Although he has been out of the spotlight as a singer/performer, we always knew Michael Jackson was somewhere doing something. The thought of him being gone forever is still numbing, but a reality we must accept. Although we must accept his passing, the world is grieving the loss of a legendary singer and performer. Imagine this: there isn’t a place in the whole world where someone doesn’t know who Michael Jackson is. Talk about crossing over!

During the grieving period, those of us who were fans will undoubtedly think back to certain moments where Michael Jackson made us say, “wow.” A lady that works in the building next to me was asking everyone who came up to her desk what their favorite Michael Jackson song was. Only a few said they weren’t fans, but they all know who the King of Pop is. On my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/thomasesawyer), I asked the following: Is Michael Jackson’s death the equivalent to Elvis dying for our generation? Surprisingly, this guy replied with “Michael Jackson can’t hold a candle to Elvis.” It made me think of what the rap group Public Enemy said about Elvis – if you know what I’m talking about, you know what I’m talking about. If Elvis was a bigger deal, I can’t imagine how much the world loved him…but my money is on MJ.

These are some of the things I remember about Michael Jackson:

1. Michael made up words and he sang them with such conviction that we didn’t care. Does anyone know how to spell “Schumone” correctly?

2. The moonwalk! You can’t tell me you weren’t mesmerized the first time you saw it. Ironically, I was watching a special on the old group Shalamar and one of the original members, Jeffrey Daniel, said he was doing it before Michael. He called it the “backslide” or something like that and they actually showed footage of him doing it. Still, Michael is the one who made it popular.

3. The dancing in the videos. MJ’s dancing is a true testament to his charisma and star power because he really didn’t have very many moves. Yes, they choreographed things with other dancers, but when Michael was dancing alone he normally did a variation of the same moves. But we watched intently anyway.

4. Has anyone before or since been able to have such long videos? How long were the Thriller and Smooth Criminal videos?

5. Would “We Are The World” have been made without MJ?

6. I really liked those cartoons. Some people may be too young to even remember them. That was back when Saturday morning really meant something.

7. I’m originally from Indiana and I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked if I knew Michael Jackson. Do people really think the state is that small?

8. How many people had one of those red “pleather” jackets with all the zippers?

9. He wore tight, short pants and we let him get away with it because he was Michael Jackson. Now you know if Beyonce came out wearing something whack people would talk about her, but MJ was beyond fashion criticisms. Who else could make wearing one glove OK?

10. I don’t know of any other performer who could have women and men crying and passing out in the audience.

The passing of an icon is a loss for the entire world. Michael Jackson will truly be missed.

Go ahead and use the comment section below to add some memories of your own.

For a chance to win a little $$$, go to http://7daybuzz.com/how-well-did-you-know-our-fallen-tar/ ;

Hello Fellow Sailors!

I am excited! I have begun the process of solidifying our trip! I will be working with the local travel agent at Omega Travel, here on post at Fort Benning, GA! Here’s the deal. Of course using a travel agent vs. booking straight offline is a little higher. But it is not too bad. Below are the costs, which include everything except the tips and gratuities. Please let me know your cabin choices ASAP! Once we have locked in the number of couples going (number of cabins) we can begin making payments on our trip. Let me put this little bug in your ear. These prices are great! My sister, brother, sister-in-law and I took this same trip basically (with the exception of one port) in 2006 and it was $500.00 more!!! Kid you not! We are getting a deal!

I myself don’t like things sprung on me and I don’t like being blindsided so I asked her to tell me all possible costs. Because we are taking a large group, the tax and gratuities are required up front. When I/we went, with only four of us, we paid them at the end of the cruise, after receiving our services. I believe we paid more than the (approximately) $70.00 they are asking up front. That $70.00 might sound like a lot to those of you who have not cruised before but it is $9.95 a day for your waiter and housekeeper. You will have the same waiter and housekeeper for the entire week. $70.00 is worth the special love and attention you will receive from each of these people. You’ll see! The only other thing that we might have to pay, once we are locked in, is some kind of extra tax if gas continues to rise quickly and substantially. Don’t worry! I got a call into God for that, cruise or no cruise. I just need it to regulate!

So here are the costs. Keep in mind; these are all per person costs based on two occupants per cabin, without the tips and gratuity added in:

Inside cabin – $704.83  (I had inside cabin my first trip, it was nice. No windows.)
Oceanview – $804.83  (I had oceanview for my honeymoon cruise. Loved it and was so glad I paid the extra for it!)
Balcony – $944.83  (I will probably do this one this time!)
Suite – $1223.40  (Fancy!)

What’s your pleasure? Which cabin would you like? You gotta let me know ASAP so I can give her the numbers, we get locked in with these delightful prices and we can begin making payments! You know what to do…

Holla back!

No Christianity 101 today. No cruise talk today. And we will even leave Obama alone today. Let’s go light!

I have thought about writing this post more than once and did not because I thought you might find it too shallow but I saw it again and had to speak up! How in the world did Brooke Shields get roped into doing a commercial on how to get your eyelashes to grow! Of all things! Of course it’s not about Brooke; it’s about the obsession with it all. Where will we ever draw the line and say, enough is enough?

Now let me go ahead and admit, I am all in favor of women (and men) taking care of themselves and projecting the best “you” possible. I wear makeup. I go to the salon for hair and nails. I get my eyebrows waxed/arched. I do microdermabrasion. I try to utilize all the bells and whistles available to me as a woman, to make me look my best, and feel my best, thus projecting my best self. However, when I see a former co-worker with a jacked up line on her lip because the tattoo artist went outside the line when permanently tattooing on a lip liner, or another friend with amazing eyebrows because her tattoo artist had a steady hand and created the perfect line, or hear a commercial telling me that I can grow longer eyelashes but the side affects are “possible” permanent brown eyes that should be white (Sclera), I think that is going too far!

Yesterday I was watching a movie and strayed from the story line as I watched the woman’s mouth trying to move but it couldn’t. Botox! Gosh, isn’t it a shame that we can’t just be who and what we are and look the way we look and still be considered beautiful? Who actually defines that beauty? Is it society? And what society, hormone growing men? Young eager men? Mid life crisis men? Dirty old men? Lol. Let’s just establish up front, surely the society I’m speaking about is men! Wouldn’t you agree? Because woman to woman, we know the pain of trying to be beautiful! I’d love to go out occasionally looking like “who done it and what for”! I’d like to just throw and go! That is, throw on anything and go anywhere and not care how I looked. But I can’t! That doesn’t project the image I want to exude. It doesn’t speak to the classiness I try to carry with me at all times! But people… it is hard! Don’t hate me if you think I look beautiful, it was hard work getting there!!!

I quit perming my hair in a stand for sistas everywhere! I wore it in its natural state for quite a while, all kinky and whatnot. Did I feel as pretty??? No I didn’t because society says my hair needs to be straight and as close to the Barbie look as I can get. (Sidebar: Did y’all know Barbie turned 50 this year and her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts? Uh huh) In efforts to change up occasionally, I took the hour and a half necessary and went through the grueling steps of straightening my hair. I did that one time too many and now it won’t conform back to the kinkiness and whatnot. Once again I am sporting that permed look (although it is still natural). My husband is happy and I do like it, but I’ve lost my Angela Davis edge and I feel like I have let my sistas down!

I want to be beautiful. I want to be sexy. I want all the good feelings that come with what we go through to look our best. I have another admission. I got the fake eyelashes. Yes, I did! I went to the salon. She analyzed my natural lashes and we discussed the appropriate size for me and my face. Off we went! She glued the lashes on in groups of three hairs at a time. I sat in fear as she got closer and closer to my eyeball. When she was done, I was beautiful! Or so I thought. The lady next to me told me so. Nails, toenails, hair and eyelashes! Mary Kay helped me manually do the rest. Lol. So the next day when I saw something black lying on the floor, only to discover it was a group of my customized lashes, I was distraught. The next day, the next group landed on the sink. Between Tuesday and Saturday, I had been to that shop three times getting and re-getting my lashes done! Nothing worked! I even had my husband to bring home goggles to wear over my eyes when I showered. And still they wouldn’t stay affixed to my “real” lashes and lid! I had to treat them so gingerly. “Don’t get them wet,” is what the “lash tech” told me. Huh? How can I not get a part of my face wet? And I always felt like there was a shadow looming over me. It felt like I had clumps and clumps of mascara caked on my lashes when in reality, it was my $20.00 set of new lashes I tried in my next step of enhancing my beauty! Pray church!

Where should it end? Now I am a proponent of believing all women should wear a little something. There is nothing more beautiful than a finely crafted eye with just the right shades of matte shadow/s and pencil and mascara to make the eyes pop! Rarely do you see a perfect complexion, one without a little blemish here and there. Nothing a little foundation or pressed powder couldn’t smooth out. I believe it is self affirming to take steps to beautify ourselves and it gives us confidence, I just don’t know where we stop! Treatments for growing eyelashes??? One that could leave permanent browning of the eyes?

So here’s the thing, you have the treatment, you get beautiful lashes that have probably only grown a 1/10 of 1/10 of an inch and the whites of your eyes are permanently brown. Uh… certainly the latter completely cancels out the former. And what’s up with the commercials when they say, “before starting this regiment, ask your doctor. Blah blah blah (said regiment) may not be right for you”. I’ll just speak for me; I have never had a family doctor that would sign off on an eye lash treatment that could cause permanent browning of the eyes!

I have one more admission. I am in Georgia now. A place where it is (as I say) slavery hot! The women here are not feeling all the beauty regiments I am used to in Indiana. The heat makes them just say no to beauty regiments. However, I have seen some beautiful, beautiful smooth complexioned ladies here who use a bar of soap and go! I ain’t mad at ‘em!

Sigh…. I’m just saying… Is the side effect of a brown sclera, for slightly longer lashes, worth it? Is beauty still in the eye of the beholder? Hope so! No brown eyes for me. Short lashes that are mine and snowy white eyes that shine bright! )

Holla back!

So here’s the thing… why is it that we as people who say we love the Lord and are Christians, actually disbelieve God so much? That was a generalization and blanket statement, I know. Let me break it down.

Yes, most believe a Christian person should be a good person. Most believe if you don’t: rob a bank, murder somebody, steal from your job, drink alcohol (oops…), cuss people out (oops), do drugs (a baby oops), cheat on your taxes and a variety of the more obvious sins/wrongdoings, we are good! However…

My girlfriend and I hold the same conversation periodically. We talk about how we ignore and live against the parts of the bible we don’t like. We exclude God’s word from our lives if it goes against the prick. An example is: she had a coworker who had children but always put her husband before her children. My girlfriend couldn’t fathom that because her way is to put her children first. Since this thought just came to me and I began typing and am not with my study bible, I can’t tell you where, but I am pretty sure there is scripture to back her friend. But how many of us women would publicly admit, our babies are number one and everybody else comes after that? (except Jesus!!!) (I said that in a preacher’s voice. The one he uses when he has gone to the mountaintop portion of his sermon/message )

Example #2: The bible tells us how to handle a situation if someone has offended us.  Matthew 18:15-18 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church”. Have you ever seen this plan followed by an offended Christian? I haven’t.  Instead we swivel our necks and talk big time trash to this person and that person, (third parties who ain’t got nothing to do with it!) compounding the issue, and obscuring what could just be a misunderstanding, that is now blown out of proportion. All because we didn’t follow the plan and our character is not the character God outlined.

These might not be good examples but my point is; what in the world are we doing when we do that? Although I might not want to put my husband first because I think my kids will feel neglected or if I don’t want to go to my brother with my ought because I am scare of his reaction; neither displays full belief in God. If we fully believe, regardless of how the situation appears, we can’t ever go wrong, even in apprehension, doing what God wants us to do.

EVERYTHING that God has promised is within our reach and capable of being an integral part of our life. But we have to believe Him enough to follow all of His words and not just the cozy “feel good” ones. The bible says you reap what you sow. We love to place that on obvious indiscretions and outward offenses and clearly visible disobedience to God’s word. How often do we see people who we deem good, upright and a “living the word” Christian, struggling through life? Have you ever asked yourself, Lord if they are going through that and they – come to church, pay their tithes, teach Sunday School, have no tattoos (lol), don’t drink, don’t cuss, sweet as a piece of pie – how will I ever survive as many mistakes as I make! But the question is; are they applying all of God’s word to their life or only the part that fits their personality and carnal character?

This is a hard question for me. I struggle with this. I know there are parts of God word that are easy to obey and there are parts of His word my integrity and dignity make me obey but then there are parts I am oblivious too because it doesn’t fit me. And just because it is not one of those more visible “going against God’s word” things, it is still going against His word. So… just like I rob a bank and face the consequences, not conforming to Him/His word completely will also bring about consequences and repercussions. He is good to be patient with us as we grow up and into Him but when we know to do better, we must do better. I am challenging myself to do better. I am challenging myself to live the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God! I know ignoring parts of God’s word and not working with the whole truth in all aspects of me, I will suffer consequences! What do you think?

Holla back!

Grab your sunscreen and your favorite guy/gal!  We are set to sail October 24 – 31, 2010!  Holla!

Holla Back!

One more thing to vote on!

Here are the choices of dates for our journey; October 10 – 17 or October 24 – 31; both in 2010.  I will tell you the prices for the one later in October are about $30.00 cheaper. You decide.

I need to hear from you by Monday the 15th to let me know what date you would prefer to travel and I will announce the date Tuesday.

Holla back!

The votes are in and the winner is… itinerary #2!!!  Yippie!  Here is where we are going:

Itinerary #2
Day #1 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day #2 – At Sea
Day #3 – Bridgetown, Barbados
Day #4 – Castries, St. Lucia
Day #5 – St. John’s, Antigua Day
Day #6 – Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Day #7 – St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Day #8 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
$679.00-Interior $779.00-Outside $929.00-Balcony $1429.00-Deluxe Suite

This is one of the trips I have taken and let me tell you, you will love it!  Are you as excited as I am?  Ok, let’s celebrate this for a moment!  Barbados!!! St. Lucia!!!  St. John’s!!! St. Maarten!!! So much fun!  Now let’s get busy! 

I need to know who is going so we can get started planning and paying for our trip.  Please let me know yea or nay about our adventure!  You can tell me here at: kleverkathy or you can contact me personally at: kathy@kleverkathy.com or any other avenue to reach me that you are familiar with.  Just let me know!

Holla Back!

Calling all Sailors!  Today is the final day to vote!  I am closing it out today and tomorrow I will announce the itinerary for our first kleverkathy couples cruise!  If you haven’t cast your vote, do it today!  For your convenience, I have once again listed the itineraries below.  Let me know!  Holla back!

Itinerary #1
Day #1 – Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
Day #2 – Genoa, Italy
Day #3 – Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France
Day #4 – Barcelona, Spain
Day #5 – Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands
Day #6 – Cagliari, Sardinia
Day #7 – At Sea
Day #8 – Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
$999.00-Interior $1299.00-Outside $1549.00-Balcony $2299.00-Deluxe Suite

Itinerary #2
Day #1 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Day #2 – At Sea
Day #3 – Bridgetown, Barbados
Day #4 – Castries, St. Lucia
Day #5 – St. John’s, Antigua Day #6 – Cagliari, Sardinia
Day #6 – Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Day #7 – St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Day #8 – San Juan, Puerto Rico
$679.00-Interior $779.00-Outside $929.00-Balcony $1429.00-Deluxe Suite

Itinerary #3
Day #1 – Tampa, Florida
Day #2 – At Sea
Day #3 – George Town, Grand Cayman
Day #4 – Costa Maya, Mexico
Day #5 – Belize City, Belize
Day #6 – Cozumel, Mexico
Day #7 – At Sea
Day #8 -Tampa, Florida
$499.00-Interior $599.00-Outside $699.00-Balcony $1099.00-Deluxe Suite

Itinerary #4
Day #1 – Venice, Italy
Day #2 – Split, Croatia
Day #3 – Corfu, Greece
Day #4 – Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Day #5 – Mykonos, Greece
Day #6 – Katakolon, Greece
Day #7 – At Sea
Day #8 – Venice, Italy
$799.00-Interior $1049.00-Outside $1499.00-Balcony $1799.00-Deluxe suite

Itinerary #5
Day #1 – Seattle, Washington
Day #2 – At Sea
Day #3 – Alaska Inside Passage
Day #4 – Juneau, Alaska
Day #5 – Skagway, Alaska
Day #6 – Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
Day #7 – At Sea
Day #8 – Victoria, British Columbia
Day #8 – Seattle, Washington
$599.00-Interior $799.00-Outside $1349.00-Balcony $1449.00-Deluxe Suite

I have to start off by saying, in the short history of kleverkathy.com, this is the most gut wrenching post I’ve written. As I thought of what to call this post to grab your attention and make you read this story, my first thought was to simply call it “A Praying Spirit Throughout The Day Part II”. I realized that was too soft and subtle. That didn’t correctly convey the direness of this situation. I needed something to get you to understand the urgency of you all touching and agreeing with me in prayer. I need you to pray! I need you to once again pray for my co-worker Carol. Remember Carol and her overwhelming family tragedies? For those who don’t know and for those who need reminding, let me rewind and briefly recap.

Carol lost her father a few days before Thanksgiving. She went home to Guam to bury him and her mother fell ill. She recovered enough for Carol to come home but a few weeks later took a turn and died right after the New Year. She went home to bury her mother and while there her Aunt fell ill and died. Two weeks ago Carol went home for her brother’s wedding. A day or two after the wedding, they were fishing. Carol’s other brother’s line got caught in some rocks. He went in to untangled it, the waters became too much, his lungs filled with water and he drowned. Lord! What More!!! Dad, Mom, Aunt and now brother.

Fastforward… Carol is still in Guam following her brother death and funeral. She had planed to return in a couple of days. Yesterday her sister fell ill, went to the doctor, was told she had an infection in her lungs, was hospitalized and died this morning. (long pause and heavy sigh…)

What? What? What? I myself am so sad and distraught; I can’t imagine Carol and her family’s unbelievable grief. How in the world do so many families escape family deaths and then others are bludgeoned with the despair of death over and over and over? I know God and I love God and I believe God and have served Him all my life. I think questioning God is a gray area and definitely shouldn’t be a common practice, however, today I find myself entering those gray murky waters as I ask: why God and how much more?

Carol is financially and emotionally spent. All we can do is help her financially, supply a shoulder to cry on, pray for her and know God is the only one that can carry her through this ongoing storm.

I have nothing else to say. Just pray for her. Holla back…