Goodbye July

Today is an off day for me... Not by choice, since I woke up this morning with my eye swollen shut...I haven't done anything off day worthy except go to the doctor this morning. Sigh. If you have ever seen the movie the Color Purple, think back to Oprah Winfrey's character Miss Sophia after she got beat up... Yeah. That's how I look. Not as swollen as this morning since I already started the medication, but yeah. I digress...

I can't believe tomorrow is August 1st. Does happy dance, but not really. I'm just glad it's another month closer to cooler temperatures and FALL :)

This month was pretty busy for me. I feel like I am in need of another vacation. I'm dreading all of the emails and voice mail that await me tomorrow when I go back to my office.

It's kind of crazy because I can't really remember all that occurred this month. It's kind of a blur. Or maybe my thoughts are jumbled since I'm functioning with one good eye at the moment. Who knows. I just scrolled through the photos in my phone, and by the looks of things I guess whatever I was doing this month, I at least had some good times. Hopefully I won't be as random as I am now tomorrow.

Okay, bye.

Pretty in Pink

& other weekend happenings...

This weekend I celebrated yet another flirty thirty (I seriously thought all of my friends had turned 30 already, I guess I miscalculated)birthday with a girlfriend from law school. She wanted to have a pink themed birthday brunch at the Tasting Room, which is a very fancy wine bar/restaurant. She coined it the "Cougar Convention" while we talked about life, love & other random things that cougars discuss over brunch. The food was delicious, the sangria & mimosas were delightful........

After the party I came home and attempted to rest a bit, before I met up with my cousin, her husband & their baby for dinner. I was still full from brunch, but they devoured four pounds of crawfish while I played with baby Langston. She celebrated her birthday as well this weekend. She turned 24, and went out with her friends Friday night, but I was too old and tired to partake in those festivities. Not really, but really.....

I haven't done anything else this weekend but relax, read & watch television. I feel like I need a minor attitude adjustment, because I have not been feeling too perky lately. I feel like anytime my (most recent) ex starts contacting me it makes my attitude turn completely sour. It's like he can sense when I'm feeling good about life, and then decides to randomly contact me "just to say hi" or to see what I'm up to. I guess I'm not mature enough to deal with that yet. It's been exactly a year since we broke up. I'm just ready to move on and be over it. But I digress.

Friendship. That is something that I take very seriously. I am a loyal friend. I have friends from all walks of life & all genres of people. I can be a friend forever. Through thick and thin, but once it's over it is over. When a friend betrays me, or genuinely hurts me I can never be their friend again. Associate, or acquaintance maybe, but never again a friend. It takes a lot to earn back that title. To date I can only think of two who have been worthy of forgiveness after something negative has occurred. In the past I have always kept my friendship circles separate. Everyone doesn't mesh, and the times when I have tried have not always been so pleasant. Well, it seems like I'm rambling, but a friendship issue has also been causing my weekend to have a damper on it....

This past year some of the people who were closest to me decided to deviate from that and one I don't speak to at all or even so much as acknowledge his presence when I see him in social settings...the other she just completely stopped talking to everyone for 6 months and just recently decided to reappear. Not in my life, but in the lives of my other friends that I introduced her to. The last real conversation I had with her was after my birthday party last year, wherein she showed up with the nastiest attitude possible and was rude to my other friends and told me that I was not that great of a friend, but I at least introduced her to some great people.. she later half-way apologized and blamed her rant on mother nature but that right there let me know that maybe we had outgrown each other and our friendship had run its course...So the past couple of weeks she began contacting my friends and last night had one of my close friends over her new apartment for a wine & unpacking party. My friend mentioned it to me, but I didn't really comment on it...but it has completely pissed me off for the moment. I don't feel like it's jealousy because I don't really do manual labor like unpacking stuff anyway, but it really bothers me that she still wants to be close with people I introduced her to and just not talk to me at all. I'm probably being immature about the whole thing, or being a Scorpio--possessive--- but it really annoys me. But I guess let me digress again before I come off sounding crazy...

Anyways, I'm going to spend the rest of my day relaxing and unwinding.... I'm taking my not so little cousins out to eat crab legs so I expect to be in a food coma until tonight.... I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend :)

5's

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs Brooklyn Active Mama & decided to play along..............

5 things that I am passionate about:

1) Helping: The ultimate reason I decided to become a lawyer was to help others. Whether it be gain peace of mind, or handle sensitive matters.. just mainly to make sure that everyone is afforded the same justice despite their standing in life.

2) Reading: I LOVE LOVE LOVE BOOKS.... Ever since I was a little girl reading has always been my passion. I've read literally hundreds and hundreds of books.

3) The Lord : I didn't grow up super religious, but now as I have lived through so many things, I know it was only by the grace of God!

4) Friendship: I value true friendships. I believe in loyalty and that is a quality I love most about my true friends.

5) Food: I love to eat. I just wish I loved to work out as much as I loved food.

5 things I’d like to do before I die

1) Get married.

2) Have at least one child.

3) Write a book.

4) Pay off my student loans.

5) Own a home with a big porch area & a reading nook.




5 things I say all the time

“Blah, Blah, Blah”

“I can't call it”

“One day my prince with come”

“Sigh” (as in I say the word, not make the sound lol)

“Eww"




5 Books and/or Magazines I Have Read Lately…

Envy- by Sandra Brown, just finished reading that last night

Carry the One- by Carol Anshaw

Instyle magazine

People magazine

Lucky magazine



5 favorite movies

1) My Best Friend's Wedding

2) Fools Rush In

3) The Best Man

4) Mean Girls

5) The Devil Wears Prada




5 places I’d like to visit

1) NYC

2) Rome, Italy

3) Spain

4) Trinidad

5) San Francisco

5 People I’d like to tag


I’m pretty sure everyone has done this before... Even I may have done this before.... Who knows.... But anyone feel free to tag yourself......

Summer To Do's

It's no secret that summer is my least favorite season, and as I looked at my office calendar today I realized not only are there just a few days left before August..there's only a couple more months (weeks) until the official start of Fall... September 22...

I've seen a few people making Summer Bucket Lists on line, but I don't really like the term "bucket list" so I decided to make a to-do list of things I'd like to enjoy before Fall returns.... I'm trying to be positive and find good reasons to enjoy the misery that is summer in heat-ridden Texas :)

1) Go to a concert 

2) Jog in Memorial Park

3) Try 2 3 new brunch locations

4) Try 1 3 new happy hour locations 

5) Make 1 new acquaintance 

6) Visit a museum

7) Take a CLE or class that I'm interested in 

8) Volunteer or donate to a cause I support

I donated to Search Homeless Services for their back to school uniform drive providing uniforms to homeless kids before school starts...

9) Hang out with my god daughter

10) Read 1 2 3 new books

11) Write out a new business plan or goals sheet

12) Have a technology-free day

13) Write something other than a blog post

14) Save an extra $500

15) Pay off a credit card

16) Buy myself a new outfit

17) Take my mom, sister & aunt out for dinner 

18) Go to a new club or lounge

19) Go to a HAULYP meeting

20) Visit a new church

21) Write a letter to a friend

22) Sample or cook a new dish

Hopefully some of these things will keep me entertained until the leaves start falling off the trees....

On a lighter note....

Things got entirely too real around these parts the last few days....

Between the verdict, and the backlash from the verdict...we as Americans had a lot to think about (or at least we should have, but I digress) and I'm just glad the week is almost over.

Court in the morning, then I can count down the hours until the weekend....

Tonight was a book club night, and we discussed Carry the One by Carol Anshaw. I personally enjoyed it, but not to the point where I would put it in my list of top favorite reads. The story follows a group of friends/siblings who go through life and have various life experiences in the wake of them accidentally killing a young girl in a car accident.

I enjoyed the authors style of writing, but was unhappy that not all of all the characters evolved or did better with their lives....

I hate being a spoiler, so I won't go into too much detail about the book... but I will give it a 3/5 rating.

In the midst of giggles, drinks, food and discussion, we picked the novel Y by Majorie Celona for the next book club selection. I'm excited to start reading it, especially since it was my pick....

As far as plans for the weekend: sleep, read, brunch, repeat.

Yeah, that's about all I have for now......

The thing is....

Everyone is entitled to their own views and opinions. We can thank our Constitution for that. But, over the course of the last few days I have read some things on the internet & heard people say some things on the news that literally left me sick to my stomach. If people seriously believe we live in a country where race is NOT an issue, please go on to any news station or newspapers website and read the hate filled comments. People saying the most horrendous things in regards to race relations. I have lost so much respect for people that it is unnerving. Yes, we have made progress in America, but in actuality the only thing that has changed is the level of visibility of racism. People can't make you sit in the back of the bus, or drink from certain water fountains... but they can silently hate you simply because of the color of your skin and ONLY speak on it when prompted by events in current affairs or if something sparks their hatred to seep to the outside.

As an attorney, I keep having to tell my friends about the concept of double jeopardy & how the President has nothing to do with a decision jurors make in a trial and that it's our civic responsibility to actually show up at jury duty so that defendants can truly be tried by a jury of their peers. We need to take part in elections and vote for individuals who will get into positions of power and try to positively change legislation. Protesting is not going to solve the problem at the polls when it comes to new laws being enacted or our congressman voting once they get to our state/US capitols.... It has to be reason to the methodology of how we can change things.

I am truly grieving for the families that are directly affected by the tragic lost, but I hope we as a people can use this for a catalyst to change, not only ourselves but as a community & as a people. The death of Trayvon Martin reminds me so much of the tragedy of Emmett Till. Let us not forget that despite the controversy, we still need to be united as a people and work to change things in our country. Racism and inequality, underneath the surface, is still a problem in America....

Yesterday, I had court in a county where I am always treated slightly "different" than the "other" attorneys. I get asked am I a defendant, am I a paralegal, and to physically recite my bar number as if I am only pretending to be an attorney or not really qualified. At first I thought it was just me, but then I talked with a few other minority attorneys and they shared similar stories with me... The consensus was, that particular county is not too progressive. As I was sitting on a bench outside the courtroom, an attorney walked in and looked around the room with his client and said out loud, "I don't see any other attorneys out here," as he took his client off to the side to discuss. Well, clearly I was dressed to the nines in my suit with my briefcase and actually was waiting for my opposing counsel to come inside so I could actually discuss the case with him, since I WAS THE ATTORNEY WHO FILED THE MOTION SETTING THE HEARING!!!! I guess in his eyes, I did not look the part to actually be the attorney for the Plaintiff, which I am. I approached him and his demeanor was downright terrible and nasty. I asked another attorney if he had the same experience with the guy, and he was like "no.....he doesn't play well with others." WHAT?! Well my suspicions were confirmed that regardless of my outfit, my degree, and my skill as an attorney, this man was NOT going to respect me. Sad, but reality. Fortunately I stood my ground and was able to combat his disrespect during our oral arguments, so all hope was not lost...but it is so sad that even in 2013, there are attorneys out there who think just because I am a young, black, woman, that I am not worthy of their respect in the courtroom.....

I didn't let him damper my spirits, and I felt good walking out of the courtroom knowing that I proved myself, not only to him but to MYSELF. You don't have to sink to that level, and success is the best form of revenge......

I really wish things were not the way they are in the world right now. The tension, the fear, the stress.... it's just all too much to deal with. But regardless, I do still feel that I need to figure out a way to play my part in attempting to make things better.

Any suggestions?

and then it was six days later....

This face pretty much sums up the last six days... This. Week. Was. Not. The. Business.

It started out nice. I was excited to see Emelie Sande and she was AMAZING, but the battery on my phone died seconds after she took the stage. Bleh.

I had court everyday this week. Which means, little to no time in the office...which translates into hundreds of emails & voice mail, and things left to do on my to-do list. Meh.

Working at a firm sometimes equals backstabbing, brown nosing, manipulative associates/co-workers. I'm not even going to begin to voice my opinion on who that asshole person is in my office. Ugh.

The Trayvon Martin trial. It has been on non-stop and it's hard to watch. I feel so bad for his parents, because despite what the verdict will be he will NEVER be here on this earth with his family again. I've lost a sibling to a senseless murder. I would be mortified if I had to see images of him on TV, see bigots and racists demean his character on the internet, make a mockery of his murder and pretty much turn him into a figure head for both justice and hatred. I can only imagine the feeling. My heart aches for them. It pains me to see this trial play out. It disgusts me that people have taken sides and speak so lowly of a person who is not here to defend himself. Despite it all, he should not have had to die. Guilty or Innocent. He is dead. No verdict will change that. I hate that for his family. Sigh.

The attorney in me understands what reasonable doubt is, and after watching the trial I can't say that the prosecution has proven their burden. That opinion is solely based on my own personal beliefs. Maybe attorneys in Florida conduct trials a tad different than they do in Texas, but uh... Yeah. I just can't deal with it. I am glad that I am not a member of that jury, and I can only pray that justice is served...regardless of what the outcome may be.

I had to go back to the dentist this morning. Enough said.

I was supposed to go to a 5K Pub Run today, but by the time I left the dentist I was not feeling social at all. At least my registration fee went to a charity I appreciate & believe in so it was not a loss in my book. I'm going to dedicate the remainder of this weekend to rest, recuperation and major attitude adjusting....

On a lighter note, I finally picked up my pottery from The Mad Potter party I went to, and I love how it turned out. I also got a chance to catch up with a girlfriend after work yesterday and she introduced me to one of her friends & we hit it off wonderfully. It's rare that I meet people and instantly click with them. That was refreshing.

Today will be the true definition of a Lazy Saturday. It may end up being an even Lazier Sunday, and I have no problem with that at all.

seven days later.....

July, so far, has been full of rest, food, painkillers & good times....
I only worked Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday and took the remainder of the week off to celebrate the 4th of July.

On Wednesday night, my friends & I went to the camouflage party celebrating Carnival 2013/Houston Caribbean fest... Everyone showed up on island time and the party didn't really get started until well after 2 am.. Being that I am old, I had to respectfully bow out. I did enjoy the reggae and soca music being played...but I am not capable of partying till the sun comes up anymore......

Since I was out all night, I woke up late Thursday & spent my 4th of July on the porch eating, reading and lounging around... It was awesome. I hung out at a girlfriends house and watched the firework show downtown from a balcony in her apartments & then ended up giggling and gossiping until well after 2 in the morning.....

I had every intention of going out to a poetry lounge Friday night, but after eating dinner late I was exhausted and had to call it a night early....

I woke up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning to get some dental work done...... That's where the painkillers come in.....I was literally in the bed the rest of the day & the majority of the day today. No bueno.

I feel like garbage. It is a terrible feeling being hungry, but not being able to chew. I'm hoping I feel better by tomorrow, because I have court in the morning and my sister & I have tickets to go see Emeli Sande tomorrow night at the House of Blues... but ugh. I know the pain is only temporary but sheesh, I am not a fan of the dentist right now.



I've been listening to her CD continuously and I can't wait to see her... Even if it means being drugged up & hungry while I do it..... But I digress.