** It should be noted that yours truly is in a foul mood. Correction: a foul a** mood. Not brought upon by the subject of this post; howsomever, the subject of this post is NOT helping said mood. Me gwin’ quarantine myself shortly. No fear. **

‘Member when we were kids and all the books/stories we read ended with “THE END”? Thinking about that makes me laugh - like we were too young and/or naive to grasp that the story was over.

And then…I get a call from an ex. And suddenly, not recognizing “THE END” isn’t funny anymore. *sigh*

Clearly he misunderstood “THE END”. A-frigging-gain.

Let me point out a few things. This particular ex is someone I dated for quite a few years (though if we were to subtract all the ‘down time’…it would probably be a very short relationship). This particular ex is someone with whom I’ve not had a relationship since the late 90’s. THIS particular ex is making my teeth itch…and we all know that THAT is not good.

Here’s the deal. Over the holiday weekend, I ran into a friend who happens to be the wife of my “adopted” big brother…and the man who introduced me to “the-man-formerly-know-as-my-boyfriend”. We did a little catch-up and exchanged numbers. I knew then that I’d get a call from him - it was just a matter of time. Actually it turned out to be a matter of hours. I think a day passed before he called. (Now the fact that she gave him my cell number is slightly irritating but oh well.)

No big deal. I harbor no ill-will. I can certainly be civil & carry on a conversation. But Dude called me as I was getting ready to head out so I didn’t have a lot of time. And when he’s nervous, he does way too much hemming & hawing. I used to say to him “stop fluffing me - say it.” And this day, I needed him to get to the point & get off my phone so I could get moving.

We talk about the usual - family, work, yada yada yada. And then…he asks…what he always asks when he works up the nerve to call….”Can I stop by?” Nope. Followed by “Can I call you again?” Nope. Of course he doesn’t “understand” why I say no. Of course he doesn’t.

*Insert INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH S-I-G-H*

No. For what? And my saying “no” wasn’t a signal to begin negotiations - it was yet again another “The End” that he failed to recognize. I’m trying to be civil but when I tell you I know what he’s thinking, believe me. Am I psychic? No - well, mayhap to some slim degree but I don’t need to be. Calling him “PREDICTABLE” would be the greatest understatement known to man. He thinks that “claiming friendship” will be a placeholder of sorts for something else to resurface. It’s not. I’m not big on TV reruns so you KNOW I’m not big on entertaining them in my personal life. No thank you.

He goes on about something I said to him way back in the day that he didn’t heed or think meant anything. Now he realizes whatever he realizes. My patience is worn O-U-T. Not thin. OUT. I’m tired. And as much as I love to dance, THIS particular dance is one that I willingly sit out.

So I take a deep breath and tell him as calmly as I possibly can that while I appreciate the fact that my words hold some value to him, I don’t see that as cause for his feet to rest under my table in this lifetime. I don’t. I don’t see any reason for us to “hang out”. We are NOT friends. We don’t need to be. And honestly? I don’t want to be. What we are is “FRIENDLY” meaning if I see you out somewhere, we can do about 3-5 minutes of casual conversation, wish each other well and be on our way. It’s just that simple.

The fact that I could accurately anticipate every morsel of conversation he pulled out of his bag is NOT a good sign. It means that he has not grown any in all this time. That is bigger than a red flag for me. Don’t get me wrong - he’s a nice enough person but…I need something DEEPER than “nice”. He does not personify that something deeper. At all.

And me letting him think that he can call me anytime or drop by now and then would do nothing to help him swim into his particular brand of “deeper”.

He gets a bit testy. I laugh. Not loud. Not even maliciously. Well, it was a wee bit on the evil side but he should be astute enough to heed the flashing lights. He has a mini-episode of some kind mumbling about how I can’t be friends with him but I’m still friends with some other folk I’ve dated. I assure him that he’s crossed the line into what is CLEARLY “nunya”…and the fact that he’s not friends with ANYONE he ever dated (or married…*sigh* me not gwin’ dere…not today…) CLEARLY says more about HIM than about the women. *shrug*

Lawd! Why can’t folk just let “ovah” be “OVAH”? Dang! I’m not trying to hurt his feelings but I told ya’ll I was in a mood. I gave him ample warning. He tells me that something about the fact that he’s still calling me/thinking about me after all this time should mean something to me.

Ha! Is this the part where I’m supposed to be flattered? Without getting into too much of the history of this mystery, I tell him that I’m in no way flattered. He didn’t call me cause he wanted to necessarily go back down memory lane. He called cause he’s lonely. He called cause when you’re alone AND lonely and no one appears to be coming across the horizon, what you “had” looks so much better.

LET.IT.GO.

Wait, try this: LET.IT.GO.AND.MOVE.ON.

Double up on it if you must. Just get’r done. Just do it. Just…be blessed….but….be….gone.

** It should also be noted that this post was written a couple of days ago so…my “foul arse mood” has been downgraded to “lightly foul”. And I’m about to rectify that with a ROAD TRIP. Capital Jazz Festival, here I come. Just point me in the direction of Ledisi and Eric Roberson…and some French-Canadian men willing to sing love songs to me in the middle of a gas station right ’round the midnight hour. LOL **

Happy Weekend! Stay cool!!
*~* MsJayy *~*

Is it just me or do you hear Mint Condition singing “Nothing Left to Say”? Alternating with CeCe Peniston’s “Walk On”? Oh. It’s prolly just me. *shrug*

If these pics don’t make me wanna press play on all my favorite love songs, nothing does. Mmph mmph mmph! Not one word about politics, campaigns, etc….nothing but love between a man & his wife. The realest. The most beautifulest thang in this world….

*Sigh*

THIS is my favorite picture of the Obamas….
The “Loving You is Easy Cause You’re Beautiful”

If this pic isn’t a “Shut-up and Kiss me!” moment….

Michelle: “Honey, are you listening to me? Did you hear what I said?”
Barack: “No. I’m waiting for you to finish talking so I can kiss you.”
Michelle: “I’m done.”

The “I-Gotcha-Back” Photo:

The “We’re Just Ordinary People” photo:

The “Kissing the First Lady” Photo

**Warning: Long-arse post ahead. Consider yourself warned.**
I’ve been trying to figure out how to capture all the festivities around the high school graduation of “Da Dynasty” since this weekend but a few things knocked me off that path.

Anywho, let’s see how I can capture the highlights of graduation. It was h-o-t. BUT at least the rain that threatened the day held off. Sadly (ha), I didn’t get to sit next to “Uncle Playa” (well, not at the ceremony). And um, let’s see…someone stripped for me. Twice. Oh. And someone else proposed. Three times. Needless to say, I was accused of all manner of witchcraft & whatnot. LOL But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Highlights:

1. “It’s a good day to graduate. I don’t think you heard me – I said IT’S A GOOD DAY TO GRADUATE!!” ~ “Mr. Prez” (D’s best friend, Sr. Class President, co-captain of football team; track star; Mr. Popularity & my “adopted” nephew. Did I tell ya’ll he & his date didn’t make it to Sr. Prom? They were in a car accident on the way there. Imagine me having to tell D & his date that when they came by my Mom’s for a photo opp. What a night. Thankfully they were both ok.)

2. “Aunt Jackie, why is D last?” – Princess So Fabulous. We talk about graduation being done alphabetically. “But why are there 3 sections?” So we talk about “High Honors”, “Honors” and then ‘the rest of ya’ll”. I tell her D missed Honors by 1/10 to which BigBro#4 says, “I missed it by less than that” all smug and whatnot. So I had to remind him that *I* didn’t miss it at all. Why Dude mock me ya’ll? Till I threatened to choke him with my Honor cords. ROFL

3. “Why is D bouncing like he’s on the sideline waiting for his number to be called so he can run onto the field?” ~ Me to er’ybody around me as we waited for my nervous/excited nephew to walk across that stage and grab his diploma.

4. “Aunt Jackie! I told you I was gonna be in line come May! Where’s Granma?” ~ “Big Daddy” (D’s other best friend, fellow football player & “adopted” nephew)

5. “Aunt Jackie! I made it! Where’s Granma?” ~ “Foine” Marcus H. (yep – “adopted” nephew)

6. “Aunt Jackie! We’re partying tonight right? Where’s Granma?” Ms. D (D’s prom date, chronic text messaging partner, BUT NOT his “girlfriend”. Um, you tell me – Dude had a cotton-candy pink vest/tie on prom night. What say you? Girlfriend? Mmm hmm. Me too.)

7. “Aunt Jackie! I did it! Where’s Granma?” ~ M, family friend

8. ALL of D’s close friends graduated with Honors. Me so very proud of all of them.

9. How is it that I can go home and not run into a single classmate? Even on school ground? Even when some of them have children graduating?

10. “Naw Girl - you betta put BOTH arms around me. Hug me like you mean it.” ~ Uncle Playa to yours truly when we finally caught up with D’s Mom/family after the ceremony

11. “You walk like your feet hurt.” – “Uncle Pete” (D’s dad) to me right before we got in the car to go home…and right before he kicked off his own shoes! LOL

12. “Ya’ll not having a cook-out, this is a DINNER” – BigBro#4 as he surveyed the spread at the “gathering”.

13. “But D’s not here yet!” – “Dre” (D’s little brother) when we gathered to say grace before eating. We had to remind him that the graduation ceremony was about his brother but everything AFTER that? Oh, it was strictly about US celebrating US for getting them through that milestone.

14. “Ohmigod! He’s nevah gonna talk to me again!” – D’s sister T, after “Uncle Playa” and I detach it from her ear, remove her texting finger and had a little tag-team interrogation of the young buck she’d been talking to all evening.

15. “Um, you might want to rephrase that or say it where your husband can’t hear it.” – me to Aunt R after BigBro#4 put a hole in the screen on her tent and she told him to “leave a little money on the table to pay for my hole.” Bwwaaaaahhhhaaa

16. “Unca X, why you tryna hold her hand? Why you keep tryna hold her hand?” –“Dre” to “Uncle Playa” who was trying really hard to hold somebody’s hand AND without switching to the non-wedding band wearing hand. *sigh* Makes me wanna holla…

17. “I’ma tell ya right now – I’ll give you the key to the house but I’ll be dayum if you walking anywhere with my sister.” – “Uncle Pete” to “Uncle Playa” who was going to drop something off at my mom’s house while the festivities were going on

18. You know those Visa check-card commercials where everyone’s singing and dancing and all that stops when someone pulls out a check? We had one of those moments when Aunt R & I were talking about them coming to visit me & she wanted to know if they could drink at my house. I laughed (who told those people I don’t drink AT ALL? LOL I don’t get DRUNK but I have a drink on occasion) & said, “No, I drink”. She asked me what I liked and EVERYONE in the house stopped and leaned forward. Ain’t that sad?

Somewhere during the festivities, we brought out the cake and gave folks a chance to give the new graduates some words of wisdom such as:

“Don’t give up.”
“If you feel stuck, call somebody.”
“You’re not a statistic or a stereotype.”
“Don’t stop pushing forward when it gets hard.”
“Life isn’t always fair. Do your best regardless.”
“Don’t let anybody tell you what you cannot do.”
“Show integrity.”
“Enjoy life.”
“Make wise choices.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to.”

“Mr. Prez” decides to give a few words of encouragement to his best friends as they get ready to embark on this new phase in their lives. And then D speaks to all his family/friends. *SIGH* Me lub dem chirren. I ‘clare I do.

So now D’s cutting the cake. I’m not sure what he did but the next thing I know, I hear him say, “I can’t…..” (it had something to do with the cake). How bout BigBro#4 says, “Now didn’t we JUST tell you there’s nothing you can’t do?” Bwwwaaaahhhhhaaaa

Right after that, the graduates left, someone turned up the music and the grown-folk hit the floor. Fun times, fun times. Had so much fun on Saturday, we reconvened Sunday for a fish-fry.

Oh, bout that “stripper”. He’s a compact brother, close-cut hair, a bit on the ‘mocha’ side, head-strong, beautiful smile. He’s 3 I think. Likes to be comfortable when he’s at home so…he stepped out of his shorts. *shrug* Hey, who am I to say he’s wrong?

And the proposals? Caught me WAAAAY off guard. A chocolate-drop of a brother. Big bright smile. Serious thinker. Always observing. D’s little brother…”Dre”. Had to remind li’l dude that for all intents and purposes, I’m HIS “Aunt Jackie” too and so marriage is out of the question. But you gotta give the brother props for his tenacity.

Why did D’s mom call me “Roberta Kelly”? She knows she’s wrong for that!

Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton refuses to throw in the towel…or the pantsuit so to speak.

Sen. Clinton has shown that she is one tenacious opponent (for some of you, “tenacious” translates into “stubborn as hell”, “ornery”, “definant”). Am I surprised that Sen. Clinton did NOT concede last night? Nope. Not one iota.

I did get a chuckle this morning when scanning the news/net and coming across THIS headline:
“Clinton refuses to concede; aides, colleagues say she’s considering No. 2.”

Um, Boo-Boo? Generally…you gots to wait until the position is OFFERED before you get to consider it but um, in YOUR world (the one where you spoke of a Clinton/Obama ticket even though HE was the forerunner at the time), I can see how this would come up for “YOUR” consideration.

Almost as “witty” (and equally as “amazing”) as that “new math” the Clintons created when proclaiming her the frontrunner a few weeks back.

Gone on with your bad self!

Oh, that “AIATYING” award?

The “AND I AM TELLING YOU I’M NOT GOING” Award….

I’m sure Clinton is strategizing with her political inner circle about how best to move forward. You do know that LEGALLY, she can take this to the DNC Convention in August because…although the Superdelegates *SAY* they’re supporting Obama, they don’t truly cast those votes in stone until August. It’s legal. But does it make sense for her? For the Democratic Party? For the country? Umph.

So, take your time (we clocking you). Figure out what your next steps will be. But remember this:

1. I hope how YOU move forward also moves the rest of us forward.
2. Sometimes how you WIN is much less important (MUCH LESS) than how you lose.

I’m just saying…Woman to Woman…sometimes you just gotta walk away. Move on AND let it go. To quote comedian Cheryl Underwood, “The country is just not that into you.”

Let the HEALING begin.

WOW.

Not sure what surprises me or warms my heart more…the fact that Obama is THE Democratic nominee for President…or…the fact that the fight to BE the Democratic nominee is over!!!!!!

History has been made. To be sure, I believe new history is made every day, in some way, shape, form or fashion. But this? This is something ELSE.

But this? This exceeds all. An African-American clinching the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States. Senator Barack Hussein Obama has effectively shattered a barrier more than two centuries old to become the first black candidate ever nominated by a major political party for the nation’s highest office.

My friend N called me last night to tell me that his uncle was in tears at the POSSIBILITY that an African-American was this close to being THE resident at the house on Pennsylvania Avenue. His uncle is 94 years old. That made me tear up too.

Wow.

Hold on to your seats folks…it’s about to be on and poppin’.