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Ready to Refresh??

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It is 4 weeks until my planned departure to Bali, Indonesia. Despite writing glowingly about it earlier this Spring, the Summer has made me one fraught wanderer. From 3 major and deadly earthquakes in 10 days on nearby Lombok to enduring numerous and expensive vaccinations to my overall angst about flying nearly 24 hrs straight in a economy coach seat to regretting that I haven't yet figured out how to squeeze in the 4 hour flight to Australia and lengthen the trip by just a few more day there before embarking home, I've managed to work myself into a minor tizzy, a state of anxiety that i'm not at all comfortable with although I do recall experiencing it before I set out for Buenos Aires last year.  Just re-reading that last paragraph reminds me that I sound less like the nomadic brown nymph of my imaginings and more the type-A control freak afraid to Let go and Let God (aka the Universe) bestow  and bless me with the yearnings of my heart. Yearnings that have been with m
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Where O where have you been VBG?

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It seems almost unfathomable that it has been more than 3 years since I sat down to organize my thoughts as a shareable experience. It was certainly not for lack of material as there have been some truly definitive milestones but somehow I allowed myself to be seduced by the notion that I no longer had the time nor the talent to run with the big dogs in this socially frenetic landscape. Though the interwebs is indeed a daunting place, my passion as writer and world traveler have again been awakened and so I find myself at Starbucks at 7pm on aThursday evening pecking furiously at something as old and as comforting as my Mama's fried chicken. Yes, I will still be using a lot of food references, it's who I am. In truth, I came here to search for a new job but the serendipity of the book about faces reminding of a post I created some years back in which I proclaimed myself a blogger carried the day. I like to think I'm flexible and wise enough (finally) to embrace signs - t
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QUENCHed

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My idea of Mother's Day means doing exactly and only what I want "Cause I'm the Mama that's why".  I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I have suffered through my share of poorly executed breakfast eggs by a thoughtful wunderkind who doesn't even eat eggs much less know how to prepare them to put either of us through that anymore.  So for the last half dozen years or so, it has become a tradition that my BFF, Sandy, and I spend Mother's Day without the kids. That way we enjoy a great meal where we don't have to consider immature, finicky palates nor food allergies (both of us have offspring with shellfish/fish intolerances), nor eye rolling teens peeping our bar tab like they are AA sponsors.  We've had more laughs than food as a sextet at the Melting Pot when half the Moms were appalled that we basically paid to cook our own meals; thought we were in the company of whirling meat dervishes, albeit a studly group, at Fogo de Chao; and explore
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What Matters

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People often say, "you come in to the world alone and you'll leave the same way".  I never gave that statement much thought heck I'm sure I've agreed a time or two but that's the most insincere statement EVER.  No one, no where, no how comes into the world alone - it's pretty much impossible if you are to survive the ordeal. You are welcomed by the gifted hands of a doula/midwife, or a physician, maybe a parent or in any emergency even an elder sibling and let's not forget your mother without whom your existence would not even be possible so under no circumstance do ANY of us make it here alone. What got me thinking about all this is my Aunt Evie as she battles the dreaded "C" which went undiagnosed until a few months ago when it would remain hidden no longer in it's fourth and final stage. With Aunt E having neither spouse nor geographically proximate offspring, my Mom has become her caregiver - checking on her daily, speaking with
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She's back

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and right now my life hurts like brand new shoes to quote the wonderful India Arie. For the second time in as many years VBG has fallen on challenging times. And rather than this time being familiar ground, I feel I am in uncharted and far more treacherous waters.  And anyone who knows me, knows too, that one of my least proud personal factoids is that this Voluptuous Brown Gurl never learned to swim.   Six weeks ago I spent my last day at the "new" job* I'd so gleefully chirped about in a post in January 2012.  My departure was unexpected in timing (I thought I had about 2 months before the clock ran out) but more than slightly welcomed.  I'd known fairly soon after starting that it just wasn't the place for me but it was bearable. As I was just coming off half a year of unemployment, I thought my resume might look less conspicuous if I stayed put a little while -  like a year or so.   When I started the job*, I worked a 4 day/32 hr week which was a
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I'll Be back....

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That was in my best Terminator voice!  VBG's delving into some other projects and well there are only so many hours in a day ....so, I'm taking a break from the blogsphere for bit.  Since you stopped by you might as well take a gander at some of my old posts.  And as always, I'd love to hear from you.   Until next time, Carpe Diem  ( Seize the Day) - I certainly plan to!
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All Hail Our National Treasures

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More than a week ago I (and many others) had the pleasure of seeing Misters Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier on television. I called the Wunderkind and said "you have to witness this because you very likely will never see this again". I'm not one to fawn over celebrities but it was so heart warming to see these guys - these trailblazing Titans of American stage and film together again in their golden years.  The Wunderkind's bedroom wall is decorated with black and white images of that twosome when they were steamy, young hunks as well as young Lena Horne, Audrey Hepburn and Omar Sharif.  Being "an old soul" as the saying goes, she could truly appreciate the divinity of that encounter.  It was one of those moments that is hard to top. Until ...she informed me that another awe inspiring octagenarian, Ms. Maya Angelou, was in our area.  Despite the fact that she was appearing at York College which gave students first preference for tickets, we trekked
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