30 + 1 to grow on...

So I am going to be 31 years old! There is no looking back now, it is the onward march toward 40. How do I feel? Sometimes I still feel 18, and when I look at folks who are in my age box I don't think I look like them at all. I mean I don't look like I have a son who is starting middle school in the fall do I? I can still wear super short mini skirts with cute t-shirts and flip flops and not look like I am trying to look young right? I can still giggle at the silly curves life throws me, and my smile still lights up the room.

I am 30 +1 on June 4th... they say 30 is the new 20! But I am not so sure cause I still feel funny saying 31 and I have a 9 year old starting middle school, and I just wanna hang out on a saturday night and ride on the back of a bike over the brooklyn bridge in the night air with my arms spread wide, hugging the moon...begging for a kiss on the lips from the sweetness of life.

i am 31 and I think soon...very soon.. I will stand very tall even though the storm is attempting to blow me to and fro. The storm wont be able to blow me over, i can take a stance and say "this is me, these are the choices i have made! I can do this now because I am 30+1 and not 18 or 24 or 29.
I am 31, I am me!

A Garden grows in Brooklyn!

So even though the comment was anonymous I know it was my Sister who demanded a garden update....
Well folks Oyo has been hard at work in the garden...and I have even said quite elegantly and aloof to others that..." I think I am going to work in the garden tonite." I felt quite lady like and sophisticated saying it too. Very tea & crumpets u know so enough suspense here is an updated shot....The garden is coming along quite nicely and I am enjoying watching the fruits of my labor... and I do mean LABOR! My back was killing me more that once as I toiled under the hot sun weeding, and planting, and picking cotton.... ok so I got a little carried with the cotton picking but it is a lot of work and the overseer (my ego) was making sure that I got all the work done!

I do have to give a shout out to two of my friends who have helped me out Ricardo for calling me early Saturday morning to say "Hey..Chica are we still painting the yard today?" Now Ricardo is a bonafide artist you can check out his work here, so when an artist is volunteering his time to paint concrete you jump...I mean to be quite honest any time you have a friend willing to call you to say are we still doing "fill in the blank" and you don't got chase them down and bribe them to show up your a lucky cat. So much love and kisses to my boy Rico!

The other cat who has been showing me much love in my quest to have a garden in Brooklyn is Grant... he is a southern gentleman and I believe his parents used to make him clean the huge garden probably mini forest by Brooklyn standards...so my small yard is light work for him. He has been to both Lowe's and Home Depot with me carried those heavy ass bags of river stones back and forth and helped me clean, mulch, weed and plant! Yeah and I didnt have to bribe him either....I feel blessed to have two great friends, just wanted to show 'em some love and not act like I am a super woman doing it all on my own....

I guess last but not least I should thank the Three Stooges...My Neice Abena, My Nephew Kofi, and My son Medhane... they are 10, 8, and 9 yrs old respectively.

This is them about 3 years ago but it is a funny pic so I used it!

Now these 3 I had to bribe, threaten, intimidate, beg, and feed to make them get the work done, but they helped ......even though sometimes it was a job in itself to make them get the job done...I couldn't have done it without them! Thanks guys!

So, that's the garden update for now...more later. Oyo signing out.

8 Mile excuse me D-town

I am in Michigan visiting my older sister Lolobo... Got in late last night and we were supposed to catch some jazz in Detroit but when we got there at 10pm the kitchen had just closed down and the band was done for the night...no stress cause i was a little tired anyway. Got up this morning and walked to the coffee spot...why was I the only person walking? i always forget that folk dont really walk in other parts of the country. But i was really very happy that there is a mall in walking distance of my sister's house. Technically I a working from home today ;o) so I sent a few emails, made a few phone calls ....turned on VH1 soul and updated my blog. I have a conference call at 2pm but until then....
So this past weekend was a mess. Not the whole weekend, just sunday. i was locked out of my house from 11am til 6pm and I had a shit load of stuff that i needed t get done that i couldnt cause i was locked out. I tried to stay calm even though i was severely pissed. Long story short i got in and got 2 things done on my list.
Monday my manager was having separation anxiety since i was gonnna be out of the office for 4 days, and I just wanted to tie things up and get the hell out of there.

Tuesday i got new sunglasses...they are the bomb! Got a smile on my face cause i look hot as hell in them...

Wed...tied up final projects on the plantation (niki ur post had me laughing for days) and took the shuttle to motown? is that the nickname for Detroit?....and that leaves us where I started missing the jazz on Wed night....