that person to read it and realize it's about them??