Ms. Perspective

Hey everyone,

I’m back!! yay! LOL Sorry about my disappearance, I’ve been taking a little bit of time t0 collect my thoughts and work on “A is for Alexia” so the next couple of chapters will be uploaded soon.

Now… On to… AVOIDING ROAD RAGE.

*sigh and stands up slowly* “My name is Ms. Perspective, and I have a slight problem with road rage.”  In today’s driving world filled with: speed demons, Ms/Mr. I’m-king/queen-of-the-road, rear bumper huggers, cell phone conversationalists, Last Minute Cut Off-ers, and confused-and-lost-or-slow-reacting drivers,  WHO DOESN’T have a case of road rage from time to time?

I know that I have it at least once a week.  Driving Chicago’s Dan Ryan and the Stevenson drives more than just the car, it DRIVES ME nuts!!! Now I thought about talking on how to avoid accidents, but I thought that road rage might be a better topic.

Here are my TOP 3 tips on how to avoid having a case of road rage:

3- Be aware of your surroundings. Many times when we have road rage, it’s because there’s a close-call (almost having an accident).  If we are aware of the other drivers, we can react accordingly, even if it means giving a little more space around our car.

2. Schedule your car runs appropriately.  Another popular way we get roadrage is when we are stuck in beep-and-creep traffic.  Drivers become impatient and listless, even bloodpressure tends to rise.  If you schedule your driving to avoid these known “high traffic” times, you are significantly lower your chances of getting roadrage.

1. Give yourself TIME and PATIENCE.  Leave the house at least 15min early; if you have extra time so you are not in a hurry to get to your destination, you give yourself the opportunity to have patience with drivers who are “running late and driving aggressively”.

But above everything else, be patient with yourself! Learning to control your impulses/impulsive anger is something that comes with time and practice!

if you can add any other pointers, leave a comment!! Good luck!

~with that, I’m Gone~

Ms. Perspective

If you said “yes”, you are DEFINITELY NOT ALONE.  Apparently so can the celebrities that you and I have come to know…. via their work, interviews, and tabloids…

So how did everyone do?

Oprah is ranked #1 (when combining $$ and fame) over $275 MIL earnings before taxes.

Beyonce’ is #4 over $80 MIL

50 Cent #26   over $150 MIL

Angelina Jolie #3

Am I the only one who is thinking that is absurd? That’s one of the reasons that entertainment has gotten to where it is now… <<insert place here>>  It’s one thing to think “I want to be a Singer/Model/Basketball player when I grow up”… I mean hey… we all thought that. BUT there is a SHORTAGE of nurses, teachers, etc…. why? because all our children want to work in the entertainment industry or another industry where they can make LOTS of money…

True enough.. money drives the lifestyle you lead, but when did entertainment trump the pursuit of knowledge? think about that.

**with that, I’m GONE**

Once again my eyes target the doors, Where are my girls? They KNOW I hate waiting… I wonder why they are so late, but then again they’re always late so I’m not completely surprised.  As I lean back into the worn leather booth, the waitress hurriedly says “u havin anotha tea? iz busy so i cant keep runnin back ova here if u aint havin nuffin.”  I respond with “of course I am. Another long island, please”.

By this time it’s 11:20pm, and my girls have officially gotten on my nerves. I mean, I’m used to them being 10 or 15 minutes late- but 45? That goes WAAAAAAAAAAY beyond C.P. time, I mean not even if all the slow drivers in Chicago ambushed them at the same time would they be that late! Ugh! Right as I’m pulling out my Blackberry to start sending the “Where the hell are you” texts, the waitress brings me the long island, and I force myself to take a sip.  I’m not usually a drinker but hell it’s been a rough couple of months. Between work, family, ex’s, and my friends’ drama, I KNOW I deserve a break.

I’m observing the club, as I feel the glass sweating in my hands. This place is one of my favorites; everytime I’m home I beeline straight for this jazz club. I mean… It took me forever to find a place like this. With the 1920/1940’s vibe, real laid back, live band-sometimes its soul or r & b, but it’s mostly cool jazz.  I gaze longingly at the microphone, “one day” I reassure myself.

“why don’t you grace the mic” in a smooth baritone that sounds all too familiar. I continue to sip my tea and wonder if I simply don’t speak…if he will get the hint to just leave.  “It’s been a long time Lexi” the baritone whispers.  Once again I glance to the doors, praying that my girls are going to walk in and save me from this…. I mean, I knew eventually I would have to see him again, but why? Why now? I just wanted to have a nice, quiet dinner and catch up with my girls. I’m never in Chi anymore, and honestly I just missed being able to hop on south shore and walk the lake.  I wanted to clear my mind, figure out what my next step-”Lexi? Come on Lexi, please don’t be like that” slices through my thoughts.

Once again I take a sip of my tea, and I can feel the his carmel eyes on my lips as they wrap around the straw.   Sometimes I swear men are too predictable. We both knew that he wanted to know why I haven’t been returning his calls or why I didn’t tell him that I was in town.

How could he not know that we had changed… he changed…or maybe it was me who changed? I don’t really know, and I’m not sure that I really care. I mean the sex was great and the conversation was even better. I guess I just got caught up in the moment… in the dreams that I thought he was selling. But I knew from the beginning that it could never work… He was in Chi…and I traveled too much to really be anywhere. So we made it a sometimes thing, and I know it’s not his fault that I began to look forward to his calls or the conversation.

But how could he not know? I mean… nevermind I don’t know what I mean. “Lexi, you’re going to have to talk to me sometime…. We need to talk about this… about…” the baritone barks. I can hear the cushions groan as he plopps into the seat across from me. As my slanted green eyes meet his carmel ones… a shiver slides down to the small of my back. I’m not ready for this…. Quickly I stand up, and I bolt toward the door. The waitress snaps “I know you aint leavin here widout payin…” So I grab the first bill I see in my purse and place it on the bar for Joe.  Joe knows to keep the change, and I’m sure he’ll tip the waitress appropriately.

A burst of cold windy city air hits me as I bust through the front door. I swear I’m not going to forgive my girls for this… I should have known it was a set up. They’ve been trying to get me to talk to him for months.  The shrill “beep, beep” of my Mercedes car alarm sounds in the distance, and the engine starts.

“Ahhh” as I exhale. I’m almost there, then… I’m headed straight for the Lake. Yes… I’m going to my spot. I just need some time to think. I quickly pull out of the parking lot and make a right. Jill Scott’s sultry voice follows out of my windows.  Speeding down south shore, singing along with Ms. Scott. One day… I reassure myself. One day.

I whip my baby into the first parking space I see… grab my purse and break for my favorite spot on the Lake’s shore. Cool midst from the lake caress my face and hair, and the weight on my heart and mind dissipate. Just the isolated waves rebelling against the shore and the sounds scribbles against paper can be heard.  Finally… Just me and air. I can finally breathe….

fingers gripping my shoulders break my concentration. I whip my head around to see who dares to disturb me at MY SPOT…..

I was bored yesterday… so I found myself watching “Kung Fu Panda” the newest animated movie from Paramount Pictures…

 the Plot

The movie is about the son of the village noodle maker-a large and super clumsy panda bear (Po) who-by a twist of fate- gets the chance to practice kung fu with his heros- the furious 5 (crane, monkey, viper, mantis, and tigress) under Master Shifu.   Po is eager to learn until he is called upon as the dragonwarrior to defend his village against Shifu’s previous student Tai Lung.  Tai Lung was Shifu’s praised student until the head master refused to declare Tai Lung the ancient prophecy of dragonwarrior. Enraged Tai Lung battled Shifu and was defeated by the master warrior Oogway.

Po learns the secret to unlimited power from the Dragon Scrolls….- the secret is… HIMSELF. “to make something special, one only needs to believe it is special”-Po’s Father.

 the grade

B+  Somehow I expected it to be funnier, but Jack Black was a good voiceover. The plot is exactly what u would expect for a child’s film- fun, entertaining, light, and teaches a good lesson ((Believe in yourself, and all can be accomplished through hard work)).  Definitely would recommend taking your children to see it.