You're a Jerk...♥

You know what really grinds my gears?? When people are so starved for attention that they go out of their way to constantly attempt being "different"... For example, I know a person who is constantly dressing outside-the-box, which is all fine and dandy, you know? It's cool. If you're into that, you can appreciate this person's style. But then anytime this person speaks, its either "Well I've BEEN wearing ________, everybody else needs to catch up", or "This is my style, everybody who just started wearing it is copying". First of all, if your name isn't on the label...its NOT your style... Please believe, even if you--a young kid in OHIO of all places-- are hip to a certain trend or designer, best believe, the rest of the world was hip to it WAY longer than you were! Lol...really though! So there's no need to always voice these things...If you're truly being you, and dressing the way that makes you happy, your style will speak for itself! You can just do you, without all the extra...because then it turns into cockiness, and that's annoying. There are so many people who dress/talk/act a certain way SIMPLY because no one else in their vicinity does it, but there's a vast difference between being a trendsetter by nature, and doing/saying/wearing things just because you know other people will say something about it! If you're not doing it for you, then it's not who you really are...which makes it FAKE...which makes YOU fake!! Get it?? Lol... 
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Get Me the Paddles....Stat! ♥

Why is it that crappy music is now the majority in the hip-hop world, while good, meaningful lyricism is fading into the background as the exception? When did this happen? There was a time when music was an art form, and club music was the exception...now the roles have reversed… Thank God there's a recession going on, it makes the decision easier--no, non-existent-- as to what music to buy and what to download/burn... I wouldn't pay a DIME for the vast majority of music that's hitting the airwaves these days! I‘ll drive in silence rather than listen to the radio in my car. If I don‘t have my iPod or a CD…forget about it.
I understand that hip-hop is evolving and all that, but gosh…I feel Martha Stewart could drop a better album than some of these artists…
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"It's 'cause We BLACK, Right?"...

I'm SO sick of people!! This is super random, considering I didn't have to work today, but I'm getting so fed-up with people trying to steal from the store I work at...Why do some people believe it's fair to try to redeem their 5-finger discount every time they come to our store??? My thoughts are always the same: If you think we're too expensive, LEAVE!!! Go to another store that offers plus-sized clothing! We're not the only one! We may be the best (lol) but there are cheaper stores... It just kills me because there are so many things I've seen and learned since I began working in retail. There are people who will blatantly steal from your store, then wear the stolen merchandise the next time they visit your store!! Like really??? As if we're not going to recognize you and follow every move you make this time around??
Then we get the girls who are, for lack of a better term, Ghetto. They enter the store as loudly as they can, attracting attention to the fact that 1) There are WAY too many of them, huddled too close together in front of a rack and 2) Nothing they're wearing gives off the appearance that they shop regularly at our store (i.e. big, boyish bomber jackets, run-over tennis shoes...baggy clothes...all things that our store doesn't even sell!) and wonder why the salespeople on the floor are eyeing them. Lol.... then when they get caught in the act it's "Why y'all gotta follow us every time we come in the store, dang! It's 'cause we Black, ain't it???"
...Clearly any person of any color is capable of stealing...but it literally burns me up inside when I hear this phrase, because the reality is that all the times I've been present during a theft incident, most of the thieves WERE in fact Black! There have been exceptions, of course, but guess what? The race card doesn't work on me lol!! So it's not as if I'm out to "target" my own! I'm simply saying, don't reinforce the fact that people target us already! Duh! Such a mess....
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Instead of Sending Flowers, Be the Roses {Kanye}♥

I wonder how often people stop to recollect on where they came from, appreciate where they are now, and think about where they're going in the future...

I feel like people are so caught up in the irrelevance of petty things, especially in our generation, that no one appreciates the things of value that will stick with us when the extra stuff fades away... Education, religion, true love, and family values are things that I've grown to appreciate since reaching college age and being out in the world on my own. These things didn't seem so major when I was in the shelter and safety of my family home...Now, I'm glad that they were always present for me, even though I took them for granted! So I guess it could be based on how one was raised, or their sense of goals and aspirations...because I look at a lot of my peers and wonder what their mothers would think of the things they say and do. I recently passed my one-year marking the anniversary of my mother's death, and I must say, her absence helped me to grow a lot as a woman, and I believe I'm a different person than I was before she was taken away from me. So as someone who doesn't have their mother physically present anymore, giving that little "push" {that we sometimes hate!}, I find myself jealous and wishing for that push again, even if it's just for a little moment... It took me losing my Mommy to realize all I had when she was here. So I just wish and hope that people around me will realize that representing those who inspire you and played a role in shaping who you are today is very important...and take notice of it, so that you can show that appreciation to those people while you still have the chance!
I understand what my mother meant when she would say "It'll all make sense when you get a little older". Things like the latest name brands, and fighting over guys/girls, and being jealous and vindictive are things that I thought people were supposed to outgrow at some point, but I'm starting to become doubtful!! Does anyone have class and home training anymore??
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Get Off My Couch {Figuratively Speaking} ♥

I'm so sick of playing therapist! I've got more "patients" than a little bit, and I haven't even gotten my degree yet!
Why do people ask for advice right before they go off and do their own thing anyway? Completely contradicting the advice THEY demanded of you!
I would love to say that I'm not guilty of this, however I am...and I still don't understand it.
I want to understand, because lately I've felt myself getting an attitude about certain people and them bringing their problems to me. This makes me feel like I'm not a good friend, because I don't even care to hear these problems anymore after I've heard them so many times. Why keep asking when you're going to keep going back to the source of the problem? It just baffles me! I try the nice approach...you know, "Maybe you should ___________"....it doesn't work. Then I try a more forceful approach, something like "You need to __________, like seriously"...doesn't work either...Finally, there's the sistah-girl approach..."If I tell you one more time to ______________, I'm gonna scream!"
So what does one do when all these approaches fail? I don't want to be a bad friend, and just tell this person to stop coming to me with the BS, because then they'll feel like they can never come to me again. They'll worry that I don't care at all anymore. I'd never want to contribute to someone feeling the need to hold everything in and try to deal with it alone... IDK...maybe people just need to learn things for themselves sometimes.
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