Blissful Day, Hopeful Night

"By all this we are encouraged." 2 Corinthians 7:13

Mega Morning

Mega Train

Mega Park Slope

Mega Green Bud

Mega Farmers Market

Mega Reunion

Mega Corona

Mega Heat

Mega Bronx 

Mega Church...Mega Hope

Joel Osteen in NYC. 

Glorifying the Mega name of Jesus.

Probably the only time I will walk over Yankee Stadium's threshold for a cool ten spot, let alone sit behind home plate.  Hands raised praising the Lord on the JUMBOTRON.

Mega Blessings.

How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. He's the name about all names. He is worthy of my praise. My heart will sing how great is our God.

Are you doing all that you can, so that HE will do all that you can't?

Pillow Talk

"Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else." Galatians 6:4

Are you kidding me? Dirty practices. Nasty behavior that the Bush Administration adopted.  Massive investigation and prosecution of individuals who protect us from people whose heart's desire is to harm us. What the hell is it that you want us to do to terrorists who bring us down. 

Talk to them. Shake their hands. Bow to them?

Why should we condemn the very people that are covering our safety.

America is not a Christian nation?

America is not a nation that doesn't gravely punish our wrongdoers.

Check yourself. We didn't get to be the greatest nation on Earth for being otherwise.

Isn't there something else we could throw our attention and energy towards. Oh I don't know, like moving forward? Ceasing the blame game? 

Maybe flicking on the news this morning wasn't the best wake up call for a sleep deprived, opinionated individual gal like myself. 

Alrighty then. Forward Progression.

Red eyed, I read my emails. Turns out I was just offered an exciting new job to write for Pumpsmag.com. They are "blowing the lid" off the fascinating world of high end Gentleman's Clubs. And not the low brow Rockin in Atlanta at Tattletales motley kind. More so the high rollin Macanudo Club where the girls are hot and refined. As a staff writer traveling between NY and Vegas, I am privy to that under world and ALL the luxuries that come with the territory. Fun and Finance. Do you know what this means? "No more floozies, only high class ho's. I'm going platinum." Kid Rock 

Spring has sprung and the juices ARE flowing...

MMmm. I want to write. Maybe I have to sleep on the offer.

In pursuing a dream..Does the end justify the means?

Ain't Complaining

"Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?" Lamentations 3:38

Sixteen Hours standing in frigid temps (it's late April) in City Hall Park from dawn to dusk put the U-G-L-Y in Ugly Betty.

Three meals square meals, an overtime paycheck, and enough chocolate to last me the week shows her inner glamour.

Memo to myself: Bring a pad and paper and scribble down all of the insane and eccentric conversations you overhear while on set...Human Behavior is priceless content

Bus boy, bartender, ladies of the night 
Grease monkey, ex-junky, winner of the fight 
Walking on the streets its really all the same 
selling souls, rock n' roll, any other day
Workin for a livin. Workin for a livin.

Taken what they're given cause I'm workin for a livin. Huey

Good. Bad. You take them both. What do you have?

Put Your Hands Up

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:18

All the single ladies. All the single ladies. This post's for you.

I am a self proclaimed Boy Crazy Flirt. Have been my whole life. For my 20's decade I use to repeat a mantra in my head, "I'm single until I'm married. And I don't plan on changing." 

You couldn't convince me of the institution let alone tell me the marriage bug would infect me so. Alas youth! 

Shockingly, I fell hopelessly in love six years ago and he, well he put a ring on it. 

Brawn and Brains!

When I first visited my new best friend and husband's home town, I quickly caught whiff of where all the other hot men have been living and breathing all this time....Massachusetts!  Okay, there might me a simple sexiness about a southern reared boy or a hearty wholesomeness to the corn fed mid-Western. I'll even give creed to the vague aloofness of a California dude. But in the northeast they build em tough, rough, long, strong, and down to get the friction on. I should know. I'm blessed with one.

Today, I woke at 5 AM to catch a bus to Long Island.  The Royal Pains is a new show on USA network set in the Hampton's and I dressed the part. 

The charming waterfront village of Northport located on the north shore (hear the accent) of Long Island took me by such pleasant surprise.   Traveling by historic Victorian homes with brilliant wisteria thriving in the yards, you could smell the sea air as we approached their famous Main Street, where the road meets the water and provides a magnificent view of the harbor. 

This is where we ladies who lunch all strutted our sundresses and espadrilles..up and down the drag way in 45 degree rainy weather. Yeah, I could go on about the quaint cafes, the designer boutiques, and the organic farmers market. But here's the scenery I took in. 

The locals.... More specifically the local men.  They were everywhere. The bountiful beautiful. The ample athletic. The robust and rugged. A decent amount of distinguished.

AND THEY WERE ALL DRIVING TRUCKS! 

Back on the subway in the Manhattan after seven hours of standing on a corner watching all the boys go by...I eavesdropped on a rather enlightening and comforting conversation. Two grown men. And when I say men. I mean men. Not metrosexuals that Manhattan seems to be full to their polished brim with, which is not sexy. Your skin should not be smoother nor your shoulders as small. But two real men discussing one of the guys current women in his life. How he really enjoyed one's company, so easy and real. And how he had so much fun with the other and her zest for life. The other older gentleman kept asking about the girl's character and the younger of the two continued to spill his evident emotions and real concerns about finding the right one and making the choice. They both said how they didn't want to be alone and how important a family would be. How a good woman who makes you feel like being a better man is the most important attribute. This went on and on for six stops. At this point, I wasn't even feigning like I wasn't listening. I was staring with a shit eating grin on my face.  

There is hope ladies. They are out there and They Do think about those things.

 If you can't find em where you are, there's always Northport.

Can't live with them?

or

Can't live without them?

 Please say a prayer for mine tonight. In the middle of this post, he was in a car accident. He is thankfully fine. The car is not...

Isn't She...?

"But you remain the same, and your years will never end." Psalm 102:27

Three months to the date...and counting. 

Oh how things have changed.

"Besides making money, you're going to have a ton of fun." 

I received the standard pitch...twice from a heavy breathing fast talking agent who insisted we talk again after my head shot session while he skims off the top of my meager acting wages. "They are the Gateway and there is NO way casting agents will know you exist without them". Cause. ..up until now I've been using a wedding photo (Thanks Steffi) to get all my gigs...Today, two checks, Tomorrow, The Royal Pains and Thursday, Ugly Betty.  You know head shots cost upwards of one thousand dollars for a glossy made up 8x10. 

For now, I'm keeping that ten percent close... hefty.

Today I visited a remarkable institution. It's origins date back to the late 19th century. After years of forethought, fierce competition, site chosen, architects selected, and two years dismantling, the cornerstone of the largest marble structure in the United States was laid in 1902.  The Monumental New York Public Library is a sight to be seen. 

A million books and nine million dollars later, the doors opened to the public in 1911.

What happened next was what we call viral. Instantaneously, it become the intellectual center of Manhattan and the lifeline for immigrants coming to America to relish in their history and soak up their new....Fifteen million visitors visit  annually. It is regarded as the one of the greatest libraries in the world.  Today, was my maiden voyage. 

The gorgeous lawn in the Bryant Park approach is exquisite enough, and the facade of the library takes your breath away. Climbing the palatial staircase, I went straight to the 3rd floor into the crowning spectacular glory of the Rose Main Reading Room which is nearly two city blocks in length.  My plan: finish cover letter, submit article to new publication Mapcidy, post my 92nd blog, and other due diligence.

As if the opulent chandeliers, immense windows, rows of resources, and the detailed murals on the 60 foot high ceilings weren't enough to distract me. There in the historical iconic 100 year+ landmark, I had a circa 1986 John Hughes delivered Pretty in Pink moment. Uh Huh, Blane found me on Ichat... apparently I am on his BONJOUR list. (don't ask PC users, be very afraid conspiracy theorists) 

Yep, there was his picture chatting with my picture on my computer screen (80's terminal) through a wireless signal. 

I raised my head to see who was watching but the four hundred heads surrounding me were buried in their own engrossment. Strangely enveloped in the nostalgia of bound books and immersed in the progressiveness of technology, Duckie didn't get jealous nor did awkward teenage love blossom.

But, hopefully, I gained a new reader. 

she loves to be one of the girls
she lives in the place in the side of our lives
where nothing is ever put straight
she turns her self round and
she smiles and she says 
this is it,that's the end of the joke...Psychedelic Furs

Isn't time bizarro?

My Recession Response

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27

It's 4:20 on 4:20. Cannabis Culture.

I wrote for the Examiner New York today. They requested an article about how my topic of interest is being affected by the economy in a special project appropriately deemed, The Great Recession. I am posting it below:

"Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.." C.S. Lewis

I am not going to blow religious smoke and behave as though Christians are not struggling during this unfortunate economic downturn. 

Just because He is our Savior certainly does not exempt us from budget cutbacks, lost jobs, home foreclosures, or spending restraint.

In fact, today I thoroughly enjoyed my fourth meal from my one Rotisserie Chicken.

But there is no grand strategy as to how Christians are weathering through the storm of this recession. 

We're remaining steadfast in our walk with Jesus Christ.

We are putting one foot in front of the other, taking it one day at a time, and always looking upward. We're placing our faith in His mercy and promise; Casting our worries on Our Creator who is the only one who can bring Liberating Change that we all so desire. 

He chose us in him before the creation of the world. He promises us that there will be no desire laid on our heart that he will not make provisions.

He is our Hope. Our Healer. Our Hero.

God has a great plan for this world. And He will save the day.

The Bible has over 2300 scripture verses that refer to finances, materialism, possessions, and riches.

Believe me, He is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. He's thought this whole economic issue through and He redefines Wealth.

"And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

What more can we ask? This doesn't mean rest on your laurels eating generic Cheetos, quit tweaking your extensive resume, or trim the fat on your monthly luxury expenses. 

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul relays a sweeping explanation and promise of Jesus Christ's saving grace...

"God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.  And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth." Ephesians 1:9-10

In that uniting scripture, the Lord guarantees restoration. That all of us: This broken, dislocated, lost, fallen, struggling body will be summed up and reconciled together under the rule, reign, and headship of the Living God.

In visiting churches and  in my fellowship with the Evangelical Christian body in New York City this year, it is abundantly clear, church attendance is on the rise. People want answers in this confusion. Security in these uncertain times. And Hope in the darkness. But an increase in giving is abundant as well. People are trusting in God and their purpose in him. He is the Light.

So as far as the storm goes...we're riding it out until.

"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:25

Be frugal. Be faithful. He will provide.

   

Do you think he will?

Fire. Rain. Sunshine. Pain.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

The difference a day makes. Peaks and Valleys. 

And I don't take a pill to dull the edge.

Just gotta have faith.

Did anyone see the Johnson and Bird interview this morning? 32 and 33. I don't know if it was the Kanye West rhythm or the four mile run adrenaline but watching the montage of Lebron, Larry, Magic, Jordan, Chris Paul, Garnett and Kobe (okay not Kobe) reignited the embers of my fading interest in the NBA....I felt myself sweating and running side by side on the Celt's fast break. 

Praying for a stellar return to Sports Journalism.

Fact: New York is a walking city. I average two miles a day.

A four wheeling fling in grade school landed me on my back and an ATV crushing my right foot.  A Joe Theismanesque compound leg fracture on a trampoline in my teens resulted in a titanium alloy rod from my knee to ankle. An incompetent Adulterer Emory orthopedic surgeon put my leg on wrong, resulting in a manual break and three new pins. A late night Devil went down to Georgia car crash was the final impact of a bent titanium rod and a metal plate around my tibia and fibula bone in my shin. A rather unexpected and shocking sting ray stab in the bottom of that same foot in the murky waters of Dominical, CR last year. Countless road races later and I wonder why my right leg is giving me problems in my 30's.

Fact: When I drink wine daily, my tummy loses it's flatness.

Some sacrifices just have to be made.

In the words of Mary J. 

Life can  be only what you make it. When you're feeling down, you should never fake it. Say what's on your mind and you'll find in time that all negative energy. It would all cease. Take your time, baby don't you rush a thing. Don't you know. I know we are all struggling. I know it is hard but we will get by and if you don't believe in me, just believe in HE. If you looked in my life and see what I've seen.

What makes your obstacles more palatable?