Random Thought Post

It's been a while since I actually remained loyal to the purpose of this blog. Let the drain begin:

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I don't know, maybe I'm being unreasonable, but why do people wait until they actually get sick to worry about their health insurance? It amazes me, the number of people who ask to see the social worker once hospitalized, and ask about getting hooked up with Medicaid. And, of course, I can't help them get it. I direct them back to the Department of Children and Family services because that's all I can do. I want people to be more proactive, especially when children are involved. Don't wait until the day you get discharged from the hospital and ask "oh, so what about health insurance?" Preventative care can help you avoid these hospital visits to begin with. [/end PSA]

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I've finally decided to go ahead and apply for my Florida licensure. I know, I'm a bum. I've worked here over a year and am just getting around to this. Part of the process is the completely annoying task of pulling my college transcript and printing out the corresponding course descriptions from my graduate program. Going through my transcript made me extremely nostalgic. My college days were good. Perfect, no. But enjoyable. My classes were interesting, and although I experienced my fair share of stress during those days, nothing compares to the stuff I deal with now. There was more to do, more spontenaity, more MEN to choose from (hello!), and a quality of life that you never see again. I didn't get involved in a lot of mess during college - I was a "good girl" - but I had fun nonetheless. There is so much I would've done differently, so many things I'd keep the same, some decisions I would've reversed, and I probably would've traveled abroad for a semester. If only I had a time machine....

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I called my mother on Saturday night to see how her interview went in Virginia, and she sounded real choked up. I asked what she was doing, and she told me that she just finished blubbering through the season premiere of "CSI:". I had taped it, but put off watching it because I knew it would be brutal. I finally watched it last night. I won't go into details for those who may follow or may be waiting to watch it on their DVRs also, but I SOBBED through the entire episode. Oh Gawd. I cried so hard that I had a headache afterwards. I had to go to bed! I felt kinda stupid crying over a tv character like that...you just never know how some things will affect you!

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These election ads are making me nuckin' futs. If I see the "Obama's Blind Ambition" ad one more time (I promise, they show it every 15 minutes). Everytime I see Sarah Palin on tv and hear her speak, I throw up a little in my mouth. I can't wait for all of this to be over. I'm ready for our new president....President Obama :)

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So. Suze Orman was on Oprah yesterday (?) and, as usual, was yelling at people about their financial decisions. Don't get me wrong, I love Suze, but everytime I get serious about buying a home she scares me out of it. She was talking to a young lady in a very similar financial situation as me, who was looking for her first home at the same price point that I'm considering, and Suze told her that she can't afford it. *facepalm* Sadly, the girl on tv had more money saved than I currently do, which is all the more depressing. It's scaring me out of something that is already kinda scary -- but I NEED to do this. I NEED to buy a home!

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Today my stepmother turns 50 years old. I love the internet. In my broken mind, her birthday is 10/16, not 10/14. I realized this on yesterday, so I hurried up and ordered some flowers, which have already been delivered. *sigh* I'm glad, she'll be surprised when she gets home. :)

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My girlfriends and I are planning to cruise Royal Caribbean's "Oasis of the Seas" -- in 2010. I know it's a loooong way away, but the ship doesn't have its maiden voyage until next December, and cabins are already selling out well into 2010. The travel agent gave us a tentative sail date of October 30, and is going to hold a block of cabins for us. The organizer is going to put together a flyer, which I will forward to all interested parties. Now, here's the tricky thing - as you know, 2010 is two years away. A LOT can change in two years. My girl and I were both laughing about this today. It's very difficult to make cabin assignments when most of us happily anticipate being married or at least seriously dating someone in October 2010. Looks like many of the women going - sad to say - are reserving cabins in their own name, hoping to add that companion later on. And, if it doesn't happen, will then find a girl to room with. Cabin assignments aren't hard to change. It's just a funny reality as we try to plan this trip -- and we both agree that we'll be SALTY if our roommate is a female chick.

The Weekend

Okay, since Miss TOSHA fussed me out on Facebook (lol), I GUESS I'll log an entry as a follow-up to my prior post. But I have something more pressing to discuss first.

Like...

WHAT THE KCUF IS WRONG WITH THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES?!?! We lost to TOLEDO on Saturday. TOLEDO. This season has gone to hell faster than OJ Simpson in gasoline draws. My boys in blue, once a football powerhouse among not only the Big Ten, but throughout the NCAA, now have us wondering if we'll even see a bowl game come December/January. My friend is flying to Michigan from LA for a game next month (versus Northwestern), and is afraid that we'll end up with another hash mark in the "L" column. WTF! I don't know this team. I'll still support them, still rock my maize and blue, but I have ZERO trash to talk when time comes for the almighty matchup with Ohio State. *facepalm*

Ok, so onto the blind date that I was anxious about when I wrote the last post. We met up at the local Bahama Breeze restaurant on Friday night. He told me what he'd be wearing, so I spotted him immediately. I really didn't want to be there, by the way. I'm so not into this type of thing. Anyway, my co-worker exaggerated a little when she said he doesn't look "anything close to 47". To me, he totally did. How do I describe him -- tall, regular build, mustache, thinning brown hair, crooked smile. He's a nice guy, but I felt no attraction whatsoever. First thing he said was "I already knew what you'd look like." I looked at him like he had 5 heads, and he admitted that he tracked me down on MySpace and saw my page. (sorry, but that was weird to me). I asked how that was possible, as my page is privatized, and he said that he punched in my first and last name and just saw my profile pic. Oh, okay. But still...:-/. Conversation was unremarkable. Like I said, nice guy, no attraction. It's clear he has money -- he mentioned that he owns several rental properties in Tampa, works from home, and flossed a $100 bill to pay for our appetizers and drinks, but money isn't enough for me. I think we could be cool, but I have no romantic interest.

So, the date wasn't as horrible as my Facebook status made it seem, I'm just over the "blind" introductions. I'd rather meet someone the way I always have -- in person. OR, if I'm gonna be set up, let it be by someone who knows me and what makes me tick. Less uncomfortable dinner meetings will occur that way.

Personal Preference

**breaking my own rules again**

So I have a blind date tonight. I don't fare well on blind dates. (that's another post). Basically, my co-worker approached me a couple weeks ago and told me that there's this guy she knows and wants us to meet. *le sigh* In an effort to remain open-minded, I told her that she could give him my number, after getting some preliminary information about him. First red flag: she asked my age and when I told her "29", she was like - "oh good, he likes 'em young". I was like "how the hayle old IS he?". "47..but he doesn't look it or act it at ALL". *blank stare*. Do you know that my stepmother will be 50 next week?? I'm just sayin'. Too old.

I had completely forgotten about this until yesterday, when the guy called. He would like to meet up today for a drink, that way we can see if there's anything there or not. I have a feeling I already won't be interested. Why, do you ask?

Age, for one, but this is where it gets sticky. It's clear that he is a white man. I've never dated white men, never particularly had interest in doing so. I love, appreciate and am attracted to black men sooooo much that I've never been led to give up on them (tempted, yes..lol). Even in spite of the shady stuff they've done to me. My good friend just married an Italian man and encouraged me to stay open-minded about other races, but I still don't think I'm there yet. Unless this man looks like George Clooney or Matthew McConaughey (who, by the way, has a very hard name to spell), I probably won't go for it. I agreed to meet him and see how it goes, but I'm walking in with my mind already made up. I feel like Sanaa Lathan in the beginning of "Something New", when she meets the guy for the first time at Starbucks and is like 'hecks naw'.

So what is a delicate way to approach this issue, next time someone tries to set me up? My co-worker, who is white or Latina (I'm not sure), never asked me if I'm into white guys. I felt it would've been politically incorrect to ask her of his race/ethnicity, but why waste this guy's time if I'm not interested? And do I say anything to him at ALL about it??

Ray Ray 'nem & Carnival uglyness

First up: Bridgette and Maya give their impression of Carnival's decor in the main dining room



Next: One of "'nem" with Ray-Ray's group offers her rendition of "And I Am Telling You". Please note: her girl wore the same shirt as she, only with no pants. Also note my friends' reaction to the singing.

Cruise in Review

Although it would be easier to copy & paste my recap from Xanga over here, I prefer to write another cruise review instead. I did a play-by-play recap over there, but this post will be more critical. After taking two cruises in one year on two different cruise lines, and two VERY different ships, a compare/contrast & partial photoblog would be more fun to me.


June 1, 2008 - June 8, 2008
Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas
Miami, FL to San Juan, PR, St. Thomas USVI and St. Maarten

When it set sail in 2006, it was the largest cruise ship in the world at 160,000 tons. The thing can hold 3,600+ passengers, is 1,111 ft long, has 15 decks, a Ben & Jerry's, Johnny Rockets and two additional restaurants in addition to the main dining room and buffet grill. The Royal Promenade stretches through the middle of the ship like a city street, lined with bars, shops and restaurants. The decor - gorgeous. There is an ice skating rink and Flowrider surfing simulator, along with a rock climbing wall. And let's not forget my favorite part of the cruise: cruise director Richard Spacey, who had me even looking forward to the morning announcement just so I could hear what funny thing he'd say next. The rest of the staff was amazing, from our room steward Desmond, to our waitress Marvalyn, to the beverage waiter Junior, to the rest of the entertainment staff. The production shows were excellent, comedians funny, and there was always Richard. Freedom did have an unfair advantage, because it was a 7 day cruise, but still. Our stateroom had a large balcony, with a retractable divider between the one next to us, allowing us to connect our balcony with William and Rhonda's. The only issues I had with the cruise was the late karaoke times and the fact that my mom and her friends were early birds, leaving me alone on the ship most of the time.


Some other pics from the Freedom:

The fantastic Royal Promenade

The stage between the sports pool and main pool on Deck 11

Me and Richard Spacey, our amazing cruise director

The Arcadia Theater

So, that was my first Royal Caribbean experience. I told myself that I was an RC convert after that cruise. But I had this one yet to complete:


October 2 - October 6, 2008

Carnival Inspiration

Tampa, FL to Cozumel, Mexico

The Carnival Inspiration had its maiden voyage in 1996. The ship is 70,367 tons, is 855 ft long, and has a passenger capacity of 2,052. There are 10 decks. From land, any cruise ship will look large. Although the Freedom took my breath away, I was still able to appreciate the size of the Inspiration. My first Carnival cruise was on the Ecstasy, which I don't even think sails anymore and my second was on the Carnival Pride, which was pretty large. Since the RC cruise was so fresh in my mind, however, that was my point of comparison. So, bullet-by-bullet, here were the differences:

• Check-in: On RC, the check-in process - even for a regular stateroom - was swift and effective inside the terminal. Both cruise lines offered online check-in, but in the Carnival terminal, if you weren't VIP, you had to stand in a massive line that moved at a snail's pace. Thank the LORD we were VIPs.




• Aesthetics: You saw the Royal Promenade above, right? The Inspiration's grand atrium paled in comparison, and the decor was....well...take a look:

• The People: So, this is where I'll sound super-bougie. But the people on the Carnival ship were GHETTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOO. You could TELL that this cruise was on sale, because Ray-Ray 'nem were out in full force. And folks weren't particularly friendly either. I don't know if it was because it was this side of the country or what, because I don't remember the Carnival Pride, which left out of LA, being that bad. Lil' Wayne lookalikes and burnt orange lobster people everywhere. The whole feel of the ship was drastically different than the Freedom. I saw fingerwaves and matching lime green outfits and booty claps in the dance club. *smh*



• Food: Perhaps this is TMI, but although the food was good on the Carnival cruise, we all spent the entire cruise constipated. All nine of us. Seriously. We weren't eating a lot of foolishness. Something just wasn't right.

• Production Shows: Royal Caribbean offered an amazing magician, three elaborate musical productions, the uber-hilarious "Love and Marriage" gameshow, and Richard Spacey at each one. Carnival gave us "Shout", an erratic musical revue with no real theme (how "Macarena" and "Joyful, Joyful" fit into the same show, I'll never know). They also offered "Fiesta Latina" aka "Latin Confusion" ("Day-O"? Really?). The cruise director was Risa, and wasn't very engaging and not really funny. We caught their version of the Love & Marriage gameshow on the ship tv channel, and at the end they humiliated the husbands by making them dance around the stage in boxers and suspenders. Only. *wtf*

• Shore Excursions: I'm giving it to Carnival on this one. RC didn't really have any excursions of interest, so we didn't purchase one in any of the three ports we visited. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to zip line and rappel in the mountains of Puerto Vallarta on the Pride, and in Cozumel three of my friends and I participated in the "Amazing Cozumel Race", which was unbelievably fun. We may have been stinky, sore and tired, but it was well worth the $81 we spent.



• Pool Decks: The Inspiration's pool was pitiful. We dubbed it the Baby Wading Pool, because in essence, that's what it was. And it was filled with saltwater, which...why? They did have a water park in the back with a twisty slide, which was fun. But no pool to soak or float in made it not so great. There were also two hot tubs, but the kids took them over. Both ships had "adults only" areas that are off-limits to folks under 21, and they were both veeeery relaxing. RC had "adults only" hot tubs that jetted out from the side of the ship, which totally made my life wonderful.

Inspiration's pool deck

When we completed the comment card, the final question was: would you cruise Carnival again. I actually checked "no". I think it's cool for a first time/second time cruise, or at least until you cruise another line and actually know better. Of my group of nine, I was the only person who had cruised before. And although they all said that they'd cruise again, a few of my girls said that they wouldn't do Carnival again. My friend Maya even said, "I don't think I'm a Carnival girl". Could it be due to the scattered foolishness throughout the ship? Or the fact that everyone in our cabin had sinus issues except me? Or perhaps we just have different tastes than what Carnival can offer. I do partially blame my mother's friend William for poisoning me against Carnival, but he's right....as much as I hate to admit it. I think the dancing chaser lights in the dining room sealed the deal for me. (lol)

zzzzzzzz

Just got in from my cruise to Cozumel. I am exhausted. I will write a "real" blog later, along with responding to comments from earlier blogs. But right now, this girl needs a nap. I have two airport runs to make today; one in merely an hour, so any nap I take will be brief. What I will say is this:

4 days = Too short
Cozumel = great
Carnival = I'm done
Suite w/balcony = only way to go

I'll be back to write later!

"NOBODY makes me bleed my own blood!"

Genius. Last night I went to take a bite of my sandwich and my lip split. I don't quite understand how this happened, considering I keep Chapstick with me at all times. And I mean, it was bleeding. *wtf* I am probably compounding the problem by putting on more Chapstick, but how else do I stop the ouchy?

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One of the vendors stopped by and blessed me with a $5 Starbucks giftcard. Mind you, I haven't had a white mocha in about three weeks now. I was feenin' for some Starbucks this morning too, so I went around 11:00. The barista asked me where I had been, because - yes - I was in that joint every morning at one point. I told her that "my economy has been in a recession". She drew up my regular, made it a grande instead of a tall, and threw in an extra espresso shot for kicks and giggles. I am so hyper right now I don't know what to do with myself. Caffeine is no JOKE!

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I've finally downloaded my application to register for my social work license in Florida. I was pissed when I moved here, because my Ohio license didn't transfer and I had to do the process all over again. And it's all about $$$$, which I find ironic considering social workers don't get paid that much to begin with. At least I downloaded the application. Step one: completed.

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It's so hard to stay focused when you're going on vacation the next day. This entire day has pretty much been a loss. I'd much rather blog, read blogs, and refresh Facebook constantly than do actual work.

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Marvin Jr aka Coconut had his CD release party at Perfecting Church last night (Detroit). Sadly, I couldn't attend due to tomorrow's travels. They aren't that lenient with the days off, and as I said before, my economy is in a recession. I heard the party was REALLY nice. He premiered the music video that I gave blood, sweat and tears to help get shot here in Tampa, and he sang a duet with his father, Pastor Winans. I would've LOVED to see that. Fortunately, my girl videotaped it. ***waiting patiently for the upload*** I'll link to it when it's up.

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My girl is starting a book club here in Tampa. I think it's a great idea. A book club is something I've always wanted to be a part of, but never had the initiative to start one or find a good one. I'm looking forward to participating. There is always a wrinkle though. This is my friend from church, my park pal. She and I are..how can you say.. more "liberal" Christians. Meaning, we recognize our imperfections, love the Lord with all of our hearts, minds and souls, but don't live life closed up in the "Christian" box. Trust, I used to be that girl. I'm still pretty conservative, but I'll see an R rated movie, or sip a martini, or...well, let's just say I've relaxed. My girl will drop a four letter word at the drop of a hat, especially if she's pissed. At any rate, some of the people invited to the book club are still "in the box". She sent out a text asking if anyone would be offended if she chose a book using profanity or sexuality. I wrote back and said "girl I am not trying to read TD Jakes books and Christian fiction! There are far too many good books out there!! Just TELL them that the books are not by Christian authors and let them decide whether or not they want to participate, before this turns into Monday night bible study!!". (lol) So she wrote back and INFORMED us that some of the books might offend a few participants. Religious folk are a trip, you can't leave certain things up to discussion!

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Ok why did I totally forget to eat lunch today? LMBO!!!!

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My mind is racing, but I think I just hit a mental brick wall. I guess I'll go write some assessments.