LET THE ASS KICKIN' BEGIN!

All Hail the Chief - Master Chief!

He is back and he is Oh! so beautiful!

As much as I hate to admit it, Microsoft did an amazing job on Halo 3. They have finally delivered something good!! (XP people...and no - I still won't get Vista) Halo 3 is a truly a thing of beauty. The graphics are stunning. The gameplay is oh, so smooth. I can sit and watch it all day (remember, I'm a spectator!). So far, it has totally lived up to it's hype.

Needless to say, Michael loves it and spends every moment he can playing it. He loves the new weapons and the improvements they made on his favorites. He even likes the fact that you can customize your suit in such detail. Who knew my baby was that interested in fashion?...Halo suit fashion?!

His only complaint so far is that he cannot customize the controller buttons to the way he likes them. It took him a few minutes to adjust to the default setting. He loves the game and says even the online play has been greatly improved. I have been reading online that there are few glitches in the game - it is Microsoft after all - we haven't come across any so far. But all said and done, It is a beautiful game and I have given up all hope of using the hi-def TV in the living room for now. It's all his and Master Chief's.

Halo 3

I have just returned from Gamestop where I picked up Michael's copy of Halo 3! I have to wait until he gets home and cracks it open. His 16th Birthday was a week ago and I pre-ordered it for him as a b-day gift. I know he is sitting in class watching the clock, aching to get home to play! He begged me to stay home from school today - if his grades we're better I may have considered it. Oh well - he'll play it when he gets home.

I love video games but I'm not much of a gamer - it's more of a spectator sport for me. I do have a few games that I play and I actually own a DS Lite - used to play that all the time - Sudoku, BrainAge and Pokemon Trozeii. Since I am handicapped when it comes to the controllers, you will find me playing simpler games - children's games. I like the bright pretty colors too! :-)

At any rate, I really hope Halo3 is worth all the hype. Since this is the last game in the Trilogy, it would be so disappointing if Microsoft let everyone down. (Wouldn't be the first time, either!) I can't wait to see the game play! Plus, I'm in love with Master Chief!

Now I just have to wait for Assassin's Creed to be released...that's looks like such a sexy game!

Fire on East 19th

There was a horrible fire down the block from my place last night. Cat was out walking Yummy and called me because there were so many fire trucks and ambulances. I didn't smell any smoke and the Fire Department didn't seem to stay very long, so I assumed that it must not have been that bad. Unfortunately, this morning I learned how wrong I was.

Three people died in that fire; a 76 year old woman, a 50 year old woman and a 12 year old boy. A fourth person, a teenage boy, is in the hospital in critical condition. The Fire Department has said the fire was caused by faulty wiring.

I walked by there earlier today and took these photos. You can see the damage done to the attic.

I'm not a religious person, but I had to say a prayer for them all. It's so sad.

Mr. Pain and the Absurd

I have been a migraine sufferer since I was a teenager. I get it all; the auras, the nausea, the light sensitivity, and of course the big daddy of them all -- Mr. Pain!


When Mr. Pain comes, no one else can be near me - i'm his totally. I know total suffering in his arms. About 2 years ago I made several changes in my life, including being very careful of what I eat and my migraines disappeared. I would get them so infrequently that I actually forgot what they we're like. That is until now.



In early June I had to have major surgery. Everything went well, I healed properly and I am thankfully healthy again with one small exception...Mr. Pain is back. And he is kicking my ass! In the past week I have had a series of migraines that is not ending. I am living in pain. I din't know what has triggered them again and I am slowly removing different foods from my diet to see if that will help. I don't know if it's an after effect of the surgery. I do know that Mr.Pain is back with a vengence and I am not happy to see him. It's an abusive relationship and I want out!

HTML and Photoshop

It's been a while since I have posted. I have, with the help of my daughter Cat, been learning HTML and Photoshop. Wow! Can I tell you how amazing I find it all?! I thought I was web savvy - yeah right!

She has only showed me a few basic things, but the changes I have made so far amaze me and has made me hungry to learn more. She got me an HTML book and I will become proficient in it. I find it all so fascinating. I can now clean up my pictures before I post them on the web and make my blog a lot more personalized. It's brilliant. It's like creating a whole new world for myself. I love learning and challenging myself.

When I first got a computer for the kids I came home a week after we got it only to find that my daughter's friend ried to install an internal scanner while I was at work and crashed the hard drive. So - I began to take pc repair classes cause I figured this would be happening a lot and I'd better know how to fix it. And now I can. I am the family's pc tech. Now it's learning the guts of the internet and web pages. I'm gonna be brilliant at it!

Carol's Daughter and Me

There is a relatively new line of skin, hair care and body products based out of Brooklyn named Carol's Daughter. A black owned company that has celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith and Mary J. Blige promoting their products. The products are all natural and according to the celebrity hype - amazing for black hair and skin.

Well, I believed the hype, jumped in with both feet and ordered skin, hair and body care products from them. I places a relatively large order online and left both my email address and telephone number in the event of a problem. I received a confirmation number when I places the order but never received an email to confirm the order as most commerce websites do. I kept checking my email daily to see if I would receive an email when my products shipped. Nothing. No email, no phone call.

About 4 days after placing the order, I did get an email saying that one of the items I ordered was not in stock and I would not be charged for it. But still no email on the arrival of my order. After over a week I called the company's customer service department and was informed that my order had been shipped and should be arriving the next day. I asked why I wasn't sent an email regarding this, suppose I hadn't called and no one was at home? I was told by the customer service rep that she did not know. I asked if this was normal and got the same answer. I hung up more aggravated that I was when I called.

The following day my shipment came, as informed by customer service, but I was confused. The box was tiny. I place a large order, how could it all fit in that box? I opened the box to find only half of the items I ordered. Back on the phone and another call to Carol's Daughter's customer service. I explained my situation to the young lady that got my call. She may have been hired for her bi-lingual abilities - but English was not her strong language. After explaining my situation several times, I was told that I never ordered the missing items. Strange, I have a printed confirmation with all of he items on it and a total of over $200.

How can that be?......

Ah...your system is faulty and didn't transmit the entire order to you?......

Isn't that something that should be fixed?......

Oh, they know about it?......

And you don't know if it's being taken care of?......

You don't know?! Okaaay then!

After a few minutes of ridiculous conversation with this person, I asked if she could tell me weather the items I did not receive we're in stock. I was put on hold and waited for a good 7 minutes before she came back to let me know that they were not.
I stupidly asked, "Could this be why I didn't receive them with my order?" "Maybe" was the answer I got. I thank her kindly for all her assistance and hung up as quickly as I could!

In spite of all this I was still eager to try the products that got so much black star power behind it. I cracked open bottle after bottle sniffed. It all smelled pretty much the same - very herbal. I wasn't expecting anything else so I forged on.

I have very oily skin which leads to breakouts constantly. Carol's Daughter has face wash and serum that was designed for oily skin. I grabbed them and headed to the bathroom. I washed my face with the wash. It left my face feeling coated. I rinsed numerous times to clean the stuff off, but no change. My face felt like there was a coating of something on it. Well, there's still the serum. I opened up the tiny bottle and put a few drops on my fingertips and proceeded to massage it into my face, following sparse directions to the letter. Was I surprised to find that the "serum for oily skin" was OIL based!

Yes folks, here I was rubbing what amounts to nothing more than herb infused oils into my already oily face! withing half an hour everything I touched had oil all over it. I had to keep cleaning my glasses - they we're constantly smudged. After 2 hours of this mess - I headed back to the bathroom to clean my face with my normal face wash. Thankfully - it got all the oils of my face and even removed the strong herbal smell too. I have since found that all of Carol's Daughter's products are oil based. From the face wash to the hair conditioners- anything that is supposed to moisturize will leave you feeling like you we're in an oil slick.

I have not contacted the company regarding my disappointment and wasted money. I just thank my lucky stars that half of my order did not come. Thanks to their incompetence I was saved a lot of money and heartache. I will NEVER recommend this product to anyone. It's awful. The herbal smell is so strong I was sneezing the entire time I used it. The shampoo does not clean your hair - it leaves it feeling tacky. I could go on and on but why bother. I have just learned a valuable lesson - what works for Carol's Daughter does not work for me!

A Letter to the Smokers in 1D and 2C

Dear neighbors,

I understand that you have the right to do as you please in your respective apartments, but you constant cigarette smoking is making ma family's life miserable.

I go to bed each night and wake up each morning to the secondhand smoke from 2C. I awake sneezing, my eyes burning and my chest hurting. Each morning the first thing I do is take an allergy pill so I can live in my apartment. I leave my bedroom and attempt to find refuge in my living room only to be enveloped by the smoke coming from both 2c and1D. My new sofa has taken on a lovely smell of Eau de Ciggy.

I am extremely allergic to cigarette smoke, and my son is asthmatic. Our lives are miserable because of your bad habit. I beg of you, please, please be a bit more considerate and keep your smoking outdoors. I don't know either of you and i'm sure that you are both understanding people. And for the neighbor in 2C - can you please stop throwing your cigarette butts off your balcony onto mine?

Thank you,

Your neighbor in 1C

Bunny Shoes

Cris, my eldest child, came bursting throug the door last night with something she swore I had to see and would absolutely love....I held my breath in anticipation.


She is an easy going, fun loving young lady. She's like me in many ways- she can be childlike and goofy. So when she came bursting in last light I couldn't wait to see what this marvelous thing was.

Bunny shoes! Shoes that look like a 5 year old should be wearing them - but made for adults.

They are made of faux sheepskin, so they're all fuzzy. And as you can see from the picture, they have bunny ears and a bunny tail. They also have eyes and two bunny teeth in the front. Oh, they are adorable and so very much like my Cris. She is the only person I know that would actually wear a pair of these when it's not halloween.

As a mother, it makes me so happy to see my child embracing the silliness life has to offer. Last week she bought really cute undies from Old Navy - and they turned out to be for toddlers. She liked the patterns so much - she never paid attention to the size. (My 4yr old neice got them)

Cris is young, beautiful and completely secure in who she is and what she wants. She could be a totally self absorbed person, but she's not. She lives her life in a totally different world. She's wacky and silly and always makes people laugh. Kids and dogs love her! And isn't laughter the greatest gift you could give? There is a yiddish proverb that says: "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." My Cristina is a big beautiful bar of soap for the soul!

So I would like to thank my Cris for always bringing joy to my life and keeping my soul squeaky clean! And I love her as a daughter but even more as a person.

The Blog Snobs

I've just had my first experience with blog snobbery.

My daughter Cat suggested that I join a blog directory to meet like minded people and get more traffic on my blog. Let's face the truth, no one knows that my blog even exists. I started this for me, but I figured "ah what the hell, it might be fun". So in my naivete I signed up for blogcatalog.com - they seemed to have a nice mix of people and topics and I figured I would be able to learn a lot from them - Ha!

My simple blog wasn't good enough for them. One of their admins took one look at the blog I submitted, my knitting blog- Knit me Knot- and promptly denied me membership. I have to admit that it's a simple blog, I am after all a noob, but I thought there would be a place for everyone. Apparently blogcatalog.com is not one of those places. You better be a professional blogger or you get no love from them.

Well, I say Fuck them! I like my blogs just the way they are! As a noob, I have a lot to learn and I plan to get better at this. But for now, I have learned the harsh lesson that blog snobbery exists and blogcatalog.com can kiss my black @$$!

To Blog World and Back

I took a trip around blog world today and all I can say is:

Wow, am I inspired!

Being new to blogging I did the obvious thing and started journaling - with some pics and music thrown in for fun. I am so ashamed.

I didn't realize what you can create and accomplish with a blog. I had no idea that your blogs were so amazing. Viewing some of the other blogs has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I can create. I'm now chomping at the bit to make something amazing as well. I have only one question; are all you folks artists, designers and in the graphics field? Or am I the only schlump that doesn't know anything about anything when it comes to blogs and html?

What do I do now? I need to come up with a concept and rethink my blog strategy. I don't need unnecessary bells and whistles, just solid content. Actually, I like the bells and whistles - i'll just keep it to a minimum. Oh I can't wait to get started.

Although, I must say that I really enjoy journaling on Brooklyn Blues. I get to vent about everything here and not have to apologize for my bad behavior. It feels goods to be able to do that. So, I may very well keep this blog exactly as it is.

Why give that up? Everyone needs their bit of naughtiness. :-)

Just Another Boring Day

It was a beautiful late summer day in Brooklyn. The sun was shining, it was 80 degrees with no humidity, a perfect day for a nap in the sun.

If only my day we're that easy. Four horrible words words - last minute school shopping! Why did I wait so long?

Procrastination is not a normal habit for me, but this year I put everything off and was in the mall and in staples like every other crazed parent out there. Oh the lines and the attitudes. Thankfully I only have to shop for my son. Thanks to today's experience I will start my christmas shopping next week - online!

My son showed his father my post about him - the loser post - he was none too happy...and life goes on. He feels i'm being evil and I am unfairly ridiculing him. He has left himself open to that ridicule and I believe that I am being treated unfairly by him when I have to sit up wondering where he is. If he answered his cell when I called we wouldn't have this problem.

So - until he makes a decision to make a few positive changes in his life - I feel I am free to to post pictures of his drunken ass all over the internet.

He's lucky it wasn't a video! That may be coming soon. hehehehe ;-)

Creative Commons License

Learned about the Creative Commons License today from Cat, my daughter in the Graphic Arts field. It basically states that nothing on my blog can be used for profit and I must be given credit if it is being used fro non-profit or by students - not that I expect anyone to want anything I have here, my stuff is mediocre at best - but just in case!

A big Thank You!!! to the brilliant minds to Creative Commons for helping me protect my mediocre stuff!

Here's a link to their site if you're interested... http://creativecommons.org/

Protect your work!

Today was a good day...

It wasn't that anything fabulous happened today, it was just a quiet , uneventful day. I did some shopping with my mom, completed some chores, made dinner and spent time with my family... I guess that is what made it such a good day.

Two of my kids are adults in their early 20's and my son is 16. With their school and social schedules and everything else that keeps them occupied, I don't get to spend family time with everyone together anymore. I have learned to cherish those times, and today was one of them. Again, nothing special, just sitting around chatting, poking fun at each other, regular family stuff. But as a mom seeing her kids moving away into their own worlds, I have learned to appreciate these times and be very thankful for them.

Soy un perdedor - I'm a loser baby!

Here's the loser!!

Who knows what time her came in this morning - but I know that he had a 7:30am appointment for work and didn't wake up out of his drunken stupor until after 9am. Nice huh? I was up at 6am - could have gotten him up - but... why?!


I am tired of being his caretaker - making excuses for him - waking him for work - organizing him. I have been an enabler - no more. He's on his own.

Waiting in Vain

As a little girl my view of marriage was idealized. My parents and family did their best to portray happiness even when things we're bad. I was also raised with fairy tales of the princess marrying the prince and living happily ever after....

Yep - you guessed it - It was a rude awaking!

I married a man who, like all of us, came from a dysfunctional home. His parents divorced and it left it's mark on he and his brothers. He was also raised in a very, very strict Seventh Day Adventist home. His childhood left scars that I am dealing with today.

My husband is an alcoholic. Plain and simple. He's not the abusive type -or I would have been gone. He loves being social and drinking as much as he can as quickly as he can. He used to work as a bouncer in a lot of the trendy spots and knows a lot of the bartenders. This means free drinks for him. I cannot begin to tell you how many nights I have spent exactly like this - waiting to see when he will drag himself through the door.

I have tried to be the supportive wife - understanding - offering his any support he needs if he would only get help - hmmmm - still waiting. He doesn't do this all the time - he goes on benders. he'll be straight as as arrow for a month or two - then the itch starts and he's got a week or two of late nights and alcohol.

I have chosen to live this way because it was simpler than trying to raise 3 kids by myself. My children are now older -my youngest is 16- and I can't deal with this immature behavior anymore. This last bender he has been on is lasting for quite a while. I am beginning to believe that he is cheating and I trust my instincts. It's time to make some tough decisions - after 23 years of marriage do I really still want to live with a man who refuses to grow up?

So until I make a decision I will sit and wait in vain for him to become a man.

Summertime in Brooklyn

Coney Island and Nathan's hot dogs...what could be better?!

40 Year Old Virgin!

Popping my blog cherry!!

Been meaning to try my hand at this for a while but it's intimidated me. I used to keep journals - tons of 'em when I was younger - it was easy -I had a book that I wrote in and hid from my mum and sisters.

My thoughts we're my own - private - this is a bit different, isn't it? The whole process of setting up your blog, finding a name, a log name a URL name. All very foreign. And that anyone can have access to your thoughts! Quite scary! Do I really have anything that interesting to say?

But here I sit alone and typing.

Popping my cherry.

Hoping to become a "Blog Whore!"

Hoping to learn about myself again.

Yay!!! - I'm no longer a virgin!