“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Aight so boom. I wrote a blog post about this, so I won't go into detail here, but basically a bunch of discoveries and rejections and novenas and seemingly random occurrences led to me creating a weekly newspaper for New Orleans East. The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly. No bad news either, leaving that for the other cats who love to diss the East. I'm still in the startup phase, and I'm the sole employee for now, so people have been donating to my Givebutter (Kickstarter for nonprofits) campaign!

Keep reading if you want to learn the exact novenas that helped get me here, feeling better than I have in years, and just some other cool stuff IDK it's been two months since I've emailed you (busy obvi).

And hey! The photo below is unedited (Team Nikon ALL DAY), a viceroy butterfly at the Audubon Nature Center at Joe Brown Park in New Orleans East. Remember, I'm the only employee. For now. Photographer, editor, writer, social media (grrrr), grant writer, all that. So I forgot how to watermark on Photoshop or Lightroom etc. Will refresh my memory soon!

What a darling duo! Again, unedited and unwatermarked. Stresses me out that I forgot. Also it stresses me out that Gambit used to not let me watermark my photos (but they'd let the other photographers smh) because here I am always having to do DCMA takedowns. My friend and colleague Blaze said they spend a day each week, I think, doing that. That's their bread and butter though, photography. Not mine, but you know I hate all forms of IP theft!

Also, respectfully, thank you in advance for the concern and effort but I am not asking you to edit or watermark these photos for me. Just mentioning it because it's on my mind and because I know most of us are used to seeing retouched photos. When I put them loose on the website or my God social media, trust they will be watermarked and retouched.

What (Else) is New?

Last time we spoke, it was my birthday! I'm 40 now and that feels really gross to say. IDK! But life is good like my friends said it would be, though I feel inadequate at times because of housing situations etc. However ain't none of that shit my fault and, like everything, it's all working out for my GOOD.

I hate social media but it's a necessary evil. Le sigh. So I share photos on Instagram frequently. Blab on Threads, most recently about Essence Fest. In case you missed those, here are some quick and small photo updates!

My Love Life is Nonexistent

I'll flirt here and there, blah blah. But I keep encountering that feeling of OK WOW THIS IS NICE COULD HE BE immediately followed by, as the kids say, the ick. A gentleman would have to move the moon and stars at this point, for me to take him seriously.

Franklin Made 11!

We went to jump around at Altitude in Slidell and then dined at Olive Garden, one of his favorite SURPRISINGLY EXPENSIVE places. Glad he's my best friend! When moms have fallings out with their sons, Lord I just pray that's never us.

I Found $75 and Flipped $10 of that to $100!

After a lunch date at Chapter IV by Dook Chase, my favorite restaurant for showing people New Orleans Creole cuisine, I started fantasizing about finding a $100 bill. Would I put my foot on it and take a quick pic? WELL. Maybe three minutes after that thought, I found $75 in the parking lot! LORD!

Then later, or the next day, I went to check on my friend. Ended up at a convenience store in the East looking for a cup of ice (Cane's closes the inside at 5, so the line is dumb stupid crazy long). Something said get a lottery ticket. I looked down and saw a snowball graphic, and said I'll get that scratch-off too. BABY I HIT FOR $100!

And honestly, I think it's all because I was doing nice things for friends. Got one an Uber after our lunch date (he tried to walk from his hotel but the heat got him lol); before that I went to Walmart to get my bestie's family some unconventional but useful bereavement supplies; I went to sit and keep my friend company and try to help around the house.
Housing Situation

Very much trash! Glad to finally have consistent hot water, but this is all dumb and I hate it and I'm trying my best to quickly move to New Orleans East. Eager to see how God and the Blessed Mother etc will help me get a house after years of being unemployed (thank GOD that's over) with credit I'm rebuilding from those years aaaand not no whole lot of money. But. Stranger things have happened! It will work for me!

Career Transition

This year, and for the foreseeable future, I'll be busy with The New Orleans East Sunshine Weekly. So I've been turning down most things that steal my time without any New Orleans East connection. And LORD that is a SACRIFICE! I'm fasting real bad! You know I loved being wined and dined. Didn't even bother getting my Tales of the Cocktail media credential this year.

To be clear, I'm still accepting assignments. That's money! But, I'm politely declining most hosted dinners and the like. Also it's just really influencer-y and I am NOT AN INFLUENCER so I just wanna scream when I'm at most of those events. Protecting my peace, saving my energy.

Also here are two other novenas I love that work soooo well!

• St. Therese Little Flower rose prayer, for when you want to see proof (roses!) that it's working or has worked.
• Mother Theresa Flying Novena, for when you need help fast. It's the Gaviscon of novenas. You do it 10 times in a row, at once, with the the 10th time being you saying thank you for it working.

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