Friday Reflections

1.) Crickets!

2.) Ha, it's been so long since I did this. **Dusting cobwebs**

3.) No, I did not run out of one line quips and ramblings.

4.) The last time I did this was May! Don't blame me; summer was busy!

5.) Fall is here!!! All that excitement is because my shows are back.

6.) Why do people cheat folks of their hard-earned money? This is a developing story but yeah I'm currently really angry at how unethical some Nigerian small businesses can be.

7.) Remember how I used to love Don Lemon's show? Yeah. No. I have not watched in months. I am tired of CNN bringing on racist, bigoted, misogynists on air in the name of some faux-neutrality. Miss me with that nonsense, please.

8.) I started Whole30 on Monday. It deserves an entire post on its own. Plus it's just day five, who knows how much longer I'll last?

9.) On fear, anxiety, and nervousness: a discussion with M.

10.) I read this article on getting to your "30s" and all of a sudden: the veil is removed; you can see clearly since the rain is gone; and you know, you are now mature. I thought:  "either this is some real BS or I'm extremely precocious, cos I'm just in my mid twenties and this pretty much describes me".

11.) The West Wing is pretty gooooooooood!





The People's House: A White House Tour


"The White House is the only building in the world that is free museum, an office, and home to a head of state. But this isn't simply a place for Presidents. It's 'The People's House'—so it's your house, too" - President Barrack and Mrs. Michelle Obama

I'm gonna confess now and say these heavy-photo posts are part due to me being so busy (thanks to a new schedule) I can't properly edit a post for the blog. I'm pretty sure I will have a book of the month though, so there's that.

My sister and I, despite our insanely hectic schedules, took the time this weekend for a White House Tour. We almost decided to forget about it when we got the email from our Congressman's office (MONTHS after applying) that our request to tour the White House had been granted. Unlike other museums and public places, you can't just walk into the White House for a tour. You have to go through your Senator/Congressman months in advance and then you are either rejected because no space, or accepted. We were rejected earlier this year, but my sister never quits. Good thing she doesn't because the second time was a charm.  I did not plan on blogging about it, but I figured not everyone gets to tour the White House, so why not?

Well here goes:


Chronicles of the Billy Goat Trail

I went hiking yesterday. First of all, it was a terrible weather to go hiking. I could have sworn I was going to faint from the heat. But that was not the real problem; the real problem was just how difficult the hike was. If I had done just a little research of the trail the day before, there was no way I would have gone. I'm certain I would have opted out. So yay for being too busy to research the trail spontaneity. It was also a group thing so that mollified things a little bit. I took some pictures, of course. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the really difficult paths of the trail. Your homegirl was too busy surviving, plus I had to protect my phone from falling. It got to a stage I had to go on all fours to climb; it's a miracle I  did not sprain an ankle or bruise myself. Thank the Lord with me. Also, the great conversations with my friend, Ene helped a great deal. I don't know how I would have gone through it without her. If you think I'm being histrionic; I'll put things in perspective for you. The hike itself alone was about two hours thirty minutes!

Anyway, it was the Billy Goat Trail at the Great Falls Park. Enjoy!

How To Ruin Your Labor Day Weekend And/Or Make a Colossal Mistake

In the summer of 2014, while preparing for graduate school, get a PC. Decide that the PC is not good enough for you, so get a MacBook. Be oblivious to the fact that you just used your money to buy yourself a whole lot trouble in advance. Rather, tell yourself you just bought computer security for numerous years.  Finish graduate school with your computer still intact. Be thankful that your computer is solid. Quirky, but solid. So keep living life.

Two years later. Wake up on a beautiful Saturday morning; grab your laptop and start working.  Make substantial progress, because it’s morning and you are most productive in the morning. Be cogent, clear, concise, and very analytical. Keep typing and tying your arguments together like a boss. Think about getting coffee or tea just to be bougie, and then remember you react terribly to caffeine. Respect yourself and keep working. Then…cue people from your village*.

Remember this rockstar woman doing rockstar research you recently met. Google her [for the umpteenth time]. Think about a personal statement you once wrote to remember how ambitious you once were. Open this personal statement. Get inspired all over again. Decide to close it and continue working. Click “x”. See Do you want to save the changes made to document11?” but READDo you want to save the changes made to SOP?” Assume you mistakenly typed something while reading the personal statement and click “don’t save” because you don’t want any changes to that genius statement.

Click on the Word icon in your computer to continue working and get a blank document. Squeeze your face and turn up your nose in confusion. “Where the hell is my work?” Ask in confusion. Minimize every page in search of your work.  Squeal in horror at the realization of your stupidity and colossal mistake: you just deleted your WORK.

Scramble over to Google to try to pick up pieces of your broken heart and mind, because honestly you gave your freaking all to that work and do NOT know where to begin. Try everything Google tells you. Scurry over suggestions upon suggestions: remove one eye; remove one ear; insert one tooth inside your system preferences; nothing. Ask your Dad if he knows what to do. Hear him ask you why you did not save it in the first place. Ask yourself why you did not save in the first place. Rush over to your sister who is usually very resourceful. Stand with her in the bathroom—yes the bathroom—till she comes up with something. Try more solutions and read people talk about solutions that worked, and watch your idiotic computer not respond to the suggestions. Realize your computer was a waste of money. Because really why are Macs so freaking annoying and hostile to anything not made by Apple?

Go to your BBM and post your misery. Watch people respond, with kindness to your stupidity. Take their (you guys rock, by the way. Really) suggestions and again witness your computer’s idiocy.  Be grateful for the love you receive.

Call Microsoft. Call Apple. Sigh.

Eat.

Accept your fate.

Start your work all over.

That, ladies and gentlemen is how to ruin your perfect weekend. Or, How to Be Dumb 101.

Love

I

*I do not have a village, but that sounds like the only logical explanation for my daftness on Saturday morning.