I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship

dark leaf II
Originally uploaded by ali_turtle.

Just got my new baby- a Nikon D50. To celebrate, I've decided to get this flickr account up and running so I can share some of the pics and hide others for just my friends and family(pretty much anyone who reads this blog)

This pic was taken in the middle of the night- not a bad flash sensor- and the sharpness, the clarity-Nikon is a bad mutha (shut yo mouth).OMG i'm so excited!!!! my hands can barely touch the keys- and ive only had it for a few hours!!!

I can't wait- I can't wait!!

This weekend is going to be insane!!! And I dont get I'm real interested and curious in seeing Leslie Feinberg in the context of Spelman's Women's Research and Resource center. Yesterday we ran into an old friend- she asked who I was excited to see this weekend- I said Moya. And I guess Dr. Guy-Sheftall because no matter how much I see her day to day, I never get tired of listening to her speak. NEVER.

Monday I went to the Homecoming Fashion Show...

(For some reason I still cant upload photos.) But i had a great time- even if it was a hot mess....

I'm so tired. I woke up early to do my little computer outreach project and one person showed up. She had alzheimers so nothing really stuck. It was interesting.... :) I have so much to do today- and after this, I still have to go to school and finsh some stuff over there. I prolly wont get back until about 8- thats 13 straight hours! Breathe deeply- it could be worse...

but soon im going to have my baby! They said she can be delivered tomorrow or Monday!!!! I'm so excited!!

whats progress

Its getting hard to avoid corporations. Each time corporations merge or get bought out- the customer has a smaller voice, fewer people have jobs etc. The US is homogenized- but hey I'm sure this isnt anything new to people. I miss when traveling to a different state meant getting different stuff- or there was something unique about it. Even simple stuff like hearing different music. And though i do notice a slight difference between hyphy ass 106 KMEL and Lean wit it V103, there isnt that much of a difference. There are so many developments in Atlanta- they all look the same. I like the older houses in Atlanta with the triangle attics and big porches. I like the big trees and lush lawns that spill over into the street and force me to walk in the street. i like the old Marta sign posts that even bus drivers dont know where they are. When I was younger and took a trip to Atlanta, I took a picture of them because they looked like miniature Washington monuments. I dont even pretend like i'm from Atlanta, according to the census, something like half the people in Atlanta aren't from here. Atlanta natives are a hard find at times. If i were from here- i would be pissed..


I digress...

AT&T is trying to- or about to about out BellSouth- i'm not really excited. They say a few thousand jobs will be lost. This shit happens everywhere. I could go on this isnt any new insight.

Recently we've had some problems with the Digital cable. Half the channels were blocked off. Actually they're still not working and its 2 days later. I have called comcast twice and the first time i was put on hold for 23 minutes- only to get hung up on. I called back and got a recorded message that said- were experiencing difficulties and then the phone just hung up. So then i called back and instead of saying i needed assistance, i pushed 2 for 'If you are interested in starting service' I was immediately connected, only to give my piece of mind to an operator who problably hads little to do with the problem. you cant even complain to comcast? what kind of business shit is that? Well i already know the answer to it.

Yesterday I recieved a new cell phone in the mail. Unfortunately it was the wrong phone. so i called Tmobile and after i selected 1 for English- I was immediately connected to a service person. Have you ever called somewhere expecting a machine and someone picks up? Its so rare i didnt even know what to say. I told him the problem- he looked up and ADMITTED they had sent the wrong phone. He APOLOGIZED(it was sincere) and credited my account and put a new one in the mail. He also suggested some new phones that might be cheaper.
????

I was so shocked. The whole transaction took less than 5 minutes. It was beautiful.
So this is my list of companies that i deal with and how there service compares with customer service. This is subject to change the next time i have to call them. this is strictly based on callnig them- not their services

Excellent Customer Service
Southwest Airlines
T-Mobile
Sushi Ave, Figo Pasta Decatur and

Decent
Scana Energy- not always nice but they usually work shit out
Salvation Army-They would get a better grade if they didnt talk so much.

Bearable
Bank of america- (the operators are fake nice but usually im mad because b of A fucked up my account and they dont fix it)
Rent-a-center - i called them to pick up the speakers after the party and he kept asking how i looked and how he is looking for a girlfriend

Needs to be shot at
COMCAST
DELTA
SPRINT- I hate when people, who are clearly not in the US call and say their name is Jack Brown and can barely pronounce it. i dont mind accents- i do mind liars.

Here are my tips- theres a website that has all the phone keystrokes to get you to a human. find it.

When dining- dine with white people(or moya because everybody seems to love her), bring a journal and pretend youre taking notes or a camera so you look like a food critic.

Complain youre ass off. Remember PUSH (Pray until something happens) The same applies here.

one thing leads to another

Anmother Milestone
The other day i went to Walgreens to pick up another 500 picture binder bringing my total picture count to more than 2000 pictures. So i have more than 2000 pictures since the 8th grade. Damn. I have pics from my 8th grade semiformal- this was an important time in my life because it was here that i made the transistion from glasses and corn rows to long silky black hair and contacts. All in a matter of a few weeks. I had had thick glasses (i have a -6.00 contact prescription) since elementary school and this was the first time i could look in the mirror and see myself without glasses. And that coupled with my new perm- i swear i looked like a princess

(speaking of hair. I dont know what the hell to do with mine. My friend Uzo-amaka is gone so i no longer have a personal natural hair stylist, (as if they are so hard to find in Atlanta). An afro is a whole lotta work-so i decided to just lock it back up so i dont have to deal with it every day...more on that later)


Idle hands are a devils workshop...
So i picked up a little freelance gig yesterday (one of these i-woulda-done-it-for-you-free- but-since-you-offered-to-pay-me... situations) But im really excited because its enough money to finally be able to purchase that camera ive been dreaming about!!!!!!!

Yesterday I bit my tongue to go see a free screening of the movie Catch a Fire about a South African man who blew up the water treatment plant to protest apartheid. Its based on a true story and the guy who the film was based on was at the screening along with Derek Luke(oh he's so cute). Afterwards, there was a question and answer period(I'm not a big fan of Q & A's) where some white people got up and said some of the dumbest shit i've heard...

Well i've been kinda lax with the photos lately. But I swear if i get a new camera- y'all will be so sick of seeing pics- i might have to move my blog to flikr. Here are some October pics

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So blogger doesnt want to upload my pics- well i guess there wont be any pics today. I really need to figure out how to get the flickr on the blog thing together

I was made to love her

or was she made to have me.

So for awhile i've had this slight obessesion with a camera. Her silver body with all the right curves, 10 megapixels of pure beauty. Everytime i go into Ritz Camera to pick up my prints, she whistles at me like a crack whore from her spot on the second shelf behind the glass.

"Alison baby, take me home, ill do things to you...."

"naw" i say, i have a wife and two kids at home I have a private education to finance

I look at her longingly from the line as she dances on a pole in front of me- shaking her goods side to side. I stand there, bills in my hand ready to tip her and hopefully bring her home. But the bouncer Ritz camera sales boy stares at me- reminding me to keep a safe distance.

For monthes i pick up the Ritz camera sales quarterly, scanning the pages like a dirty magazine. Cutting out pics and hanging them on my mirror- 'one day ill have you, just you wait. Imma rescue you from the Decatur store and we can live together and frolick in the hills...'

i pick up my prints and turn around for one more glance of her. She winks at me

next time baby,

next time

*i learned from summer the strikethrough
*I learned from jalylah the importance of astericks at the bottom of the post

The freaks come out at night.

Tonight was a full moon. I'm a moon fanatic. And though im fron the west coast and love watching sunsets over oceans and bays, there is something ever so fascinating about this giant white ball sitting in the sky. It changes shape, sometimes you cant even see it but its there. It reminds me of the passage of time. Its no coincedence that womens cycles are 28 days as well.
It controls oceans...Need i say more.

During my sleepless nights i see the moon peeking at me, waiting patiently for me to close my eyes and loose myself in slumber. Sometimes i do, sometimes i dont, but through the blinds its always there...



I wish i had a telescope, especially with a camera at the end, but i dont. But that didnt stop me from snapping a picture with my trusty digi cam....

I don't get it

I mean wasnt the first one annoying enough?

Can I please graduate

Why is this shit taking so long. Let me rephrase this question, why am I dragging this shit out? Why are most of my friends in Ph.D. programs and I have yet to get out of undergrad?

So a few weeks ago I was with my friend, we were going to Georgia State so that she could get me one of those seriously underpriced MARTA cards. I was looking around thinking hmmm should i transfer here? Its a much better enviroment for a student over the age of 23. I could focus on classes minus the social. I could take some fascinating classes that you can only take at a state school. And lastly, Georgia State is less than 3000 dollars a semester for tuition. Simply a matter of economics. Spelman avergaes about 7000 semester. Shit my americorps stipend would almost clear out a semesters full-time tution at GSU.

MY reasons for staying at Spelman are quite superficial. Really the only reason i'm staying is because I want SPELMAN on my diploma. In addition- I have met some fabulous people and great friends and learned a lot about feminism. Its also nice to be in an all black classroom. Spelman can feel very familial at times. Most of all I worked to hard to get here- I need to commit to something, follow through and graduate. It is something that i'm very bad at doing. I usually get within inches and then somehow pull out.... I've got to finish this race.

But GSU, is a great school. It has some classes that I find really interesting. It's a quite a bargain. I can just go to class then come home- no socializing required. They have great facilites (gym and performance halls) and all kinds of other goodies. Plus I can get a cheap MARTA card(hey thats a deal breaker).

So thats whats been circulating in my head lately.

Other things:

I stole another another newspaper from the MARTA station this morning(money collector thing sometimes doesnt work so you can just pull it open and grab a paper. The station agent tried to yell at me but i responded 'it didnt want my money 'then took off like an arthritic track star. Off all the things i could shoplift, I choose a newspaper? I'm gangsta forreal)

But really, how are you gonna act all brand new when the machine takes my money, like you have nothing to do with the AJC but then act all crunk and committed when i take a paper for free.

I'm just saying.

One last thing. It is 75 degrees out and the library still wants to blast the air condition. Why do people insist on putting on ac in the winter time? I am not a piece of meat that needs to be shipped across the country so why do i feel like one in this 61 degree computer lab? I HATE HATE HATE AC. AC should only be used when it is 85 or over. And even then it should be used sparingly. I fucking have goosebumps!!!

until later- when i'm feeling decisive...

me