Bitter Sweet Day

Today is a day of bitter sweets, but I guess that’s life

I’m excited that I passed the Faculty Assessment and will be a Professor/Instructor come November, but sad that I don’t have my parents and grandparents to share it with.

I’m excited that Obama is heading into a part of American history that was only dreamed of 50 years ago, but saddened that those who truly fought and died to make it happen are missing the joy of this celebration here on earth. Can you imagine the Energy of the day if Martin, Malcolm, Medger, Emmit and so many others were there, front and center as tributed guests this evening? Oh the joy and tears.

Excited about the possibilities of life without the connection to a painful relationship, but saddened that I have to let someone I love go to move forward.

Today is Bitter Sweet, but I guess that’s life.

Make it Count!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! V.O.T.E!!!

Be you Republican, Democrat or Independent
Black, White, or Other
Married, single, or dating
Male, Female, or undecided
McCain, Obama, or the guy down the street…PLEASE VOTE!

This is one of the most important, pivotal, emotionally and topically charged, involved elections in decades and we each have a chance to let our voice be heard. Do not let this opportunity pass you buy, thousands of people died, bled, and put themselves in harms way for the right to vote. You have the right; don’t let it go to waste.

If you have not registered to vote, please do so.

You may register to vote on line at Rock the Vote, but you have to print and mail your registration form.

You can also pick up a voter registration form at your county elections office, library, or U.S. Post Office. It is important that your voter registration form be filled out completely and be postmarked or hand-delivered to your county elections office at least 15 days before the election.

If you need to re-register, please be sure to do so. You will need to re-register to vote when:

• You move
• You change your name
• You change your political party choice
  

You may register to vote if:

• You are a United States citizen
• You are a resident of your state
• You are at least 18 years of age (or will be by the date of the next election)
• You are not in prison or on parole for a felony conviction (in some states)
• You have not been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent

In order to be eligible to vote in the November 4, 2008 general election, your registration form must be post marked by October 20, 2008.

If you need to find your polling place or other information about early voting, absentee voting, on-line registration or deadlines you may go to Vote 411 for more information.

Please share this information with others, post it on a blog, or create a link to the information for your state, but whatever you do…MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT!

Thought For The Day

"Dreams don't have deadlines"

Never give up on the dreams you have as long as they are accomplished...they are on time!

Keep in mind:

George Burns won his first Oscar at age 80
Michelangelo was 71 when he painted the Sistine Chapel (and it's awesome!)
Golda Meir was 71 when she became prime minister of Israel
Colonel Sanders was 63 when he got his first franchise
Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 75 and was President of South Africa from age 76 to 81. This after spending almost 30 years of his life in prison

All this to say, when you have a goal, hold on to it! If God has blessed you with a talent, dream, mission or idea, keep it alive, no matter what anyone says.

Hi, I'm Isha, and I'm going to be Da' Mayor of Inglewood, CA

What's your goal?

Thought For The Day

Looks Attract...
Personality Keeps...
Actions Maintain...

My Addictions

The scent of lavender
E-mail
Text messaging
Buying DVD’s
Iced tea
Speed (in a vehicle…not the drug)
Good music
Romance
Monicamingo.com (I visit, comment, and lurk waaaay too much)
Being silly
Massages
Pedicures
Shoes
Purses
Lazy days at home
Hagen Daaz Vanilla Swiss Almond

What are yours?

Growth & Blessings

WOW! Where do I begin?!?!

GROWTH

Well first, I am back to work from an AWESOME vacation in Europe taken with my wonderful Godmother. It was my first trip abroad, but not my first out of the country. I, along with my Godmother and her cousin went on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and my best adjective to describe the trip is WOW! We left on the 19th of July and got back on the 3rd of August and in that time we:

Went to the Vatican
Went to the Coliseum
Saw the place where Cesar is buried, and
Visited where the Roman Chariot games were held

Then we got on a cruise ship and:
Went to ruins of Pompeii in Naples, Italy;
Visited the old city in Dubrovnik, Croatia (sleeper city y’all)
Rode in gondolas in Venice, Italy
Had amazing Gelato in Messina, Sicily
Bought Majorca Pearls in Barcelona, Spain
Visited the Palace in Monaco
Gambled in Monte Carlo (I won 347 Euro (about 600 bucks U.S.)
Bought leather in the market places of Florence, Italy, and (I lost ma' mind)
Climbed the 290 steps of the leaning tower of Pisa

Each day offered something fun, exciting and awe inspiring. I got to see all of the things I’ve read about in books or have seen in movies, up close and personal. It was a blessing to go and a joy to spend it with the folks I love.

I could not have asked for a better summer trip and it was at a time when I REALLY needed it. I got to rest, enjoy my time off and see parts of the world I’ve only read about.

BLESSINGS

I’m on the Board of Directors for the California Sickle Disease Foundation of Californiaand I’ve been nominated for a scholarship to attend the 36th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc Convention in New Orleans, LA! If I get it, I’mma act a fool in the Big Easy. Got friends there and already know my way around so the Convention will be the way to learn about the cause I so love, spend time with folks I love and second line ma’ butt off! Add me to your best wishes/prayers and thoughts list J

AND…

If that’s not exciting enough, I interview for my University teaching position next Saturday. It’s an extensive interview. 15 minute interview with a faculty member in my field, a 30 minute discussion group where we have to come to a consensus on a topic as a group (other candidates will participate as well) and I have to prepare a lesson plan and teach a 15 minute class relating to my field and engage the other candidates and review faculty. Can I tell you how excited I am!!! I don’t want the job for the money, I want it for the opportunity to share with others what I’ve learned and help them grow in business.

I’ll update soon!

Until I get another chance to blog.
Be blessed AND good to yourself!
Isha

I Just had to ask...

O.K. so I asked…I had to.

Last nigh, I was sitting in the mall having a cheese on a stick as I waited for all 300 of the vacation pictures to print from my trip. And as I’m sitting there this New Jack grandma sits down next to me with her grandson.

DEFINITION
New Jack Grandma – A grandma who has her kids by 20 and her grand kids by 35. And

I look at the kid and not only does he have a mouth FULL of silver caps, but he has two nice sized CZ earrings in his ear, yes one on both sides! I look at the kid and say hello and he speaks, I ask him how old he is and he says with his best shiny grin TWOOOOO. In my head I’m thinking, Why on erff does this child have these big ass earrings in his ears?

So I sit there and debate with me. Should I ask, I HAVE to ask, I WANNA’ ask so bad. So I ask…

Excuse me, why would one get a baby’s ears pierced at such a young age. And both. Who would do ears for someone that small (inside voice said a boy). And grandma AKA Big Mama, with a top side only grin said. Oooh, gurl, his mama did that. His daddy got two and she wanted him to have two. Lotta’ kids get them now. And that said it for me. Silly young mothers who teach their kids silly things, become silly grandmothers of what I think are abused children. His teeth are ruined at 2, his ears have been pierced since he was 3 months old and his only desire as he sat there in the food court was McDonald’s fries.

And folks wonder why I don’t have children. My kid would be an outcast. His mama would make him wear real shoes, he could not sag, pouting and temper tantrums would be squashed promptly and he would NOT be able to have his ears pierced at two. No matter what the other kids in his pre-school class were doing!

Slow About Things

I feel guilty...I've not posted since Tuesday when I reopened my page. BUT...I have a reason, maybe.

I was sick this week. I got home last week from a wonderful European vacation and came home with a horrible cold. AIRPLANE AIR....YUCK. I've been in bed most of the week trying to catch back up on the 9 hour time difference AND get rid of this recycled air bug.

I go back to work tomorrow after being off for about three weeks. I've not yet printed or posted pictures from the trip, but will try to do so soon. I don't want to go back to the office tomorrow, because I've enjoyed the rest of waking when I want and taking it easy. Boy, you don't know how much rest you need until you actually get it!!

Well, now, I've at least swung by to post something within the same week. I've got a lot of things I'm looking forward to, so I should have a lot to share.

Thanks for stopping by to check on me, and I look forward to doin' something to this darn page soon.

Blessings
Isha

I'm Back

O.K. I could not stay away. I miss blogging so much and I had to come back. There is so much that goes on in my life that I want to share, get commentary on, understand and have folks to laugh with me about.

In the months since I stopped blogging, I've had so much to happen and I've missed the joy of writing about it!

So, the first Isha post will be a revisit to a poem I wrote a while ago that expressed how I feel about writing.

Please feel free to stop by as much as you like and share what you feel, think and have experienced in your day to day life.

Peace.

I Write...

If words are the verbal expressions of thought...let me put something on your mind...

These are the reasons I write...

Because,
She needs to know this life gets better if she just keeps holding on; and
We need to be reminded just how far we've come';
and
They need to understand that I'm more than this skin;
and
He...
He needs to know that I love him with a love that's everlasting.

A love that I can only understand
When I Write.

Because,
Words are the building blocks that build generations, and if never written down, our foundation is but dust.

I write because,
My Sunday mornings used to be a time of praise, but now there's just time for reflection.

Thinking of what life would be like if I never met him, how
I'd be different if I still had them, and
Time to ask the question ..."Lord When will things get betta?"

I write because,
Sometimes my mind listens to my heart and my heart speaks what's in my soul, and the conversation is so sweet...my hands find ways to share it.

I write because,
Our, little girls need encouragement; and
Our, little boys need direction; and
Grown women need sisterhood; and
Our men need our support.

I write because,
There are songs to be sung, but I can't hold long notes
Pirouettes to be spun, but I can't stand on point
Sonatas to be played, but I never learned the scale; and
Sunsets to be painted, but somehow my brush can't find the colors to paint what I see.
But I've found that there's power in words and I write to capture the power in the words I am soon to speak.

I mean think!
In 24 verses, God spoke the work LET 12 times and in that move created everything you can see, taste, touch, hear and smell.
And in verse 26 He said it twice more and we were created, and given dominion.

And when words created unity and unity created Babble He retaliated and confused us with Language.
So words, even small ones, must be life, and power, and beauty and all of the things that keep this world turning in the right direction.

Humph...can you hear me? These are the reasons I write.

I write because,
Ma' spelling ain't worth a dime, but my words were my mother's treasures.

I write to catch my lovers attention, honor a loved ones life, speak out the things in my mind, and to pour out my heart to anyone who will listen.

I write because,
One day I'll die.
But I've learned that the words "Ask not", "I have a dream." and "By any means necessary"; not only change generations, but have found ways to live far longer than those who wrote them.
And I Want to live forever.

I write when,
I'm hurting, to dull the pain,
When I'm thinking, to feel it more,
When I work cause' that's how I roll , and when
I feel sexy...cause layin' on his mind lasts longer than layin' in his bed and my words...give him something to think about all day.

So to understand why I do what I do, you must go to my source.
By His words I was given life, so I live
In His mind I was created, so I create
When challenged, He simply said "It is written" and there could be no more debate.

And, these are the reasons that I write.

Alpha

Heavenly Father:

I open this blog as a way to express the way I feel inside, share the many blessings of my day to day life, and as a way for people to share, love, commune and grow.

I ask you Lord that you protect this site and keep it safe for both me and those who may visit. Help me Lord to keep my dignity and respectability at all times as I post. Help me to express my feelings in a way that helps me to grow and inspires others to change, encourage, correct and support me and those who may visit. Help us all, each who may post or visit to see the true meaning and message of every post. Let us be able to laugh, cry and understand the feelings that are shared here.

Father, I ask that you allow me to encourage someone through my words, protect someone by sharing my experiences, learn from those who comment and bond with those who my find this a place of comfort, comedy or community. Father, please let those who visit this site be a blessing in every way possible. Let those who come by to be negative teach me tolerance, those who come by to share teach me compassion and those who come by to bond teach me love. Father, I ask that you allow them to see the meaning in my words rather than my faults in spelling and punctuation. In short, I ask that you keep us safe in this mode of communication.

Lord bless me with the words that help me to grow and express all that I feel, see and experience. Let this Blog be truth, strength, love, joy, and life. All the things that we need to move forward through this journy.

I thank you for every blessing and gift you have given me. I thank you for every thing I am yet to learn, see and do.

Please keep my mind and words, protect me in every way and help me to show how truly awesome a life lived on purpose can be.

Things things I ask in your son Jesus' name

Amen