Happy New Year!

Let me start off by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. A lot has happened in the last few weeks.

I went on medical leave just before Thanksgiving to have surgery. Not the way I had intended to spend the holiday season but sometimes, you have no option.

Shortly after my surgery, I was received an invitation from YouTube to earn revenue from a video that I posted about using Vaseline on my natural hair. I completed that process and began earning money from that video. Can't quit the day job but the possibilities were encouraging.



I entered a giveaway being hosted by Doteasy and found out on Christmas Day that I had won an iPad! I was totally excited. Of all the prizes, it was probably the one I wanted the most. Of course there was a MacBook Air up for grabs but truthfully, I had just purchased a MacBook Pro a few weeks earlier so winning one would have been gluttonous. But I probably would have given it to my husband so that he could use it for GarageBand.

On the Lunar Eclipse of 2010, December 21, I decided to go ahead and apply for full YouTube partnership. I had just over 1000 subscribers and over 100,000 video views. I was going to wait until I had over 1500 subscribers but something told me to go for it. To my surprise, I found out on December 30, 2010 that I had been accepted as a YouTube Partner!


I have been working to update my personal website so that perhaps I can have to update in one place versus several blogs,a website AND YouTube.

May you all have a prosperous 2011!

I Love Jamie Foxx

I am Jamie Foxx's Greatest Fan. Having been influenced too by the unconditional love of a Grandmother's love, I understand. When he won the Academy Award, I felt compelled to design and create a wall hanging in memory of his Grandmother, Mrs. Estelle M. Talley and his career. I'll post a photo below but I will cut you if you steal it!

Doteasy Domain Registration

I have registered and recommended several domain registrations via doteasy. It has always been a breeze and as long as my desired domain is available, I'm registered in minutes. It only takes a couple of days to make the domain ready to use. And when you are like me, always thinking about the infinite possibilities of the internet, doteasy makes it possible.

Today, it's all about branding. You know, being associated by your niche! As I have reflected over the last few days, I've realized that dotasy has been the driving force behind my concepts. If it were not for my being exposed to doteasy in 2002 to set up the school's website, I would have just logged on to the district's server and updated the site. Plain and simple. But because the Dreamweaver presenter was knowledgeable, he shared with us a web hosting company that offered free web hosting. I had a light bulb moment that has been burning bright ever since. I signed up that evening for my first account, http://www.thecreativelady.com

Here's my process:

I will come up with an idea or concept for a new niche, usually at about 2 AM. Before I check the popular websites like Youtube, I check with doteasy's domain registration feature first because after all, you want all the branding options open! Once the domain has been registered, it's all systems go. Everything else falls into place.

I Love doteasy's domain registration because it is just that: easy!

Why I Love Doteasy!

Doteasy is the only web hosting services I've ever used. I learned of the company back in 2002 when I was "selected" to design my school's web page. I knew nothing about web design. The workshop presenter mentioned a company that offers free website hosting. That night, I purchased my first, of many to come, domain name. It was simple to upload a site in a short period of time. Even as a novice, I used their templates to get started. When I learned to use Adobe Dreamweaver and wanted to add my own styling, Doteasy allowed room for creativity and flexibility.

Sure, it offers cost-free & banner-free services but doteasy can grow with you as you build your site and your traffic grows to the point of needed a premium package. Why not join and stick with a company who offers great products and customer service? I've never used another service and don't plan on going anywhere but up!

Concentrate On You

The artist contacted me and sent me a link to his song. I am loving this! It is my anthem! I need to make it my ring tone!

I'm in the classroom footage shot! No autographs please

WTF Have I Done With My Blog Posts???

WTF

The Doctor Is In: Not!

My life is filled with countless opportunities for me to laugh out loud! This entry will be no different.

I don't know if I've ever established this or not but I was born and raised in rural Mississippi, i.e. The Country, where the living is still good in 2009. I wanna go back. Anyhoo, my roots are still there and I still eat "country food" cold cuts like hog head souse, bologna and liver cheese. Since I'm in Memphis, it is not too hard to find such in Wal-Mart.

Tonight I stopped in Wally World (Wal-Mart) and decided to get some liver cheese. As I searched the cold cuts for the delicacy, I did not see it. I asked the stock person, an older gentleman, standing in the section where he was hiding the liver cheese? He looked and said they were out! What? Who else is eating liver cheese but me?!!! Has someone else discovered it's likeness to pate! (I can't find the special characters pate deserves.) He offers me some bologna. I didn't come for bologna! I wanted liver cheese.

The following LOL dialogue actually occurred next:

Stock Clerk: (he turns to face me and says) Sometimes when I eat sweet potato pie. . .

Thoughts In My Head: . . .I sure hope he is not eating liver cheese or bologna with sweet potato pie!

Stock Clerk: it messes up for stomach for a few days and makes me go to the bathroom a lot.

Thoughts In My Head: WTF!

Stock Clerk: What do you think I should do?

Thoughts In My Head: Get Away From Me!

Me to Stock Clerk: Go to the doctor. But if you want some quick relief, drink some ginger ale or mix some water and a teaspoon of flour and drink it. This will settle your stomach. But remember, go to the doctor.

Stock Clerk: I've never heard of that before. Thank you so much.

Me to Stock Clerk: You are welcomed. But remember to seek medical advice. I am not a doctor.

I walked away wondering what made him talk to me. I guess he figured anybody buying liver cheese had to be from the country and probably had an old time remedy for whatever ails you! And he was right!

My grandmother turns 90 in a few days, and has all kinds of natural remedies. I don't know whether to attribute it to our Indian heritage or just being from the country but she could make pain go away. As a teenager, I had severe monthly cramps that would keep me in bed for 2 days. Anybody feel me? Pain! Big Mama would go into the woods behind the house and bring back this stick for me to chew. The first time she brought me this tree branch to chomp, I thought she had flipped out. But I never questioned her and chewed the branch like a deer. The pain went away. I've got to ask her this weekend the name of that tree!

Dang

Last week my dad came up to the 2oth Annual Southern Heritage Classic. Instead of coming to my house, he wanted to meet for brunch at the casino. I have been doing all that I can to avoid unnecessary public places as I try to dodge the Swine Flu/H1N1. The casino is H1N1 waiting to happen.



I agreed to meet him but I really wanted to stay home and work on some creative projects I've been putting on the back burner.



When I arrived at the Horseshoe Casino, I went into the ladies room. I heard voices in the stalls but I hear ladies yapping all the time in the restroom as we use the facilities. No big deal. I came out and as I was washing my hands, my eyes caught of glimpse in the mirror of the stall behind me. There were 2 sets of feet in the stall. A pair of flat nondescript shoes and a pair of Cinderella type glass slippers. Hmmm. . . we women will comfort a friend even if she runs into a stall, so no biggie. But to be honest, at this point, I was curious as heck. I waited and washed my hands through 2 choruses of "Happy Birthday". The stall door opened. Out walks this trashy looking woman with a glass of wine in her hand and another person who was either a hard looking woman or a very very ugly man with a wig on! They went to the sink to wash their hands. Oh my! To kill my theory of a friend comforting a friend in a stall, the trashy woman reached over and smacked the other person on the butt! Well alrighty then. At least they washed their hands.

Brunch was terrible. The food was not good and there was a live bird flying around the buffet. After I saw that, I refused to eat another thing.

I Love B. Scott!

Love B. Scott is my love muffin! He always makes me smile no matter what. I love his positive energy and comedy!

The Wait Is Over! My TV is Back!

Today is not my birthday but it may as well be. I can finally get back to my TV fixations: Project Runway, Top Chef and The Real Housewives of Atlanta! I have not been able to watch much of the other reality TV shows. I had no idea Real Chance of Love was into Season 2. I thought it was probably reruns. I just happened to tune in and saw all new ladies. I could not get into the show. I am now convinced that it's not real. LOL. How many times does two gorgeous men have to search for love? Don't we all love Real's hair? When does America's Next Top Model air?

Let me get my snacks ready: Baked Cheetos, Fudge Stripes Cookies, popcorn and Coca Cola.
I'd better set the DVR too!

Toodles

~tlc

Snuggie

Am I the only person who thinks the Snuggie looks like a Monk's robe? I didn't realize how difficult regular blankets were. I see that they now come in fashion prints like zebra and cheetah! I'd better get on the phone right now.

Why?

Please help me understand why walkers choose to walk in the street rather than on the sidewalk? Especially when sidewalks are available?

Tomorrow is Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I know that you are thinking that ~tcl has lost her freaking mind. Mother's Day is in May. But the first day of school for students is always Mother's Day (and Father's Day) for many parents. Those little beings who lived in your house, ate your food, ran up your electric bill and claimed to be bored all summer are going back to school. Bored even though you made sure they had every telephone device, video game and cable station known to man available to them. Now, they will belong to someone else for at least 8 hours. A friend even told me that when her preacher announced that tomorrow would be the first day of school, you wouldn't believe the number of hallelujahs and amens that roared through the crowd. These are their babies. How do they think we feel as educators? At least they can discipline them. I digress.

I am putting my glass on the counter because I know that when I get home, I am going to need a drink!

Cheers!
~tcl

Subscribe!

Did you know that you can subscribe to my posts by clicking on the RSS Feed icon or the "chicklet"? I love the term chicklet! Sometimes I'd love to be a chicklet! Anyhoo, subscribing this way allows you keep up with what's new with LOL whenever you log online. I love RSS feeds because all of my subscriptions that are on RSS are in one place! Love it!

Thanks and have a great weekend y'all!

~tcl

It's Starting To Happen!

I am forgetting stuff! Oh no! Work started this past Monday and I am not ready. Having worked summer school, I do not feel rested at all! I am wound up. When I signed up, they did not tell us until the first meeting that it would be an ALL DAY schedule. 8-3:30! Oh brother! The same traffic and stress during the summer as a regular work day. The bright spot was having really great administrators who were nice.

I was rushing Tuesday morning and stopped to put my shoes on. I knew that I had my phone in my hand. I got up and went into the kitchen. I could not find my phone. My counter tops are black as is my phone. I did not see it. I remember putting my Green Machine drink back into the fridge. I had put my bag in the truck already and had my husband call my cell. I could not find it. I could call him from the hands free device and figured it was lost in my bag. As we conversed as I rushed away to make it to work on time, the call dropped! The phone was NOT in the truck. I hoped I had not put it in the fridge!

I always carry my phone but figured I could make a day without my phone. Wrong. I felt lost all day long. The Internet was down at work so I did not have access to the web! Oh brother! The good thing was that we missed another long drawn out presentation! When will they learn that teachers are just as bad as the students when it comes to being lectured. Who wants to sit and watch a talking head for hours!

At the end of the day, I rushed home and finally found my phone: the couch ate it! I guess when I parked my bus to put on my shoes, the cushions went up and swallowed my phone. Explaining why we could not the hear the dang thing vibrating. Having to put the phone on vibrate during staff meetings is a drag. It was being silenced by the cushions! I was so happy to be normal cell phone user again! I will chalk this up to being in a hurry and not old age!

Do you know OOAK?

I have laughed at myself tonight! My friend sells vintage clothes. I've seen her list OOAK in her descriptions and all this time, I never knew what OOAK was. I thought it was a division of Anne Klein. I just found out that it means One Of A Kind! That's why she is The Fashionista and I'm The Creative Lady. I'm done!

DVDs I'm Buying on Tuesday, August 4!

What will you buy?

Michael Jackson @1995 MTV Music Awards

My friend Liz sent me this video of Michael Jackson's performance at the 1995 MTV Music Awards. He really brings it here! I love this. I can never get enough of seeing MJ dance. In this video, he sings a medley of his greatest hits. Superb!

~tcl

The Big 4-0

Today, I turn 40! Certain Welcome Wagon committee members have already welcomed me into the fold with advisement to purchase Ben Gay ointment and to "expect to hear sound effects when moving, sitting, standing, bending and reaching"! Ha! Thanks Liz!


Online friends have wished me good tidings like my Fashionista Poochie of Poochie's Closet. Jeff Majors, Etsy, Threadbangers and WDIA AM 1070 in Memphis have all wished me a Happy Birthday. My "twin" has already called and was actually the first person to ring in the 40s on my phone. Thanks Anthony! My dad is even up and online at this hour and has already sent online wishes. I'm not surprised. We are both Leos and night owls. Family members with normal sleeping habits will begin ringing my phone later this morning!

Now that I'm officially 40, I have to say that I feel great. Not to sound arrogant but it doesn't hurt either that I don't look 40. I work in a middle school and visitors often comment that I look like one of the kids. Now, I wouldn't go that far but I accept the compliment anyway. What's my secret? I would love to tell you that it's because I eat right, exercise at least 3 times per week and that I don't drink or smoke, have a beauty regimen that would shame Cleopatra and that I'm in bed by 9:30 every night. I would love to tell you that. In actuality, it is currently 3:50 AM, I haven't been to sleep and my first birthday meal was 5 empanadas, a Coca-Cola and a glass of Moscato. I haven't been on the Wii in well over 2 months. The Mii characters are probably really getting their snooze on. Beauty regimen. . .I have been known to crash out in my clothes with makeup on! So what's my secret? Good Genes baby!

Look at my ancestors! From left to right we have my great grandfather, my great grandmother, my grandfather, my grandmother and my great uncle. Such greatness. These folks and more have all made me who I am today.

I work with middle schoolers and they keep me hip and informed. I always know the latest music, dance crazes, fashion trends and must have gadgets. Getting checked by them and putting them in check occurs on a regular basis. I am barely "a buck 0-5" working with urban youth and I not scared. "I am a Clair". Clair as in Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show. I give them "the look". They know that I don't play.

Though I don't make New Year's Resolutions, I do take birthday reflections. I will celebrate my 40th birthday for the next 364 days by being grateful. Grateful to be alive. The past few months and especially that last few weeks has been tumultuous. Many people have died. Lots have been celebrities. Some, I've known personally or exchanged emails with. Just like me, Steve McNair graduated from Alcorn State University. I watched him play football at Alcorn. It is because of Steve that I am a knowledgeable football fan. He autographed his covers of Sports Illustrated and Sports View for me in 1995 just before getting drafted into the NFL.

As a reader, I often wondered how writers could use a celebrity's name in their work of fiction without getting sued. My answer came after I received a response to my query from E. Lynn Harris. I still have that email.

Family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers have died. Life is so amazing. I remember laughing and talking with a co-worker/friend one Friday and on Monday heard that she had died over the weekend. While death is natural and a given, it is sometimes hard to accept. I've spent ample amounts of time lately grieving the loss of family and friends, Steve McNair and Michael Jackson. Their passing has made me even more determined to squeeze all that I can out of this tube of life. My spirit is renewed. I love to create. I love to write. You can best believe that I will do more of those things.

I am running the self clean function on the oven but later today, I will bake myself a birthday cake. I have a taste for German Chocolate. Though I always do this for other people, today, I will make myself a slideshow featuring my favorite music. I will go shopping and perhaps even wash my truck. But right now, I'm going over to my iPod to blast 50 Cents' "In Da Club" and refreshen my glass of Moscato. Today, I'm 40.

Cheers!