Broke Back

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I was in a rush to complete some pieces for Small Business Saturday at my shop.  I was rocking and rolling and went to pick up a deceptively heavy piece of furniture.  Nothing I haven't done before, I just picked it up wrong.  I picked it up so that the drawers were away from me and they slid out, quickly, and pitched the forward.  I felt something "give" in my back and the pain started radiating immediately.  I couldn't pick up my right leg or stand up.  I slid to the ground and rolled over on my back with my knees bent and my feet on the ground.  It was the only way I could find any relief.

Actual pic of me on ground waiting on The Robinator.

The Robinator was in his office on a series of conference calls before he had to go to the office and, since my phone was in my pocket, I slipped it out and called him sounding really calm.

Robby:  Hello?  (sounding like...WHY YOU CALLING ME FROM OUTSIDE???????  YOU KNOW I'M BUSY!!!!!!!)

Me:  Heyyyyyy (sounding all casual like I'm just shooting the shit)...when you have an opportunity, can you come outside and help me with something?

Robby:  Yeah, okay, okay...in a minute.

So...I did what any red-blooded American with a smartphone in their hand would do.  I surfed Facebook until he showed up.  Snapped a few pics.  You know...the norm.  LOL!

He came out about 10 minutes later casually strolling.  When he saw me on the ground, his face registered mild confusion because hey...sometimes I just sit or lay on the ground...I'm country but when he got closer and I told him that I'd messed up and he saw the dresser on the ground near me haphazardly, he started moving faster.

I couldn't move.  The pain was getting worse.  He carried me upstairs because, I wasn't about to go to the doctor looking like I was looking, called the doctor and rushed me in.

Link Taylor piece that took me out.  Old super heavy, super well-made nightstand.  Humph.

Doctor determined it was a bad sprain.  Yall...I couldn't move my right leg without severe pain and screaming.  He suggested I get a steroid shot.  I declined.  He gave me some anti-inflammatory meds and muscle relaxers.  Silly me, I thought muscle relaxers were pain pills.

They aren't.

After waking everyone up screaming a few times in the middle of the night because I was trying to turn in my sleep, I called the next morning for pain meds.

I was told that my doctor doesn't prescribe pain meds.  To anyone.  Of any kind.

Wait, what?

This has been our doctor for 3 years now.  Neither of us have needed pain meds for anything.  But baaaaaaaaaby...if we need pain meds...DAMMIT...WE WANT PAIN MEDS.  So I did my thing I do when I'm trying to get what I want and or need.  After going around and around, turns out, the truth is that our doctor (ex-doctor cuz yeah...no) doesn't have a DEA license so he CAN'T prescribe pain meds.

Oh.

And this is how the opioid crisis ends up affecting us.  When we were in for real serious pain...we can't get pain meds. I was incensed.

Once I got some pain meds and was able to start stretching without that severe pain, I started moving better.  The worst part, however?  The drive to and from Houston for Thanksgiving at my sister's house.  SO TERRIBLE.  And the pain meds made me toss my cookies so I had to take half doses after eating two chewable Tums to coat my stomach first.  My body was so filled with foreign stuff I never take that I looked and felt completely different. 

When we returned home, I stopped taking everything to flush out my system even though my back still hurts. I can't deal with that hazy, super swole feeling and truly don't know how anyone can.  So I'm doing yoga, stretching and, to quote The Robinator, "sit your azz down somewhere and stop doing stuff!"

But see...that's hard for me.

The Robinator has not let me pick up anything heavier than my toothbrush.  He has been the most hilarious nursemaid the world has ever produced.  Let's me know what I'm in for as we grow old together.  *sigh*  Pure comedy. 

The whole, no DEA license thing was news to me and something I guess we all need to be aware of with our doctors.  People like us aren't trying to score drugs so to leave us in pain because a doctor CAN'T prescribe something to take us out of pain is just WRONG.

Humph.

Did yall know about the DEA license thing?  Would you use a doctor as your primary care doctor who didn't have one knowing that if you really hurt yourself he/she couldn't get you out of pain using pain meds?

Have you ever hurt your back?  What did you do to fix it?  Do you still have problems with it after you hurt it the first time?  Or did it completely go away?

Praying + Preying: Roy Moore and Rian Rodriguez

I stopped watching the morning news a long time ago because it put me in a foul mood watching a lot of current events go down.  In fact, I got up one morning and started unhooking the bedroom television in a fit of rage.  I couldn't take it off the arm so I had to wait for Robby to do that and he did so quickly knowing I was fed up with the ridiculous noise squawking from the damn thing every morning.

I went for almost a year without a television in the bedroom.

When Hulu Live TV started, we got rid of cable finally (we had to get it again at the level where The Robinator could watch his games because he realized he didn't want to live without his beloved Ravens) but on the day "This Is Us" returned, we realized that Hulu Live TV didn't show NBC Live and there was a scramble to get a television up and running with an antennae where I could watch.

I drove that word train all around the track to basically say...we have a television in our bedroom again and I have been slowly adding morning news, ON OCCASION, back into my diet.

This morning was one of them.

I watched a segment of Roy Moore, Republican Senate candidate who molested 14 and 15 year old girls so much so that a local mall BANNED HIM FROM THE DAMN MALL FOR SEXUALLY HARASSING KIDS.  He was giving a speech in a Baptist church last night.  He was standing at the pulpit and out of his mouth came words like "protecting our conservative values" and "God wants..." blah, blah, blah...

Moore walked up to the pulpit with a bible in his hand.  He opened the bible and started speaking. He spoke of his soul being tried and the soul of the nation being tried.  He praised that dude in our White House and he called upon his work as "God's work."  He disparaged gays, etc.  He spoke to applause.  A church filled with applause.  The pastor of the church got up and said that it is ILLEGAL to interrupt a worship service and that hecklers would be turned over to the police who were waiting outside.  Moore leaned HEAVILY on the Christians in the church.  Christians he considers, JUST.LIKE.HIM.

To me, he represented evil.  Pure, sick evil.  Holding the bible.  Quoting scripture.  Standing at the pulpit of a Baptist church PRAYING. Knowing he'd PREYED upon those girls.

Oh.

That church is DIRTY for that.  Dirty, dirty, dirty.

The very next segment showed a nationwide manhunt, which started in Florida, for 27-year-old, Rian Rodriguez who appears to be traveling with 17-year-old Caitland Friscina.  There is footage of him in a pawn shop in NC and they think they are headed to Canada.  Authorities are asking Rodriguez to turn himself in and the pundits are expecting Rodriguez to be caught within the week.  

You know...cuz he's not running for Senate.

And his last name is Rodriguez.

He won't be invited to speak at the church house.

SIP:  They might shoot his azz...

Queue the music folks! "O'er the laaaaaaand of the freeeeeeeeeeee and the hoooooooome of the braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave!"

Kitchen Island for Small Kitchen

My kitchen is pretty small and, when cooking big meals, I tend to run out of countertop space really quickly.  I've often wished I had an island so I've been keeping my eye out for something I could use as such.

I ran across this piece recently and recognized that it was the perfect height for what I needed so I bought it.  It is pretty heavy and has wheels so it will be easy to move closer to the electrical outlets in the kitchen for mixing and whatnot.  It's also going to be perfect to roll the turkey out so The Robinator can carve it the next time we host Thanksgiving!  (Not this year.)  It is the PERFECT place to cool cakes as you can see!

But...you know me.  I can't leave well enough alone.  I want it to be more functional like this piece:

So...I have plans for it.  I'm going to add some oil rubbed towel bars and a tray shelf in the middle so that when I roll it around, things don't fall off.  And I might make the tray shelf jazzy.  Too many neutral things make my eye twitch.  I need COLOR IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!  Of course I'll find a great rug to put under it to ground the piece.

What do you think?  Do you have a small kitchen too?  If so...would you consider a standalone island like this?

Furry Coat Fun!

I needed some headshots done so I called this guy:

Josh of JBW Photography

See those looks on our faces?  That's because we'd just finished with some ridiculously good fun!  See...I just needed headshots but I'd recently purchased that fun coat which The Robinator calls my muppet coat.  

Josh:  We should totally do something with that!

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So...once we were finished, I put it on and, before you know it, I was getting my Mary J. Blige on in front of the house!  LOL!  "My life, my life, my life, my life!  In the sunshine!"

I had sooooooo much fun!

He's on the Knot's website too as a wedding photographer in New Orleans so if you need a photographer...holla at him!  Tell him I sent you!  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Material Life Shop in New Orleans

A while ago I read this article on Apartment Therapy:  A Collector's Maximalist New Orleans Home  

Do you see her home?????????  It is sooooooooo gorgeous!  I noticed in the article that she has a shop in New Orleans called Material Life Shop so I went stalked her Instagram feed:  Material_Life_Shop

Everytime since, whenever I was in the city, it was either on a day she wasn't open or she'd already closed for the day.  Today was my lucky day!!!!!!!

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The owner, Carla Williams, had the most magnificent energy!  Her shop / gallery is filled with amazing artefacts, art, books, photography, pottery, etc. from Black life.  And when I say the pieces she's curated are amazing?????? THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!  I walked up and down because I didn't want to miss a thing.  AND...if you ask her about a piece?  SHE TELLS YOU THE MOST FASCINATING STORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just shares with you things you knew nothing about and now?  You want to know everything about!

Take these two pieces I brought home with me:

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They were both created by The Black Potter, Mr. Jim McDowell.  The first one is an ugly face jug and the second one is a whiskey mug.  LOL!  

The jugs were used to mark the graves of slaves and the ugly face was so that it scared away the devil.  Interesting right?  I just thought they were cool.  I'm totally looking forward to visiting this store often so that I can integrate some meaningful art into our home.  

Next time you're in New Orleans, you should go check it out.  Tell her I sent you so I can stay on her good side.  Yall know I have an inquisitive nature so I want to ask her a whole lot of questions whenever I'm there.  LOL!  

Oh...and use the address on her Instagram page.  If you just ask Mr. Google...he doesn't have the new address updated yet.  Yeah...we went to the old location first but we were determined to find it today!

Check this out:  http://www.pbs.org/video/history-detectives-face-jug/

The Great Inflatable Race New Orleans!

I like obstacle courses.  But I don't like mud or getting wet without being able to dry off immediately.  Or icky germy stuff. We heard about this 5K obstacle course and decided it sounded super fun.  And guess what?  IT WAS!!!!!!!  

If this comes to your area, you should totally to it!

Sweets from "In the Heat of the Night" and Lowes

The other day I was in Lowes and there were six police cars in the parking lot with a lot of activity.  I exited my truck cautiously in case something was popping off.  When I got to the first policeman, I asked if it was safe for me to go in and he told me that the issue was resolved and they were just getting video footage, etc.

Of course, I was curious as to what went down.

Turns out, a fugitive in the area was shopping in Lowes and the Chief of Police and his wife walked in and saw him.  When the Chief yelled out the fugitive's name, he took off running and jumped in his car.  The Chief grabbed onto the car and the fugitive drug him for a few before the Chief let go.  A customer who was leaving, saw what went down and followed the car calling the police and telling them where to find the suspect.  The Chief was okay save for being scraped up.

Quiet as it's kept, one of my and Robby's favorite television shows is "In the Heat of the Night."  There have been plenty of Sunday mornings when we have stumbled upon a marathon and been stuck like Chuck.  When I told Robby about what went down at Lowe's he was like...

Robby:  The Chief didn't have his gun on him? 

Me:  Probably not.   He was with his wife.

Robby:  You don't think Chief Gillepsie would have his gun on him if he was with Harriet?

Me:  Hell no!  Harriet was a lady.  She would have made him leave his gun at HIS house.

Robby:  I bet the Chief still kept a gun strapped to his ankle or something.

And then we fell down the rabbit hole of our favorite episodes, etc.

Something we both always laughed about was how the Chief would always send Sweet down to the bottom to spy on someone.  I mean really.  Like nobody in the bottoms knew that Sweet was on the police force.  But he'd trot on down there and his disguise would be a baseball hat.  I'd be down in the bottoms talking about..."HEY SWEET!  WE SEE YOU!  YALL SEE THAT'S SWEET RIGHT?  RIGHT!"  Just crazy.  I can't believe they put Sweet in danger like that.  

Speaking of Lowes.  I had to go back there again today and went to use the restroom.  I had to go badly so I grabbed the first stall.  As I'm in there, I realize that someone was in the stall next to me talking to a man on speakerphone.  

ON.SPEAKERPHONE.

I was so annoyed.

As I was washing my hands, she came out.  Young girl.  I looked at her and was like..."Are you serious!  You work here????????????"

I asked her if she thought it was appropriate to use the speakerphone while other people were in the bathroom taking care of private business in the restroom.  I told her that it was highly inappropriate, especially at her place of employment.  The sound of everyone taking care of their business and flushing the toilets was just...EW!  SERIOUSLY????????  I couldn't fix my face to save my life.  I was SO.DAMN. ANNOYED.

I found an older lady that I'd exchanged friendly words with before and told her she should pull the young lady aside and let her know that her behavior was highly inappropriate and that, had I decided to tell a manager, she'd probably be in big trouble.

I am still annoyed.  Big time.

Would that annoy you? Or are we at a point in life where being annoyed with that is being a prude?  

"He don't want me no more..."

"So.  His loss.  Sounds like you dodged a bullet.  Next." ~ T-Monnie

That right there is what I will always say when a woman tells me they are broken hearted because some dude has broken up with them.  See...I'm not a fan of ANYONE being with someone who doesn't want to be with them.  Not even a lil bit.  I know it hurts...but you need to let him walk out of your life for good.  There is no way you can convince someone who has decided they don't want you any more to have any feelings toward you other than pity.

And who in the hell wants to be with someone who pities them?  

I'll answer for you.  NOT.YOU.  

NEVER YOU.

NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER YOU.

You need to let that joker roll out and close the door.  Then...you have exactly 21 days to grieve what COULD have been had he still wanted to be with you.  Had he not disrespected you.  Had he not made you feel like something was wrong with you for wanting normal things a relationship between a grown azz man and a grown azz woman brings.

And what's up with all these "friends" people have these days?  My 15-year-old nephew has more of a mature relationship with his lil girlfriend than adults have these days.  You ask someone if the person they are spending time with is their girlfriend or boyfriend and they clutch their pearls like something is wrong with that. 

Them:  Oh no!  Nothing like that!  We're just friends!

Me:  Friends, huh?

Them:  Friends with benefits but yeah...just friends.

Me:  Oh.

Get a damn adult toy hell.

WHY IN THE HELL YOU DOING ALL YOU DO BEHIND SOME FRIENDSHIP SHIT?  THAT IS NOT YOUR DAMN FRIEND HELL!  THE MF DOESN'T EVEN CALL YOU LIKE TALKING ABOUT!  

People text from funerals these days so you don't think they are above texting you when they are with someone else?  Or texting someone else when they are with you?

THAT AIN'TCHO FRIEND!

My friends treat me with respect and dignity.  They look out for me.  They answer the phone when I call.  If I need them, they are there.

We don't bump uglies.

But yall out here doing that and more and calling them your "friend" because you CLEARLY don't know what a real friendship is either.

Imma need yall to stop.  Seriously.  I'm sick of this shit and, at the rate yall are going...the damn growth of the population is going to mess around and stop because nobody is thinking about starting a family with someone they love and respect anymore.  I am so sick of this crap man!

So again...if a man or woman tells you they don't want you anymore, that is a hint and half for your azz that they are not the one for you.  God sends you pebbles before He hits you with a brick.  If you don't let that fool roll on once they have drawn the line in the sand you are going to sign yourself up for being used and mentally abused by someone who never thinks about you unless you are texting them or trying to win them back.  The other times?  They are thinking about the possibilities with someone they DO want.

And, again...THAT IS NOT YOU.

Does it mean something is wrong with you?  No.  Just means that THEY didn't like you.  And that's okay.  Fuck them.

FUCK.

THEM.

NEXT.

And you know what?  Next doesn't need to come too soon.  You need to regroup and remember why in the hell you are so gotdamn fly, fabulous and funky.  You need to read some books and watch some great movies.  You need to spend time with people who VALUE you.  You need to cook some amazing shit and you need to feel good about WHY you are the way you are.  You need to peel that old scaley, dry snakeskin off and get your fucking glow back up.  You were fly when that fool met you...YOU ARE STILL FLY.

You need to be done with making excuses for who you are.  Be you.  Be every.single.thing you want to be.  Be amazing and awesome and so gotdamn charming and gracious that nothing but good energy is attracted to you from now on.

Shit.

AND NO MORE GOTDAMN "FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS" UNLESS THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT!  If you want a relationship with a dude...it NEVER starts with a friends with benefits situation.  Carry yourself like a woman who handles her business and who looks forward to living a good, drama free life.  

AND GO ON DATES!

If a dude doesn't go on dates that ain't the dude for you.

Shit.

He should be proud to have you on his arm at concerts, parties, barbeques, weddings, christenings, etc.  Why?  Because he knows you carry yourself well in all situations.

Because you are a FUCKING LADY!

I'm sick of some of the shit I hear about.  Spending time with a dude who called you a bitch yesterday?  Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. 

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

And sticking with a dude who constantly cheats on you?  You are some kinda special stupid doormat.  And everyone knows and thinks that.  Have some damn dignity about yourself.  PUT YOURSELF ON THE PEDESTAL YOU BELONG ON!

And if you don't feel it, can't feel it, for whatever reason?  Get a dog.  They will love you unconditionally forever.  

Be better to yourself.  Sheesh.

I know it hurts.  It always does.  We've all been there.  We have all done stupid things for love.  

And we all survived.

And most of us are with someone else now.  Someone who cherishes us.  And who knows to duck when we throw a pillow at them cuz they hit you with a lactose filled fart cloud while yall were watching a romantic feel-good movie.  Grieve.  Lean into it.  21 days.  You get 21 days to feel like shit.  Then...

BE FLY AGAIN.

Reign Supreme

Ran across this in my memories from 8 years ago over on my old blog and it was relevant to a friend so I sent it to her.  If you need to read it, I hope it helps you too!

Facebook Status of "friend:" 

_____ is trying to learn how to put herself first. Any tips?

She received a few good comments that made me smile knowing she has some good people on her friend list:

1.  Take a mandatory 1 hour a day doing what you want to do (eat ice cream, catch up on your fav magazine or go get a mani/pedi).

2.  LOL Kelli...not only knowing but USING the word "no" is the first step

Not feeling guilty about using it is the second

Not needing to use it anymore is the third

3.  Make a list of everything you want to do and just do it! No apologies, no excuses, no guilt! Once you get used to putting yourself first, you won't go back!

My response was simple.  To the casual observer...the simplicity may seem flippant but it's oh-so-true.

JUST DO IT.

Period.

I don't understand this idea that anyone should be better taken care of than you by you.  I mean yes...I understand the concept of putting your children first and why so that's a given but even as a parent...you need to find that space to be solid with you cuz without it...you won't be solid enough for others.

IN MY OPINION.

In Monnie-land I reign Queen Supreme.  I've built a life for myself that allowed me to take the time I needed for me and it gives me what I need to nourish those I love.  If I didn't have the kind of time to and for myself now things would get hectic but trust me when I say the last person that would be neglected would be me.  When I'm dealing with something I hear the following often:  "We don't see or hear from you anymore."

My answer to that? 

I was giving me the time and attention I needed.  I have a little extra time and attention to spread around now so what's up?

Cuz that's how I roll.  I come before all others.  I nurture myself before I even THINK about someone else.  Might sound selfish or it just might be the building block missing in a lot of folks' stairway to happy-ness.

Reign Supreme in your life.  Take the time you need to be all you desire to be.

Love you...mean it,

Monica Mingo

P.S.  Do YOU reign supreme in YOUR life?

From Gray to Dark Brown Again!

Remember this?  Going, Going, Gone Gray 

I am happy to say that I handled that gray hair situation like a champ.  And by handle it I mean I went to a lovely, talented stylist and she put this lovely rinse on it.  I didn't tell her that I fully expected to break out from the rinse since that is what happened the last time I tried a rinse because I'm already her problem patient and I didn't want to add to her side eyes in my direction.  LOL!

She used the Wella brand hair rinse in a dark brown and put me under the dryer of death with a conditioning cap.  I loved the results when I left but I was wary for a day or two waiting on a bad skin reaction.

NONE!

*INSERT.CABBAGE.PATCH.HERE*

Now I look normal again!  GO ME!  She says it is mild enough that I could get it every two weeks if it washes out quickly.

I'm braiding it up again tomorrow for two weeks so after another wash, I'm sure the gray will be on and popping again but I will just trot my happy azz right on back over to Ms. Julia to get it re-done with the swiftness.  I am SO.HAPPY with the color it is ridiculous.  She refuses to do anything other than a rinse on my hair and hey...I can't blame her.  I know me and I know I'm special.  See...ya gotta own ya coo-coo.  LOL!

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It even looks good when I'm pissed!  LOL!  Or pretty damn pleased with myself!  

Okay...I'm just being silly now.  Sowwy...

Do you do anything with your gray?  How often do you get a rinse if you do?

Kent Coffey Perspecta - Refinishing Part 2

BEFORE

AFTER APPLYING WATCO PAINT AND POLY REMOVER

As you can see...there has been progress!!!!!!!!

I started with drawer #9 since it had the most damage.  I used Watco Paint and Poly Remover to strip it and then, after wiping off the stripping residue, I used .0000 steel wool to wipe it down with mineral spirits.

Next, I hand sanded it with 150 and then 220 sandpaper.  This is as good as it gets for now.  I'm going to sand it using my electric hand sander and 220 sandpaper when I sand the rest of it down tomorrow.  That should make even more of a difference.

The entire piece has been stripped. 

Katy's name is almost gone even before sanding the top as is Michael's name. 

On the bottom, it didn't strip as well as it should have and I'm certain it is because I had it vertical when applying the remover.  I'll go over the bottom again with it horizontal the next time I work on it.  

Know what I hate doing?  Stripping a piece of furniture.  It's just a messy mess that messes with my delicate sensibilities as it relates to messy messes.  UGH!

After that?  Sanding with 150 and then 220 grit sandpaper.

Remember...this is my goal:

Must have patience grasshopper.

Missed Part 1?  Kent Coffey Perspect Part 1

Mingo and the Bootie

I'm going to see Sheila E. Thursday night and I'm super, dooper excited.  I had this idea of the perfect outfit in my head and I wanted to rock it.

A pair of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt under a cute fitted jacket and a stacked heel bootie.

Cool!  I have everything except the stacked heel bootie. I have booties that I no longer wear because I consider the heal DEATH BRINGERS so I needed to find the shoe.  One night last week I spent HOURS searching for the perfect bootie.  See...this is a difficult one for me because I have a problem that doesn't bode well for me wearing booties.  I have stick legs.  So any bootie I rock has to be either adjustable or right IMMEDIATELY above my ankle.

I am NOT trying to look like a duck standing in buckets.  Nerp.  I'm good.

So I searched and found something delightful after HOURS of searching.  I ordered them.  GO ME!

I get an email today, two day before Sheila E. saying the shoes I ordered wouldn't be here until October 31.  *BLINK*  Seems it was a backorder situation.

I hate people with tastes similar to mine.

No biggie...I'll go buy another pair.

Yall...I tried on over 50 pair of booties at over 6 different stores.  I bought a pair out of sheer frustration only to get them home, try them on again and HATE.THEM.

So yeah...Imma show up to Ms. Sheila E., one of Prince's favorite people, not wearing what I wanted to wear.

I hate life.

HATE.LIFE!

I bet you have cute booties already huh?  Hate you too.  Humph.

Things I did today...

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My two tough pieces are coming along nicely.  :)

2017 - 1957 = 60

I was talking to an acquaintance who is "so tired of reading and talking about racism on Facebook."

I told her that I suffered from racial fatigue too, but, unlike her, I can't stop making sure I remain focused on seeing something and saying something when something needs to be said. She went on to say she doubts that I deal with any racism and I let her know that if any Black person is still dealing with racism...then I'm still dealing with it. I might have more microaggressions that just a look or a quick snap could deal with...but it is still there.

See...just because she can identify with me because we have so many things in common, she thinks I'm "not like the other Blacks" who encounter racist crap. She didn't say THAT...but that's essentially what she said. I have no doubt that should something racist ever happen to me, she'd be on the forefront demanding justice, but she might not consider it worth her time to demand the same justice for a poor Black person she doesn't have as much in common with whom she has never met.

I don't have that luxury to not care or not WANT to care.

Just this morning my husband and I were talking about how the conviction and level of hate among some of these people we've seen in pictures is the same level of conviction and hate seen in the pictures from 1957 surrounding the Little Rock Nine.

That was just 60 years ago. Your parents and grandparents are older than 60 years old.  That's not that long ago.

Keep talking.

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Kroehler MCM Piece: I 100% love learning something new!

The amount of damage on this piece is ridiculous.  I tried very, very hard to figure out a way to not paint this but the water damage done to it is going to make that impossible.  So I plan to do a version of this with paint and stain trying to keep as much of the details as possible.

The bottom two drawers have water damage that can only be painted.  The top drawer, however, I decided to replace the veneer for a fresh stain since it wasn't too bad.

I removed the old veneer.

Then I cut new veneer and glued it on.

I cannot wait to finish this piece since I'm going to have some fun with it.  Now that I know how to do this...I think I'm going to take this refinishing hobby to whole new levels!

Kent Coffey Perspecta Ongoing Refinishing Project

The very first time I saw a Kent Coffey Perspecta piece, I was in mid-century modern heaven on Pinterest flipping through pictures.  Of all the different furniture periods and styles, I've come to love these pieces the most.  They aren't just functional pieces of furniture...they are art just as surely as if someone intended to hang them in a museum for us to gather around and admire in awe. Okay...that was flowerly as hell...but I'm totally telling you the truth of how I feel about MCM pieces.  And I've begun hoarding them in my garage and studying books, blogs, YouTube videos, etc. about how to refinish them as close to the original state as possible.  See...these pieces are now over 60 years old, so they have been through a lot.  But, in yet another testament to how amazingly well-made they are...they are heavy and solid still...after 60 plus years. If you find one of these in top condition like in the picture above, you're looking at a price tag of about $1600 or so.  I wasn't trying to pay that much for one, but I kept my eyes open prepared to pay a few hundred for one in need of some work.  

And then, one day it happened that I stumbled across one while doing one of my regular runs to find a new project. 

I flipped that blanket up and stumbled backward.  I dug this out from under stuff and asked for a price.  I honestly didn't care what the price was, however...I was getting it.  And it was going to be mine, mine, mine until I die and my heirs get rid of my stuff. 

By myself, I hoisted that sucker up on the back of my truck and brought it home.  When Robby helped me unload it he asked who helped me load it on the truck and I told him, nobody.  All I had was a dolly and a blanket.  I laid the blanket in the truck halfway and then flipped the piece onto the dolly.  I rolled it to the back of the truck, leaned it against the blanket and pushed it using the blanket to slide easier allowing the dolly to fall and take out my shin.  LOL!  By the time I made it home I was hot, dirty and sore with fresh knicks on my left shin but, after an Aleve, I was happier than a televangelist counting up pledges for the week.

Here is my baby once we got her off the truck:

And here is more of the damage that needs to be dealt with.

So you see...I have my work cut out with this piece since there is no way in hell I'm putting paint on her.  I want her to look just like the picture up top and I am determined to figure it out.  I want to use this in the family room as a television stand so I can look at her every night.  I can't WAIT to be finished.  I'm reading and bookmarking stuff daily and last night I bought some products a master refinisher used in a series of videos I've been watching.  My research is almost complete and I think I'll be ready in a week or so to start working on it.

Wish me luck.  I'll keep yall posted with my progress.  Just be patient with me because I'm going to take my time so I don't mess it up.  I want it to be PERFECT!

I think I'm going to name her after one of my long gone Elders, my great-Aunt Eola.  Aunt Eola was an educator her entire life and carried herself regally at all times.  Even if you popped by her home early in the morning and she was still in her robe with her hair in pin curls.  She was a tiny, Creole woman with glasses and gray hair.  Dainty and yet strong.  I remember she came to our home once and my father hit my mother.  My Aunt Eola swung on him and left all of us in COMPLETE AND TOTAL SHOCK.  She might have been 4ft. 9inches tall and she just JUMPED HIS AZZ. Strong, sturdy and beautiful. 

Yup...Eola it is!  Ms. Eola.  

Randoms of a Creole Princess

"A racist scrotum dipped in Cheeto dust." ~ Patton Oswald

Guess who he was talking about?

I had a laundry emergency today.  Spilled something that stains on our white duvet cover.  Immediately put it in the washer on the Powerwash cycle.  

No dice.

Washed it again.

No dice.

Went to the store and bought the Shout gel with the brush on top and some Oxy stuff.  Put the Oxy stuff in the washer and then soaked the duvet cover in hot water for 30 minutes, drained it and then washed it.

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!

I felt like I cured a disease or something.

Went to see "Marshall" today.  Good movie.  Totally wish it would be turned into a television series like "Matlock" so we could watch Mr. Thurgood Marshall fight racial injustice.

I broke down and got my gray hair colored.  I like it.  It's a Wella dark brown rinse and I so don't want to wash my hair and have some of it wash away.  *sigh*

The joy I got from these $9.99 earrings I bought at Ross is ridiculous!  LOVE THEM!

I got my oil changed today and showed everyone in the waiting area how to get to the $10 off coupon using their phones.

Why don't more people do this automatically???????

I think I want to get some kinky twists done next.  dearlesley currently has some and I was like...IMMA GET ME SOME!

I feel MUCH better since I returned to the doctor on Monday.  I'm on antibiotics, Allegra DM and some nose spray thing.  I'm so hopped up on foreign matter I see television snow when I turn my head too quickly.

I have a lot of friends who have had sick parents lately and it's beginning to scare me.   

I am one degree separated from a 48-year-old person who dropped dead yesterday.

That shit is sobering.

Speaking of sober...

The wine store I buy wine from locally is going out of business.  Seems Costco told the state that they aren't coming here unless they can sell beer, wine and liquor so they caved to allow grocery stores to sell beer, wine and liquor.  The wine store is near a Walmart so they cut their losses before their losses cut them.

All I want to know is when is Costco coming.

I have to set an alarm on my phone to remember to take my medicine.  

And an alarm for anything else I need to do that is time sensitive.

I have a love/hate relationship with that.

I am addicted to the Mediterranian flavored Terra chips.  YALL!

The place I buy flowers weekly went up on their prices by $2 per package of flowers.

Oh.

I haven't bought flowers there since.  That was too large of a leap for me.  Fifty cents?  Sure.  From $3.00 to $5.00?  No.  Ain't happening.  My $12 worth for the week now costing me $20?  Ain't happening.

Marie Laveau got sick last night around 3:30am and threw up.  If you're a doggie guardian,  you live in fear of the doggie vomit sound while you're sleeping.  Once we'd made sure she was okay, cleaned up and taken her down for water, I couldn't go back to sleep so I started re-reading my book.  

Yes...you read that correctly.  I re-read my own book that I wrote hoping it would put me to sleep quicker since I already know what was going to happen.  An hour later...I was still reading thinking...DAMMIT GOLDEN, SHIT! 

Have you read it yet?  It's pretty good if you haven't:  Compound 

Plenty of people have read it but only 21 have written a review.  *sigh*  I really wish people would write reviews so it could move up the ranks.

What's going on random with you?

Chest Congestion Combo

I've been sick for almost 3 weeks now and Robby has been sick for 2.  It started, for me, with a cold and then turned into a sinus infection.  Robby then caught the cold and now, we don't know what he has.  We are congested, have intermittent headaches and are tired as all get out.  At night we cough constantly unless we take some nighttime meds and, if we do take the meds...we're tired all the next day from the dang meds.  

The nasal drip is THE.WORST.

And the cough seems to be getting worse instead of better even though we are taking real medicine from the real doctor.

I said all that to say...

me.no.feel.good.

Book Club Discussion of "Compound"

I attended a book club discussion of my book, "Compound" today and to say it went well is an understatement indeed.  I was shocked at how deep the conversation became and how many different directions it took in parallel with real life.  It was so interesting to find out how relatable the characters were to so many people and how many of the issues presented in the book were issues they'd heard of before and how they felt it all came together to tell a compelling story. Reading a review is one thing, but sitting with readers is a completely amazing experience.  I laughed and smiled a lot and, at one point, wondered how it was that we all felt the same way about certain things.        

I am totally looking forward to the next one as the ladies helped me come up with even more discussion questions.

If you've read my book, I'd appreciate it if you were to review it on Amazon.  Reviews are extremely important to independent authors. Compound 

If you are in a book club and you'd like to get the discussion questions, please let me know and I'll send them to you.  If you're in an area I can get to easily...I'll even visit during your discussion.  Makes for really interesting dialogue.