I can't do it anymore! I've been cheating on you..

Okay, I can't keep lying to you, I have another blog.. okay, I have two other blogs.. (Can't help it, I'm a Gemini)

Curious what I do when I am not posting on Little Brown Girl?


Check out Living with Scissors, my craft and more blog dedicated to creating the life you want one project at a time.

And if you love plants but kill as many as you grow, check out Gardeners Like Us, my blog for all things gardening for new gardeners.

My New Favorite Song..

If you missed Aisha Tyler is Lit, a comedy special this weekend, than you missed the best music video... for No Ass At All. As a black woman suffering from this affliction, it was great to know I was not alone!

Better than one food blog..

From the Times Online 50 of the World's Best Food Blogs. Oh yummy, the only thing better than a good food blog, are 50 good food blogs.

Is there anything better...

Is there anything better than a sunny, clear day, at a neighborhood hangout, eating delicious Shepard's Pie... with a dear dear friend... whose stories make you blush, almost choke on your soda and lean forward anxious for more.

Cats vs. Dogs...

The real difference between cats and dogs.. Dogs rarely carry a grudge... Cats always do...

Sea Creature?

Actually, it's Horseradish... There is life in my garden after all, so I guess the Spring planting can commence.

What to feed a cold...

Okay, enough already. I have been sick on and off for about two weeks now and I am done. Some days all I could stomach were peanut butter and apricot jam sandwiches. The last few days I have been trying to eat more veggies and protein. Leading to the invention of my new favorite breakfast, sauteed asparagus, soy sausage and a steamed egg... of course also chicken soup (homemade is there any other way?)

The True Power of the Web

How About Orange posted this the other day, and I think it illustrates the true power of the Internet. So here is my blog Baconized.... because everything is better with Bacon. Do you need more Bacon? Check it out at http://bacolicio.us/

Plague

I have been sick for days and can't take it anymore. Exactly when does a cold officially become a plague?

My little corner of crazy...

So, walking the dogs today through deserted streets... I mean freaky not a soul for miles... And then notice a woman on her stoop smoking a cigarette... I say "Hi" (it's Seattle, we greet everyone here) and she quickly demands "Why aren't you watching the Superbowl"

At least 10 different responses come to mind, but since she is technically a neighbor (meaning I might see her again) and because I am trying to be less of a negative smart ass (NY resolution), I respond with... "My dogs don't like football" And this appeared to satisfy her...

So no football watching to speak of....but I did make Nachos... special, organic, wholesome, medicinal Nachos... Never underestimate the healing power of salsa, chips, avocado, and cheese... (also fire roasted jalapenos, olives, sauteed ground chicken with onions and peppers, refried black beans and just a touch of sour cream)

Mountain at the Mall

Taken from the Mall food court... sometimes you need to search for reasons as to why one would live in this damp, sunless, cold city... not that I am complaining...

It was the night before Inauguration and...

So tomorrow is the big day... I am so excited and along with most everyone else feel giddy and nervous like it was going to be me taking the oath tomorrow.

In preparation for tomorrow:

• I have carefully picked my outfit (black heels, black wide leg dress pants, and my favorite short red sweater with the ruffle collar...worn over a white t-shirt).
• I have looked through my selection of Obama wear and settled on my favorite Obama necklace.
• I'm letting my hair do what it wants...
• and I have packed extra tissues (I'll probably tear up)

Where am I going.... Not to one of the many parties or viewings... but to work.. Sadly there is a scheduled meeting right in the middle of the inauguration and I am too much of a coward to skip it... (well that, and I am a little behind with my workload and really the last thing I need to do in this economy is jeopardize my standing at work).

But I will watch as much as I can... I will smile at people I normally ignore, I will walk with a little more pep in my step, I will feel exuberant and I will be hopeful...

Flowers! The cure for the winter blahs....

So many gray day and so many more to come, the price one pays for living in Seattle. Most people here, medicate with caffeine, but I prefer flowers.

Werebeagle

Werebeagle derived from the old English, "Offthecouchyoudarn" beagle. There are many myths about the Werebealge some say they are normal dogs until the full moon, others say they are never truly normal and only change in the presence of food. When they change, they become something else... something more...

The first time we realized that Milo was a Werebeagle, was when we discovered the cans... Cans of cat food still in the bin on the floor... each with two beagle teeth holes neatly placed on the edge and the contents sucked dry. What kind of dog does this??? What kind of dog indeed...

Tonight I prepare for bed, knowing that no matter where he starts out, Milo will end up in the middle of the bed under the covers. Like a phantom he will creep or levitate ( I am never sure) under the covers, lying undiscovered until morning. In the morning, I will see that he has once again not only climbed in the bed, but smarmed the sheets with his doggy cooties..

I change my sheets 5 times a week, not because I like the feel of 400 thread count, freshly laundered cotton, but because I love a Werebeagle.

The real reason people use fabric book covers..

Have you ever seen those fabric paperback covers people supposedly use to carry their books and protect them from damage... This is a lie, the real use it to hide the book from prying eyes and protect the dignity of the reader. I don't have a paperback cover and really I don't give a &%$ about dignity when it comes to my choice of stories (film or page)... so that leads me to my current read, Moon Called by Patrica Briggs.

It is one of those books one would envision finding on a cross country bus trip in the bathroom of some dilapidated truck stop... and of course you would read it only because you were stuck on a bus for 40 hours... but no, I picked up the book of my own free will, and even payed full price for it... Shape shifting mechanics, vampires, werewolves and fae (fairy folk) all staged in the exciting Tri City area of Eastern Washington.. (By the way, why do so many stories of alien abduction, government made mutations , werewolves and vampires take place in the Pacific Northwest?.. Does everyone know something I don't ...)

Anyways, reading this book is, I imagine, like having sex on the bathroom floor with some hot stranger...(most likely in the same rest stop one would find this book.).... Immensely satisfying, rather unsanitary and just a little dangerous... (NOTE: I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS, JUST SAYING FOR THE SAKE OF COMPARISON)

The danger inherent in reading this book, is that I will probably read the sequel and with great lines such as "Being Submissive is a Bitch", how can I not...

That Kinda Cold....

I took this picture last year in January when we went to see the eagles. The trip was thrilling but unbelievably cold. Wet misty snow clung to everything, draining the warmth from whatever the tiny snowflakes touched.

No snow today, but I still can't seem to get warm.

When I was little, my father believed that one must sweat the cold out. He would slice up fresh ginger with lemon and boil it down in a big pot. He would make us put on our sweat suits and hats and wrap ourselves in a blanket.

Drinking the tea caused the strangest sensation. Of course it would warm your throat as it went down, but within a few seconds, the ginger would start to heat up. You could feel the warmth move like ripples from the pit of your stomach, out of your torso, through your arms and legs and finally out to your fingers and toes.. In little time your cheeks would flush and you would start to sweat... that drowsy kind of warmed sleep would follow. It's that kinda of cold, so tomorrow I will make my dad's tea.

Hello 2009

Ringing in the New Year...

I thought to make this post a fond goodbye to 2008, when I realized I was overjoyed to see it go. So screw 2008.. yeah we had an amazing election and I am happy to report my family and friends are healthy.. (thank the heavens) .. but really what else was there... (bitter party of one) Okay maybe a little bitter, but time heals all wounds and as the first day of 2009 comes to an end, I am happy to say I am OVER 2008...

My "Drug" of Choice

Emily Dickinson wrote, "There is no frigate like a book". I prefer to think of books as my favorite drug of choice. When the world gets to be too much (seen the news lately) or simply too mundane, I find I can get a nice sustained high with a book. It doesn't even have to be a good one, just something to capture my interest and set my mind wandering in a different direction.

When the holidays blues hit me smack dab in the middle of Christmas, I found myself craving just such a high... which is how I ended up "shooting up" with the Twilight series... The lovely loss of control I feel with these books is evidenced by the 1000+ pages I have poured through in the past two days. Two books down, two more to go and I am slowing down my pace ... so has to enjoy every last word. Are the books good.. they are "okay" The story on the other hand is hypnotic and engrossing... With every page, I keeping thinking and then what.. and then what...

The rumor is that the fourth book is a let down... "for the best I say"... I will read through until the bitter end... and if that end breaks the spell with terrible writing and a poorly thought out plot.. well then my detox will be that much easier....

Thank You Ms. Kitt...

I pay far too much attention to the youth oriented television and the mainstream media. As a result, I finding myself struggling to shed my belief that life ends with 40. I have mentioned this in passing to some of my older friends who seem baffled and give me assurances that 40 is where life starts to get interesting. This last year, I had been seeking role models, my age and older, to dispel my apparently misguided beliefs abouts turning 40.

I have been an admirer of Eartha Kitt, since I first saw her in old Batman episodes. As a child, I did not see many Black faces on TV and certainly not gorgeous woman who could hold there own. My mother introduced me to older movies with women such as Lena Horne and Eartha Kitt and I look to them as proof positive that Black women were beautiful. ( I should add the women in my family are stunning, but little old me would not believe anything unless I saw it on the screen).

Now as I watch these women "living the hell out of life", well into their 80's and beyond, I am reminded that true inspiration (for little black girls and 39 year old women) is found not on TV, but in the amazing lives of real women, like the amazing Eartha Kitt.

A running jump into the New Year...

Merry Christmas... phew! It was lovely fun and thankfully, it's over! (We'll in a few hours...) Some people get that post Christmas let down. Not me! I am just the opposite as the day passes I start to get energized, I can start thinking about the New Year and more importantly how I intend to live in the New Year. I worship beginnings... and thankfully every morning, Monday, and 1st of the month is essentially a chance to start fresh. Forgive myself for any past sins and strive to do the right thing. But in all the year there is no greater beginning than January 1.

I am giddy with excitement over all the things I want to do... Then of course there are a myriad of reasons to be excited about the coming year. In a word, OBAMA!!!! Logically, I know he is just a man and not the appointed savior of mankind, but I can't help but feel the warm glow of salvation when I think about him. I think today's New York Times hit on one of his cool factors with this article.. I think I need to add a visit to Hawaii to my New Year's list.