sagaciously is...

He-e-ey,

where have I been? for anyone who still accesses this page, I've just been really busy. I promise I'll post the ketchup later today. I thought about doing a yearly recap, but frankly - it wasn't that interesting. And given today's magnitude, and what's on my mind, I really wanted to focus on the future. The immediate future.

Welcome2007, Goodbye2006:: and Happy New Year, Happy Old Year and Season's Greetings - alla that good stuff. Hope you, and yours are doing well, and have a fabulous, fierce and frenetic (but only in a good way) new year. 2006 was a ball, no doubt....ok, wait. I do have to provide a lil background. Along with a new job assignment, some at-work drama, I've been back & forth to NYC a coupla times in the last coupla months, and fully engulfed in school - as usual. The difference being that the NYC trip was wholly devoted to lil ole moi, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Way more than I anticipated. More on that later. Suffice it to say that I need to spend more time on me.

Along with that, someone pulled my proverbial ho-skirt*. Sadat X, who is one of my best friends in the world, told me that my swagger was gone - completely. Not that I didn't have an inkling, but he confirmed what a coupla of my other best friends has already suggested - my self-esteem needs work. Swaggerlessness has not been a good look for me, but before anyone in the blogosphere tries to disagree - I'm ok with this. It's true, my swagger got jacked a long while ago, and I need to do what I have to do to get it fully restored - and I'm ok with that. Which is a large part of me wanting to create an entrance strategy.

*pulling the ho-skirt: a derivative of a street phrase "pulling his ho-card" that suggests the revelation of something about the person in question that this person didn't want to be revealed. Typically, it's used when showing a man to be a coward, but varies by context.

the entrance strategy:: Yeah, it's that time again - time to regroup, and figure out what exactly I want to do this year. Not what I have to do (the proverbial plate is already filling) but want to accomplish. And the plan to accomplish that. Hence, how I plan to enter 2007, and what I need to do to ensure that the year is as fabulous, fierce and frenetic as I need it to be. And so I can be that fabuous, fierce and frenetic. And trust me, I need both to be pretty frenetic....lol.

So, with that in mind (and with that 101 list winding down in the back of my mind - haven't forgotten about it, and that clock is ticking) here's my entrance strategy - also known as my top XX list of things to do to make myself happy in 2007 - and get back my swagger in the process:

• travel:: I love Atlanta, but my heart belongs....in the wind? I'd say NYC, but I've got the wanderlust really bad, and trips to South America, and the West Coast on my plate. And even though I didn't get that "I'd really like to love here" feeling when I went to Chi-town as I do/did when I visited NYC (as I do every time I visit NYC), I'm a realist - I ain't trying to sell my brand spanking new house to live in a 2-bedroom walkup. I really like to travel, so I'm looking forward to doing more this year. And I've already planned a trip back to NYC in March...lol.


• flying solo:: whoda thunk that I'd travel 900+ miles to NYC to do things by myself (and enjoy them immensely) that I refuse to do alone here in ATL? Simple things, like shopping, dining out, clubbing, exploring museums and pampering myself. What sense does that make? So, I need to keep stepping out of my box, my routine, and indulge/force myself to do those things that really make me happy - by my self.


• music/dancing:: here's what gets me moving in a nutshell - hearing Mims remix of "This is Why I'm Hot" featuring Junior Reid and Baby Cham. You don't even understand - the first time I heard the acapella version of "Back to Life" on WLBS I cried....literally. Music makes my blood churn, makes me move, and makes me happy. But beyond that, I do/did/will like to dance, on most occasions. Matter of fact, I do/did/will dance regularly 3-4 times a week for most of my less-than-thick years (teenage and adult). Hell, if fitness clubs played NY hip-hop and served drinks, I'd be less-than-thick now (not skinny - I'm just not that chick). Not just for my health or weight, but because I can dance my a$$ off, and dancing makes me happy. Yeah, I'm rambling - bottom line is I need more of both. Period.


• fashion:: yeah, I like pretty things. I even like expensive things. And I even like accumulating pretty, expensive things (hence the luggage I bought while in NYC to bring home my accumulations). But more importantly, I like creative things. I like new finds, slightly avant garde, off the wall, edgy things. Things some people are sorta "hm?" about. As Sadat pointed out, that's always been important to me, and although I occasionally express that - I don't do it in a manner that feeds my spirit or best represents me. Fashion for me is like breathing freely, and I also need to express that regularly. Design/sew/buy/wear/suggest/talk/write about, it' just has to be in there, somewhere.


• food:: let's just keep it real - it's not my friend, and it's not my man. It's been a crutch, and it's keeping me crippled as long as I use it as such. I could go on and on about my weight, but the bottom line is that I'm addicted to food and I need to break this addiction. And it's completely within me to do that. I've known that for a while, but now it's time to walk the walk.


• working the plan: graduation is impending (Dec 2007) and I really need to a) create a firm exit strategy at the gig that b) will allow me to pay bills and my student loan and c) provide the next step in my career journey. I need to stop planning the work (cause the more I excel there, the more they put on my plate, with no compensation for the additional responsibilities) and work my plan.


• writing/blogging:: i haven't had an epiphany about this that says "this is what I'd like to do with my writing..." and yanno what? That tells me that I'm either being a) lazy about it (lol - ya think?) or b) I'm satisfied with what I've done. So, at some point I need to assess what I've written, and determine this is still the direction in which I'd like to go.


• dating:: I give up. I'm definitely not feeling it. And I'm not even sad about it. It has sucked royally for so long, that I'd rather just have the V8.


• time-management:: this is really the key, isn't it? Let me just come clean and say I spend inordinate amounts of time on the 'Net. Some of it productive (school research or working) and some of it a lot less productive (ego-surfing, or just vegetating ,watching web pages grow). Now I'll be the first to embrace a healthy distraction, but this has to change. I'm not swearing off the distractions, just limiting them. I need to make sure tat the frenetic pace isn't hampered.


• hammy:: he's 11, going on 18 (or sometimes 3) and far from my afterthought. He's my new partner in crime - and isn't he the friggin cutest?



Aight, I'm off - gotta work on the ketchup (catchup) amongst other things. And I will be back...soon.