Kimestry

"Kim. What part do you sing in the choir?" It was a simple question asked in the women's locker room of the gym on a Monday morning. Yet, somehow my intuition could feel an adventure brewing by the tone of Angela's voice when she said my name. A few seconds later, I had agreed to help her with a singing audition on Friday. Wednesday, Angela, Sheila and I rehearsed for the audition. As we ended the rehearsal with string cheese and fruit as a snack, Sheila and I asked Angela to tell us more about the audition. That's when things took an interesting turn. We weren't just helping Angela with her audition, we were auditioning for a cable network reality show! And we were doing this after forming a trio two days before the audition and with only two hours of rehearsal. As we had no time, we decided to adopt the k.i.s.s. system--keep it simple sweetie. We planned to wear black bottoms and colorful tops on Friday. When we arrived for the audition on Friday at Smashbox...

Last year I was faced with a "say no situation". I was working full time, but my job was not being funded for the next year. I could choose to interview for a full time position in a context that didn't appeal to me or I could accept a part time job which required no interview and involved work I knew I'd love. In addition, the part time job was a step down from the position I had. I chose to accept the part time job. My mom, who is the most supportive person in my world, questioned my decision. She didn't see the wisdom in trading a full time job for a part time one. "How will you pay your bills?", she asked. I'd asked myself the same question. My intuition told me to take the part time job, but just to be sure I consulted my body as well. I sat in meditation, closed my eyes, and said aloud "I have accepted the full time job." I noted that my stomach juices started gurgling. Then I said, "I have not accepted the full time job" an...

"Squirrel, move! Move, Squirrel!" I was out for a walk in the neighborhood. I have a gym membership, but sometimes I just like to walk outdoors and look at the trees, people, and dogs. As I walked down my block at a brisk pace, I happened upon a woman staring down a squirrel. The woman carried a drink cup from a fast food restaurant and was intent on going through a metal gate to enter a building complex. The problem was that there was a squirrel already perched on top of the metal gate, minding its own business, and enjoying a meal. The woman stared him down in frustration and kept repeating, "Move, squirrel." She could not continue on with her day, with her plans, until this squirrel got out of her way. She was stuck there, immobile, until the situation changed and she had no control over when or if that would happen. I was reminded of how often I face situations and demand that they change before I can proceed. How many times have I "stared down a squirrel...

I heard computer keys clicking when fingernails typed on them. The woman next to me spoke exceedingly loudly on her cell phone as she made her power entertainment deals at 9am. "I can offer you five hundred per day", she told the person at the other end of the line. A man walked up to her and said, "Could you stop talking so loud? I'm trying to read. This isn't a phone booth." She replied, "This isn't a library either." As the gentleman walked away, she looked at me and asked, "am I really loud?" I nodded my head and grinned. She responded by speaking more softly. No, this was not the library and not a phone booth; this was the jury assembly room. It was cold, boring and I felt as if I'd developed ADD within the first two hours of being there. I'd already read half of Barbara Walter's autobiography while laying on my back at the window wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare. My trusty jacked served as a pillo...

I sat on top of a speaker at Zanzibar and felt the afro funke beats vibrate my legs as they swung freely. My friend Cat danced with vigor as the song transitioned into samba. A medium-built Latino male with an Elvis Presley hairdo approached me and leaned against the wall above where I was seated. We chatted and he asked me what I was drinking. I’d had a glass of wine with Cat earlier, but I was not planning to drink any more that night. Plus, Momma always told me to be careful about letting strangers buy me drinks, so I declined his generous offer. Somehow, we got on the subject of hair. He told me that he was growing his hair out so that he could have it braided into corn rows. As Cat returned from the dance floor and sat next to me, he pulled out his phone to show us a picture of how he looked with corn rows. It looked much better than the Elvis Presley ‘do to say the least! Cat demurred as she pointed to the picture of Julio in corn rows, “you should wear your hear like that again....

I remember singing lead on "Walkin in the Rain With the One I love" On stage with my friends When I was four I remember I only knew the chorus I remember being five years old and telling Mrs. Waters That I was going to marry her son I was only in kindergarten But hey, I thought she should know. I remember wanting to love someone Like Marcia loved Davy Jones. I remember meeting my very first Boyfriend At a pajama party The night I had my first car accident I remember I was eighteen and college bound. He was dyslexic And two grades behind me And I loved him More than Marcia loved Davy Jones. I remember seeing Prince in concert For the very first time. I remember a girl Screaming uncontrollably And realizing with Horror That the sound was coming From me. I remember that I'd just turned eighteen and had seen Purple Rain About thirteen times. I remember dancing to Prince tunes at college parties in the suites Until the walls sweated And blue jean prints stained the paint. I re...

"I'll think about it." For some people this means maybe, but for my cousin this means no. That is what she said when I invited her to go see the Spinners in concert. I asked a few more friends, but even my mother was not interested. Mom did however, give me a good lead on a potential concert companion--her older sister, my aunt. I found out where my aunt's seats were and secured a seat right behind her. It seemed that as soon as I decided to see the concert, songs I rarely hear by the Spinners kept popping up on the radio all the time. "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "Working My Way Back To You" took me back to summertime in the 70's when I was just a child enjoying a play date in my cousin's garage. On concert night, I stood in the admittance line at El Camino College and spotted my Auntie B three parties ahead of me wearing an all-white jean outfit. Once inside, she spotted her ex-husband and his wife while I cruised down to row...