a to z challenge – Page 11 – Sydney Aaliyah Michelle

Y – Yard Sale

Published on April 29, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle10 Comments

Yard sales are big business in my neck of the woods. I gather a years worth of crap that my parents and I have stored in the garage. Pull it all out into the front yard. Slap a price on it and then watch them swarm. It doesn’t take any advertising at all, people spend their Saturday mornings trolling the area looking for the discarded junk of strangers. It is amazing to me.

This year I had a funny request:

“Do you have wires?

“What kind of wires?”

“Any kind of wires? Phone wires? Computer wires? Chicken wire?”

“I have computer wires and phone wires, but they go with the computer and phone I am selling.”

“Well, how much is the computer and phone?”

“Computer 25 and phone is 5.”

“I’ll take it.”

He handed me 30 dollars, gathered his wires and started to walk away.

“Wait, you forgot your computer and phone.”

“I told you, I just need the wires.”

Great, now how am I going to explain what happened to the wires when I try and sell the computer and phone, again.

Check out my yard sale:

This the garage the night before.

The yard the next day. We earned 486.00 on this stuff. I should quit my day job and do yard sales full time.

Do you hold an annual yard sale or garage sale? Do you ever buy stuff from yard sales?

X – Marks the Spot

Published on April 27, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle8 Comments

I know the X is the A to Z nemesis, but I think I have a good take on X. X Marks the Spot. I thought I would share with you a few places in my past that were the center of my universe.

First, my high school. Plano Senior High School. Here ‘s a little story about my high school.

As I sit in Vogueing Corner (we were weird kids), contemplating my place in the inner circle I helped create, it hit me. Dude, your in high school. Relax.

That kind of explained my high school years. Straight edged rebellious fun peppered with quantum life contemplations and pretending to understand what a statement like ‘quantum life contemplations’ means. We always felt a little superior to those around us. We were a group of amazing, beautiful and creative people and I am blessed to still be able to call on them for some fact checking and recommendations.

Second, Park & Preston. Heres a little story about the intersection of Park and Preston, in Plano, Texas.

From the age of 13 – 18, I darted back and forth across Park & Preston sometimes several times in one day. The Chili’s was on one side of the street. The movie theater on the other. Actually, there was a movie theater on both sides and a pizza place, too. My first job at Kroger was on that intersection along with my best friends job at the movie theater, my other best friends job was at Subway and my other best friends worked at the McDonalds on the corner. No wonder I have a problem with sitting still for any length of time. We darted back and forth and back and forth, again. I should be grateful to have had a lot of experience navigating, darting traffic and learning when to stop, when to walk and when to run for my life.

These two spots were my life from the age of 13-18 and then I left home, but when I look back and think about those times, you know what. I can’t complain. I had it pretty good.

Do you have fond memories of your adolescents years?

W – Klyde Warren Park

Published on April 26, 2013April 25, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle7 Comments

I had never heard of the Warren family until I did some research on this park. Apparently, he is one of our wealthiest residents and he named this really cool park in downtown Dallas after his 9 year old son. What a stud that kids must be in elementary school? “Hey girl, let me show you my park.”

Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2 acre park in downtown Dallas. Again, part of the revitalization of the area. 10 years ago, downtown Dallas was a ghost town on weekends, this is what it look liked last Saturday.

And, I had my first food truck experience. The food was amazing.

I can’t wait to spend more time in the park. I picture myself sitting at these tables and writing the next great American novel. The whole park has free wifi.

Or maybe work on my music. They have a outdoor library, too.

So, if your looking for me this summer, you can probably find me at Klyde Warren Park?

V – Victory Park

Published on April 25, 2013April 24, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle2 Comments

Victory is a fairly new area in downtown Dallas. It was a project to revitalize the downtown area. It began with the American Airlines Arena and off of that they build the W Hotel and several high rise condo’s. In the center of it all is Victory Plaza.

My top 10 things to do list in Victory Park:

Catch a game – Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks play in the Double AC (that’s what the locals call it).
See a concert at the House of Blues.
Experience New Years Eve, I’ve heard it’s like Time Square, but with fewer people.
Go to the Bliss Spa in the W Hotel
Have drinks at Dick’s Last Resort
Have a buffalo chicken sandwich and curly fries at Hooter’s
Hike the Katy Trail
Have a margarita at Luna De Noche
Check out the music memorabilia at the Hard Rock Cafe
Watch a 1310 The Ticket Broadcast – 1310 The Ticket was the first all sport radio station in the US. They have been on the air since 1994 and have a line up of guys, most who have been with the station since it’s inception. If you listen to them for the first time, you wonder why it’s a sports station, but keep listening and you will get it.

The Show and it’s characters:

The Musers – George Dunham aka Jub Jub, Craig Miller, aka Junior, Gordon Keith aka The Great Gordo

Can’t Miss Segment: Muse in the News, the Fake Jerry Jones and the Fake Tiger Woods

The Norm Hitzges Show – Norm Hitzges is a local legend

Bad Radio – Bob Sturm, Dan McDowell and Donovan Lewis

Can’t Miss Segment: Gay Not Gay and any story Dan tells about he and his wife’s sex life.

The Hardline – Mike Rhyner aka The Old Grey Wolf & Corby Davidson aka the snake

Can’t Miss Segment – Entertainment News for You, What’s on Mike’s Mind and Community Quick Hits

I laugh out loud all day listening to them.

Only 3 more days of A to Z Challenge, hang in there and visit more blogs.

U – Uncle Julio’s

Published on April 24, 2013April 23, 2013 by Sydney Aaliyah Michelle6 Comments

When you come to visit Dallas, you have to have dinner at a locals approved Tex-Mex restaurant. There are only a few on the list, but Uncle Julio’s is one of the best.

When ever I came home from overseas to visit, after a 16 hour plane ride, I stopped to have Mexican food first. It is that good.

I love the food so much, I have write about it often. Here is a scene from one of my novel length projects:

I’m Coming Home – All you need to fall in love is great food, margaritas and easy conversation.

They both ordered fajitas. Chicken for Sierra and steak for John. The good food and margaritas made the conversation flow easy.

“Where did you go to school after Loyola in New Orleans?” John asked.

“Florida State.” Sierra said.

“Party school.”

“I was all partied out before I even got there,” Sierra said.

“I couldn’t image going to school in New Orleans.”

“Then I went to Georgetown Law.”

“I don’t quite understand,” John took a bit of his fajita, paused to savior it and lost his train of thought.

“What don’t you understand?”

“Oh, yeah, this is so good.” he wiped his mouth with a napkin and appeared be contemplate his next sentence. Sierra knew what he was going to ask.

“Ivy League law school and you work as a manager of a golf academy.”

“Is that a question?” Sydney tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

“I don’t mean anything by it, I am just curious how you got there?”

“I run a golf Academy in a foreign country. I generated over a million dollars in revenue. I am American who obtained a business license in China.” Sierra hoped she sounded confident.

“You trying to impress me?” John asked.

“Maybe. I don’t mean to sound defensive,” Sierra placed her hands in her lap, “It just I’m not as impressed with my credentials as I probably should be.”

“Why?”

“Because, it’s not what I want to do anymore.” It’s the first time Sierra had said that out loud.

“What do you want to be doing?” John asked.

“Dream job?”

“Yeah.”

“A writer.” Sydney said.

“Really,” John said. “What do you write?”

“Contemporary romance. Romantic comedies.”

“Let me read something?” John asked.

“Not a chance.” Sierra said and continued to make her fajita. Placing the chicken, cheese, sour cream, beans and guacamole on the flour tortilla in the correct order.

“Come on.” John said. “I enjoy a good romantic comedy.”

“Do you love your job?” Sydney asked.

“Changing the subject, I see. Yeah, I get to solve problems all day that only 1% of the world can even comprehend.” John said.

“What do you do exactly?” Sydney said. “I know you are ‘revamping the whole social media platform’ but was does that mean?”

“That is actually about 1/4 of what I do, but Bob likes to think he a social media pioneer.” John explained. “I create the internet presence for Zurich.”

“That’s cool.”

“And, I am in charge of keeping it all safe.” John said.

“You trying to impress me?” Sydney asked.

“Is it working?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Who has actually had Tex-Mex food? I don’t have to tell you there is a difference between, Mexican Food, Spanish Food and Tex-Mex Food.