These Boots Are Made For (moon) Walking

Note: These photos do not do the boots justice - they are fab.


Ok, so I'm not so much of a shopper, although you can find me in a Walmart or Tarjay on any given day.  My job is very stressful and the hours are long, so once I get off, I'm usually headed straight home and ready to hit the sack.  Well, one day last week, I stopped into Kohl's on my way home from work.  Disclaimer: I typically do not like Kohl's.  Better stated, I HATE Kohl's and I NEVER shop there.  But I'd been looking online for boots (because Fall is here and boot season is back - "It's the most wonderful time of the year"...) and happened across a pair of Vera Wang boots that I fell in love with.  Regularly priced at $110, they were on sale for $59.99.  So on my way home from work the next night, I dragged myself into the store, found my size (SHOCKER!) and even on my tired, end-of-the-day-feet, they fit like Cinderella's glass slipper!  I was so happy with my purchase I think I danced all the way to the cash register.  Seriously.  I Michael Jackson-moonwalked to the line, though really, that had nothing to do with the boots.  I'm just weird like that.



Note: These photos do not do the boots justice - they are fab.


 
And get this: 3 days later, my best friend was in town from Charlotte for one of our good friend's wedding.  En route to Macy's to find something to wear to the next day's festivities, we stopped at Ross's (or Ross Dress For Less - whatever it's called.) to take a quick look at shoes when BAMMM!!!! (Emeril-style)  I spied a pair of brown suede lace-up ankle boots by - wait for it.... DOLCE VITA!!!!  (And NOT Dolce Vita for Target. Just straight up Dolce Vita) And after almost peeing on myself when reading the $29.99 price tag, my friend and I ransacked that store looking for my size.  I ending up not finding the size I usually wear, but a half size smaller.  Yet once again - they fit like Cinderella's slipper: PERFECT!!!  So happy to find not only a pair of DOLCE VITA boots but in a smaller size - proof that my new diet & exercise regimen are working....woohoo!  I am so in love and proud of my purchases that I feel I must recant the first line of this blog:

"Hi, my name is Chicki Tee and I AM  a SHOPPER!"

Hey, if my job is going to work me like a Hebrew slave, I should, at the very least, see the fruits of my labor.

"Be True To Yourself" TAG

Okay, so I've never felt the need to do a tag before as I always found them to be slightly juvenile - they always reminded me of those SLAM BOOKS from back in the day (remember the notebooks that were passed around in school where you'd answer different questions w/ your name next to it?)  Well, I've been home sick for the past 2 days and as cabin fever was setting in, I came across this particular tag and thought "why not?"  And while I felt mad juvenile filling out my answers, I have to admit it was kinda fun.  Why not huh.  So here goes:

How big is your bed? Queen (though I call it a "california queen" as it is huge!)

What are you listening to right now? Amy Winehouse "Frank", mixed jazz cd, Obd Voice ( a BRILLIANT singer/songwriter that can be found on reverbnation.com)

What was the last thing you ate? Jerk tilapia, spinach salad, pineapple, fried festival (made this for dinner last night)

Last person you hugged? My sister

How is the weather right now? hot

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? friend in Atlanta

What is the first thing you notice in the opposite sex? Eyes/Height

Favourite type of food? Caribbean

Do you want children? No - that ship has sailed

Do you drink? Very very occasionally as alcohol puts me to sleep

Ever get so drunk you don’t remember the entire night? NEVER

Hair colour? Black

Eye colour? Brown

Do you wear contacts/glasses? Should be wearing my glasses daily but wear them only occasionally

Favorite holiday? NA

Favorite season? HANDS DOWN - FALL!!! The beautiful foliage, the crisp air, the clothes, esp. BOOTS....love everything about fall!

Have you ever cried over a girl/boy? Yep.  Once. (I cried over a MAN who TURNED OUT TO BE A BOY!)  Don't judge me - it shan't happen again.

Last movie you watched? Some Lifetime movie. Hey I'm home sick - don't judge me.  :)

What books are you reading? The Bible, The Millionaire Zone

Piercings? Ears

Favorite movie? HANDS DOWN - Jaws. (Runners up: Jaws II, Purple Rain, Anchorman: Legend of Ron Burgundy & Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - Indian movie) 

Favorite college football team? Don't follow the sport but favorite pro team is the Eagles - solely due to Vick!

What were you doing before filling this out? Home sick in bed. Literally.

Any pets? I've NEVER in my life had a pet (unless you count the Beta fish that I had @ work.  I accidentally killed him during a routine water change - the water was too warm and he 'overheated'. Seriously. Sorry lil' buddy.  :(

Dogs or cats? Fish

Favorite flower? Tulips (any  color) and White or Yellow Roses

Have you ever loved someone? Yes

Who would you like to see right now? A doctor

Have you ever fired a gun? Nope

Do you like to travel by plane? Ehhh...long story.

Right-handed or Left-handed? Right. 

If you could go to any place right now where would you go? Trinidad, Morocco, Portugal (stateside: D.C., New York, Florida)

Are you missing someone? A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y.

Do you have a tattoo? Nope

Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings? Uh,....NO!  I watch them on Monday nights like every other normal ADULT - can you say "Family Guy"? Hello?

Are you hiding something from someone? Hmmm....

What do you do before you go to bed? Pray

*******  The end.  Question: How do you feel about tag's? Innocent fun or colossal time wasters?

Nature Boy (this thing we call LOVE)

I'm going to share a secret with you: I am afraid to fall in love.  I grew up in the most dysfunctional of households (as most of America, I know) and I've seen nothing but chaos and heartache stemming from this thing we call LOVE.  I decided early on that I did not want to follow the pattern of being stuck-like-chuck in a toxic relationship.  Vowing never to become a victim or casualty of this thing we call LOVE, I built an impenetrable wall around my heart - who needs a heart when a heart can be broken, right?  Self-preservation at its finest.  Now, I have fallen in love a time or two (or one) before, but that was a looooong time ago.  It didn't end badly, but it wasn't pretty either.  But I learned from that relationship that the decision to NOT PUT UP WITH BAD BEHAVIOR is one of the best decisions you can ever make in life.  I walked away from that relationship knowing that I would not become like many of the women in my family - bitter and sad from the bad behavior of the men in their lives.  I walked away with my head held high and proud of myself.

But don't get me wrong - I like the idea of love.  And I think I even might want to fall in love again. Again.  But I want love on my terms.  Yeah that's right - I said MY terms.  But I don't think love quite works like that, does it?  You can't control your heart.  And when the head (mind) and heart are at odds, it's often the heart, that treacherous heart, that wins out.  And THAT's when everything falls to pieces!!!  You start making excuses and putting up with just any kind of treatment (read cheating, abuse, etc.) because even though your head is saying "run, chica, run" - your heart is saying "stay, chica, stay. he loves you. he'll change. he'll stop."  But the truth of the matter is - he won't change.  He won't stop.  And by the time you've made the decision to put up with his mess no longer, you've now just realized that you have become a mere shell of the person you once were and sadly...you aren't going anywhere cause you haven't the strength or the backbone to do so.

**shudders**  Nawww!  No thanks, son.  This thing we call love is not for me.  And while I believe wholeheartedly that "the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return".........until I can "be loved in return" the way I want to be loved, on MY terms - I'ma have to pass.

Well, She DID say NO, NO, NO.....

They called her Ms. Winehouse. They'll call her no more.  Amy Winehouse - dead at 27.  Of course, we don't really know the cause of death @ this point, as her body was just found today, but really?  Do we even have to ask? I mean - really?  

I first heard of Amy Winehouse some years ago, back when her "Frank" album was out in England, and she hadn't really hit it here in the States yet.  I'd read about this "Jewish girl with the big soulful voice" that was going to be the next big thing and dismissed her as "another white girl trying to sound black."  When I'd finally heard her "Frank" cd online - I.WAS.BLOWN.AWAY.!!!!   As in, all caps, in bold, italicized, and underlined!  Omg, this skinny little white chick with the big hair and the even bigger voice sounded so authentically soulful...authentically black. (I mean, have you even heard "Love Is A Losing Game" live???)  No "trying to" here.  I was an instant fan!  I repped Ms. Winehouse so hard to any and everyone I came in contact with you would've thought  she had me on her payroll!  E.v.e.r.y. song Ms. Winehouse had was ridiculous: "You Know I'm No Good" - Ridiculous.  "Love Is A Losing Game" - Ridiculous. "Stronger Than Me" - Ridiculous. "Me And Mr. Jones" - Ridiculous.  "In My Bed" - Bananas and the beat was sick!!!!

And finally...there is the now-infamous "REHAB", for which will be forever known as Ms. Winehouse's swan song.  Such a hugely talented artist - gone.  Ms. Winehouse - you came, you sang, you conquered.

But you should have gone to rehab.  What a waste.

"You Stay Classy San Diego."

I had a conversation with a friend today.  He's a businessman who's very much "on his grind", always about the dollar.  I respect that, that's who he is.  Anway, he was talking about the big things that he is doing in his business, and I was talking about the steps that I am taking towards establishing mine.  This conversation took place over the phone so while I couldn't see his face, I could hear in his voice the expressions of disbelief and indifference he was obviously making.  He made it very clear that he doesn't believe that I've any business acumen whatsoever and I probably shouldn't "quit my day job." Said that my "business" was not only going to FAIL but it would never get off the ground.  He said I was basically wasting my time because I've never been a business owner, I'm "not a leader", I'm a person "ruled by fears", and.....yada yada yawn.  When someone tells you that they think you're whack, the natural inclination is to respond in kind. ("You're MAMA's  whack!  How 'bout that???" - you know how we do.)  But the thing is, this guy is not whack. He's a businessman.  He's a leader.  And he's on the fast track to success.  But He's.Also.Wrong.  As in dead wrong.

Here's the thing: when you know where your passion lies and know the things that you're capable of doing, you don't need to advertise that jank to the world.  You just need to do them.  Town crier not necessary.

And you don't need to prove that you're EXTRAORDINARY to ANYONE - friend or foe.  You just need to prove it to yourself.

"I FAILED my way towards SUCCESS" - Thomas Edison

Sometimes we don't shoot for the stars.  Sometimes we don't aim for them because we feel that the stars are too high up and therefore out of reach, and sometimes it's because subconsciously, we don't feel like we have the right of owning something so beautiful and rare.  And sometimes plain ol' fear keeps us from putting ourselves anywhere in the vicinity of them.  And just like that....we settle into mediocrity and become (yikes!)...satisfied with it.


We fear, thus we fail, right? w.r.o.n.g.  Failure is not about having fears - the real failure is not trying to succeed because of fearing failure.  The real failure is not embracing your fear and using it as fuel. Confused yet?   It's simple really.  I'm trying to start a business.  It's normal to have anxiety over any new venture attempted.  A few of the usual suspects:  What if my idea doesn't work?  What if my skills aren't strong enough?  What if I don't make any money?  What if I lose money(that I don't really have) trying to make money?  What if I FAIL???  That, my friends, is what we call fear.  To fear is normal. But what we really should be asking ourselves is: "If my idea does not work, how can I fine tune it so it will?  How can I further develop my skills so that they are stronger?  I probably will not make alot of money initially, so do I have other resources available so I can further grow this business? And if this venture does fail, how do I ensure that I will keep trying until it succeeds?"  That is using your fear as fuel towards success. Having a plan. And a backup plan.  A plan A, plan B, or as many plans needed (even if it goes all the way to Z) until the desired result is achieved. And working that/those plans until it/they work.


I'm gonna be honest with you, people.  I want a star.  I really do.  Maybe not all of the stars, but at least as many as my hand can grab.  As many as my hand can carry, even if that's only one.  Let me say this also: I am short.  Without my usual 5-inch superhero platform heels (but I always leave the cape at home), I stand 5 foot 1 in stocking feet.  Even with a full stretch, I cannot reach the sky on my own strength.  But I do know how to use the resources available to me - I know how to find and use a ladder.  I'll say it again:  I.want.my.star.  I deserve my star.  So if I have to climb to the highest rung of that ladder, despite being afraid of heights, to reach it - that's just what I'll have to do.  And should I lose my balance and fall off....oh well.  I'll fall.  I"ll fall down and I might fall hard. It might be painful and I might even cry.  But guess what?  My star will still be up there...in the sky... with my name on it. Waiting for me.  So I'll get up, wipe my tears and find a sturdier ladder to hold me. I'm.getting.my.star.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

"You got to know when to hold 'em....know when to fold 'em....know when to walk away...and know when to run"....

Cause I always.count.my.money. I had such a good day yesterday.  I should have known that mess wouldn't have lasted.  Not to sound negative, but you always have to consider the source.  Yesterday I finally received the professional recognition and validation that I'd been waiting for for about 6 months now - a promotion of sorts.  Go me, right???  W.R.O.N.G.  After spending last night pouring over plans of where "all this extra money" will be going (savings, moving, business plans, and dare I say a fabulous pair of "knock-off" Louboutins?) - I go in to work today and they make me an offer....that I can refuse.  An absolutely downright INSULTING offer!  I mean, I am literally insulted!  I have been working like a slave and jumping through all kinds of hoops for this place, hoping to show that I am more than capable and qualified to earn a spot at the cubicle of mediocrity....only for them to offer me pretty much nothing.   And I am pretty much disturbed.  Like Kenny Rogers sang of the "The Gambler" - "you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run."

Sadly, if we cannot come to a mutual fiscal agreement,  I may have to walk run.