Beltway observations

Little, itty bitty car cutting off huge tanker truck - Why?!!!

A work crew fixing the roads... all Hispanic - Are these the jobs Americans don't want anymore???

A trash collection crew picking up trash... all Black - Community service??? sigh...

Trash - Who are the idiots throwing trash on the Beltway?!

Nissan Altimas - Is my car the most popular car in America?! I counted exactly 25 of them between Rockville and Laurel...Hmmm

Shredded tire rubber - Beltway obstacle course or 17-wheeler?

Cargo truck/van passenger - Stop trying to flirt with me. I don't want you!

Nose picker - Yeah, YOU! Just stop! Ewww

495 West bumper-to-bumper traffic - means more jobs needed in Prince George's County!!!

Singing diva - Yeah, YOU! Do your thang, girl. Ain't this traffic some mess?

Ok, that last observation was me...LOL

The case of the judge, the Cleaners, the missing pants and $54M

Plaintiff Gets Nothing in $54M Case of Missing Pants

Was there ever any doubt?

How about I just found out today that the judge in this case is black? For some reason, I pictured a fat white guy with too much time on his hands.

Nope. He's black...with too much time on his hands. Sigh...

We have to do better, my people.

Linganore Wine Cellars Blues Festival

Why oh why don't I own a camera? Not even a camera phone...sigh. If I did, you would see pictures of my encounter with Ms. Monica Mingo (my favorite blogger) at the Linganore Wine Cellars Blues Festival this weekend. Luckily Ms. Mingo is never without her camera and camcorder. You can see us hanging out and having a good time on her blog Rantings of a Creole Princess.

Ms. Mingo proved to be a bonafide Southern belle as her blog indicates. She treated my friend, Stacia, and I to wine, tomato bruschetta sprinkled with parmesan cheese (yum!), and chips and dip. She's a great hostess and definitely GOOD PEOPLE!

While there I also ran into my good friends Gladys, Tawanna, Alonzo, and Scott whom I haven't seen in a while, and met Gladys' cousin Jay.

We had a great time chatting, enjoying the gorgeous weather, and tasting the fabulous wine the wine cellar had to offer. If you like fruit wines, I suggest you try Berrywine Plantations' raspberry, strawberry, and peach wines. They are yummy. Also for an added kick, try their Steeplechase wine (but pop a Hershey's Kisses in your mouth first...it's simply divine). I also suggest mixing any of the fruit wines with Berrywine Plantations' SkipJack wine. Can you say yum?!

Good food, good wine, good company, and okay music (they call that the BLUES????? LOL). It was a beautiful day. I'm planning to go to the wine cellar next month when they have the Reggae Festival. Hope to see YOU there!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the men who are holding it down. The ones that live each day for their family. There are a lot of fathers I'd like to celebrate and since this is my blog I'm going to send a shout out to the great men in my life:

Happy Father's Day:
- Dad
- Derrick, my boyfriend
- Terrance, my brother
- Tyrone, my brother-in-law
- Darnell, my cousin
- Warren, my cousin-in-law
- Uncle Roland Hayes
- Uncle Herbert
- Uncle Ernest
- Uncle Tom

Thank you for being such good examples of what real men are supposed to be!

Summer reading

I have been woefully neglectful in my reading. It's been 2 years since I really had the time or inclination to sit down and read a good book. Recently I decided that the books on my bookcase in my bedroom needed to go because the books (which I have already read at least once) were just collecting dust. I decided to pack the books up and prepare them to sell at my next yard sale (whenever that will be). I don't really like re-reading books, so I figured I should sell them or give them away to people who would actually read them instead of using them as decoration on a shelf.

Well a couple of weeks ago, my coworker and I were in a bookstore during our lunch break and while we were there I saw the book, Infidel, on the bookshelf. The book's author is Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament who was threatened with death for her work on the film, Submission, which was about domestic violence against Muslim women. The director who worked on the film with her, Theo van Gogh, was assassinated for his role in making the film. Ali

I saw Ali, who now lives in the United States, on "Real Time with Bill Maher" several weeks prior to seeing her book in the book store. I was so intrigued by her story that I decided to purchase her book. Infidel is about Ali's internal struggle with her faith, her rise to prominence as an outspoken member of the Dutch parliament, and how her outspokenness has made her a target of Islamic extremists.

Normally I would have finished a book like this in about 2 days, but it's been hard to find the time to just sit down and relax enough to dedicate 2 days for a good read. So far the 10 pages I've read (ha ha) have been great. I encourage you to pick this book for your summer reading as well.

You can read an excerpt and reviews of Infidel here.

My cousin, the fitness guru

My cousin (and another one of Charlie Mack's Granddaughters), Erica Dixon, has been working as a personal trainer and fitness instructor for several years now. She currently teaches fitness at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. I brag on her all the time. Erica lost a lot of weight while in college, kept it off with a healthy diet and exercise, and has committed her life to helping people understand the benefits of exercising and eating healthful. She's a fount of information and shares her knowledge wherever she goes. In April 2007, she shared her knowledge with folks in North Carolina by way of a radio interview on the Richard Brown Show - WCOM Carrboro on 130.5 FM. Her segment was called, "Burning the Calories with Erica Dixon." This was her first radio interview and she made us all proud.

The interview can be found here.

I predict she'll have her own radio show on "Oprah and Friends" in no time. :-)

For more information, you can reach Erica directly at efitlife@hotmail.com.

When pregnancy is torture

Two weeks ago there were three pregnant women walking around my office. I was secretly envious of all of them. I'm 35, single and childless, presently in talks with my boyfriend about getting married (no ring yet), and oh so beyond ready to have a baby. As soon as Derrick pops the question, I'm making plans for a small wedding (HA...yeah right, our families are HUGE!!!) and will start working on a baby on the honeymoon (yup, you read it right). I have pregnant belly envy...BAD! I've been thinking of motherhood for years now, but in the last year or so Derrick has been getting an earful. I see a pregnant belly and I swoon. Imagine me seeing THREE of them walking around my office everyday. The sweet torture...

Well, unfortunately, now there are only two pregnant women in the office to envy. I found out late last week that one of my coworkers lost her baby...in her 6th month. The woman is really petite so her pregnancy looked very advanced. She was just starting to get that pregnant lady waddle. I hurt so much for her when I heard the news. I cried for her even though I don't know her that well. I can only imagine what she and her husband are going through. She hasn't returned to work and I'm not sure when she will return. When she does return, I don't know how she will feel seeing the other women in the office with their big bellies when her big belly is gone.

When I think of pregnancy, all I think of is the joy it brings, never the pain. Even the thought of swollen ankles, stretch marks, weight gain, back pains, and all the other uncomfortable things pregnant women talk about doesn't stop me from thinking about the beauty of pregnancy and motherhood, and how much I want it for myself. Instead I focus on the glowing skin, the bulging belly harboring a new life within, and the endless possibilities for when that child arrives.

I'm sure my coworker was thinking of that beauty as well...until she was confronted with unimaginable heartbreak. What a loss. I grieve with her.