Today while shopping in Walmart, I got a disturbing phone call:

My “Gran”, Mrs Isabell “Bell” Jones, closed her beautiful eyes for the last time this morning around 3 a.m., in Merced CA. She died in her own home, in her own bed, at the age of 97.

Dayumm!

I kinda showed my ass in Walmart-I couldnt help but cry RIGHT THEN since this is my ‘Gran”- I guess I just took it for granted she would just always be around. Even in her 90’s.

I come from a “distributed, dysfunctional family. Due to the lack of understanding and ability to get along and work it out, my parents split and then we went thru various family members at one time or another till it all ended up just bein Gran. Yall kno how Granma’s is; mine live within in 3 blocks of us, and was in our house atleast 3 times a week (creepin round the windows, ‘plantin flowers’ n’ ish -being nosey the other days of the week!). They always comin in with somethin they bought at a yard sale or ‘from the good Christian people up the way.’, that “‘one a yall can sho fit; aint no use lettin it go to waste…” They were forever tryin to get you to church (mine succeeded-she had help with the rest of the preachers and deacons of the church-my aunts were in the choir and on the board and secretary of Sunday School; my uncle was the pastor). We were in church with keys, before anyone else. and ALL WEEK for sumpthin. Livin with The Gurls, as I call her and her sister Aunt Butch, her partner in crime!) there was always a prayer meetin, (Wed night), and choir practice ,(Thur) Sisters of MtPisgah AME (Sat afternoons, and especially if Sunday is the 1st Sunday!) busines meetin’ (Monday nights- and they ‘burned the morgage’ on that bad boy too!). And Aunt Butch had a side game called The Buds of Promise. Met on Saturday afternoons in the summer when school was out. Kept a lot of us off the streets.

I remember always goin to Grans house and clownin to spend the night because her house was always nice and toasty warm from the gas heater planted right in the livin room. On those night Gran would always make Jello with something different in it each time. Even loquats (Ole skool kno what that is!). We would fight to see who was gonna get to brush and play in her hair. Who ever won the privilege got to do it till Gran dozed off under the brush…like she always did.

In the summer thats where most of us basically lived anyway, and I can remember playin out in Gran’s back yard where there was always a wood/junk pile to play on and with. The yard was full of fruit trees and had a garden. I cant tell you how many days I have lain in that yard on my back full of peaches and plums, ripe strawberries, loquats, figs, and crab apples . There was an apricot tree that produce them as big as some of the vine-ripe tomatoes that grew in the garden. We busted out there full with salt shaker in hand… those were the days .

I guess this would be the time memories like this rush in. That and old age Old Age.

Dang Ima miss her. But while Im sad I am kinda ok with it. She was 97 years old. She had a great life and I guess last she knew it was filled with love. I think Im bein selfish some how; Im sad because she is gone from my life, I guess I just thought she would always just be over there in Calif bein my Gran….thats must be what Im cryin for…but this is the end of her life and not mine and I should respect that it is time…I dont know how I feel right now really but I think that kinda close to it.

My uncle said she went peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face. My Gran had a lot to smile for. She raised 9 children which includes adopted, had a hand in raisin 18 grandchildren, who bounced approx 33 great-grands on her knee, of which have laid 14 great -great-great-grandchildren in her lap for her to smile down on…most recently my son had the privilege, with twins Wisdom and Adrian II, born just this past Oct 29th. She lived a life full of laughter and love and faith. And she goin home to people she wants to be with, her mother and father, sisters and brothers (one still livin’), children (she outlived 5), grand -children (1).

There will be a celebration.

The Queen has died.

I ran across this while cruisin aimlessly around the net. I found to be a waste of bandwidth.

When I first read the title, I was like: Ok -what is this all about, here? As I read further, I acutally got a little irritated. Here is in its entirety-it was quite short:

“In general, white people love situations where they can’t lose. While this does account for the majority of their situations, perhaps the safest bet a white person can make is to buy a house in an up-and-coming neighborhood.

White people like to live in these neighborhoods because they get credibility and respect from other white people for living in a more “authentic” neighborhood where they are exposed to “true culture” every day. So whenever their friends mention their home in the suburbs or richer urban area, these people can say “oh, it’s so boring out there, so fake. In our neighborhood, things are just more real.” This superiority is important as white people jockey for position in their circle of friends.

They are like a modern day Lewis and Clark, except instead of searching for the ocean, they are searching for old properties to renovate.

In a few years, if more white people start moving in, these initial trailblazers will sell their property for triple what they paid and move into an ultramodern home.

Credibility or money, they can’t lose!

When one of these white people tell you where they live, you should say “whoa, it’s pretty rough down there. I don’t think I could live there.” This will make them feel even better about their credibility and status as neighborhood pioneers.”

Now I may have taken it the wrong way but I got offended. And as I read some of the replies I got even more irritated. So I fired off a reply:

“It never ceases to amaze me the level of stupidity afforded racist white people. What is the real reason for this post? Its stupid, racist, and narrow-minded, and incorrect.

There is just as much drug dealing and using, prostitution, sexual, child and spousal abuse, pedophilia, murder, theft and burglary, larceny, and deceit in the ‘white upper class” neighborhoods and enclaves as it is in any other community, and thats when they’re not takin their curious asses to I guess what you call ‘lower class areas’ to do it all. Its just as ‘rough’, as you put it. There are just as many white people who like watermelon, shoot and snort heroin and cocaine, and everything else the rocket scientist above denoted to the other races in his lil rant.

You sound like a stupid hypocrite.

While their may be more money in the white neighborhood and the houses are worth more, their is nothing different goin on than any other neighborhood.

Yowhite people are just as full of shyt as you have always been. Get over yourselves.

And by the way if you cant tell by now I am a minority, a Strong, Educated, Independent, Spiritual, Black Woman. And I dont like watermelon.

Your theory is blown.

Have a nice day~*

The whole blog is actually dedicated to Stuff White People Like. I dont know if it is all tinged with hate as I felt this was, but any interested parties can judge for themselves here .

Comments welcome*

    Me again with the crazy drivers.

Tell me this:  Why is it so necessary to drive like a wild bat out of hell for no reason?   I  generally am a very plesant person to drive around but I get an extreme case of road rage and want to kill these mofos:

1. The Impatient tailgater.  This is the idiot who follows you goin 70 mph right on your tail!  So close you cant see the grill of the car.  These are the ones I gradually slow down to 65 for; either they run over my ass or slow the fluck down.  Of course there is also the LeftRight Option.  Move either direction to go around…

2. The High Speed Dipper.  This is the one who is weaving in and out of lanes at high speed -ignorant of the fact that a person may decide to change a lane while he is gliding thru or not negotiate the glide right and  fish tail someone’s car, which will result in his and the person’s  car splattered on the median wall.

3.  The Insane Lane Hopper.  This is the one who needs to get off at the next exit but stays in the 3rd lane till just in time to swoop across the 2 lanes, irregardless of traffic to make the off ramp.    This happened to me and I swear if I had been doing anything else -lookin at my CD player, getting a cigarette, etc -and not seen this fool this would be a memorial; blog… If I would have survive the accident he almost caused, I would have kicked his ass!

4.  The Dawdler.  This is the person who is driving like 50 on the freeway and is in the position to lock two lanes up.  You cant move around anyone cause they just cruisin.  It usually takes the person next to them to be doin the same thing (boxin you in) to make this annoying to its fullest…

5.  The Lead Foot.  This is the idiot who while the traffic is goin along just nice, here he comes zoomin past at 80- for no particular reason.  These are the ones I usually see further up the highway pulled over chattin with the HP.  Good for them.  The creeps.  Thats what they get.  

Now Im one who is always for freedom to do what ever you want-but while YOU (if you are one of the above,) have every right in the world to wrap YOUR  car around any pole you choose,  you DO NOT have the right to just arbitrarily tear up MY car or put my life in danger, or worser still take my life. 

Just a early Sunday morning -before the coffee-rant.

ta*

  …  Look  - I dont kno why everyone is tip toe ‘n around the fact that these lil assholes raped and killed that gurl and did a dayumm good job of hiding the body and keepin their secret. 

Van Der Sloop is the bully who actually assaulted her and maybe the other lil one - he looks like a Punjabi Pervert anyway.  They all realized they could lose everything if this gurl told and killed her.  Period. 

WHY is it takin the authorities so long to realize that?  Is it the money these cretin’s families have?  Bureaucracy?  Ole Boy Network?   Cause these mofos are guilty as sin.  I havent forgotten the first thing they did was arrest some Black folks.  This seems to always be the case, but stats show that most sexual perverts and murders are pink. people.  I guess they’ll face it one day.   

News this morning told me there was ‘new evidence’ of a taped confession from the Sloop Bully admitting he had killed Natalie.  Of course his camp is all on it.  They have issued a statement that he ‘just told the (person) what they wanted to hear.’ 

Ok.  I dont give a dayumm what YOU wanted to hear.  Im not gonna just randomly confess to a murder - a high profile one at that.  .  Unless I did it and wanted to clear my conscience…

So thats bull hockey.  We’ll see how far that goes. 

The saga continues.

ta*

            As if it could be one for Bobby Brown.    This fool has attention issues.  He  is tryin  reality TV  again, when he stars in “Gone Country,” a series airing on Country Music Television (CMT) that takes seven performers from various music genres and attempts to mold them into country stars.  What the fluck!?

This fool cant make a hip hop song- why is he gonna make a dayumm country song?    His excuse:  “A few of my friends at Renegade Productions…they asked me to be on “Gone Country”, so I agreed to do it,” Brown told BET.com. “I’ve always liked country music. So it’s something I think I had to conquer before I finish up my career.”  WHAT dayumm career?  The  one he did have, has been over for centuries… 

Altho I did kinda like the “Bein Boby Brown” thing.  Mostly for him.  He was tryin to be a reality show star…Whitney’s tweakin ass wanderin around the show screamin and hollar’n at people was comedic at the highest level.  But sad too.  Such a wonderul set of pipes and glorious career is at stake here…. I do wish her the best tho

(**Serious moment, please…**)

Ok-

But Brown hasn’t abandoned R&B. He’s taking his time to make sure the product comes out right.   “I’m just trying to stay focused on making some good music. Hopefully I’ll drop an album next year some time. I’m working on my country stuff,” Brown explained. “I’m trying to take the whole globe. I don’t want a piece of it, just R&B or hip-hop. I would like my music to reach each and every individual, as many people as possible.”

I still cant get with this country thing.  This is a sad joke those pink people played on him…

Ok, Bobby.

Gone Country starring Bobby Brown airs Friday nights beginning tonight on CMT. Check www.cmt.com for airtimes.

*Delivered 28 August 1963- Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.*

Today the nation is celebrating the birthday of the foremost father of the movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. People will have parades, some are off work, kids home from school in some areas… celebration of a wonderful man.

But while we celebratin’ I cant help but come up with some ‘what ifs’ and ‘whys’… Like WHY cant we celebrate the man’s birthday on his birthday instead of 3-5 bizniz dayz later? Would you want to wait a week to celebrate your birthday? What aboutcha presents? Openin’ presents a week after I get them would not be happening…Is this just another way for the pink ones to think they have control of something? You know -they like to think that…

What would be the state of Black America, had Martin lived? The man was on his way to gettin it for the Black Man, that’s why the pink ones had to kill him. I truly believe that. Hey Martin was gangsta. There are numerous stories of him basically tellin em to take him to jail coz he just aint gon’ act right. And goin to jail! For the movement. Excerpt of the “I Have A Dream” speech, hes tellin em that this is what it is:

“In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

Of course, by now you have discovered that the vid above is that speech in its entirety. Get time to listen to it. The man is on to something….

As of we don’t already know that.

    January 11th is a significant day in our family.  It is the official birthday of Isabell Jones, my grandmother.

Gran was born Jan 11, 1911 in Oklahoma to god-fearing parents, and she continues to be a child of God to this day.  At her age she cant go to church of course, but the members come by on Sunday and bless her, so she’s still in the car…   She has outlived 4 of her children,  and has 27 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren, and  12 great-GREAT-grandchildren. 

The amazing thing about Gran is that she is not sick or have Alzheimers or anything.  She just sittin there ‘old’.  We still keep her in her home ( I will kill anyone who even thinks of putting my Gran in a nursing home- I dont give a dayumm how much they think it necessary!) and she just sits there watchin and listenin to the things and people around her.

 I get kinda weepy when I even randomly think of Gran- Im so happy, grateful, and blessed that she is still with us.  I often say that Gran will make a hunnit if its 99, and when she does, Im gonna throw the BIGGEST party for her. 

Really for me since I will be the one who is so happy and grateful on that day.

Happy BDay, Gran!  We know there will be a few more.

I was told this story at work by a co-worker, and thought I’d share:

My friend was at work Friday, diligently makin the donuts, if you know what I mean, when she got a call from her mother who is also the caretaker of her child.  Seems Grandma had taken Lil Deshawn to church with her, and now he is no where to be seen. 

My co-worker rushed home in a tizzy to find church members and the entire neighborhood looking for lil Deshawn.  The police were called, and everyone was beating the bushes, lookin everywhere for this kid, hopin it didnt turn into a crime scene. 

When all this transpired everyone was so upset and frantic that no one entered the apartment till an hour or so later, only to find lil Deshawn on his stomach watching TV. 

Lil Deshawn looks casually up at his mother,. who is thisclose to a nervous break down, police officers and concern church members and neighbors as if to say, “What is all this about?”

When asked how he got home and why, Lil Deshawn calmly told this group that, ‘he was tired and Sponge Bob was coming on so he walked home’.   Alone.

Lil Deshawn is 2 years old.

Mama better watch this one- he definetly has a mind of his own.   And dont need no input from anyone else.  lol*

I thought this was a heart-warming story.  It turned out there was one less mother who had to spend a sleepless night wondering where her  child was, and if he was ok and not in the hands of a pervert…

ta*

Wow- its already here!  2007 went so fast.  Lots of things changed for me and mine:  I moved from GA to TX.  I changed careers from call center to QA.  I lost my baby Milo-who I will always cherish the memory of.  I had 2 more GBabies at once!  Twins! 

I turned 50.   Wow*

 I wish all my fam and friends on and offline the best in 2008.  Luv yall!

Im takin a moment from my Call Center Chronicle series to bitch about something that just makes my ass hurt. 

These dayumm headlights.  I dont know what the hell they call them but they are like a bright light blue and bright as hell!   All u need to do is get someone with these lights behind you and you LITERALLY can-not see till they pass you!    I dont know what I thought was comin behind me when I first saw them…

 I get sooo dayumm mad!!!  I just cant believe that these are street legal.   They shouldnt be…

Im sure they have caused an accident or two…

I do get back at them tho; I just slow to 55 or 60 and stay steady till they get tired of ridin my ass and move left or right- either is fine with me.   They usually go by wavin tha finger.

And Im cool with that.

ta*