Kenny's Camera, Cooking & Crazy Confessions

After shaking hands and a few introductory exchanges, I confessed to the automobile salesperson that I wasn't really there for purposes of purchasing a car.  My true intention was to test drive a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV for the $50 gift card promised in the ad on the dealership's website.  I did add that a vehicle was somewhere on the horizon but not anytime soon.  I was making initial inquiries for an investment for business use someday, but there would be no signatures on dotted lines and deal-making handshake.  Not today. You see, I had just returned the vehicle in question to Avis Car Rental the day before.  I had rented it for a Memorial Day visit to see my mom and siblings in East Chicago.  That rental was what brought the promo to my attention.  I went so far as to suggest that the test drive wasn't even necessary, since I had driven a similar model for 4 days.  And if he wanted to save himself the time and bypass the formality of it all, we could go straight to

So I'm sitting on the couch, rubbing my outer knee and calf because after about 15 minutes of dancing, I'd discovered that although my new knee "bones" were ready to get low, the old muscles definitely weren't (for those who don't know by now, I had Total Knee Replacement surgery 7 weeks ago). I had just finished dancing with my son's friend Claire as the rest of my family joined in support in our living room. I was sharing my new favorite music genre called Makossa . Makossa is a highly-popular genre of Cameroonian music, driven by electronic bass rhythms in conjunction with strong brass instruments (a casual listener might interpret it as a hybrid of Salsa and Afro-Caribbean music).  If you listen to it, you'll learn that Makossa has a life and groove of its own.  Michael Jackson even referenced it during the chant in "Wanna Be Startin' Something" (YouTube " Soul Makossa " by Manu Dibango and check it out.  But later). Af

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  Momma, I'm sitting here thinking about you and I'm going back and forth between happiness and hunger.  I know you would think I'm craving Twinkies like you lovingly and laughingly remember, but no, I'm craving some time with you.  We've agreed to make a trip on Memorial Day to see you and believe me, it can't come soon enough. How do I begin to describe the love I feel for you, my first love?  The woman who carried, nurtured and gave life to me? I'm looking for the appropriate words but I can't.  All I can do is watch the memory video clips as they fly through my mind.  Scenes of love that you've given me unconditionally, rewarding my best efforts and despite my wrongdoings. Like when I pee'd on myself in Mrs. Gross' 1st grade class because she told us that no one could talk until they raised their hand and she acknowledged them.  She was in the doorway, talking to another teacher and I sat there obediently (See? I was a good

The only comforting thing about the anger and disappointment I heard in my father's voice was that I didn't have to see the facial expression associated with it.  It was easily the most frightening and remorseful phone call that I ever made, explaining why I was working, instead of being registered and enrolled for classes at Florida A&M University.  I was double-majoring in Mathematical Sciences and Psychology, but not sure what I wanted to be.  I'd always wanted to be an educator of some sort, but if not as an elementary school teacher or band director, then a professional trainer. I gave him so many valid reasons that they ended up looking like excuses  What stuck out is that I had lost my scholarship after having been accused of a school violation I hadn't committed.  Thankfully, character references from instructors helped to exonerate me, which helped prevent expulsion.  But (confession time) I had already been on probation for getting caught by campus po

Hello everyone!  It's time for my End-Of-Month Health Update for April and I'm pleased to tell you that I'm still alive and kicking!  This one is going to be a bit longer because you know I had surgery one month ago, on this day.  So I need to explain a few things. It's been about a week since they discharged me from the Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and I can't begin to express how glad I am to be home!  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all that they did for me, providing expert Physical Therapy, continuous medical attention along with well-balanced meals at consistent intervals (and more important, before 7 p.m.).  But staring at those four hospital room walls and other patients for the majority of the day while sleeping in a medical bed were definitely not my cup of (sweet iced) tea. For those that don't know, I elected to stay at an ECF (Extended Care Facility) because in addition to Total Knee Replacement surgery, I had to continue my