8/9/08


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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/8/08

He aint know.....

Every few semesters or so I get an e-mail from my current advisor letting me know they are leaving and that my new advisor will be in contact. Well I'm roughly 4-5 classes shy of completing my undergraduate studies. And as such I want my hand held in selecting the remaining courses in fulfilling the requirements. The reason is two fold:

1. Although my curriculum will not change, the courses offered do. Let me break it down, I started in 2002, so that year's curriculum is what I will follow until I finish. With each new year new curriculum are set for the incoming students, and as such I've found that courses are drop and new ones are added. I don't want to waste me time tracking down what classes aren't being offered now and what the equivalent class is.

2. I pay too much money and basically that's what the advisers are for. EARN YOUR KEEP.

So when I got the e-mail last week from my new advisor, I kindly sent an e-mail requesting he review my transcript and help me select my last few courses. Well today I got a response back telling me to go to my student portal and the information provided there would aid in my selecting the remaining courses.

Me being me, I was abit taken aback. So I politely, naw nix that, I rattled off an e-mail stating that I was looking for a more personably assistance and that I had visited the student portal and didn't find the information useful, (it's a lie but what the hay, right) and that I'd contact another advisor for the assistance he was unwilling to provide.

Guess what...............an hour later the phone rings.........

Me: Hello

Advisor: Can I speak with Ms. Crythenlive

Me: Can I tell her who's calling? (I didn't recoginze the number)

Advisor: This is advisor from UMUC

Me: This is she

Advisor: Ms. Crythenlive, I was calling to apologize if my response to your e-mail seemed as if I was brushing you off. But I wasn't sure if you knew about the student portal and I've always advised students to visit and utilize the information there in selecting courses.

Me: Ok?

Advisor: So you are looking for guidance in selecting your remaining courses for completion?

Me: Yeah? (that's what the e-mail said)

Advisor: Ok, so what I'll do is take a look at your records and then I'll send you an e-mail with the remaining requirements and what courses you can take to fulfill those requirements.

Me: ok, thanks.

Advisor: Do you accept my apology?

Me: Sure, and thanks for your help.

While I didn't expect a response, I was glad he felt obligated to call and make amends. You see I don't believe we should settle for subpar services. No one benefits from it all. Say for instance, my mother and stepfather ordered take out from Outback a few weeks back. Well by the time my stepfather got home with the bags, they noticed they didn't get all of their order and the wings he ordered were over cooked. But he decided not to call and complain. I myself don't see it as complaining, but merely bringing inadequacies (big word, whoa my head hurts now) to the attention of someone that aims to provide great customer service. (now that sounded like a dang on customer service commerical) How would I have handled it? I'd would have politely called back to the establishment and kidnly spoken with the manager on duty and let them know. Now, my parents won't go back to Outback because of that poor transaction and Outback loses out on the potential sales from my parents.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs



You Are Sexually Powerful



Your attitude toward sex is healthy, safe, and sane.

You enjoy sex as much as (or possibly even more than) the average person.



You're open minded, intelligent, and adventurous when exploring your sexuality.

And while you never take things too far, you take them far enough!



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Forever lost?

So just before we left for Florida well over a month ago, I hid my carrying case of flash drives. And guess what..........I can't find them now. That's a damn shame, I done hid my stuff from my own damn self. Yeah, re-read that......I said it right..........I checked all my usual hiding places, but still can't find them. I can make do without them for a little while longer, but I'd really like to find the dang on thing. Maybe I'll make sometime this weekend to look for them again.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/7/08




Your Pride Quotient: 39%



You're a little prideful, but nothing out of the norm.

Like everyone, you enjoy attention. But you're also good at sharing the spotlight!




Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Thursday's Thirteen - 3rd edition

I’m a huge fan of R&B music, so this week my 13 are all time favorite R&B artists.

1. SWV - I simply luved Sisters With Voices. I actually meet Taj and Le-Le in LA. I was estatic.

2. Mary J Blige - my favorite Mary J album will always be My Life

3. Chante Moore - Her first album is another alltime favorite of mines. And the cd she released with her beau Kenny: Things that Lovers Do.....is another favorite

4. Will Downing - his duet with Rachelle Ferrell, I just had to have it on my wedding cd

5. Aretha Franklin - I love the soundtrack to the movie Sparkle.

6. Pattie Labelle - "If only you knew"

7. Force MD's - favorite song is "Tender Love" and "Tears"

8. New Edition - my very first album, I was a serious Candy Girl

9. Whitney Houston - I simply luv "You Give Good Love" and "Saving All My Love"; and Greatest Love of All still brings me to tears.

10. Babyface - from the beginning til now......he's the dang on man

11. Brian McKnight - I simply love his voice.......and his ballads

12. Luther Vandross - "If This World Were Mine", "Here and Now", "A House is not a Home", I could go on and on with my favorite Luther songs.........

13. Blackstreet - "Before I Let You Go" is still my dang on jam........

Honorable mentions include:
· Guy
· Johnny Gill
· Monica
· Troop
· R. Kelly
· Ready for the World
· After 7
· Mikki Howard
· Usher
· Brandy

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/6/08

Fresh Tears

I received a few inquiries yesterday concerning my grandmother. So I thought today will be cool, no one to remind me of my loss. I'm at work because I need the distraction. Well another co-worker came in this morning and inquired. She said her intentions were to inquire yesterday, but of course we are at work so it's understood. Nevertheless, I informed her my grandmother passed Monday. I go on to say that my grandmother had been in the hospital for about 18 months so the family finds a little comfort in knowing she's at peace now. Well she informed me her aunt had passed and Monday was the day of the service. We chit chat for a few more, all the while I hold my composure. But when she left........a fresh round of tears begin.

So I sit here and write/type this thru blurred vision, and hoping I can make it thru the day without a full blown out crying session.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/5/08




You Live in the Present



You take things one day at a time.

And it turns out, that's a pretty great way to live.



You aren't consumed by the past, and you're aren't obsessed with the future.

You live in the now, and you enjoy each moment.



While most people don't live in the present enough, make sure you don't live in it too much.

It would be a mistake to forget your past or neglect to plan for the future.





Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Grateful Five

Five things I'm grateful for today:
  1. life - with my grandmother passing yesterday, I'm even more grateful that I was blessed with another day.
  2. Health - aside from a few aches and pains here and there, I am healthy.
  3. family - at the end of the day, if I needed to talk to someone I know I cna count on my family.
  4. mister - he loves me, he knows some of my flaws and he still loves me.
  5. employment - I have an income, nuff said.



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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/4/08

17:02

17:02 this fourth day of August 2008, my grandmother took her last breath.

I got a call from my oldest brother yesterday saying my father planned to take my grandmother off life support today. He said he'd more than likely be there as well. I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to do. But I felt the need to be there for my father. So I declared to Mister that I was not going in.

I called my supervisor and after about 8 calls, I finally got ahold of him to let him know I wouldn't be in and why. So that's how my day started. My brother said 12 noon was the time it would all go down. I arrived at the hospice at 11:25. I sat outside to get myself together so I wouldn't get overly emotional. I finally sucked it up and go inside. I get to the front desk, as I wasn't sure the room number. Well low and behold, ya girl was in the wrong dang on place. So I calls up my stepmother and get directions to hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital I walked past the room and had to come back....can we say reading is fundamental......at any rate I get in the room and three of my other cousins were there along with my grandmother's sister. My father arrived about 30 minutes later with my half brother in tow. Next came four more cousins, yeah we were deep for a few. Stepmother showed up shortly after. And then it was time, the respirator specialist and nurse came in to remove the apparatus from my grandmother and administer her the oxygen she needed. And then she was breathing again on her own. It was ruff at first sight, so I wont go into details. We sat around and watched and chatted then watched some more. Then four cousins left followed shortly by my grandmother's sister and another cousin, leaving six of us there.

Three hours later the nurses came in to change her bandages and bed sheets. We took that as a good time to go grab some snacks from the gift shop. When we got back to the room, my father left to go grab some items from storage. One cousin went to hold my grandmother's hand, and moments later observed that her breathing had ceased. I called in the nurse who informed us, she was still breathing. At this point the three of us surrounded her hoping she felt our presence.

17:02 this fourth day of August 2008, my grandmother took her last breath.

I thank GOD she was not alone and her transition wasn't drawn out.
I praise GOD because I am certain she's with him in his kingdom.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

8/3/08

Witness Protection

Today, I watched a good movie entitled "Family in Hiding". It was about this woman that witnessed the murder of a district attorney. She goes forth and identifies the man that committed the murder. The accused has committed a host of crimes for which the police has been after him for a long time. There were several other witness who've all recanted their testimony once in court. So the authorities were more than happy when this new witness came forward and agreed to testify for which they'd offer her a spot in the witness protection program. She has two high school kids, a boy that's a basketball player and a girl that has a boyfriend she can't seem to live without. And there in lies the problem.

Their first relocation was to Seattle, but that was botched when the girl called the boyfriend. She told him she couldn't' reveal her exact location, but get this.........wait for it........she gave him the phone number to the payphone she was calling from and told him he could call her there the next day at 4pm. Of course the bad guys ransacked their previous home and found out about the boyfriend and tap his phone, and thanks to girl they knew where to find her.

Massachusetts was their second location of which the boy was responsible for them being found by the bad guys. He was told he couldn't play basketball anymore because it would put them in the spot light. But what does he do, he joins the basketball team and has his picture plastered on the front page of the local newspaper.

In both instances I didn't help the family that there was a corrupt FBI agent working for the bad guy. So the bad guy was able to locate the family while in Seattle in time to be there when the boyfriend was due to call the next day. And then the day after the boy was in the newspaper, the bad guys were at the school. In the end the FBI tapped their own phones and traced calls that had been made to see what calls who was responsible for the leaks.

USA network has a show that centers around witness protection. The show is entitled "In Plain Sight". I've seen a few of the episodes and found the show interesting. The show details the process establishing new identities for the person and family. It also shows the beginning phases of those being relocated to a new city.

Would you go forth and admit to witnessing a crime? Would you agree to get in a witness protection program?



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Weekend recap

The weekend is almost over and for the most part I was in the house yet again. I was supposed to go to happy hour with a buddy Friday. But said friend had a hedache when they got off work. They said they'd take some aspirin and lay down for a few, well 11:20 I text saying "I just woke up". By that time the homebody in me was not willing to move. So I was in the house for the night. Mister and I watched a movie and that was it.

Saturday I was awaken by another friend that had just heard about my co-worker that had passed. I told her I'd call her when I got up, but couldn't get back to sleep. I lounged in bed for an hour or so longer. Then it was time to get ready to attend the funeral. It wasn't overly sad, which was really nice and the minister was good. I got to see some former co-workers and that was good as well, sorta like a mini reunion.

At any rate, I headed on home about 1:15 expecting to hear from my father or a family member. But the phone didn't ring, so I sat in the house. Mister came home and said he'd be going out later and asked what was I gonna do that evening. I told him if he was going out, then so would I. So I texted the friend that was supposed to go out friday night and we made plans to meet. We decided to hit the Jasper's in Crofton. It was a cool spot, not too overly croweded but a nice crowd and chill atmosphere.



So today, I hate to admit.......I didn't feel like doing jack! Mister called and asked what I was up to and called me a slaker amongst other things for not doing anything productive. He agreed to run two of my errands for me, so that was cool. I gathered the strength to get dressed to run the other few errands I wanted to run. Well guess what......I ironed my clothes but that was it. Mister has been home and has gone back out the watch the game and still here I sit.



I have homework that's due, and it would be nice for me to get my clothes ready for the week. But I'll let you know tomorrow how I make out.


Hope you are enjoying your weekend.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs