Random Thoughts

Today I have to do some Christmas shopping (even though the gas company broke me). They haven't called me back and they were suppose to! I've got three Christmas parties to go to today for my three kids. I need to wash my dreads, which I was suppose to do yesterday. I have to put an invoice in the mail for a client, to which I won't get paid until after the holiday. Bad as I need he money I said okay because... It's the holiday. Today is the last day of school so I'm gonna finish up my work or this client hopefully, no later than Monday of next week. I'm shutting it down for the holidays after that.
On another note, I'm still waiting to hear from Agate. When I emailed him about a week and a half ago he said they were still considering me and would have a resolution for me in a few weeks. So I analyzed his response: They were still considering me and would have a resolution for me in a few weeks. What does that mean? Does that mean an answer to my burning question? Resolution stems from resolve, but if they say no, that doesn't resolve anything for me. Then I wondered (considering) if they had treated my submission and maybe a few others like a contest, and they were narrowing their decision down? While I am glad, if this is true, to still be considered. Also I queried Audra Barrett Literary Agency. She got right back with me and asked for the 1st three chapters as an attachment. I guess she'll look over them during the holiday. But on the other hand I still plan to proceed with my self-publishing if all else fails. One way or the other--- IT'S GOING DOWN!

Alright you all, I realize this entry has no direction. It's just my random thoughts for today.
Here are the books I plan to read over the Holiday.

I know why the Caged Bird Sings (shame on me... I've never read it)
All God's Children need traveling Shoes
Singin' and Swingin' Getting Merry Like Christmas

These are Maya Angelou's babies. I'll be sure and let you know what's what.

LF Goodwyn

A sad day for Black America

At 12:35 am Stanley Tookie Williams was killed by lethal injection at the San Quentin correctional facility. I know you all have heard but I just want to take a minute to encourage you all not to support the death penalty. Not only because I feel that it should be left up to God who lives or dies. It shouldn't be the right of the U.S government as to whether one should live or die. The conservatives are anti-abortion "it's a life, a heartbeat," they say, but they have no problem with the heart that beats in the prison system or in our own U.S military, or for people in other countries, who like us, just want their freedom. As blackAmericans, we shouldn't support the death penalty because our skin is jam packed among the prison walls. We make up six percent of the population but eighty percent of the prison population. We look like fools supporting the death penalty! Surely all eighty percent of us in there aren't guilty. If this is the case, what they said about us during slavery and the negative self images that have been programmed into our brains there after must be true. We must really be good for nothing. We must really be stupid. We must really be criminals. We must be, if they saw fit to let us be the ones to fill up all of these prisons that they keep building. As long as we allow it to happen, as long as we don't stand up, it will continue to happen. And with our people making up eighty percent of the population (8 out of 10 on death row), and the way they are building prisons, how long will it be before you or I too will have a cell.
I'd like to thank the countless political prisoners who are down for the cause.
Also I want to give a shout out to Richard Pryor. Who did it his way. It doesn't matter how destructive he was to himself, you always have to take your hat off to someone who made up the rules as they went along.

So this is the book cover! I chose black and white to be a little different. I want people to look among a sea of colorful books and be drawn to my black and white cover. Here is the synopsis:

Love, depression, sadness, guilt, betrayal and sheer happiness, build the emotional roller coaster in An Aspirin for a Heartache. This sassy tale follows four women- best friends and one man, down their separate paths as they attempt to hold on to their hearts, minds and friendships while learning life's lessons.
Essence Carr married her high school sweetheart Michael ten years ago. Her only aspiration in life is to have children and fulfill her image of the perfect marriage, until she receives a phone call from Michael's mistress. Now she has to play a game of tug-of-war between her mind and her heart, and decide which side of the fence she wants to be on.
After a lifetime of hit-and-miss relationships Page Lancaster a snobby ex-pageant girl, ideals on relationships and life are still wrong. She has a meddlesome mother whose shallow views have dominated her entire life. And if that isn't enough she still lives at home, sleeping in the same room she has slept in since middle school. For Page, life has some hard lessons, especially since she’s learning them for the first time while in her thirties. She’s fed up with attracting Mr. Wrongs, but deep rooted scars stemming from being a dark skinned sister have clouded her judgment and vanity becomes a cover up for insecurity leaving her afraid to just be herself.
Jakie Hall, is a no-nonsense, trash talking, hard working, single mother of a teenage son named Tay. After a hope-to-die failed relationship with her baby’s daddy and a few other losers, she’s given up on love and sees men as only as playthings.
“When I finally broke loose from that relationship, there was barely enough of me left to give to Tay, and lord knows he needed me.”
After Tay starts getting into trouble and Jakie looses her good paying job, the walls start to close in on her. With her back against the wall she grabs a bottle of bourbon, some fishnet pantyhose and tries to carve her own way out.
Kyra Tennison, is actively involved in a church that she can’t get her husband to step one foot in. She’s a soccer mom, active in PTA, and dinner is always on the table. But according to her husband the house isn’t all that clean, she still hasn’t dropped the weight she gained from their last child and she could stand to spend a little less money. She's at the end of her rope. Her husband and children are taking her for granted and getting on her last nerve forcing her to question her existence.
“I'm having a hard time trying to differentiate between God not wanting someone for me and the devil trying to destroy what God intends for me.”
With her patience on its last thread, Kyra reaches out for some solitude and it isn’t in the pages of her bible!
He’s a high level engineer, at a top firm, that doesn’t appreciate him, and he’s involved in an extramarital affair that’s getting out of control. When the pain of the affair outweighs the pleasure, Michael Carr is forced to call it off, but is he too late!

I feel like I've been raped!

I had a feeling today was gonna be a messed up day. ( I wanted to say something else but I don't wanna start cursing...yet!) I got up around sixish, got the kids ready for school... let me back up.. I got up and checked my email expecting my book cover designer to have something for me but he didn't. So I was already a little edgy. I got the kids ready for school and we watched, the three of us, the clock, so they could leave the house at five after, like they do every God given day, to catch the buss. The bus smashed by at about two minutes after! So now they've missed the bus! Doesn't seem too bad. Listen to this...
To begin with we were cold as hell, the buss would have been an improvement. The gas got turned off yesterday. I was right in the middle of cooking and the flame fizzled and went out. My husband said, "did you pay the bill?" I said no, but I wasn't going to pay it until the 5th because that's the day I always pay it. I've been paying it on the fifth for nine or ten months now. But that didn't matter they were turning me off. So I went into the alley and asked, "are you turning me off?" I went on to explain how I pay the bill every month at the same time but he wasn't hearing it. Mind you it's nearly 4:00pm. Also mind you the bill is only $59.84. So I call the company and told them the same thing. They tell me the bill is late. I tell them, "I know," and go on to tell them how I've paid the bill on the 5th and so-on and so-on. Well, they tell me that I must pay a reconnect fee, a trip fee, an increase deposit fee, a late fee, and next months bill! This brought me to a whopping $274.00. Now if I want them to come out the same day I could tag an extra $47.00 plus a $2.95 processing fee. I was furious! So I had to hustle and get together the $274.00, and they'd just have to turn on the gas tomorrow (today) and I'd put dinner on the Foreman grill. Well the next day (today) comes, the kids miss the buss. I get that taken care of and around 9:30 a friend of ours walk to our house, because his girlfriend passed out at work--- he needed a ride to the hospital. So I called the gas company, because needless to say, they couldn't schedule a time to come out... I'd just have to be here, to tell them that I had to step out for a moment but is there any way they could let me know what time they MIGHT be by. They have no clue, but what I can do is call this handy 1-800 number and keep checking the status of the order. It should say one of three things:
1. The order has been dispatched- they have it but haven't got to it yet
2. They are in route- they're on their way, and I have about 15min to get home.
3. They are on site- at my house.

I said cool. I'll call every 10min until I take him there and come back. So I call about 4 times and every time I called it said they were dispatched. On the fifth call it said they'd connect me to a customer service representative. So she gets on the phone, with an attitude (sister girl), and tells me, basically they could reschedule me for Monday! So I start cursing. Not at her but at the company, you know. Well I make it home, call again, another sister girl. I call again, another sister girl, all with an attitude bigger than mine and they're sitting in a WARM building with this attitude. To cut the story short I ended up paying a same day service fee, after all, for $50.00! So now I'm at a grand total $334.00 for a $59 bill. Now ain't that some shit! Tell me I wasn't raped! As soon as I got off of the phone I called the Salvation Army and put my kids on the Christmas list. Centerpoint Energy, incase anybody wants to know, raped me and tried to steal Christmas.