2004-01-16 - 9:15 a.m.

So I gotta talk about last night, right? It would just not be proper of me to not talk about last night. But first...

Two Things (always two things! LOL!):

1) Clay Aiken

The weirdest thing: This morning, I drove the 20 minute commute to work singing "If I was invisible". No, not the whole song. Not even a chorus. I just kept saying, over and over, "If I was invisible...If I was invisible...If I was invisible..." I'm serious. I don't know why. Don't know what came over me. All I know is I got in the car singing, "If I was invisible". When I got to the end of the street, I was singing, "If I was invisible". When I got on the expressway and when I got off the expressway, I was still singing, "If I was invisible".

But as soon as I got to work, I stopped.

Weird. But I love my mind anyway!

2) My job.

Okay, I get to work. Turn on my computer. All the usual. I'm sitting here, reading away, when one of my supervisors (a VP) comes up to me. He has envelopes in his hand and is telling me how the company is handing out bonuses to its employees today but as a contract employee, I wouldn't normally get one... Then, he tells me that because of the good job I've done, I'll be getting a bonus anyway.

I damn near FELL OUT THIS HERE CHAIR! LOL!!! LMAO!!!!!

It ain't matter to me if the thang was $15! I was just in love with the fact that I was gon' get me some unexpected money!

So tell me, why when I open up the envelope to see how much it is ('cause I'm ghetto like that - can't wait 'till I leave work to find out), I see the word "fifty".

Mind you, I'm reading the typed-out amount backwards (I don't know why I just ain't look at the numbers first - that's just the way my mind works)... Then I see the word "hundred"... Then I see the word "three". WHY MY BONUS WAS THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAMN DOLLAZ!?!!!!!!?

I was 'bout to start shoutin' like I was up in chuch (yes, C-H-U-C=H) in here!

I just wanna and gotta say "Praise the Lord" 'cause only he knows how much this really really means to me. I mean, I'm sitting up here 'bout to have to dive into a financial situation that was totally unexpected. 'Bout to have to shell out money that I feel I can't afford to shell out. And here he is, throwin' money at me like this.

Can't nobody tell me God ain't real. Not a damn body. If he brings you to it, he'll bring you through it.

Okay, now back to last night... Yes, I remembered!

So we all met up at my house. It was five of us. I usually ride with my girl J but Miss Pooh (ahhhhhh LOL!!!) got in the car with her first. Which was weird, 'cause her ace was drivin' to the place too. So, I hopped in the car with her ace VitaVita. We went to Popeye's ("Love that chicken from Popeye's!") and had the most ghetto dining experience ever. LOL!!! All I can say is, "my black people...".

We then headed out to the spot. Met up with 'bout 35 other folk we knew (okay, it was more like 4 but considering the amount of people up in there, the 9 of us was a gang for real). We sat down and got ready for the show. J and Miss Pooh said they were going outside and I wanted to go but somebody distracted me so they left. I'm yippity-yackin' with somebody and, next thing you know, here comes Miss Pooh and J with a cake and a birthday bag...

I'm like, "Who havin' a birthday?" LOL! I'm so slow! LOL!!!

They presented me with the cake and, later on, sang happy birthday. It was real nice to know that people were thinkin' about me like that. I don't make any kind of deal out of my birthday 'cause, usually, I'm just happy to have made it to another year. But they knew that I needed something like that right about now.

God always places good people in my life. I always have some good people around me - my family, my friends, random folk on the street. There are always good people around me. Especially when I need them to be. And last night was no exception.

So, we hung out, listened to some poetry and danced to some old songs ("OPP", "Scenario", etc.). We left there and headed over to this club we ain't never been to but heard about. I had placed us on the guestlist but we were so late getting there...

Basically, the guestlist (i.e. free entry) was closed so we were 'bout to leave when the promoter (literally) chased us down and let us in for free. We stayed for a lil' while and then left. We got to the car and that thang wouldn't start. Thankfully, some dudes were comin' out from the club at the same time. They were still a little ways back. So, I opened the door and asked them if they knew how to jump a car.

One of them gon' say, "Depends on how you look." I promptly closed the door and told J to lock the doors. The dude came up to the car with his friends talkin' 'bout, "It was just a joke. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!".

Turned out, it was a guy who had worked hard on J in the club to get her number. LOL! So he looked straight dumb. He was tryin' to figure out why I was upset at the comment.

I'm thinkin', "'Cause I ain't got time to waste on no lil' corny ass comments, that's why I'm upset! Especially when you need to look at yourself before you go makin' a statement like that. Nigga, we all got AAA! Don't nobody need your ass to give us a jump!". But, being the considerate individual that I am, I just told him that I asked him a serious question and he gon' come out his mouth with some nonsense.

He quickly shut the hell up and went and got the jumper cables from his Escalade to jump my girl's Nissan Sentra. LOL!!!! It was FUNNY!!! We said thank you and was ready to keep it moving but he wanted to make sure to apologize about the comment so he talked a minute while his friend gave the damn history on batteries and alternators and starters and the relationship they share.

A perfect ending to the night, I would say. Just the memory of last night has me laughing. LOL.

And I just called my momma so I could be ghetto and spread the news about my bonus right? Well, she and my aunt work in the same office (they got it like that. Nepotism? WHATEVER!). So, when I called my mother's line, my aunt picked up. I said, "Hey Auntie B!"

She said, "Girl, what a coincidence! Your folks from Africa on the line wit yo momma!" I ain't believe her at first but she was serious! Wouldn't I call when my momma is speakin' to my people over in Africa.

My father was not around during my life. He made guest appearances maybe two or three times. Other than that, he was non-existent. He had his life all established and settled over in Nigeria...

He wants a relationship now but I'm a stubborn goat (Capricorn) so that's kinda difficult.

*8 minutes late*

Okay, so now I'm like "WTF?!?!" 'cause my cell phone rang (again, I am at work) and it's my father and one of my little sisters calling from Africa... On my cell phone, while I'm at work, I'm having estranged family calling from the other side of the world. Too weird! LOL! LOL!!!!! Something like that would happen to me. LOL.

2004 is just off to a funny start for me. Everything. Everything, everything. I know that this is going to be a year I never forget only for good reasons. Just like last year.

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