best big sister ever

Oh yes...I have the best big sister you could possibly have in the world. Why do I say that? Because it's true. One of the most true statements I could ever make. My big sister also works in television, she's at FOX in NY working as an overnight coordinator...she sent me an email yesterday and here's a bit of it that I'd like to remember forever because it reminds me why I'm so blessed to have the family that I do:

First things first, you won't "screw" this up, so get that notion out of your head. You'll mess up, you'll forget things, you'll disagree with management, you'll be youtubeable, but you'll be wonderful. That's already in you! Messing up makes you human and you'll learn quickly from your mistakes. It's not brain surgery and it won't be the end of the world if you make a few mistakes.

Okay, for the new job, it sounds like you're going to be a one-man band, which is a big undertaking. It's a boobie trap for a stressful environment. Since, you know that, you've already fought half the battle, now overcome it. Focus on the bigger picture, don't sweat the small stuff, smile, read the bible daily, condition your mind and condition your heart. There will probably be days when you want to slap the spit out of the mayor or a city councilmember, but always remember to take everything in stride. It's part of the battle of being a journalist and you signed up for it. Will you love it everyday? No. Will everyday be rewarding? No. But, as long as you're in the trenches giving people that voice they don't have, then you've done your job, well that day. It's going to be tough, but you're a fighter and you're officially in the trenches. Embrace those moments.

I truly believe that no one will ever be a better big sister than her. Nope. Not ever.

get free

26/365: The two men on this stage are phenomenal...The Musician and The Poet. Last night (which was today according to my camera--woot, because I definitely haven't taken too many pictures today after getting home from my night out) was so much fun. I got to see Tim, one of my dearest guy friends as of late, and treated him to a great dinner at Ms. Tootsie's as a parting gift of sorts. He was more than pleased with getting a free meal and having car service since I was his acting chauffeur, lol.

I was supposed to have Jasmine as my +1 for the performance that I was going to which featured Jaguar Wright, but she dropped last minute. I invited Tim to take her spot, but since The Musician is the one who managed to finagle the arrangement, Tim decided that it was probably not in his best interest to show up as my date, so I arrived solo.

Once I arrived, I shuffled my way to the front and stood diagonal to where The Musician was playing...it took him about ten minutes to realize that I was in the crowd, but once he saw me he smiled and waved at me, to wich all the other girls that were sitting near where I stood turned to look at me. A little later in the night, I turned and saw The Poet standing to my side. We met over the summer when I went to an open mic event (which was incredibly dope) and he and I had since followed each other on Twitter and became friends on Facebook, though our interaction was minimal at best. I gave him a big hug, told him about my new job and we chatted a bit before he made a casual comment about The Musician and how it was...I suppose kinda obvious that there was something between us. He asked if we were dating and I said, "no, no...we're just friends," which is the truth, but he chuckled while pointing out that my cheeks were slightly flushed to which I replied that the makeup that I was wearing clearly had him mistaken.

It was a great night. The Poet performed a love poem that was just...amazing, The Musician rocked out with his bass and kept his attention on me, casually making goofy faces and responding to my expressions whenever the host would make some sort of offhand comment about sex or drinking. Afterwards, I spoke with The Poet where he admitted that he didn't realize my age (he's 32) and said that he wished me the best of luck with my career before noting it was definitely the right look for me since I had such a beautiful face and such gorgeous skin *blushblushblush* lol.

Afterwards, The Musician and I went out to a bar where all the craziness of the night truly played out...it was hilarious, definitely one of the top times out for me, probably because I was with him. He said he would come visit me in PCB. We'll see what happens with that.

it's here, it's here

It's officially 2012! How awesome is that, eh? I'm quite excited about it. 2011 was a lot of fun, full of many changes and a lot of progress, but I have a strong feeling that 2012 will have even better things in store for me thanks to a great change in perspective.

I hope you had a great New Year's celebration, although mine did not go as I imagined it would, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I came into 2012 giggling with my older sister as we sat in a church anxiously looking at our cellphones because the time was so close--I know, I know, we should have been paying attention--but it was only 1 minute that we were in cahoots.

I brought in 2012 with 2 church services, a yummy late night dinner at David's Mai Lah Wah with great company, and a conversation with my step mother and sister that lasted until almost 6 am. Plenty of laughs, a few drinks, and an amazing time--that's how my NYE went down and while I know plenty of people who had more…eventful celebrations, my night ended up being really meaningful as I toasted to a great year with people that I love.

Hope your night was amazing as well!

2012 wishlist

2011 had a lot of great things for me. I graduated from the University of Florida, got my first job working in television in a large market, crossed some things off my bucket list, started a blog...kinda stopped it...then started a new one, met a bunch of new people, interned with a great website, started doing Youtube videos, went to Toronto and played mas, and made plenty of investments that I'm sure will stick with me for the long haul as long as I continue to commit. Taking all that into account, I have high hopes for 2012.

To begin with, I have chosen a song to be my theme for the year--judge all you wish, it won't change how I feel about it. I present to you Ashley's Theme for 2012:

Why I Was Here by Beyoncé? The song is, to me, simply a testament to doing the best that you can do, leaving an impact, and quite literally, doing everything that you wanted to do...and that my friends, is exactly what 2012 is going to be about. Rather than giving myself resolutions (though I do have a list of goals and things I'd like to achieve) I'm just going to do my best every single day to achieve everything that I possibly can. For me this is travelling, landing the job of my dreams, getting out of credit card debt, living my life in a fashion that I want to.

I recently did the Meyers-Brigg's personality test and found that I was an ENFJ (Extravert iNtuitive Feeling Judging) and with that knowledge came a better understanding of myself. It's actually kind of dead-on as far as how I work mentally, emotionally--all that stuff, and now armed with that bit of knowledge, I go into 2012 with a better understanding of how I work.

So what does this mean? Maybe nothing to y'all--but to me, it's simply a promise to myself to be the best Ashley that I could be. So here's to achieving goals, living life to the fullest, and having another great year.

Happy New Year's.

late gifts

I debated long and hard whether or not I really wanted this picture to represent today…I mean, it is the last day of the year, generally the picture one would assume is being taken has more to do with the celebration the person is having or the end of their year or whatever else, but I really wanted to take this picture because it has some meaning and who knows, maybe it'll end up being a perfect way to end the year because it stands for a possible new beginning? Who knows, let me not read too far into it. Anyway...onto the picture:

11/365: I refuse to ever say that good men who listen, have manners, and possess a good sense of humor don't exist. They do. In real, every day life. I received a Christmas gift from my date last night that proved his genuine interest in me (though that wasn't something I was questioning) and showed that he truly, honestly listens...and truth be told, I made it easy...but that's neither here nor there. 

This is my first Christmas gift from a man who is interested in me--or at least the first one that has had enough impact that I know I'll want to remember it. Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors, her books are based on Biblical history and made into Christian literature and they are hard hitting, my favorite being Redeeming Love--super amazing. Anyway, this book has five novellas that each tell a story about a woman that God chose, in this case the subjects are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary...of the five, I'm most looking forward to Rahab and Bathsheba. 

I'm really looking forward to reading this and I'm also looking forward to what happens with this man. As far as what I'm doing for New Year's Eve, well this also kinda ties into my plan since the only thing I have planned for sure is going to church with my sister though I'm sure we'll have other things that we'll be doing afterwards. All that being said, I hope you have a great time celebrating the new year! I might be posting some more stuff today, we'll see what the day has in store by way of having time for anything else. 

bad things happen in threes

So many things on my mind and it's only 6:12 am. Let me start by saying, I love lists. Absolutely adore them. So I'm breaking down this post into 3 bullet points before diving headfirst into it all in a few paragraphs.

• I almost committed murder this morning.
• My car kinda sorta might have it out for me...but not really.
• People in high school have lost all of their senses and there's no solution.

So...from the beginning.

This morning I woke up 10 minutes before my first alarm. For the record, I have 3 alarms that go off on mornings that I have to work because I have to be at work by 3:45 am which means I need to be out of my bed by 2:15--no big deal. Anyway, I have an early alarm at 1:35 so that my brain is completely ready for the second alarm at 1:45 and then the third alarm at 2:05. It may seem excessive, but those three alarms (all music) ensure that I'm in the best possible mood.

Moving forward, I woke up 10 minutes before my first alarm...now for some people, this may be a terrible thing, but I don't mind it. So, it's 1:25 am, and I'm laying in my bed with my eyes open when I hear it. This terrible sound coming from my younger sister as she grinds her teeth in her sleep. In that moment, all joy that I got from hearing this song (it brings me to pleasant memories of this summer) was GONE. I instantly switched over to I want to kill you mode.

My first defense? Holding her nostrils shut until she opened her mouth to gasp for air then telling her, in my sternest voice, stop grinding your teeth! I then allowed her to go back to sleep and don't you know she starts up AGAIN. This time, I reached into her mouth and manually pulled her teeth apart. SUE ME. So after that, she went back to sleep and didn't do it again...but by that time, I'd left the room to take my shower.

So, on my way to work, I was blasting my music as usual, having a great time. I cross over the bridge to get into Philadelphia for work and because I don't have an EZ-Pass, I always pay the tolls. I give the man my money and head on over before realizing that my window won't go up. Mind you, I'm going around 50 mph, it's about 30 degrees outside, and my heat isn't quite kicking yet. I get over the bridge, still trying to get my window up, and it just won't budge. So now I'm on I-95 and you can't go 50 on I-95. So I'm hitting somewhere around fastenoughtogetpulledoverbutnotquitepushingit and--you guessed it--window still stuck down. So I did what any smart driver does, blast my music 5x louder and hold that button until some action happened.

In time, it did.

Thank GAWD.

And finally...a video that sums up everything that that last bullet point says.

Needless to say, I'm pretty sure they're broken up now...but best of luck to them and to her, because I think the whole thing is foolish. Get the hell out of dodge talking 'bout "I absolutely love you" after one week.

Just GET OUT.