I Ain't Said Nothin' But A Word...

It’s well past my bedtime and I’m up baking cookies.   I can’t sleep and baking cookies makes me feel better.   And I need to feel better because I’ve had myself a day. Every family has its fair share of crazy hanging from the family tree.   My crazy decided to visit, planting their branch right in my living room for five hours longer than I could tolerate.   Had I been able to leave I would have.   But since it was my living room there was no place for me to go and crazy was having far too much fun wreaking havoc on everyone’s sanity to get the hint that they’d worn out their welcome.   Too much crazy taxed my last nerve and I snapped.   My Zen aura was all discombobulated and I was well on the way to kicking crazy right in their too wide ass.   When crazy pushed my very last button I responded with a resounding F*ck you!   Crazy responded with their own choice words.  I’m not proud of my own bad behavior or my potty mouth but in the moment it really felt good.   Then, it

The holiday weekend is winding down.   We’ve eaten leftovers from the leftovers, no one even wanting to think about another slice of turkey or spoonful of stuffing.   Now we’re squabbling over who gets the final few slices of chocolate pecan pie and who snuck the last almond cookie, leaving the empty plate still covered on the countertop.   It was a delightful holiday and a great weekend.   There was much quality time with my favorite guy, a ton of fun with family, and catching up with old friends.   We enjoyed good food and some really decadent desserts so tomorrow it’s back to the gym.   There was a surprise marriage proposal, an early baby delivery, unexpected gifts, and the completion of my latest book.   I couldn’t have planned a better holiday if I’d tried.  I hope everyone's holiday was as magnanimous. I have had much to be thankful for.   My blessings have been many.   It’s been a very good year.

Despite the sudden cold weather and rain, today was another really great day.   I had a wonderful lunch event at the Wake County Express Library in downtown Raleigh, NC.   It was a small, intimate group and we had a great conversation about books and writing.   After a wonderful meal (antipasti, chicken & gnocchi soup, and vegetable lasagna), a really good bottle of red wine (Cavi Roscato Rosso Dolce) and an incredibly sexy dinner companion, I came home to get my reality TV fix with the XFactor results show.   And now I’m a bit perturbed, so much so that I’ve been a tweeting maniac on Twitter tonight.   Finally think I have the hang of it with all the practice I’ve been getting! Was I surprised by the bottom two?   Yes and no.   Was I disappointed by the outcome?   Yes and no.   What really galled me though was the attitude of the young contestant Brian Bradley, who calls himself Astro. Now, don’t get me wrong.   I think the kid has mad skills.   He freestyles lik

So, what are you doing for lunch? I'm reading from, and discussing my books in downtown Raleigh, NC this afternoon, from 12:00pm until 1:00pm. I'd love for you to join me! Wake County Express Library 336 Fayetteville Street Raleigh, NC  27601

I have never considered myself an outdoorsy-type.   It was out of character for me to commune with nature if there were buggy-things around.   The family tells many stories of my summer adventures on my grandfather’s   South Carolina farm when I’d throw tantrum after tantrum if something even buzzed by my ear.  My appreciation for nature came as a result of my baby boy who preferred the outdoors over everything else.   From the moment he was able, he would often rise early, head out the back door and disappear into the woods that bordered our property.   He’d scavenge things that intrigued him and then bring them back for me to identify, explain away, or just be in awe of.   Soon I was trailing behind him to scavenge my own treasures.     Discovering the outdoors through his pale grey eyes was absolutely enchanting, even with the bugs.  Hiking wooded trails was one of our favorite past times.   We trekked a mountain side together right before he left for the military.   It was

Rap legend Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, one of the most influential rappers of the 1990's, died earlier today. He was 44 years old. His massive musical hits included Is It Good To You , The Overweight Lovers In The House , Big Daddy ,  and my personal favorite, Now That We Found Love .  He also wrote and performed the theme songs for In Living Color, MADtv, and The Tracy Morgan Show.  Drawing on a promising acting career he'd made appearances in brief movie and television roles including Life, The Cider House Rules, Boston Public, Living Single, Bones, Law & Order: SVU, and most recently, Tower Heist. As Kelley L. Carter reported for MTV , "Heavy D was the big guy who could move. His size never stopped him. He moved in ways that intimidated the slimmest dude in the crowd.   He was smooth, dapper and celebrated the around-the-way-girl through song; his music helped soundtrack 10th-grade dances near and far, and his colorful, danceabl

I come from a praying family.   Most of my kin stand firmly grounded on a foundation of faith, unyielding in their belief in a higher power.   For a very long time I struggled with my own faith, unsure of what I believed in, determined to find contradiction in everything I’d been taught and was being told.   When I finally opened myself to what I could not see and began to trust in the power of prayer, life changed drastically for me.   I suddenly found solace when I let go and let God. Recently, I’ve been challenged and my spirit has been in crisis.   With things I’d been most confident of, I’ve not trusted my intuition.   I have felt my faith wavering and I have not been able to pray.   A few years back, I bumped heads with a woman I admired, respected, and thought of as a dear friend.   With my feelings hurt, believing that no true friend would have done to me as I felt she had done to me, I’d closed that door of friendship, deeming her toxic to my spirit and a detriment to

Y’all might remember how this works. Every so often a thought will cross my mind but never quite make it into a full blown post. I call them dribblings , just random, trivial stuff that passes through my thoughts. Do we really give a flying fig about Kim Kardashian filing for divorce? I mean, really. Girlfriend made in excess of $17 Million for 72 days of wife work. And I’m sure it wasn’t really hard wife work. Looking at cutie patootie Kris Humpries, I’d bet she spent more than half of those days on her back, or quite possibly her knees. I mean really, how strenuous was that? She made $5 million performing wife work with Ray J for 30 minutes on camera. Did we really expect more than that from her? Since 2000 she’s averaged a boyfriend a year, having more ex’s than that video she starred in. She’s changed men the way some folks change their drawers. If anyone should have an issue with her relationship drama it should be E! Entertainment and the dumb ass who signed tha