Home Again! Part I

(You knew it would have to be at least 2 parts! I was gone a week!)

I know you guys missed me. I missed you too! I am smacking down face first into loser week, you know, the first week back from vacay. You realize your actual life is not nearly as fun as your vacay life. Alas... I shall start recapping my lovely time in the Queeeeeeeen City and only one day after my return!! Aren't you guys excited! This may be a record for me.

Wednesday:

I wake up and it is ridiculously cold. I mean 30s cold. So despite the fact I don't plan on needing a coat or gloves, I am forced to take them. HOWSOMEVER (tell me that's not the funniest word in America), I refused to take the earmuffs.

Because its just too much. I mean really people. I'm trying to EMBRACE spring. I'll go with cold ears for a few minutes enterring and exiting buildings just so I don't have to add another thing for me to carry. My bag was HEAVY!! For no reason. In fact, when I got to the airport, I found out it was 68 lbs... that's 18 lbs. over the limit. That means I had to pay a $25 fee. Whatev. Just get me to Charlotte!!! I had a while to wait so I went to Friday's to get a cobb salad. (instead of rocquefort, mine had blue and cheddar cheeses... blue I understand but the cheddar was an odd substitute... still good, but odd). I was feenin for some avacado. I LOVE AVACADO!!! MMMMM. I also had a mojito! LOVE mojitos. Muddle away! Cheers!

I finally get on the plane headed to Cleveland... do you know this is the smallest plane in the world? I know I'm using a lot of absolutes here but deal. I walk out onto the tarmac and this plane seats 15 people! Wait a minute. I work in news. I watch lots of news. America's most frequent plane crashes are with small planes. Granted, they're 2-4 seaters, not commuter planes, but STILL! I don't need to hear the propellers for my entire ride. Geez. I get to Cleveland, then I wait more for my flight to Charlotte. FINALLY!! We are boarding! The pilot says its 72 degrees in Charlotte!!! Wheeeeeee! That's compared to 47 in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. As we approach Charlotte Douglas International Airport, I spot the red clay of my hometown.... WELCOME HOME!! Wheeeeeeeeeeee!! I'm finally back!! 11 months since my last visit, I have returned. All shall rejoice! I didn't bother to contain my excitement and clap excitedly.

I'm fielding phone calls before I even get off the plane good. I mean I have walked 8 steps inside the airport and one of my friends is shrieking in my ear! That's love, folks! Then I talk to my mom and she is still at work! Mommy!! I get my luggage quickly (I wasn't flying US Air) and wait about 15 minutes. I threaten to mug this guy for his Bojangles, but decided not to. Self control people. It's miraculous.

Mom and I head to Wal-Mart so I can buy a digital camera (and subsequently take 1,324 pictures of myself). Then we go home and I talk to Kyle for the 3rd time that day. Joy of joys.

Thursday:

I wake up, read a little bit, my homie MJJ comes to pick me up and I meet the adorable Tristan!! He is the sweetest little 3-month-old butterball in the world. So cute. I was glad too. I didn't have to lie. You know all babies are not cute. M, Tristan, and I head to Showmars!!!!! Wheeeeeee! They're only in NC and SC. I have a gyro with cucumber sauce and fries. MMMMMMMMMMM! So delish.

Then MJJ and I go get our pedicures (I brought nothing but open-toed shoes!) and while she's looking at my pics, her pedi lady asks to see them... are you insane? For what? Do you know these people? So bizarre. Next stop, Southpark Mall... *the heavens just opened and sun beamed down* NORDSTROM!!!!!!!!! I love Nordstrom. Saw the cutest Nanette Lepore jacket... but it was $450 so I left it there. M tried on this cute dress at Bebe, then left it for 20 minutes to think about it, came back and it was GONE! So we had to trudge halfway across the world (or the city, whatever) to Northlake Mall, Charlotte's newest mall to get her size. Then home again. Talked to Kyle 3xs this day. Wheeeeeeeee!

Friday:

PARTY TIME!! I started off the day with more reading. So far I've read In Style magazine, 4 Blondes (crap, don't waste your time), and started Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. That's actually a good book. It's a series of essays by writer David Sedaris. I bought both books because they were $1 at Borders. The second I bought because I was intrigued by the title and cover. I ALWAYS judge books by their cover. I say its the only way.

I take a walk around the neighborhood. With the hills and valleys, its a great workout. Especially since only half the neighborhood is a 2 mile walk. So I did half the neighborhood, and that's mostly because it was HOT! The high was 78 or 80 and it was near that by the time I took my walk. Heat wears you out... So I took a nap. Hurray naps! M came to pick me up so we could head Uptown... interesting thing about Charlotte... what everyone else in the world would consider downtown, we call uptown. Wikipedia just told me why! Center City (Trade and Tryon) is the highest point of elevation. You're going UP to town. How interesting. Looky there. Learning is key people! M and our other homie T are going to the Jamie Foxx concert. Tickets were $70 and he was the only performer... I'll pass. So I took a walk around uptown instead to reacclimate myself with my homeland. I was wearing cigarette pants, a polka dot shirt, and these shoes...

Too cute.

I LOVE partying in downtown (hush. yes I interchange the names). I head to the Graduate to watch the games (college bball) and have a few drinks. First drink: Patron Rita (lime juice, Patron, Grand Marnier) mmmmm, 2nd drink: Imagination (3 Olives Grape Vodka, Absolut Citron, pineapple juice, cranberry juice)... no thanks. Not tasty. Then my mom came downtown for dinner. We ate at Zink's. Mom had the cuban sliders, I had a chicken panini with these fantastic fries flavored with salt, pepper and oregano. Yum.

Guess what? It was also my Sigmaversary! I've been in my sorority for FIVE years now. That's insane. I feel old and young at the same time. My chapter just brought in 10 girls. So congrats to Spring '07.

My mom dropped me off near Bobcats Arena to meet up with my crew. I saw one of my Hampton homies I didn't even know lived in the area! and one of my Hampton little brothers (almost everyone at Hampton had a little bro or sis, I always picked ones from Charlotte except the year I was a student leader).

We head down to Menage for the official afterparty. I hate this club. First I stopped going because there were some allegations of the managment firing the Power 98 d.j. because they didn't like the increasingly Black crowd. It was starting to become a hot spot for the young black professionals. I don't know why that would be a problem but whatever. So this was my first time back there since those allegations. We go in and it's all right. I had a sex on the beach, a blue motorcycle (essentially a blue long island ice tea minus the coke), a tanqueray and tonic, then a Michelob. We were there from 11 until about 2:30. It didn't get fun until the end, though I did here some good music from my homeland!! Whooo!! I saw this guy I grew up with. Some guy asked me if my boyfriend was there with me. What? Such an odd question. Does it matter if he's here? If I'm going to give you some attention, any boyfriend is irrelevant. Unfortunately for you, I'm NOT going to give you any attention. Sorry about that.

Then we went upstairs to the "VIP" area. Yeah right. I saw Emeka Okafor and thanked him for playing for the Bobcats (hilarious), then I tapped him on the shoulder again, he bent waaaaaay down and I said, "And no matter what happens, Duke is still better than UConn." He laughed. So fun. He's cuter in person. I need him to stop getting injured!!!! Afterward M and I got up with one of her friends to eat at Waffle House. Vomit. I hate that place. They are so dirty. But at 3 in the morning, breakfast is fantastic. I got home at 4, talked to Kyle (again) for 1/2 an hour. He said he said to me, "I was going to eat something quick like a sandwich, but maybe I'll just go to sleep." I said, "I'm sleepy too, bye! *click*" Hilarious. I do not recall that but if you say so!

Anyhow, I have a headache right now from all these links and pics. Part II to come soon! You'd like a preview? Ok. Hanging with cousins, more cute shoes, ribs, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, potato salad, sweet potato pie, transformating (sic)!, oh my! Prepare yourselves.