Road Rage

I've noticed that the more I'm on the road, driving, the angrier I get. And it doesn't make sense. I do not drive to work everyday. My time on the road consists of the 5 minute drive to the metro station that I take every morning and the 10 minute drive in the evening from the metro station to Darrius' school. So I spend 15 minutes on the road as my daily commute. That is a tiny, minute fraction of the amount of time the normal DC/MD/VA commute consists of. So why am I so angry when I get behind the wheel?

It starts the moment I get in my car and leave the parking garage. When I'm getting ready to exit the garage, I get irritated when people are searching to find their SmartTrip card so that they can pay the parking fee and exit. Why isn't the card in their hand or sitting in the cup holder? What sense does it make to put it back in your purse or in your pocket knowing you're going to have to use it again? So I start to simmer. I yell at the person in front of me, "hurry up!" As if they can hear me.

Once I'm out of the garage and on the road, the simmer turns to a slow boil. People act like they don't know how to merge, how to change lanes, how to use a turn signal, doesn't know that green means go....it's ridiculous! So I grip my steering wheel and the yelling starts. For some reason I like calling people asswipe. That's my new word. So I'm yelling "Go asswipe! The lights green!, asswipe" or "Use your turn signal dumb-A". That's another word I've been using a lot lately - dumbass. I don't know why I like it but I just do. I especially like using the shortened version, dumb-A. I like the way it feels, I guess. None of this is productive. I can't control the way people act on the road by acting like an angry moron. And it's stressful and not healthy and not productive. And I have 10-year-old ears in the car with me when this ranting is going on.

So, I've come to the realization that I can't be doing this with Darrius in the car. That's not good. I don't want him growing up thinking that this is appropriate driving behavior. So I am going to make a conscious effort to curb my Road Rage. It's my New Year's resolution that I'm starting TODAY! It's going to be hard to do living in this area since most people around here drive with their thumb up their asses! (ok - had to be said. that was my last, last RR rant - promise)

Thanksgiving

Mom and her siblings with grandma

Some of the grandkids with grandma

My uncles

Tunica, MS

Aunt Lorraine, Ricky, Aunt Jackie

Darrius and Julianna

My parents - at the Waffle House

We spent our Thanksgiving in Memphis, TN. As always, it was great seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins. When I'm around my family I still feel like a kid. I don't feel like an adult. It's weird. I had a great time. The trip was entirely too short.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm headed off to Memphis, TN to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I will be back to post losts of pictures and recap the great time I had down South.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Just because

Yesterday I told Darrius to clean his room. It was a mess. I literally had to walk around his room on tippy toes because there was stuff everywhere on his floor. Apparently he got bored, quickly, because he walked into my bedroom looking like this:

Hilarious. That's all I have to say.

End of Soccer Season

Today was the last game for the Green Eagles. The game ended in a tie, 2-2. Fall soccer has come to an end.


Coach Rick is great. He commands the boys attention without yelling at them.


The boys acting silly.

Beyond Amazing...

I woke up this morning to get ready to go to work. I didn't know the result of the election because I fell asleep. I took a shower and got dressed, sat down on my bed and turned on my T.V. I held my breath as I turned to MSNBC to get the results of last night's election. They are showing Barack's acceptance speech in Chicago. I catch my breath. I can't believe it. He actually WON! And by a landslide so there's no questioning his victory. I turn up the volume and listen to his acceptance speech. As I look at the faces in the crowd and listen to his words, I start to cry. This moment is beyond political lines. It is so much more. It's about where this country started and how far it has come. I think about my grandparents who aren't here to see this momentous day. I think about my son and the possibilities that have opened up to him. I think about how I now hope that blacks are not looked upon as second-class citizens any longer; that we are seen as people with hopes and dreams for themselves and their families. We are Americans and we want to be a part of that American Dream.

I am still trying to catch my breath. It's the day after Election Day and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what has happened. I never thought that I would see, in my lifetime, a black man elected as President of the United States. We have come so far but we have so much further to go. I am so happy that I can tell Darrius that, Yes, you can be anything you want to be. There are no limitations for you. Barack Obama finally broke through that ceiling that has been holding us back for so long. I am full of joy and happiness and mostly I am full of Hope. I am hopeful that inner city kids will look at this man, a man who was raised by a single mother and his grandparents, a man that did not come from a priviledged background, who overcame every obstacle to get to where he is today and see that YES THEY CAN. They can rise above their surroundings, they can strive to want more and do more with their lives. I hope they look at him and see that they too can travel that same path.

It has been an emotional ride. I look forward to seeing where we go from here.

Halloweeeen!

We spent almost 4 hours trick-or-treating with our neighborhood friends. As usual, it was a huge event. At the end of the night, my feet were aching and my energy was being sustained by sneaking miniature candy bars from Darrius' bag-o-candy.



Darrius is Freddy Krueger and I'm Jason....Freddy vs. Jason. That's the theme we were aiming for.




Darrius as Freddy Kruger, Kiera is a stick figure (love it! so original) and Larinda is a ghost.




One of the homes we went to had a haunted house in the front yard. The kids loved it.