Be Careful What You Pray For

It’s been a crazy week. Our fundraising event this weekend is taking up too much time at work. I can’t even relax and talk to my friends like I want to. The stress of it all is getting to my co-workers because they are being rather bitchy lately. Or maybe that’s how they always are but I usually don’t notice because unless I’m being given an assignment or handing them a completed one, I pretty much ignore them.

Awww. I’m not mean. I just like to sit back and watch how people interact with one another before I jump into the lunch dates and weekend hangouts. And after careful observation, I’ll pass on the friendships. These women aren’t scandolous and rude but…they wag their tongues a wee bit too much. Hey, to each his own but I can’t deal with people who gossip negatively and then hang out with the person they’re talking about. One chick said, “Eww, she thinks we’re friends but I’d never be friends with someone like her. She’s ughh.” The next day those two were laughing and going to lunch. HUH?

How mean! Even if you thought that about someone, why would you mention it to someone else? I guess she’s trying to influence others to think the same way she does. That annoys me. I bet they gossip about me. I don’t care too much because i’ll never find out since I don’t hang in the gossip circle. Give me an assignment and I’ll hand it back. That’s all I’m there to do. They are genuinely good hearted people it’s just it seems to be a cultural thing to talk shit and make faces when someone leaves the room. That really hurts me to see them do that hence my decision to stay away unless it’s work related.

Regardless I try to stay positive and cheerful in all situations at my job. I can tell even THIS annoys some people. Oh well, some days I’m in a zone and it’s just me, Kanye’s delightful voice and my computer and that’s all I really need.

Last night I went out to that Buppie mixer on South Beach and it was pretty nice. Ofcourse Marsha flaked out on me. You can’t depend on chicks these days. Thank goodness I don’t mind going out by myself or else I’d always be in the house waiting for the phone to ring.

I drove up to the spot and I knew it was the right place because I saw Black men and women entering wearing suits. The valet approached my car with a smile. “How much is it?” I asked him. “$10” “Hell naw!” I said and drove away.

I put 4 quarters in the meter and closed my door. I’m on the phone with the editor of the e-zine I’m working for and I politely excused myself from the conversation.

I say hi to the doorman and brace myself for my entrance.

Since I’m about to enter a room full of young Black professionals that do not know me from Eve I have to strut. I’m wearing my gray blazer and a short black dress with black heels. I pause at the doorway, pulll my shoulders back, put on my I-have-a-secret-and-you-know-you-want-to-know-what-it-is smirk and I high step into the room like I’m in the final 3 of the America’s Next Top Model competition and I’m doing the runway challenge! I smile at all of my future fans and say hello to a man standing near the bar.

I find the person who invited me and I wait for him to wrap up his conversation. While I’m waiting I introduce myself to the people around me and engage a woman in conversation. It turns out that she works for a MAGAZINE as the Marketing Director. BLING! I shoot her my card and she returns the favor.

“I think I may have come here tonight just to meet you because I am a writer and I’m very passionate about it,” I tell her.

She smiles. “Well, we’re always looking for new contributing writers, please get in touch with me about that and I’ll see what I can do.”

TRUUUUUEEE!!!

She sees that the CEO I’m waiting for is done with his conversation and she introduces me.

Peep how we met. At the end of last year while taking the Heiress’s challenge I decided that I wanted to meet more Black professionals. What better place to start than with the local African American chapter of the Chamber of Commerce. So I looked them up and found the CEO’s biography. I sent him a HELLO email and he wrote me back asking me to give him a call sometime.

I called him and we had a very easy going conversation at the end of which he invited me to their monthly mixer. Ofcourse I had to accept. ~hollup I just remembered to send both of them follow-up emails telling them that it was nice to meet them. Ok. That’s done~

I spoke with two more people during the evening. I find it quite easy to introduce myself to strangers and chat with them about any given subject because I believe I am intelligent and I always have something positive to add to any conversation. As long as the women are nice, I’m cool. Once I see someone who is showing her insecurity by giving me dirty looks I know to stay away and allow her to burn up on the inside FAR AWAY from me. Why do women do that? Why can’t we celebrate each other? This really bothers me.

So I glance at my cell phone and notice that the time on my meter is almost up. I say goodbye to the people I met and head on out. I’m on my way to meet with the woman from Trick’s label since I’m already on South Beach. By the time I reach her she is standing outside and she calls my phone as I pull up. “Hey, why don’t you join us for dinner?”

I follow her and her friend to a restaurant in the middle of the South Beach shops called Pasha’s. It’s very windy out and I’m slightly freezing in my little dress but I pretend like I’m fine as we walk 3 blocks from the parking lot to the restaurant. She has a guy with her who is kinda cute but not in a ‘damn lemme holla’ type of way. More of a brotha type although I know that women probably eat him up because he’s tall, light skinned, clean cut and drives a nice truck.

As we’re walking toward the restaurant we all stop and stare as two FINE ASS, scrumptious looking men walk by- HOLDING HANDS! They were gripping them shits tight too!

DAMNNN!!!!

I immediately thought of Dizyaboy and how beautiful he is and how I can’t understand how he could like men. Seriously, ALL of Diz’s friends are fine as hell too and if MTV weren’t the way it is, you know, showcasing all of those shows like NEXT where they have 4 gay men trying to date other gay men I would not believe that these men were really gay. How can a BLACK man THAT FINE be gay?

I don’t understand it. It’s so unreal to me. I’ve never had any gay male friends (that would admit it) so I’m blown away by all of the Black gay bloggers out there. And they are SOOOO FINE!!! SO FINE! I think they’re playing a trick on me. They’re not really gay. It must be a front or something. ~shakes head~ Why are they out to confuse me?

We sit and enjoy some steak and chicken over the softest, sweetest rice I’ve had in ages. She gives me the number to the A&R so that I can arrange to meet the artists and write their bios. I’m nervous because like I said earlier, “I don’t know NAYTHIN about music.” I’m afraid it will show inmy writing but if I keep getting opportunities to write in the entertainment industry then I’m going to take them.

Please, be careful what you pray for. At the end of 2005 I prayed long and hard asking God, “Please God, just give me the OPPORTUNITY to write and showcase what I can do. I PROMISE I’ll make you proud and be faithful with my gift.”

Now, I’m SWAMPED with freelance work! In fact, I sent a query to an editor I met at the nail salon and she e-mailed me today asking me to go ahead with the story idea as a trial. I’m nervous because all of this other writing I’m doing is just for the clips and the networking opportunities but this one is PAID. Maybe one day soon I’ll be able to call myself a professional ~paid~ writer.

One day soon.

Very soon. If I can get more disciplined about finishing my projects instead of waiting until the night before.

I have BIG plans in the works and I want you all to be a part of it, so stay tuned and get excited!

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You have to check out e-Wine and Words, an online book society that caters to the sophisticated book lover in you. We’re in very humble beginnings but like anything that I put my hands in, it’s going to become larger than life. Just ask Ms. Serenity or C2A my partners in this project.