Happy Labor-less Day!

HAPPY LABOR DAY BLOG LAND!!!!

For many, although it's still sweltering outside, today signals the end of the summer. Pools are closing, summer clothes are on clearance at stores (yay), and by now almost all the kids are back to school.

Usually my Labor Day weekend is nothing special. I usually just lay around the house, clean, catch up on sleep, or all of the above. While I was able to do all of those things, I was also able to cross another item off of my 30 Before 30 Bucket List! YAAAAY!!

My sister and I kicked the weekend off at the Louisville Palace Theatre. I believe I may have mentioned a few posts back that they were having an Alfred Hitchock film festival. Jess couldn't figure out how to get into the parking garage right across from the Palace....so we rode around the blocks surrounding 4th street for at least 10 minutes. After numerous wrong turns, full circles, and near wrecks as we attempted to enter through the exit lanes of various closed parking garages....we finally settled on one down the street and around the corner, which required us to walk past a shady looking establishment that flashed "GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS" in neon pink.

Praise the Lord for the buddy system. Bahahahaha.

Anyway. We were late. Have I mentioned that I hate being late?

The movie had already started when we finally walked through the doors to see Mr. Hitchcock's legendary Psycho. Fortunately, it hadn't gotten very far. We own the movie. But there was something about seeing it on the big screen that really made me appreciate the suspense and the outstanding cinematography. Most of the people there were fellow Hitchcock enthusiasts. Yet, during the scene in which the private detective is walking up the stairs (to meet his death), the entire theatre jumped and screamed when Norman/Mother came flying down wielding that famous knife. Ha.

We enjoyed every minute of it.






_____________________________________________

As is tradition in Louisville on the last weekend of August, it was time for....Worldfest! And after being unable to go for the last few years, I was finally able to make it. And so, I check that off of my 30 Before 30 Bucket List!

It takes place on the Belvedere, right next to the River and the Galt House. As soon as you turn the corner you are bombarded by colors, music, and the smells of all kinds of different culture's foods. There are two stages on which people of all different cultures preform song, music, and dance. We saw a Vietnamese Lion Dance, African Dancers, Latino music and dance, and belly dances from India, Hawaii, and Tribal Fusion.

Did I mention there was SO MUCH FOOD?!! I ended up eating an authentic Greek Gyro! A party for my taste buds it was!!! Ah! It was SO MUCH fun!! I probably would have had even more fun if I had at least a hundred bucks to blow on the vendors stands. So many beautiful clothes, trinkets, scarves, beauty products and in such bright and beautiful colors!

In short, I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my long weekend.

Thank the Lord for random Monday holidays!

How have you spent the long weekend Blog Land?

:)

Learned Right

On this day 26 years ago...a red skinned little girl with a head full of thick black hair was born. Can you guess who this little rascal was? Ok, ok...I know ya'll all know it was me. Ha.

Yes...today is my Birthday...

I must admit that it feels a little strange to think that I'm on the downward slope of my 20s. At the risk of sounding incredibly cliched, I must ask the question..."Where has the time gone?" So much has happened in the last 6 years....It's been a long process, but I can say that maybe, just maybe...I'm finally settling into...well...Me.

Trust and believe I'm still growing and changing as an individual....I still have moments of intense dislike with who I am or how things are going...but thankfully, these moments are getting shorter and shorter each time they sneak up on me. Overall I'm amazed at the goodness of my life.

Also! I'm pleased to say that I have been able to cross 3 things off of my 30 Before 30 bucket list! Yes...I must say that 25 was good to me. It's been a whirlwind of a year and I've accomplished some very significant things. All glory goes to the LORD. Without him I wouldn't have been able to do any of it.

I'm happy, content, and glad to be celebrating another birthday.

I'm glad that my life has been filled with wonderful people like you, dear followers. Thank you for the encouragement over this last year and the prayers.

Enjoy this song from Brave...it's light and it makes me smile....because scars are healing and even when I've done wrong...I've been put right.

Drama Junkies

Citizens of Blog Land, I've neglected you!

It seems like every time I write a new post I'm apologizing for the length of time that has passed between posts. Haha. What can I say? Life is so busy. Exhausting. Full. Wonderful. I'm not making any promises, but in the future I shall try to do better...*wink wink*.

Anywho...

My Mom always told me that it takes all kinds of people to make up this crazy world...and having been lately thrust into the corporate arena, that little nugget of truth has never been more apparent. Being the extremely laid back person that I am, it never ceases to amaze me how adult individuals over 40 years of age still have the capacity to be such drama junkies.

Seriously people...do your jobs, address issues as they arise instead of talking about someone behind their back, keep it professional, be genuine, and be kind. Is it that difficult? For some....apparently it is.

By no means am I claiming to be perfect. There are people who, as I've gotten to know them better over the last 2 months, have gotten under my skin. I've learned who is two faced and who can keep confidences. I've learned who I can trust and who I cannot. The key, in my humble opinion, is to remember that we are all there for the same reason, and that we're all a team and should be working together to meet our business goals. Who cares that so and so gets on my nerves? What does that have to do with me doing my job? Absolutely nothing.

But maybe that's just me. I hate conflict. I hate confrontation.

Thankfully, none of the interoffice conflicts have touched me. I stay in my little corner of the office and try not to say a word. But I hear the complaining and backbiting that goes on. It's mind boggling.

Still love the job, though! People however....are flippin' nuts!

The 4th and Other Important Dates

Happy 4th of July people of Blog Land!

And what a rainy 4th it has turned out to be. Actually, what a rainy 2 weeks this has turned out to be. I can't remember the last time we've had so much rain in June or July. Thankfully, the office is closed today (and tomorrow) and I've planted my my ample behind on the couch, slid the patio door open just wide enough to hear the drops hitting the ground and to hear the birds singing in the rain. I have my book, my coffee, and my phone on the table beside me and I plan on staying here for the larger part of the day.

The first week in July has always been busy since our church has it's annual international convention. This year it started on Sunday and tonight is the last service. I work with the kids over in the Fellowship Hall in a program called Trailblazers. It's always fun, but this year has been especially exhausting. Late nights mixed with early mornings and 9 hour work days....whew!

This week has also proven to be emotionally exhausting since the 2nd was the birthday of someone whom I care about immensely but cannot have in my life, and the 3rd marked the 2 year anniversary of my Granny's death.

I'm amazed that it's only been 2 years because it seems like SO much longer. Every family gathering, every dinner, every cookout, and every holiday her absence is keenly felt. It seems like we've gone an eternity without her. I miss her more today than ever.

I was cleaning out a drawer in my night stand the other day and I found a note that she had written. I immediately recognized her sprawling cursive and felt like I had been given a precious gift. Every once in a while, I take out some scarves of hers that I have carefully folded and kept in a little box. They still smell like her and for a few beautiful minutes, I can imagine that I'm sitting with my head in her lap. Goodness, I miss her.

On a decidedly less somber note, the 3rd also marked my 1 month anniversary at the new job! It's hard to believe that I've been there that long already. The days and weeks have flown by. I've learned so much, but still have so much to learn. I'm gradually getting to know everyone else in the office and am becoming more and more comfortable with them. Tuesday was the head attorney's birthday and our escrow manager organized a surprise party for him. We all pitched in and brought side dishes. I expected everyone to scatter and sit at their desks to eat, but we all sat in the board room around the huge table. We sat and talked and ate and just generally enjoyed each other's company. It really did feel like a family gathering. I loved it. I'm so thankful that the LORD placed me there!

My book is calling my name....I'll leave you with a romantical song that perfectly describes my lack of a love life....just because it wouldn't be a true blog land post if I didn't make some vague and tragic reference to it....this is LITERALLY my story put to music. Enjoy :D

He Drew from her Lips...A Broken Hallelujah

It's been a while since I've participated in a Trifecta challenge. Trying to get back in the groove. 

This weekend's prompt is the phrase, " Third time's the charm". Since this is the Trifextra Weekend Challenge it must contain 33 words exactly. 

Happy Reading. 

Letter sent.  It contained her heart. Neglected. In disrepair. His reply came. Her hope splintered. Shattered.  "Without  you, I'm fine". Dear God. Again? Third time's the charm, they'd said. She'd hoped. They'd lied. 

*Title of this post is a reference to Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright.

The Deep End

A few posts ago, as I shared the passing of my graduation, I promised to reveal some other exciting news. I announced this at my Graduation Party a few weeks back, and then quite honestly, forgot to announce here on the blog. As of today, I have officially completed my first week as a real estate paralegal!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen of Blog Land. I landed a job in my field. 3 days after graduation. No one has been more surprised at this than me. With the economy and job markets being as they are, I expected it to take at least 6 months to a year to find something in my field.

It happened like this.

I received a call from my contact at the Louisville Bar Association on the Monday before Graduation. He had just received a call from a mid-sized firm in the East End and was wondering if I was interested. There were two positions open, a receptionist position and a paralegal position. I scheduled the interview for the next day. The day of Graduation.

 In the world of law, and even more in the world of real estate, time really is money. The interview lasted for all of about 10 minutes. I really didn't think much of it. My lack of experience was clear to the attorney I had interviewed with and I wasn't expecting a call back. If I did receive a call back, I was preparing myself mentally for it to be for the receptionist position.

Wednesday I heard nothing back, but Thursday evening I received a call from the attorney himself asking me to come in for a 2nd interview the next morning. I was amazed. This interview lasted for about an hour as he talked at length about what my responsibilities would be, described the fast paced environment of the business, took me on a tour of the office, introduced me to the 2 paralegal supervisors as well as the VP of the company. When we returned to his office and sat down, he leaned back in his plush chair and offered me the job of real estate paralegal.

I accepted. These are the wonderful works of God and they are marvelous in my eyes!

So this last week has been nerve-wracking, overwhelming, and wonderful as I was thrust into the world of real estate. My nickname around the office this week quickly became "The Sponge" as I sat behind my supervisor listened, wrote notes furiously, did hands on practice, and asked numerous questions. At noon yesterday, the VP, Russ, stopped by and asked me to see him. When I sat down in his office he asked me quickly how things were coming along and how I was doing with everything. When I explained that all was well, that it was a lot of info to take in, but that I was slowly catching on....he replied with, "Good. Next week we'll get you settled into your own desk and throw you into the deep end".

Oh Lawd. LOL.

This time next week I may not be so enthusiastic about my quick success in finding this job. Or rather, on having this job fall into my lap. Ha.

Anywho. So that's the story on the job situation. God has blessed me tremendously and continues to do so. All the glory goes to Him. It's not because of anything that I've done, but it is His Grace and I know that He blesses me for His Name's Sake.

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people. -I Samuel 12:22

Blog Land, consider yourself updated on the Wonderland Adventures. I covet your prayers as I navigate my way through this new season in my life!

Biblio--what?!

BIBLIOPHILE:(n)a person who collects or has a great love of books. 

In the last, oooh, I'd say 2 1/2 weeks, I've started and finished 2 books, and I've just started another. There are those who just don't get it. How people can stand to read, just because they want to...not because they're being forced to. Well...I am...a....you guessed it...a bibliophile, and an unrepentant one at that. I spend a ridiculous amount of money on books and I can spend hours in the bookstore. 

Why not go to the library? It's free.

And that, my friends, is what separates a lover of reading from a bibliophile. Bibliophiles not only love to read books, but to collect them as well. There are those who just have to have a book in it's hardback version. Others who prefer soft covers. Those who must have first editions. And those like me, who don't particularly care. I will say, though, that a hard cover is not my first choice. Firstly because, they're usually much larger than the soft covered additions, and therefore, don't fit as well into my purse....ha; and secondly, because they're always much more expensive.

But really...as long as it's a book that I can hold in my hands to touch, feel, and smell...I'm happy.

I know that I've written about her before, but Cathy Lamb is one of my favorite authors. She has this ability to write things that are so funny I find myself literally laughing out loud. Anyone who can do that, has a gift.

Her newest book, A Different Kind of Normal, tells the story of a boy born with an abnormally large head, due, probably, to his mother's drug use during the pregnancy. The boy is raised by his aunt, who at his birth was a young 19 years old. Lamb tells the story brilliantly. Joining the past and present of the character's lives to give a complete and rounded story. It is a story of "letting go" and redefining what is "normal". And it's hilarious.

I loved it.

If you're interested in reading this book or any others by Cathy Lamb, I would encourage you to slide on over to the Book Nook page of this blog. Summer's a-coming and you'll find plenteous provender for your pool-side reading needs!

Watch out though....you may turn into a bibliophile yourself! 

Happy Reading!

Oh the Places You Will Go...

I can officially cross one more thing off of my 30 before 30 Bucket List.

That's right ladies and gentlemen of the world...I am officially.... A COLLEGE GRADUATE!

As of May 14, 2013 I have an Associate's of Applied Science degree in Paralegal Studies!

This week has been amazing and overwhelming at the same time. In addition to graduating, there have been several other exciting developments, about which you can expect to hear in later posts. Suffice it to say, my life has taken on several changes in the space of a few days. It's exciting and scary at the same time!

The graduation ceremony was looooong and drawn out. Of course, since my degree falls within the School of Public and Social Services, we were the second to the last school to get to walk across the stage. Aaaand...because my last name begins with "T", I was the last person to walk across the stage from the School of Public and Social Services. LOL. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll marry someone who's last name is at the beginning of the alphabet, or at least, more towards the middle. Ha.

Anyway, it was a surreal moment. What was going through my mind as I took my walk of fame? " Heel, toe, heel, toe...don't fall girl." And as I reached the Chancellor to take my  diploma, "Smile girlfriend. Shake with your right, take with your left....keep smiling".

 Haha. And in a moment, it was over. The years of hard work, culminated in a single event that lasted for about 15 seconds. But wow...probably THE proudest 15 seconds of my life. My family was there. My 3 best friends were there. It was perfect.

Now, today...we celebrate!

My mom has been in town since Tuesday and today is my official graduation party. It's going to be a fairly small affair. So don't feel rained on if you didn't get an invite. Lol. I'm not one for big "to do's". My step-dad is going to do what he does best...grill! And that will be that.

And so...on to the next phase of my life....

Can't wait to tell you all about it!

Stay tuned!

Petulant Poodle

Even though it's a day late, I hope that all the mothers out there in Blog Land had a very happy and relaxing Mother's Day! 

Yesterday afternoon, after my family was stuffed from the brunch my sister, cousins, and I had made, one of my cousins decided that she wanted to come over and raid my sister's closet. Somehow this raid quickly turned into a plan for a sleepover. Fine by me. 

So as the evening wore on, we transferred from my aunt's house back to our apartment. The girls brought their bags with their PJs and clothes for the next day. It was decided that I would take them back home today on my way to work. 

The fun thing about cousins is that you don't have to do much of anything to have a good time. We sat on the couch for over an hour just talking and giggling, and listening enraptured as my sister, a master storyteller, updated us on the latest twists and turns on our favorite show, Once Upon a Time. Since she had to be at work early this morning, after a while, she decided to call it a night, and threw extra pillows and blankets out into the living room, before closing her door on the rest of us. 

There weren't enough blankets, so I headed into my bedroom to get to get a few more. Just as I opened the door, my phone started to ring. It was my aunt, the girl's mom. I answered and she said, " Uh, could you all go back to the house and get Daisy?". "Uh what?" I replied. " Well", she explained. "Jordan just called me and said that he couldn't find her. I asked him if he let the dogs outside and he said yeah, and then I asked him if she ever came back in and he said no. So. She's out there and refuses to come back in." 

This little poodle is the most stubborn, diva-ish dog I have ever seen. Once before, when my aunt and the girls were out of town on a cruise, Daisy went outside and stayed out there until they came home. Even though she's most decidedly a lap dog. Even though it was cold. 

I rolled my eyes. There was a frost advisory tonight.  

"You know she'll stay out there until she turns into a little ice cube", my aunt pressed. 

"Ok, ok" I relented. " I tell the girls and see what they wanna do. We'll let you know."

So, I went back out to the living room and explained to the girls Daisy's latest rebellion and they immediately decided to go and rescue the petulant poodle. 

"If we go", Maya said, " I'm not coming back." 

Yeah. That wouldn't really make a whole lot of sense, since the main reason they had decided to spend the night was so we wouldn't have to make a trip back to the house once Khala had the clothes she wanted from my sister.  

So. We trooped back down the stairs and into my car. As they piled their bags back into the car, we all paused a second and just looked at each other...and started giggling. 

"Well" I said, " I think we just set a new world record for the shortest sleepover ever." We dissolved into laughter. 

Five minutes later we were back at their house. 

Ten minutes later I was back at my apartment. As I was pulling into a parking spot, my phone rang. It was Jordan. 

"Well"  he said. " We found Daisy. She was hiding behind a tree. She came running into the house when she heard Maya call her name." 

Wow. That dog. I guess we know who runs that house!

P.S.  Graduation is tomorrow! 

*Photo Credit: dogbreedinfo.com

Jubilation and 6 Days

It's late. I'm tired. I'm jubilant!

Yes, you read that right.

Jubilant!

I just completed the last of my finals...so...that means....I'm DONE WITH SCHOOL!

I mean like Done Done. As in "I'll take my degree now, thanks very much".

Not much of a post, but hey... I just needed to express my excitement!

6 days till GRADUATION!

A little sentimental....a little mushy...but I don't care...I love this song and I love Celine.

No apologies :p

Ladies and Gentlemen...a new day has come!

13 Days & The Waiting Room

Happy May Blog Land!

It's only 9 something in the morning and it's already a balmy 63 degrees! The windows are open in our apartment and I can literally hear the birds chirping. The chow wagon is in full gear down on the river front, and signs on the interstate are pointing the way to Churchill Downs. It's starting to look a lot like Derby time and feel a lot like summer. Love it!

Since it's May 1st that means.....only 13 more days until I graduate! It will be here before I realize it. This is my last normal week of classes with next week being Finals week. I can honestly say I have no worries about them.

My interview with the LBA went really well and the guy I met with has already sent my resume to 2 different law firms. Unfortunately, they are for receptionist positions, not paralegal positions. However, since I'm lacking in experience, I have to be willing to take what is available to get my foot in the door. Beggars can't be choosers.

In other Wonderland news...

Have you ever noticed that some of the most difficult times in your life are not when things are going wrong, but when you're waiting for something to happen? It's like you're in this huge waiting room and the only person who can move you through the room is God. And there is no rushing Him.

I have been waiting on something for a very long time. I've fought with myself, fought with God, bargained with Him, gotten angry, tried to fix and redeem situations, worn myself out trying to fix them, and finally surrendered to God's timing. I've gone through this same scenario not once, not twice, but probably at least 100 times. And I'm going through it again. The hardest thing when you've received a promise from God is waiting for it happen. And so often we try to "help" Him out by trying to manipulate events and people. Only to be rudely reminded that God absolutely cannot be manipulated.

I think that one of the most difficult things to do is to place God's Will ABOVE my human emotions. In a word...Restraint. Our pastor taught a wonderful lesson about Joseph and the restraint he practiced when his brothers came down to Egypt. In essence, he placed God's Will above his desire to immediately reveal himself to his brothers because they still had a lesson to learn.

Even though God's waiting room is a difficult and often frustrating place to be, I know that when I receive what He has promised it will have been well worth the wait.

Food for thought, eh?

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.         -Ecclesiastes 3:11

20 Days...and Good News

EEEEEK!

I'm SO excited that I just have to write a little blurb about all the good news I received today!

Soooo....

I have an interview with the Louisville Bar Association scheduled for Monday morning! To the great advantage of paralegals in the Louisville and Southern Indiana area, the LBA has a placement service, in which it takes the information of qualified legal professionals, interviews them, and then matches them with a law firm that is looking for someone to fill a certain position. So, even though this interview won't guarantee me a job immediately it's definitely putting me a few steps ahead of the game.

Next...

And this may not seem like a big deal to ya'll...buuuut it was to me. Since I'm lacking in real world experience, many potential employers may be a little hesitant to hire me. As this is the case, many people (myself included) thought it would be beneficial for me to obtain a recommendation from one of my professors. I knew that this was a good idea, but I have been a little scared to ask my Litigation professor for one due to the fact that I feel kind of weird about asking someone to compliment me (LoL) and on top of that, not only is she a professor, but she is also an attorney with an active practice and quite busy.

Well...with the news of my interview and a requirement to provide three professional references, I went ahead and asked for the recommendation. The reply e-mail and the attached recommendation letter absolutely blew me away. I won't go into details, but it was high praise indeed, especially coming from an attorney. It was humbling to see that my hard work had not gone unnoticed and that it might actually aid me in finding a job.

I know that I am only at the beginning of my career journey, but even in little things like this, the LORD is already blessing me!

These are HIS wonderful works and they're marvelous in my eyes!

Good Night BLog Land!

22 Days

I cannot believe that it has been a month since my last post!

To my faithful readers and followers, my sincerest apologies and thank you for your patience during my unexpected blogging sabbatical. As you may have already guessed, the reason behind my absence has been due mostly to school work.

Ladies and Gentlemen! This is it! There are officially only 3 weeks left until I graduate.

Teehee.

This morning I pulled my cap and gown out of their bag and tried them on for the first time. As I looked at myself in the mirror, my heart skipped a beat. I twirled around. Yep, I sure did twirl. Ha. Then I ran to my closet to figure out which shoes I was going to wear.

Black. Pointy toe. Patent Leather. 3 inch heel.

In case you were wondering.

Then I started rummaging around trying to figure out what I'm going to wear underneath the gown. I just happened to find a pink silk blouse from NY&C with the tag still on it. I had totally forgotten I had bought that shirt! So, of course I had to try on the shirt along with the shoes and my go-to black skirt. As I pranced in front of the mirror, I tucked the shirt in, untucked the shirt, added a scarf, took the scarf off, added a necklace, removed the necklace....and finally I decided that I need a thick black belt to go around the blouse if I leave it untucked.

So, my ensemble for Graduation Day is complete, I just need to go shopping for a belt.

Teehee.

My excitement is literally growing by the day. I have waited for this for SOOOOO long! And it's here! EEEEEEEKKK!!!!

What's more exciting is that this past Friday, I was able to work on my resume with a family friend, who's also the director of career development at IUS. So now my resume is complete and absolutely phenomenal! I've been contacting acquaintances who are lawyers and even submitted an application with the Louisville Bar Association Placement Department. Networking, networking, networking is what it's all about.

This is such an exciting yet scary time. I'm closing the door on one part of my life and stepping into a completely new and different world. On the one side it would be so easy to stay where I am and continue to work as a nanny indefinitely because it's comfortable. But that would be the easy and the safe thing to do. As I always say, 'Nothing risked is nothing gained'.

So Blog Land, I covet your prayers as I move out of one sphere and into a new one. I know that with your prayers and mine, that the LORD will lead and guide me to the right people and the right places!

22 days and counting...!

Could it Be? Is it Spring?!

This is a morning that dreams are made of! Our patio door is open, the balmy breeze is blowing in, the sunshine is filtering softly through the clouds, the birds are singing, and the frogs are just going crazy in the pond next to our building!

Ah. Spring time at last.

I hope.

For all I know we could have a few inches of snow again tomorrow. This weather has been anything but predictable of late. But, whatever the forecast is for tomorrow or even later in the day, I'm determined to enjoy this little interlude of divine spring time.

As it happens, this week was my spring break from school. I did still have to work, but it was quite nice to be able to sleep in a few mornings and to spend my evenings reading for fun instead of poring over the intricacies of Excel and Litigation. I could have worked ahead but I decided that I needed a break. In that vein, I haven't popped open a school book or even logged into BlackBoard to check my grades. I've absolutely refused.

Excitingly, I received my letter from school this week, confirming that my application for graduation has been accepted and that the date for the ceremony will be May 14! I can't remember if I've said this before, but I had not originally planned on walking in the ceremony. However, as the date draws nearer, I've decided that I am going to participate in the ceremony. This is quite possibly one of the biggest and longest time coming accomplishments of my life. I want to savor every single moment of it because I have worked SO hard for it.

In other randomness, my cousin turned me on to a group called 2Cellos. As my faithful readers, ya'll should know by now that I LOVE cello music. Add to that the fact that these guys are playing one of my absolute favorite Michael Jackson songs...and well...Epic-ness  has been achieved and I can die a happy woman. Teehee.

Anywho. Enjoy this awesome rendition of this song and then get outside and enjoy this beautiful spring day!

Eide Nooroz

This week's Trifecta Challenge was to incorporate the word doctor into a piece of writing, using the following definition...a : material added (as to food) to produce a desired effect b : a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface. 



The busy executive started as the intercom beeped and the voice of his whiny
secretary came across.

"Sir" she said, " the cook from your house called. She said that either your wife didn't leave all of the appropriate ingredients for the khoresht bademjoon, or it needs it bit of something else for flavor. She said she's not that great at making Persian dishes."

"Thank you, tell the cook I will call my wife and have her do something about it."

The exectuive sat back in his chair and gave a long exasperated sigh. Why didn't the cook simply call his wife? Oh yes. That's right, she belonged even less in a kitchen than he did. Had she ever even been inside of it? Hmm. Maybe once.

Must he juggle the problems of Wall Street and culinary problems at home as well?

But this was important. It was Eide Norooz. Persian New Year. Half of the Persian community of the town would be at their house for a dinner. Heaven forbid if this traditional stew was lacking in flavor! How the old biddies would gossip! "These Americanized Persian women" they'd cluck their tongues and say.

The executive typed a hurried text message to his wife.

"Cook says khoresht bland. Not Persian. Says she doesn't know how to doctor it."

 There. She could see to it that the cook got the proper ingredients.

That crisis solved, he went back to the world of Wall Street.

One hour later at the executive's mansion. 

Cook was in the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring. Oh thank the Lord! Perhaps that was the boss's assistant with the turmeric for the khoresht!

The door bell rang again. Where was that butler? As if she didn't have enough to do with cooking a full Persian feast for 300 people without having to stop to answer the door!

Cook jerked at the strings to her apron, wiped her hands on it, and then threw it onto the counter. It slid off into the open trash can.

She ran as fast her knobby knees would carry her to the side delivery door.

She jerked it open, "I'm glad to see you! Have you got the turme-".

She stopped and stared.

The gentleman started talking. " I don't usually make house calls, but Mrs. Executive insisted that there was an emergency."

Cook's jaw dropped. The ditzy lady of the house had called an doctor.

An actual doctor to flavor the stew.

Falling Trees and Itchies

Since the end of last year and the beginning of this new one, it feels like all I do is apologize for the time that has lapsed between posts. Once again, citizens of Blog Land, I must apologize...and hope that I can find the time to start posting regularly again. I won't bore you with the details of school life (which is boring, even to me), money problems, single-hood problems, ....blah, blah, blah...I will simply say that life in Wonderland is as cRaZy as ever.

This week, Little Sis was on winter break from school. Strike anyone else as odd? Winter break? In February? Weird. Anyway, it reminded me that as much as I love the little booger and hope for kids of my own one day, I am NOT ready for that just yet. Since her brother now goes to a different school, it was left completely to me to entertain her. From 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Oh heavenly Father.

By body was in shock from having to wake up at 6 a.m. Now, I know that this is normal for most people, but I'm a woman who doesn't go into work until around 2 p.m. Needless to say, going from working a 4 hour day to an 11 1/2 hour day is enough to leave even the most rested person reeling. I didn't get anything done around the house all week and I think the dog was beginning to think I had abandoned him. By the time I got home each night I didn't want to do anything but eat and go straight to bed. Which is what I did.

Now, I don't know if I was just slap happy from the long hours, but by Thursday afternoon, everything the kids were saying was hilarious. Little Sis randomly started crying at the doctor's office because it started to rain and she didn't want her favorite tree at the bus stop to get knocked over. Mind you, it wasn't storming...just raining. I had to bite my lip to keep the giggles inside. She had real tears in her eyes. Then her brother reminded her that it was just a tree...like any other tree in the whole world...."Besides" he said, "do you even KNOW that tree?" I was through. I was glad we were alone in the waiting room because an obnoxious snort flew from my nose and a peal of laughter straight from my gut ripped through my mouth. Little Sis just looked at me with an expression that said, "traitor". I couldn't help it! After all, this wasn't a tree in their yard...this was a random tree at a bus stop!

Later, when we were in the car on the way home, and I was sufficiently recovered from my giggle attack, Little Sis says randomly, "My butt is itchy". My jaw dropped and Big Bro says, "Eeeeewww!" and then bursts into giggles. Once again, I'm trying to hold the giggles in, because really...that's gross. I asked her why her butt was itchy and if she had had a shower the night before. She said no, but that she thought it was because of the huge poo poo that came out of it earlier. Big Bro and I were undone. I was laughing so hard I was crying, and once again Little Sis couldn't understand what was so very funny. Really, I guess it wasn't that funny. Then she said, "Well it was a really big poop". We laughed all the way home.

Oh Mercy.

Of That Which Cleopatra Speaks

The Trifecta Challenge for the weekend is a simple one: to take 33 words from one of your favorite piece of literature and give the best 33 words you can find. A seemingly simple task...but quite huge when you consider the fact that I LOVE books and so many of my favorites contain words that are all just about as equally profound. How can I choose just 33 from just 1 book?!

Sigh.

After quite a bit of thinking I decided to choose a quote from The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George. Ms. George is by far, one of my favorite authors as she does my favorite genre, historical fiction, the justice that few others can. She takes the facts that history  provides us with and then weaves it so perfectly with human emotion and feeling that it becomes so believable and relatable that the seam between what is fiction and what is history becomes invisible, making for a perfect piece of writing.

"Words, once spoken, linger forever; to keep peace we pretend to forget, but we never do. Strange that a spoken word can have such lasting power when words carved on stone monuments vanish" 

 

Waylaid Best Laid Plans & Trifecta

Greetings and Salutations citizens of the Blogospere!

Despite my best laid plans to write more often, I am suffering from what appears to be be a beginning of the year tradition: writer's block. 

It's not that there aren't any interesting things going on in Wonderland...there are always interesting, weird, and crazy things happening. It's just that for some reason, of late, I've lacked the wherewithal to record them. 

I do confess that school, particularly my writing class has been consuming quite a bit of my creative energies. That should not, however, stop the flow of creative juices, but should in fact enhance them. What can I do, though? It is what it is. I am once again suffering from writer's block. Boo. 

As such, I am stealing an idea from my friend and fellow blogger, Mike. I am joining the Trifecta Challenge. This challenge provides 2 writing prompts per week. One for the week and another for the weekend. It requires a minimum of 33 words and cannot exceed 333. You're supposed to post the completed work within a certain amount of time. I'm not sure if I will do this. I may just use the prompt for the sake of my own blog, not necessarily to receive possible recognition from the editors of Trifecta. I'm hoping that as I respond to each prompt it will kick start the rusty gears of my writers mind and enable me to hop back on the blog wagon. 

The prompt for this weekend's challenge is personification...that is, the assigning of human traits and characteristics to inanimate objects, phenomena, and animals. 

Deep breath! Here goes....

She passed it every time she went in to do her business. Sometimes she could ignore it. At other times, even when she closed her eyes she could still see it. The small, light white square. It's small window vacant and blank. Seemingly harmless. As she sat on the porcelain seat, she heard a light whisper. Thinking she was imagining things she cracked open one eye. The square seemed closer now. It's window which had just moments before stared at her blankly, now winked it's single eye at her. It flashed a harmless set of numbers: 0.00. "It's been so long", the little square whispered to her. Just months ago we were the best of friends. The girl closed her eyes again and thought to herself, "But I don't want to be your friend anymore". And with good reason. Her little square with it's one eye had been both her motivator and her abuser. Now it whispered to her, kindly enough. It cajoled her...flattering her with memories of goals met. Driving out of her mind the bitterness of disappointment, doubt, and self-hatred it had also inflicted. "Ok. Just this once" She stepped onto the square. The benign little creature sputtered to life. She held her breath and waited. She heard a laugh. Friendly enough at first. Then the welcoming little eye turned on her, glaring up at her as red as the cheeks of a child suffering from severe embarrassment. The girl's breath released in a horrified whoosh, and the little white scale screamed with maniacal laughter at the number it showed to it's very best friend. 

Now Trending in Wonderland

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the inhabitants of the blogosphere!

After the end of the semester, I decided to take a much needed sabbatical from writing. However, with the new semester less than a week away, I figured it was about time to get back into the swing of things. With any luck, this will be my last semester. Of course, as is the usual way of things, financially speaking, this semester has already proven to be difficult since my student aid has decreased and during the last 2 weeks in December I found myself, quite unexpectedly, not working. Needless to say, my careful budgeting was ruined. What can a girl do? God has always provided for my needs, sometimes quite miraculously, and I have faith that He will continue to do so.

Besides my nervousness about money, I'm really excited about this semester and I'm determined to make it the best yet. I will be taking 3 classes and only one of them is a paralegal course. The other two are gen-ed  classes that I've put off for the last few years. In short, this semester should be a breeze. I hope.

I have had quite  a few questions over the holidays regarding my love life and so I'll just answer this once and for all....I don't have one, neither am I interested in anyone. LoL. I admit that I'm completely ok with this. I think it's funny that whenever anyone asks me if I'm dating anyone and I say no, they always get this pity look on their face and feel the need to pat my shoulder and say something to the effect of, "there there, don't worry, it will happen eventually". Haha. Yes, I'm sure it will. But at the moment, that's probably about the furthest thing from my mind. I never thought I would get to the place where I was actually 100% ok with being single, but whaddya know? By God's mercy and grace, I finally arrived!

Anyhow, I think that sufficiently updates you, Blog Land citizens.

Happy Wednesday!!

Jammin' to a little Dubstep....