Forgot About J

I was running at the park earlier this week.....

Well, not running exactly.  It's movement more akin to a grandmother shuffling around the kitchen in her house slippers.  It still gets my blood pumping, though, and it's always good to get some fresh air.

Anyway, I was shuffling around the park when an influential song from my past came on my iPod:  "Forgot About Dre" from Dr. Dre's legendary 2001 album.  I always had a hunch that Dre wrote his songs for middle class white chicks in their late 20s, but this time his lyrics spoke to me like never before.

"Y'all know me, still the same OG, but I been low key..."

It really made me think.  I'm the same original gangster I've always been, but like the good Doctor, I've been low key.  I haven't been writing.  I haven't been blogging.  I've basically fallen off the face of the world wide web.  But Dre got back on his horse.  Why shouldn't I?  And for the record, Dre, I never doubted you.

I've always connected with Dr. Dre on a personal level.  He's from the streets of Compton, I'm from the Village of Barboursville.  He attended the school of hard knocks, I had to pull myself up after a solid Catholic high school education.  He discovered Eminem, I recently re-discovered M&Ms.  Dre smokes chronic, I chronically misplace my car keys.  He just gets me.

I was inspired even further by Eminem's line in the song that says: "From here on out it's the Chronic II, starting today and tomorrow's anew..."

You said it, Slim.  Today is a new day.  This blog is back on track.  And to kick things off, here are 7 quick takes on why I fell off the blog-wagon, and what I've been doing since then.

 (1)

I got a divorce last spring.  This is the first time I have stated that publicly.  It's not something I ever thought I would go through and I was sad, embarrassed, and ashamed.  I won't be discussing this in any detail on my blog because, let's face it, divorce is a highly personal situation with little to no comedic value anyway.  I just wanted to put it out there because I've always been candid in this blog, and I'm not going to stop just because the road got rough.

(2)

In July, newly discovered water issues in the basement caused the sale of our old house to fall through weeks before closing.  The repairs were paid for with stress, tears, and multiple new credit cards.  The good news?  Everything is now fixed, the repairs were overseen and documented by a structural engineer, and the next buyer gets a lifetime warranty.  So, feel free to buy our house.

(3)

I moved into a new house in late September.  It is walking distance to the local park, and has a little fenced in backyard for my pug friend.  I am working on a blog entry with before-and-after pictures of work I've done on the house.   Spoiler alert: There was bird poop on the kitchen floor when the previous owners left.

(4)

Also in September, two of my best friends and I went out for drinks... in France.  More to come on that topic.

(5)

 I'm still working a big girl job and going to graduate school for my Masters in Healthcare Administration.  Apparently there is something going on called the Affordable Care Act?  I'd never even heard of it!

(6)

I have been busy checking various things off of my bucket list, two of which were attending a murder mystery dinner and traveling to a Renaissance Festival.  Details to come.  Next on my list?  Attend a ball.

(7)

I finally, at age 28, learned now to correctly apply eye shadow.  I went to one of those kiosks at Macy's and asked a makeup artist to show me what to do.  I figured it's time I put on my big girl pants and learn how to do things I should have figured out back in high school.  Next step... getting my ears pierced.  

Just kidding.  I'm not a floozy.

Check out Jen for other Quick Takes this week.