Thursday Thirteen #30 . . . 13 Trick Or Treat Don'ts (REDUX)

Yes, I posted this very same list of Trick or Treat Don'ts last year. But it was a fun list and it's not like anything has changed. So, if you and yours are out there doing any of this mess on Halloween, please stop (smile)>

1) DON'T send your kid out to knock on doors until you've first taught him/her proper Halloween etiquette. "Give me some candy!" and "Is that all you've got? are not acceptable subsititutes for "Trick or treat! and "Thank you."

2) If you're 13 years old or older and you're thinking about knocking on my door and asking for candy . . . DON'T . . . unless you're looking to be embarrassed or have the police called on your behind.

3) If you're thinking about letting little Ashley dress up like Peaches the stripper or Kitty the call girl and calling it a costume . . . DON'T! That mess is SO NOT cute.

4) If you forgot to buy candy, DON'T try to subsitute those stale mints and those dried up sticks of gum that have been sitting in the bottom of your purse or in that dusty bowl in the living room forever. That's just nasty . . . and trifling.

5) If you're one of those anti-sugar freaks, DON'T pass out toothbrushes and dental floss--sheesh, just turn out the lights and keep your durn door shut.

6) DON'T send your child up to my house clutching one of those big, green, 30-gallon sized trash bags, unless he/she is pretending to be a sanitation worker. It's Halloween folks, not garbage pick-up day.

7) If you're sitting in the house in your drawers, getting your drank on, when the door bell rings, do us all a favor and just DON'T answer it.

8) DON'T pass out candy you had left over from Valentine's Day or worse yet, last Halloween.

9) If you notice that my porch light and all of my house lights are OUT or I've got a big a$$ neon sign on my door that says, NO CANDY HERE!" DON'T bother to knock or ring my freaking doorbell.

10) If you see me out trick or treating with my kid, DON'T jump out the bushes and holler "Boo!" unless you're looking to get clubbed, maced or possibly even shanked. Mama DON'T even play that.

11) If your religious beliefs prevent you from participating in Halloween, DON'T spoil it for the others folks/heathens who do, by passing out prayer cards, verses from Revelations or communion wafers.

12) If there's a thunderstorm or a blizzard or the weather man says there's a tornado, hurricane or a freaking tsunami in the immediate vicinity, please DON'T show up at my door trying to trick or treat.

13) DON'T send your child out door-to-door on Halloween without a costume or at least some make-up. That's not trick or treating folks, that's just plain ole begging.

Okay, did I just about cover them all? Are there any others you'd like to add? (LOL) Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #29 . . . 13 Interesting Facts & Juicy Tidbits from THE LEGS ARE THE LAST TO GO (by Diahann Carroll) . . .

Just about everyone knows Diahann Carroll, right? The African American actress who played Corey Baker's mom in the groundbreaking '60's television series Julia? Since that time Ms. Carroll has played quite a few other memorable tv "mom roles," among them Whitley's mom in A Different World and Preston Burke's mom in Grey's Anatomy. One of my favorite Diahann Carroll "mom roles" took place on the big screen when she played opposite James Earl Jones, in the '70s movie classic, Claudine. Surprising enough, the beautiful and talented Ms. Carroll also managed to pull off playing a b!tch, as Dominique Deveraux in the '80s tv series Dynasty.

I'm more than mid-way through Diahann Carroll's new memoir, The Legs Are The Last To Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying and Other Things I Learned The Hard Way, and I thought it might be both fun and somewhat englighting to share some of what I've discovered about her from my reading.

1) She's 73 years old.

2) She was born Carol Diann Johnson.

3) She considered giving the following title to her latest book--Too Old To Give A Damn: Things I Never Could Have Said While Working In Hollywood.

4) She was 19 when she starred in her first movie, Carmen Jones (she played one of Carmen's sidekicks).

5) Her first marriage was to Monte Kay, a man 17 years her senior and whose dark coloring and curly hair initially led Ms. Carroll to assume that he was African American, rather than Jewish.

6) Hal Kanter, the creator of Julia, wasn't sure Ms. Carroll was right for the role. He thought her a bit too worldly and glamorous.

7) She had a tumultuous 9 year affair with Sidney Poitier, which helped wreck her marriage to Monte Kay.

8) She admits to having had plastic surgery.

9) She admits to having undergone "medically guided" LSD therapy."

10) She lip-syched "Summertime" in the movie version of Porgy and Bess and while she loved the music in the movie, she despised its portrayal of African Americans.

11) She was once engaged to David Frost.

12) She was married to Vic Damone for 10 years.

13) In this book, Ms. Carroll comes off as very much "the diva" and a bit of a drama queen, but one with a truly wonderful sense of humor and grace about herself and her less than perfect past.

While I'm not yet finished with The Legs are The Last To Go, I'm already eager to go back and read the book Diahann Carroll penned in the '80s about her life, if ony to see what I missed (smile). Did you discover anything about Ms. Carroll that you didn't already know. Do you know anything about Ms. Carroll that you'd like to share?

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Thursday Thirteen #28 . . . 13 TV Shows I'm Embarrassed to Admit I Watch . . .

I don't watch a lot of television. Never have. But these days, I'm watching even less than in previous years. Frankly, most of the stuff that makes it on the tube either bores me or I find insulting. Yes, I am hard to please and most of the shows I do like, don't stay on for very long and/or a good number of folks find rather odd. Hey, such is life.

The only NEW prime-time series that currently interests me is Life On Mars. It's different enough to hold my attention, though I'm not sure for how long. At the present, the only prime-time series I watch with any degree of faithfulness, outside of NBC's Nightly News, is Brothers and Sisters. Like I already admitted, I'm weird like that (smile).

Even though I don't have any problems owning up to the fact that I enjoy a number of news programs, a variety of music specials and documentaries, as well as shows like HBO's Real Sports and The Wire, the following list is composed of TV shows I'm ashamed to admit, I have actually been known to sit down and watch from beginning to end. Sure, I watch them, but there's only one in the bunch that really has me hooked . . .

1) The First 48: I just started watching this over the summer. So all of the repeats are new to me. I'm not so sure why it fascinates me, other than the fact that I've been able to gain some insights into the minds of criminals and detectives. Perhaps this is research for some future novel? (smile) And of course, I especially enjoy the episodes filmed in Memphis. Gotta give it for the homefolk in the Dirty South.

2) Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Every time my son and I sit down to watch this show, the hubby leaves the room. He doesn't have to worrry, my dreams of having 4-5 kids have long since passed. Besides, watching this crew will most definitely make you think twice about having additional children.

3) Blues Clues: Well, only the reruns featuring my boy, Steve, mind you. This is one of those back down memory lane sorts of things. Blues Clues was the first show I allowed my son to watch as a preschooler.

4) Bridezilla: How these women, (particularly the ones who are tore up, from the floor up, as we used to say back in the day) get away with the crap they pull both amazes and amuses me.

5) The King of Queens: The hubby got me hooked on this over the summer after he talked me into watching an episode with him. Even though I do find the show funny and very well-written, something tells me the hubby identifies just a wee too much with that nit-wit Doug.

6) Divorce Court: While I'll watch any of them, I prefer the reruns with Judge Mabelean. She cracks me up.

7) Real Sex: What can I say, other than it appeals to my inner freak (LOL)?

8) Soul Train: I doubt this one comes as any real surprise. The fact that I'm old school has been well established.

9) Joel Osteen: "Don't drink the Kool-Aid!" is what I used to whisper at my hubby whenever I'd catch him watching a Joel Osteen broadcast. But one day, I sat down and listened for a minute and even though I'm still a little leery of dude's smile, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

10) Inside Edition: Mainly, I watch this show in order to get my entertainment news and because I'm generally too lazy to get up after the evening news goes off.

11) Buy Me: Since in recent years it always seems like I'm in the process of either buying or selling a house, this show appeals to me.

12) Funniest Home Videos: Just call me a sucker for silly cat, dog and baby videos.

13) Oprah: It's only been in recent years that I've become ashamed of being such a hardcore Oprah fan. But yes, I've watched her show ever since it hit the airwaves One of the best things about living in Charlotte is that Opie's show is repeated in the evenings, so I don't ever have to worry about having to record or miss a show. But don't worry, you'll never catch me on one of her "favorite things" give-away specials screaming like an idiot. That's so uncool (LOL). I also don't typcially don't bother to watch the show when she's doing her in-depth celebrity interviews. Sorry, celebrities just aren't my thing, unless, of course, we're talking about somebody like, PRINCE!

So what shows do you watch that might surprise those who THINK they know you?

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Thursday Thirteen #27 . . . 13 Bad News Neighbor Types . . .

Note: I posted this last week, but when the date on the Thursday Thirteen web site never changed, I pulled the post. Hopefully, all will go well this week (smile). Comments are welcome!

Since I've been an adult, I've lived in three homes and six different apartments and/or townhomes. At one point, we were moving around so much, my folks started calling me and the hubby the gypsies. So, I've lived in a lot of different neighborhoods and had both the pleasure and the displeasure of getting to know a variety of neighbors. The following are some of the more . . . memorable.

1) The Loud Music Lovers--All right! If I have to hear the theme to the Beverly Hillbillies and/or Working Nine To Five, on blast one more time . . .

2) The Anti-Lawn Care Crew--You mean to tell me there are six of y'all living over there and don't none of y'all know how to use a lawnmower!?

3) The Dope Fiends--When it comes to the neighborhood crack house, at least you know where it is. But as the hubby likes to say, the bad thing about living next door to a meth-lab is that you usually don't know that sucker is there until it blows up.

4) The Cat Lady and/or the Dog Man--Umm, why is it that the nice ole lady who lives with the 15 cats always wants to bring you home-made goodies?

5) The Good Time Gal--Look, if you're skanky enough to sit out on your patio in the wee hours of the morning, boo-hooing into your beer about all the men you done did or let do ya (below my bedroom window, no less) don't get mad if my hubby yanks up the window and yells down for you to pipe down and take your stank butt to bed. Personally, I'da told you to wash first, but that's just me.

6) The Nosey-Butt--Why is it that every time I break out my barbecue grill or I'm getting ready to add something to my landscaping or I'm talking to a contractor, you've got to bring your nosey-butt over and see what's up?

7) The Thief--My uncle shared this one with me. He said one night his shed got broken into and some of his lawn equipment was stolen. A couple of days later, he hears what sounds like HIS lawn mower. (Hey, he swears he knows what his lawn mower sounds like). Anyway, he peeps over the fence and spies the neighbor, the one who belongs to the Anti-Lawn Care Crew, out there cutting his grass with what looks like my uncle's stolen lawn mower.

8) The Broke Down Car Bunch--Dag man, whatcha doing over there, running a chop shop? Can't you do something about all those rusted out cars and engines you've got in your yard sitting up on bricks, providing shelters and playgrounds for cats and rodents?

9) The Chain Smoker--Tell me this, how is it that you can keep your car so spic and span, I'm saying, be outside bright and early on a Sunday morning washing that bad boy, but you've got so many durn cigarette butts in your yard, it looks like two inches worth of accumulated snow and it's the middle of July?

10) The Folks Who Fight--Okay, here's a thought, why don't y'all find yourselves a boxing ring or sign up to be guests on The Jerry Springer Show and get that mess out of your systems? A relative once told me, one of his neighbors called the woman he was living with out of her name so often, he (my relative) just knew the couple's poor kid was gonna grow up thinking his mama's name was either bit@h or ho'.

11) The Lovers--Okay, enough with the bedroom gymnastics already! If you must got at it like elk, why not get rid of the loose head board and the old box springs or better yet, just toss the mattresses on the floor so I don't have to hear all of that racket?

12) The Folks With The Bad-A$$ Kids--To the parents, care-takers and or guardians of the bad-a$$ kids. Look, I know it's hard. So why not just pack your bags and let them have the house? Hell, they're tearing it down around you anyway.

13) The Nut-Case--True story. We once lived next door to a fool who got a kick out of feeding the neighborhood raccoons. He said he found it therapeutic. Okay, fine. The only problem was after eating their fill on Mr. Nut Case's balcony, the nasty-a$$ critters would come over and take a crap on ours. When we asked Mr. Nut Case to stop, he said we were being mean and kept right at it. When we complained to management, Mr. Nut Case accused us of putting sugar in his gas tank. After the hubby started talking about getting a gun, I agreed it was time to move.

Okay, so who lives in your neighborhood? (LOL) Have you ever have to deal with any characters like these?

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Thursday Thirteen #26 . . . Last 13 Books I've Read . . .

There just isn't the time to read as much as I'd like or even as much as I did only a couple of years ago. These days I'm too busy writing, marketing or skimming other things (like magazines, newspapers or blogs) to even garner the energy it takes to hunker down with a good book. As painful as it is to admit, sometimes I'll go for weeks, without reading a single book and typically, I don't even finish half of the books I start.

But as the following list suggests, when I do find the time and the engery, I'm very much an eclectic reader. Even though I lean decidedly toward literary fiction, I'm pretty open to some of everything. If you'll look closely, you'll find on my list books by women, men, African Americans, Canadians, dead authors, etc. You will also find a bit of poetry, a couple of essay collections, a mystery, a childrens' book and a love story, penned by none other than yours truly (smile).

While visiting Cleveland in July, I met a young Black woman who'd only recently started reading books that weren't written by African Americans. She said when she'd bring home the non-African American titles, some of her friends & family members would tease her about her reading selections. My jaw dropped when I heard that. The thought that anyone might actually limit themselves to a certain type of book, based on someone else's opinion astounds me. Why limit yourself or care. The world is full of all kinds of books. When it comes to reading, just like eating, the joy for me is sampling a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Anyway, the following list is in no particular order, but I believe it's a fairly accurate accounting of the books I've read (from cover to cover) over the past year or so.

1) Trading Dreams At Midnight (Diane McKinney Whetstone)

2) Savoring The Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara (Linda J. Holmes & Cheryl Wall, editors)

3) Family Bible (Melissa J. Delbridge)

4) I Wish I Had A Red Dress (Pearl Cleage)

5) Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Jeff Kinney)

6) No Time To Die (Grace F. Edwards)

7) The Last Days of Dogtown (Anita Diamant)

8) Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor)

9) Moral Disorder: And Other Stories (Margaret Atwood)

10) After The Dance (Lori Johnson)

11) Weather Central (Ted Kooser)

12) D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire)

13) Deep Sightings and Rescue Missions: Fiction, Essays and Conversations (Toni Cade Bambara)

What was the last book you read? Have you read any of the titles on my list?

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Thursday Thirteen #25 . . . 13 Unfortunate Talk Show & Reality TV Truths . . .

Before we dive into the list, let me just put it out there, I'm not a fan of too many talk or so-called reality tv shows. It wasn't always that way. Back in the day, I couldn't get enough of The Real World. I even watched a couple of seasons of Survivor and Big Brother. I'll even admit that every now and then, for laughs, I'd tune into Springer or Maury, but it didn't take long for all of that mess to get OLD.

I'm saying, to each his or her own, but, for me, most of these shows have become so predictable, senseless, exploitive and uncreative, I fail to see the point of watching. I mean really, don't we all pretty much recognize the following scenarios?

1) If two 300 plus pound women are fighting over a guy, the fella in question is sure to be skinny, unemployed and/or in need of extensive dental work.

2) If there's a drunk in the "reality" house, there's sure to be plenty of gratuitous cussing, fighting, vomiting and other overly gross and graphic losses of bodily functions before the season's end.

3) If she's dressed in a French maid outfit, punctuating every other sentence with "girlfriend" while owning an Adam's apple as big as a baby's fist, she's probably a man.

4) If her hair-do is jacked up, hacked up or a right hot mess, her attitude probably is too.

5) If there are more than 3 attractive individuals in the "reality" house, the expectation is--two or more of them will hook-up for at least one session of hot and heavy boot-knocking.

6) If his mama, sister, auntie, play cousin or any combination of the aforementioned are on the show boisterously defending his behind, he's probably a dead-beat daddy, been locked up more than a time or two and/or is trifling as all get out.

7) If she's willing to kiss Flava Flav in the mouth, she'd probably kiss a dog square in the butt for a sum between $200 - $500.

8) If she's blonde, big-breasted and an airhead, she probably won't be among the first kicked or voted out of the "reality" house.

9) If there's a Blk man in the "reality" house, he will undoubtedly fall into one of the following stereotypes--"the angry Blk man," "the funny Blk man" or "the overly sexed Blk man" (who in the hell casts these shows anyway, David Duke and his crew?)

10) If she's weeping and wailing, hyperventilating or doing a Holy Ghost dance, she's either just been informed that the baby ain't his or she's somehow ended up on Oprah's Favorite Things Give-Away Show.

11) If his shoes are pink, purple, orange or red and he's wearing an outfit in the same color, he's either a preacher, a pimp or a circus clown.

12) If any of her kids are named Barcardi, Courvoisier, Alize, Chivas, Martini or in honor of any other brand or type of liquor, she more than likely isn't certain who the baby daddy is.

13) If the kid is barely 3 years of age, weighs close to 100 lbs or more and is on the show scarfing down doughnuts or big boy burgers with bacon & extra cheese or a tub of buffalo wings and all while clad in an adult-sized diaper, his Mama 'Nem and the talk show host/moderator are all big-time enablers who need to be getting the child in question some help rather than allowing him/her to be so blantantly exploited.

Hey, don't get mad at me. I just call 'em like I see 'em (LOL). So, do you have any reality show and/or talk show truths you'd like to add? If so, have at it!

Thursday Thirteen #24 . . . 13 Memorable Food Moments . . .

Baby Boy's First Meal Out

from Lori's Picture

Collection

For me, the smell, taste and even the sight of certain foods conjure memories--some good, some bad. The following are some of my most memorable food moments.

1). Hot tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on a crisp fall or winter day

2) My Dad's stove popped popcorn, which he served to me and my younger brother in those little brown lunch bags

3) My M'Deah's homemade ice-cream on the 4th of July

4) The beautiful cake the hubby surprised me with upon my winning first place in a short story contest

5) My son's first restaurant meal--pancakes at the IHOP (see picture above)

6) The sight of chitlins soaking in the sink and the overpowering stench of them simmering in a huge pot on the stove

7) My grandfather standing out in the cold and barbecuing ribs under his carport in November just so my little brother could get one of his birthday wishes (a dinner of barbecued ribs) fulfilled.

8) Munching on candied apples, corn dogs and cotton candy at the Mid-South Fair

9) Gagging on okra at the dinner table when I was 3 or 4

10) The hamburgers my Aunt Doris would fry for us some Saturday evenings

11) Cooking and serving my grandmother one of her favorite meals--macaroni and cheese and fried chicken

12) My grandmother's sweet potato pie on Thanksgiving Day

13) The first time I ever prepared a meal of salad, baked potato, grilled steak and iced tea for the man I later married

Well, what about you? Do you have one or two memorable food moments you'd like to share?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #23 . . . 13 PLACES TO ACQUIRE BOOKS . . .

Any book lovers in the house? The following is a list of places where I've acquired books. Where do you aquire most of your books? Where are you least likely to acquire a book?

1) A Chain Bookstore (s) (Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.)

2) Amazon.com

3) Borrow from Library

4) Street Corner Vendor

5) Small Independent Bookstore

6) Yard Sale / Garage Sale

7) Used Bookstore

8) Library Used Book Sale

9) Friend and/or Family Member

10) Drug Store

11) Grocery Store

12) Book Club Membership

13) Dumpster / Trash / Discard Bin

If you'd like to suggest a few other places, be my guest . . .

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #22 . . . 13 SIGNS OF A "FAKE" FRIEND . . .

Come on, we all have them right? Fake @$$ friends. You know, the type who . . .

1) is the first to show up at your house when it's time to eat, drink or party, but is no where to be found when you need help with a personal issue or a family crisis

2) smiles in your face while repeatedly dogging you behind your back or stabbing you all up in it

3) never has any money and always expects you to treat when you go out

4) is the last to congratulate you on your good fortune, but the first up in your face inquiring about the details when you have a mishap or misfortune

5) only calls or comes by when they need a favor or wanna borrow some money, your car or a kidney

6) typically gets all self-righteous and pi$$ed off when you don't take their advice

7) only hangs with you because they think you have money, influence or friends in high places and they need a "hook-up"

8) never thinks twice about wasting your time or inconveniencing you

9) routinely solicts your support on their projects and causes, but won't go out of their way to return the favor or even properly thank your a$$

10) consistently tells you what they think you want to hear, rather than the truth

11) will routinely standby in order to laugh, mock and ridicule when you get caught flubbing up or floundering about , rather than offer a hand or a word of encouragement

12) doesn't really know you, but insists on trying to make others think otherwise

13) NEVER apologizes or even feels the least bit guilty about doing any of the aforementioned.

Did I just about cover them all? So, which one of these really gets your goat? Do you have any others to add?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #21 . . . 13 CUSS-WORTHY MOMENTS I'm sorry, the footage of the female news anchor dropping the "F" bomb still cracks me up. Check her out HERE, (from Pop Culture Dish, Presented by Malcolm) if you dare. Okay, I'm not saying it's the RIGHT thing to do or the most INTELLIGENT or the most CREATIVE even, but at some point most of us have totally lost it and let fly with a choice word or two or three, or hell, even a whole slew of those bad boys. The following are some of the times, moments and occasions I've deemed particularly cuss-worthy . . .

1) When you stub your pinkie toe

2) When you owe the IRS

3) When you are giving birth, particularly if the baby is over 9 lbs and/or has a head as big as a three month old (**yes, I do know about this from experience**)

4) When some idiot driver does something that nearly causes you or someone else bodily harm or death

5) When you accidentally run upon a bad ass dog or even worse, a whole pack of those jokers

6) When you miss winning the lottery by one number

7) When someone is REALLY hitting your spot (don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, LOL)

8) When you see another war widow, parent or loved one being passed an American flag

9) When your computer crashes

10) When you're suffering from a monster of a backache or a toothache

11) When someone you despise has outdone him/herself in being a royal pain in the a$$

12) When you can't stop dry heaving

13) When you're standing naked and alone in front of a full length mirror

Well, what the !&@$ are you waiting for? If you have something to add, by all means, be my guest (smile).

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #20 . . . 13 ARETHA FAVORITES . . .

Aretha Franklin is another one of those artists who has produced so many great songs over the years, you hardly know where to start. The following are SOME of my favorite Queen of Soul songs. Feel free to add one or two of your own Aretha favorites in the comments, but try to mention something other than "Respect" (LOL).

1) A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like) / 1967

2) Make It With You / 1971 live at Filmore West version

3) Day Dreaming / 1972

4) Dr. Feelgood / 1967

5) Chain of Fools / 1967

6) Rock Steady / 1971

7) Call Me / 1970

8) I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) / 1967

9) Do Right Woman-Do Right Man / 1967

10) Don't Play That Song / 1971 Live at Filmore West version

11) Spirit In The Dark / 1971 duet with Ray Charles that appeared on the "Aretha: Live at Filmore West" album/CD

12) Drown In My Own Tears / 1967

13) Baby, Baby, Baby / 1967

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #19 . . . 13 MUSICAL ACTS WITH MEMPHIS TIES . . .

My debut novel, After The Dance, is set in Memphis, TN and contains a number of musical references. Even though most of the acts I reference in the book aren't Memphis-based ones, I thought it might be fun to compile a list groups, singers and musicians with ties to the Memphis area. Let me know which ones you already knew and which ones you didn't.

1) Al Green (Has long made Memphis his home and also pastors a church there.)

2) Aretha Franklin (Was born in Memphis. Her father, the late Reverand C.L. Franklin, earned his degree from an institution I once attended and where I met my hubby, LeMoyne-Owen College.)

3) The Bar-Kays (Started at Memphis' Porter Jr. High School and rose to fame on the old Stax recording label.)

4) B.B. King (Got his start performing on Beale Street and was once a DJ at Memphis' own WDIA.)

5) Bobby Blue Bland (Last I heard, he lived in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis.)

6) Earth, Wind and Fire (Group leader, Maurice White once called Memphis home and if I'm not mistaken, honed his musical chops at Memphis' Booker T. Washington High School.)

7) Elvis Presley (Lived and Recorded in Memphis. His South Memphis "Graceland" home is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.)

8) Isaac Hayes (Long made Memphis his home and once performed on the old Stax label.)

9) Kirk Whalum (Grew up in Memphis and recently moved back to the city.)

10) Otis Redding (Performed on the old Stax label, a Memphis-based record company.)

11) Rufus Thomas (Long called Memphis home, recorded for Stax and was a DJ for Memphis' WDIA.)

12) Three 6 Mafia (As much as I hate to say it, this group is a Memphis product)

13) The Sylvers (All of the big afro-wearing members of this group were born in Memphis and got their start there before they moved to Cali.)

Did you find any surprises on this list? Can you name any other musical artists with ties to Memphis, TN?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #18 . . . 13 FAVORITE "PRINCE" SONGS . . .

Hey, you knew this post was coming, didn't you? (smile) I'm a Prince fan from WAY BACK. The following are some of my favorites, but by no means are the top 13 on my list. Matter of fact, I could have easily made a list of 20. But ranking them is much too difficult an undertaking. As it was, I left off favorites like Pop Life, 17 Days, Raspberry Beret, If I Was Your Girlfriend and 1999. But let me quit complaining and get to the list.

1) Another Lonely Christmas (b-side of I Would Die For You/1984)

2) Anotherloverholenyohead (Parade / 1984)

3) Baby I'm A Star (Purple Rain / 1984)

4) Erotic City (b-side of Let's Go Crazy / 1984)

5) Girls & Boys (Parade / 1986)

6) Head (Dirty Mind / 1980)

7) I Would Die 4 U (Purple Rain / 1984)

8) Lady Cab Driver (1999 / 1982)

9) Let's Go Crazy (Purple Rain / 1984)

10) Nothing Compares 2 U (1992)

11) Purple Rain (Purple Rain / 1984)

12) She's Always In My Hair (b-side of Raspberry Beret / 1985)

13) Thieves In The Temple (Graffiti Bridge / 1990)

Do you have a favorite Prince Song or songs? If so, go ahead and name it and claim it (or them) in the Comments.

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #17 . . . 13 FOODS THAT MAKE ME SAY "YUCK!"

We all have them, right? Come on, you know you do (smile). Okay, I'm talking about those foods that trigger your gag reflex or make you wanna cuss your Mama, or whomever it is who's insisting you eat, taste or try "just a little bit." Bleech! For my Big Guy, it's beets and Brussell sprouts. For my little one, it's creamed spinach. You'd best believe, if something, anything is nasty to this kid, inevitably, he says it tastes like creamed spinach. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of the aforementioned. But just thinking about any of the following, summons a right awful taste in my mouth . . .

1) Fig Newtons (My husband loves these. But really, don't these taste like something that got rolled in kitty litter?)

2) Pottage, Cottage . . . Okay, "Potted" Meat (This is one I've long filed under mystery meat).

3) Spam (What sick and diseased animal does this come from anyway? See above).

4) Okra (This holds the honor of being the very first food that I can ever recall making me gag.)

5) Black-Eyed Peas (Okra and Peas seem to always come together to make one big, nasty-a$$ slime fest, don't they?)

6) Liverwurst (Liver is a bile secreting organ . . . need I say more?)

7) Livercheese (You know, I think I want to hurl.)

8) Liver (Okay, by now I think it's pretty much been established that anything with the word "liver" in it gets a pass from me.)

9) Cottage Cheese (I won't even put this in my lasanga. For me, the only thing more disgusting than eating it--is watching someone else do so. Bleech!

10) Grape Fruit (I say we vote this bitter, sour imposter right out of the fruit family.)

11) Watergate Salad (My mom loves to make this marshmallow, fruit and whipped cream-filled, multi-colored concoction and my hubby is generally the first to fix himself a big bowl. I, on the other hand, consider this little more than sweet and chunky cottage cheese with a bit of food coloring tossed in a sly attempt to fool the eye.)

12) Ground Turkey (I had a bad experience with this once. Rather than share any of the gross details, I'll just say it's not an experience I'd wish on my worse enemy.)

13) Egg Nog (There's not enough liquor in the world to make me want to drink this. Actually, I highly suspect this is cottage cheese that's been pureed with buttermilk, which, for the record, I can't stand either.)

Okay, your turn. Which foods consistently turn your stomach? I'm saying, let's all be grossed out together . . .

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN # 16 . . . 13 GUILTY PLEASURES . . .

1) Tyson Beckford Calendars (For those of you who don't know, he's a pretty boy model. Hey, even a old girl has to have a little beefcake every now and then.)

2) Godiva Turtles (The hubby likes buying these for me on special occasion even though we both know they go straight to the hips and thighs.)

3) Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints and Trefoils. Need I say more?)

4) The Best of Soul Train (Yes, WGN shows old episodes of the program on Saturday afternoon. It's nice to revist those days when folks really danced rather than simulated various positions from the Karma Sutra.)

5) Oprah (I don't care what y'all say. Opie is all right by me. The best thing about living in Charlotte is that her show comes on twice--at 4pm and 9pm.)

6) General Foods Coffee (The Hazelnut Belgian is actually the only coffee I'll drink at the moment)

7) Men with Facial Hair (Don't ask. It's a fetish.)

8) Head Gear (I'm a hat, cap and scarf kind of gal. And there's nothing more I love than a guy who knows how to sport a tilted brim.)

9) Arbor Mist (Yeah, it's cheap, fruity and ghetto as all get out. So, is that, like, a problem?)

10) Lavender (Lotion, body wash, candles, shampoo, air freshners, doesn't matter. I just love the scent.)

11) Black Sitcoms from Back In the Day (Martin, A Different World, Cosby, Sanford & Son. Half the mess passing for such now, makes my head hurt.)

12) VH1 SOUL (I love R & B and hiphop music videos. Actually, it's the way I prefer to hear most new music. Sadly, Charlotte doesn't offer this as a cable option. Now, I have to wait unitl I'm in Memphis in order to partake or go with the Music Choice Channels where I can listen, but don't get the videos. Sheesh!

13) Blue Bell Ice Cream (They didn't sell this in Cleveland, so I was denied the pleasure for four, long years. Even though you have to search, you can find it in Charlotte. The home-made vanilla tastes nearly as good as grandma's.)

I have a long list of others, but since it's Thursday 13 . . . So do we share any guilty pleasures? No (smile). Well, do you have any as odd as mine? If so, do you dare share them?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #15 . . . 13 OF MY FAVORITE "BEST OF" & "GREATEST HITS" MUSIC COLLECTIONS . . .

This list didn't come easy. I have a ton of "best of" & "greatest hits" cds from a variety of musical genres. In order to simplify the task, I decided to take my hard-core "jazz" and "blues" collections off the table altogether. So here we go and in no particular order-- a short list of SOME of my favorite "best of" and "greatest hits" music collections.

1) PRINCE (Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides) 4 favorite cuts: Erotic City, Let's Go Crazy, Head & Purple Rain

2) STEELY DAN (The Definitive Collection) 3 favorite cuts: Peg, Deacon Blues & Rikki Don't Lose That Number

3) ARETHA FRANKLIN (Aretha's Best) 5 fav cuts: A Natural Woman, Rock Steady, Call Me, Day Dreaming & I Never Loved A Man

4) MARVIN GAYE (The Best of Marvin Gaye: Vol 2. The '70s) 3 fav cuts: Trouble Man, Come Get To This & Inner City Blues

5) AVERAGE WHITE BAND (Pickin' Up The Pieces: The Best Of Average White Band) 2 fav cuts: School Boy Crush & Cut The Cake

6) LENNY KRAVITZ (Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits) 2 fav cuts: Again & Heaven Help

7) BOBBY MCFERRIN (The Best of Bobby McFerrin: The Blue Note Years) 2 fav cuts: Freedom Is A Voice & Friends

8) PHYLLIS HYMAN (The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman) 3 fav cuts: Betcha by Golly, Wow, Old Friend & Living All Alone

9) CHIC (The Best of Chic: Dance, Dance, Dance) 3 fav cuts: Good Times, Everybody Dance & I Want Your Love

10) JOHNNIE TAYLOR (Johnnie Taylor: The Twenty Greatest Hits) 3 fav cuts: I Believe In You, Cheaper To Keep Her & We're Getting Careless With Our Love

11) TEENA MARIE (Teena Marie: Greatest Hits) 3 fav cuts: Square Biz, Behind The Groove & Portuguese Love

12) LUTHER VANDROSS (Always & Forever: The Classics) 3 fav cuts: Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me, Anyone Who Had A Heart, & I (Who Have Nothing)

13) THE ISLEY BROTHERS (The Essential Isley Brothers) 5 fav cuts: That Lady, Harvest For The World, Summer Breeze, Fight The Power & The Pride

What are your favorite "best of" and/ or "greatest hits" music collections? Feel free to name them, even if they didn't make my list.

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #14 . . . 13 THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE LESS OF IN 2008 . . .

1) BOOTLEG DVDS (As an artist, this pratice truly offends me. I don't buy, watch or listen to bootleg products when I can help it. Now, if Shay-Shay and 'Nem have got it running on full blast down at the hair salon, there's not much I can do about it. But I'm not trying to cut into another artist's profits when and if I can help it.)

2) IGNORANT A$$ MOVIES (particularly those aimed at the African American audience. If these went straight to bootleg, I'd be more than happy.)

3) BRITNEY SPEARS' BARE COOCHIE AND/OR NAKED A$$ (Apparently, "Oops, I did it again" as in left the durn house without undies, is this poor child's freaking theme song. I can only hope she got a year's supply of clean drawers for Christmas.)

4) SYMBOLS OF RACIAL HATRED (All y'all out there tying nooses, putting on blackface, dressing up like stereotypes and calling it big fun need to grow the hell up and get a life.)

5) BOOKS WITH WORDS LIKE PIMP, PLAYA, HO', THUG, TRICK, THONG OR GANGSTA IN THE TITLE (Sorry, no offense intended, really. Were I on lockdown, trying to work the stroll or the pole, I just might find this kind of mess entertaining, but I'm not and I don't.)

6) ANNA NICOLE STORIES (Dang, the poor woman and her son are dead and buried. Can't we just let them rest in peace already?)

7) REALITY SHOWS (Some of this mess is about as entertaining as watching a fat kid pick his nose and at the rate we're going, I'm pretty sure something along those lines will hit the networks soon.)

8) CHEATING A$$ ATHLETES, COACHES AND SPORTS OFFICIALS

9) LYING A$$ POLITICIANS

10) ANOREXIC (NO A$$) STARLETS

11) MURDER

12) POVERTY

13) ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION COMMERCIALS (Why it's acceptable to run 15 different, loud, lengthy (no pun intended) and incredibly annoying erectile dysfunction commercials in prime time, but not a single condom ad is truly beyond me.)

So what are you hoping to see less of in 2008? Is there anything on my list you strongly agree or disagree with?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN#13 . . . 13 REASONS TO BUY MY BOOK . . . AFTER THE DANCE . . .

Yeah, I know. Shameless self-promotion, right? Well, at least I'm doing it over here in my own little spot and not junking up your in-box with it (smile). So humor me, all right? Officially, the book (After The Dance) doesn't make its debut in bookstores until April of 2008, which gives you plenty of time to at least give it some thought. So anyway, if you were going to buy my book, which one of following just might work for you?

1) If you pre-order now from Amazon, you'll get a really great discount. (Cheap is good, right? Okay, except when it comes to husbands, dates, boob-jobs and cars.)

2) You're in need of a new doorstop. (Can you say "multi-purpose?")

3) You feel sorry for me. (Hey, it worked for Sanjaya of American Idol fame.)

4) You enjoy my Thursday 13's. (Same kind of humor, slightly different format.)

5) You want to be among the first to trash it. (Okay, Mom if this works for you, what can I say?*smile*)

6) You typically enjoy romantic comedies. (Yes, wedged between the snarkiness and the over the top humor, there's actually an honest-to-goodness love story.)

7) You'll do anything to get me to shut up talking about it. (Hey, if you buy two or more, you won't hear another dang peep outta me.)

8) You routinely support new authors. (Okay, I've been around for a while, but this is my first book.)

9) You're curious to see how or if I pulled it off. (I am talking about the book . . . it's not even that kind of party.)

10) You're in the mood for a fun read. (No, it ain't all that deep.)

11) You're in need of an inexpensive gift. (Really, at $15.oo, it's practically a steal.)

12) You're a fan of music from the old school. (Old school, rules y'all! And there's plenty of it in my book.)

13) You want to be counted among the first to give it a thumbs up. (All joking aside, I am hoping that at least a few folks will enjoy my first full-length literary offering.)

Thanks for the indulgence. In today's competitive marketplace, a girl has to hawk her wares every chance she gets. At least that's what the publishing folks keep telling me (smile).

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #12 . . . 13 WRESTLING MATCHES (No Holds Barred) I'D LOVE TO SEE . . .

Okay, ordinarily I'm a pretty peaceful person. But come on, aren't there some folks you'd just love to see put in a head-lock, spun around and pimp-slapped a couple of times? Nothing beats a good, old fashion thrashing. Well, the following is a list of "no holds barred' wrestling matches I'd love to see.

1) ROSIE O'DONNEL vs DONALD TRUMP (I'm fairly sure Rosie would aim first for the hair and the Don would go for the gut)

2) KIM BASINGER vs ALEC BALDWIN (I'm guessing lots of name-calling, hissing and spitting would go on here)

3) ANN COULTER vs ELIZABETH EDWARDS (Oh, if only to see AC get both the dark glasses and the smirk smacked off her face)

4) OJ SIMPSON vs DENISE BROWN & FRED GOLDMAN (This would, no doubt, earn a "fight of the century" billing)

5) BARBARA WALTERS vs STAR JONES (In the event of any wig/weave-snatching or clothes ripping, spectators would be strongly advised to shield their eyes)

6) MONICA LEWINSKY vs LINDA TRIPP (I'm sure there's still plenty of bad blood between these two . . . if not one really nasty dress)

7) NAOMI CAMPBELL vs ALL OF HER FORMER ASSISTANTS (First we'd have to ban from the ring any objects which could possibly be hurled)

8) RUDY GIULIANI vs DENNIS KUCINICH (Lots of rabbit punches and low blows)

9) T.O. vs DONAVON MCNABB (Don't blame me, this was my son's contribution)

10) SIMON COWELL vs PAULA ABDUL (Doesn't Simon looks like the type who'd fight a girl?)

11) COLIN POWELL vs DICK CHENEY (Are we ready to rumble?! Or possibly find those weapons of mass destruction?)

12) DIANA ROSS vs MARY WILSON (Talk about an old grudge! These two really do need to let it go or else duke it out once and for all)

13) PUTIN vs BUSH (I can see it now--Putin straight gangsta walking (Three 6 Mafia style) around the ring and Bush doing his usual imitation of Festus (of Gunsmoke fame). Pretty scary stuff, huh? But it sure beats the possible alternative.

Would you pay for a ringside seat at any of these? What other knock-down, drag-outs might you want to see?

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THURSDAY THIRTEEN #11 . . . 13 LESSONS YOU LEARN IN LIFE . . . THE HARD WAY . . .

1) The people you help the most will generally be among the first to let you down.

2) A "sorry" however sincere, won't always make it right.

3) Cats don't generally do baths.

4) Not everyone who smiles in your face or showers you with praise has your best interest in mind.

5) If a kid looks like he's about to throw-up, he probably is.

6) Excessive bravado is typically a mask for fear.

7) Excessive anger is typically a mask for pain.

8) The people who tell you "I'll call you" or "We've gotta do lunch one day" but never follow through, aren't really your friends.

9) Paprika and red pepper are not interchangeable.

10) A "maybe" isn't the same as a "yes."

11) A life spent talking, planning and dreaming about all you're gonna do, is typically a life unlived.

12) Just because a woman has a big, protuding belly doesn't necessarily mean she's pregnant.

13) Just because a man has a big, protruding ______ doesn't necessarily mean he knows what to do with it. ( don't act like you don't know what goes in the blank*smile*).

Okay, I'm bad, I know (LOL). Of course, we all know when it comes to "lessons in life" 13 is just a start. If there are other lessons you'd like to mention, feel free to tack them on in the comments.

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