Dear blog, I’m bored out of my mind. Today is one of those days in which I want to be outside of my apartment, enjoying the great outdoors. I get in these moods often. I think it only tends to happen when I’ve spent the entire prevous day indoors…which by the way, was pretty relaxing. I did something that I’ve been saying for weeks I was going to do, and that was attempt to make cabbage…again. My very first attempt was back in 2006, and to say it was pretty bland would be an understatement. Recently, my co-worker made some and brought it in to work. She let me sample it, and it was so delicious. After I tasted hers, I decided to give it another shot. She prepared hers in a skillet, as opposed to boiling it in a pot. So, I did the same. I even added some cut up redskin potatoes in the pan (Patti LaBelle’s idea), and when it was done, I was pleasantly pleased. It was delicious. I also made corn muffins and baked chicken.

I also rented some movies from Blockbuster and watched all of them in one take. Now what am I supposed to watch for the remainder of the weekend? I should have stretched them out, but I had nothing but time, so I made yesterday the official Blockbuster day at my pad.

I’m currently on my blackberry, at the hair salon, under the dryer, writing this blog, and contemplating my next move. Boredom sucks. I need to make some plans.

Seeing the Hoover Dam in person was a memorable experience. It is absolutely amazing, all the beautiful things in the world there are to see. God really outdid himself with this here though. Being able to capture this shot with my camera made me a very happy (and blessed) woman. You just don’t see this type of stuff everyday. Well, I don’t. This definitely inspires me to want to travel more, and experience other parts of the world. But, with traveling comes money, so let’s take this one step at a time, shall we? Speaking of traveling, one of my “things to do” really soon is buy a passport. I want to be prepared. You never know when someone will want to whisk you away to foreign lands. Heck, I want to whisk MYSELF away. And since they’re not expensive, I should definitely get one as soon as I can. There’s so many things I want to do. I feel that I’m in the prime of my life, so I want to live and enjoy doing the things that make me happy.

I’ve been pondering life lately. Like, a lot. I tend to do that often, especially when there are things, people, and situations that I begin to question. What is life? What does it all mean? I’ve just really been in a reflective state. To me, being alive, and living, are two different things. I want to live. What’s the point of existing, if you’re not living? If you’re not working towards bettering yourself and your situation? Right now, my main focus is saving money, and eliminating debt. That is it. I don’t have a long drawn out list of things I’m trying to do right now, because truthfully, MY PERSONAL plate can only hold so much. I’m taking MY life, one day at a time. That’s all I can do. And I can’t get to point B if I’m not done sorting out, organizing, and completing point A. One step at a time, one day at a time. My life, my pace, my way.

I normally don’t do memes on my site, but I’ll make an exception, all in the name of C Dub.

Honestly, the only reason I’m doing it is because it’s music related and well, we all know how much Inga loves music. And by the way, I’m not going to tag anyone (I’m a rebel. You didn’t know)? I’m at work and away from my itunes library, so I had to use my ipod.

Here’s a music meme to reflect how eclectic your music collection might be. Put your music library in alphabetical order by song, then take the first song for each letter of the alphabet. No repeat artists. Tag five people then let them know they’ve been tagged to do the meme themselves.

A) A.D. 2000 - Erykah Badu

B) B Movie - Gil Scott-Heron

C) C’Mere - Bilal

D) D’Evils - Jay Z

E) E=MC2 Featuring Common - J Dilla

F) Fa’ Sho - Sy Smith

G) Galaxy - Hippiehaus

H) Ha Ha Ha - Kevin Michael

I) I’d Give Anything - Gerald Levert

J) Jack The Ripper - LL Cool J

K) Kalifornia - Above The Law

L) L’ is Gone - Musiq Soulchild

M) Mad Sexy Cool - Babyface

N) N.O.T.O.R.I.O.U.S. - Notorious BIG

O) O.G. Bitch - Esthero

P) P.D.A. (We Just Don’t Care) - John Legend

Q) Q, Mike, Slim, Daron (Interlude) - 112

R) R & B Thug - R. Kelly

S) S.A.N.T.A.N.A. feat. Juelz Santana - The Diplomats

T) T-Shirt - Destiny’s Child

U) U (feat. Ty and Kory) - Black Milk

V) Valentine Love - Michael Henderson

W) W/As My Girl - Maxwell

X) X&Y - Coldplay

Y) Yapp City - Ghostface Killah

Z) Zimzallabim - Mos Def

Wow, that was fun…and very time consuming (lol). I must work now..but not before I rant and rave over how delicious these Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks are. Not only are they good, but they’re also on the healthier side. Every now and then I’ll get a sweet tooth, and take a trip to the market for some Flamin Hot Lays potato chips, or Vanilla Wafers, and even ice cream..but see, the thing about ice cream is that, I never eat it when I buy it! Total waste of money. Take yesterday for instance - I wanted to go to Coldstone Creamery because I’d never been there, and I sort of had the taste for it, or so I thought. But see, what happens is, I spend $4+ on the crap, take it home, put it in the freezer, and end up not eating it. I do it every time. I think it’s because of the way it’s advertised; it just makes me want to try it! I do it at Wendy’s too, with their ice cream and frosties. I need to just accept the fact that I’m not addicted to all that sweet crap. Anyway, back to the Rice Snacks…so good. They have different flavors. Right now, I’m eating the Caramel Corn. I actually bought the Kettle Corn too, which were just as tasty, and they also have a Cheddar Cheese flavor as well. Ok, enough about food..I’m beginning to sound like Baby D from Next Friday.

I’m inspired by many things. I’m mainly inspired by the beauty of art and life itself, especially when it’s captured within a photograph. This is a collage of some of my favorite images from Flickr, by various photogs. They inspire me everyday, to want to take this hobby of mine to the next level. However, that decision is still up in the air. Right now, I’m not sure if I want to pursue an actual lifestyle of becoming a “professional” photographer in the future. I have a lot to learn, and a very long way to go before I even get to that point. If I do decide to take that route, it’s going to be one of those things that just sorta “happens.”

I am extremely annoyed and pissed off today, and I’m not even PMSn. I guess you can say that I truly woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I think I need to vent. Maybe that would make me feel better, and then I can move forward and continue working. Haven’t done one of these blogs in a while.
Do you know what I hate? I hate the fact that people think just because I work for Marriott, that they’re entitled to a “hook up” at any given moment. Those who truly know me, know that I’m really funny about honoring my discount. First of all, anyone who uses my discount represents me. My job is on the line the second that person checks in to their room, and if something goes wrong during their stay, guess who’s going to get a call? My HR department, and then guess who THEY’RE going to call? Me.

What I hate the most is when people think I’ll give my discount out to those I don’t even know. First of all, the discount is for MY friends and family, NOT YOURS, and hell, even I think long and hard about my OWN people using my discount. There have been a few instances where I’ve allowed friends or families OF friends use it, and those instances were VERY few and far between. Stop being cheap, and pay full price, just like you would if you didn’t know someone who worked for Marriott to begin with. I’m only 100% comfortable if it’s an immediate family member. Period. Point blank. End of story. People have a lot of nerve, is all I’m going to say, and today is not the day to rub me the wrong way. It really isn’t. And on top of that, I’m stressed out at work. I need a vacation - a real one; a week long one - away from everyday life. Leave me alone. Sometimes (hell, all the time) I wish I didn’t work at a place that offered a discount on something as popular as a hotel room for the weekend. It gets extremely annoying when people are constantly calling and texting me asking for a fuckin’ favor. Thank God I have no problem telling people “no.”

The ones who really make my blood boil are the ones that have the audacity to call me the day of, expecting me to drop what I’m doing to accommodate them. If you have any common fuckin’ sense, you’d know that this is a process. There are forms you need to present to the hotel you’re staying in. You just can’t walk in a hotel and say, “yeah, I want the friends and family discount. My friend Inga works at the one in Arizona. Oh, what’s the name of the hotel? I’m not sure..but it’s in Arizona.” It doesn’t work like that. I had a situation just this past weekend where one of my family member’s girlfriends (who I’ve never even met by the way) called my cell phone trying to get a room THAT DAY - for a young couple at their church.

Seriously?? Ok, first of all, I don’t know these people, and honestly, I don’t know YOU EITHER. I did her a favor ONE TIME a couple weeks ago, and I told said family member that I was only doing it that one time; that this isn’t something I’d be constantly doing for her or anyone at their damn church, but that I’d be nice and do it that one time. I couldn’t believe she actually asked me again (and wait, actually..she didn’t even ASK, which made me even MORE pissed). When she called, I didn’t answer the phone ANYWAY, so she ended up leaving a voicemail. Did I call her back? Of course not. That really got under my skin. I guess she figures since she’s the girlfriend of a family member, that we’re instantly cool like that. It doesn’t work that way with me. And I’m sure she’s a nice girl, but I don’t warm up to people that easily. I don’t care who you are. I’m extremely standoffish to most people at first. And dammit, I don’t care if you’re into the church, and if you’re doing this for the church people, ya’ STILL can’t use my discount! I don’t know you! Or them! And I’m already irritated with the whole “girlfriend” situation because I feel she’s trying too hard to be ‘buddy buddy’ with me. And that’s fine (I guess), but it just doesn’t work that way with me…that easily. THAT’S ALSO a process, my dear. Like I said, she seems nice, but I’m going to need her to stop thinking we’ve been best buds for 10 years. Please.

In general, I don’t mind sharing my discount with certain people, but overall, it’s just not something that I do. Like, I wouldn’t mind giving my discount to a close friend who wants to get away for the weekend with her significant other; that’s different, you know? I’m all for romantic getaways. Or for the friend who just wants a quiet weekend to herself (if I truly trust that that is what she’s going to really use it for). I’m actually skeptical to do that too, because as the saying goes, “one person will fuck it up for everybody.” A few years ago, I allowed an “acquaintance” to use my discount because she claimed she just wanted to get away, to have a weekend to herself away from the kids. Yeah right. She actually ended up giving the room to her cousin, and her cousin had a “small get together” in the room. And of course, someone complained of all the noise, and ultimately, they got evicted, and couldn’t get their security deposit back. A couple days later, guess who got a friendly call from Human Resources? Exactly. Do you see my point now?