Rest In Peace, Mr.Vandross.

I was speechless when I heard the news on Friday night.

Everybody knew he was sick, he had heart trouble, diabetes, a stroke. But that was years ago, and everyone was saying that he was on the mend. That he was coming back to us. When I finally saw him singing a little bit again on the Grammys last year, I really started to believe that he could have thirty years left in him. But I was wrong. Luther is gone.

I can't say that I was always a fan. In fact when I was little, I was the complete opposite of a fan. But blame it on my innocence, I guess. I mean I was 4 or 5 years old, and the last thing I wanted to hear was Luther singing about love and romance, which to me were just icky/sappy grown-up things. The last thing I wanted to see was my mama headed toward the record player with a Luther album in her hand, because I knew it was gonna be an all-day, dance around the living room and sing into a broom handle Luther-fest, and my little self hated it.

Of course, as I got older my mind changed about him. I started listening to his voice, and the words he was singing, instead of just sticking my fingers in my ears and singing "la-la-la-la" to drown him out. I started appreciating his voice, one of the most rich, clear, resonant voices the world has ever known. And I started appreciating his style. Everybody laughs when somebody tries to imitate Luther and they do the creep -- the world-famous, spine-tingling way that Luther could work several tones and vibrations into one note -- but we laugh because we know nobody can do it like him. He was inimitable. Yeah, it's cliche, but there will really never be another.

I'm not gonna use the lame line about half the population owing their lives and existence to Luther's music. A lot of people say that, and yeah, maybe it's true, but there's so much more to his music than bedroom grooves. He was an artist, a writer, a musician. Not just some old lounge singer that got people in the mood. If you know his music, you know what I mean.

Lush is the right word for his voice, and sumptuous is the way to describe the melodies he used to display that beautiful instrument. I defy anyone to listen to "Here And Now" and not be in awe of his talent. Just listen.

And while you're at it, check out my favorite Luther song of all time, also his first single and his first hit too. Never Too Much. He wrote that. All. Those gutar riffs. That sooo smooth bridge, "oh my loooove. . ." All of that. Every time I hear this song I get extremely happy. I'm smiling right now because I'm listening to it while I'm typing this. That first pluck of the strings at the opening is one of the quickest ways to brighten my day. That's just one small part of the legacy Luther Vandross is leaving, and the impact his music has made on my life. At least that will last forever.

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A Luther Song Today.

"Never Too Much"

I can't fool myself, I don't want nobody else to ever love me .
You are my shinin' star, my guiding light, my love fantasy.
There's not a minute, hour, day or night that I don't love you.
You're at the top of my list 'cause I'm always thinkin' of you.

I still remember in the days when I scared to touch you.
How I spent my day dreamin' plannin' how to say I love you.
You must have known that I had feelings deep enough to swim in;
That's when you opened up your heart and you told me to come in .

Oh, my love
A thousand kisses from you is never too much;
I just don't wanna stop.

Oh, my love
A million days in your arms is never too much .
I just don't wanna stop,

Too much, never too much, never too much, never too much.

Woke up today, looked at your picture just to get me started
I called you up, but you weren't there and I was broken hearted .
Hung up the phone, can't be too late, the boss is so demanding
Opened the door up and to my surprise there you were standing.

Well, who needs to go to work to hustle for another dollar
I'd rather be with you 'cause you make my heart scream and holler.
Love is a gamble and I'm so glad that I'm winning,
We've come a long way and yet this is only the beginning.

Oh, my love. . .

The Stein Mart Chronicles

Oh, what a week it has been. Or ten days. Or however long it's been since I updated this thing.

So anyway. Today I had the day off from work. (Ever so kind of them to let me have these precious hours of rest before I work like 78 hours in a row next week.) And yes, I spent the day doing practically nothing. I took a walk, I baked cookies, and I had a marathon viewing of P&P. Yes that means I spent about five and a half hours staring at Mr. Darcy. It's been a good day.

Tomorrow though, I don't know. Because as all you perceptive folks already know, I go back to work tomorrow -- aaalllllll day loooooooooong. Open to close just about. And, all of the really-really-super-duper-perceptive folks know, I could be happier about that than I am. Really. I'd say that the happiness-about-returning-to-work meter could stand to shoot up another 60%. But that probably won't happen.

Why you ask? (You did ask why, right? Good. Because I wanted to tell you.) Because my job at Stein Mart as Cashier, Accesories Associate, and Expert Ladies Apparel Straightener is extra-extremely monotonous. So very monotonous that I'm about to throw out several synonyms just so you can truly appreciate the monotony of it all.

Dull.
Boring.
Tedious.
Mind-numbing.
Banal.
Droning.
Humdrum.
Vapid.
Bland.

Yeah. Sorry I had to do that. But I had to make you understand somehow.

Anyway, I'm not gonna complain anymore about my job. That's just not what I'm about. Believe me, (except for this past few minutes when I was just typing the above) I don't sit around thinking things like how tough I have it standing around an air-conditioned store looking at pretty clothes and jewelry and purses, and counting money all day long. I know I could have it much worse. I could've ended up cleaning animal cages at the zoo or something. Or I could be jobless, and thus be broke and sad and STILL bored. So I realize I've got a pretty good situation going on. And so I won't complain about my job anymore.

Now the people at my job? Well, that's altogether different. LOL.

They're not terrible people or anything. Just kinda wearisome. In a hilarious kind of "look at who I'm working with" kind of way. I know this is gonna sound really strange coming from a girl who reports her age as twelve-teen and does not want to relinquish her status as a teenager, but my goodness. The kids I'm working with are kinda making me wonder what it is I'm trying to hold on to. Quite a few of my coworkers are still in high school or just recently graduated from, and as I stand there at the cash register or accessory counter with them for hours on end while they expostulate on such weighty matters as what place is better to eat at, Panera Bread Co. or Joe's Crab Shack, I begin feeling my age. I guess that's a good thing though. This is not to say that there aren't some morsels of honest-to-goodness fun and stimulation had between my coworkers and myself each day I work, but they're few and far-between. Say, 10 minutes of good for every 200 minutes of blah. No, I'm exaggerating. It's more like 10 to 199. Yeah.

Anyway. Happy 4th of July! Happy Independence Day for all of y'all celebrating. Me? Well, there will be no barbecues, no picnics, no firecrackers for me. I'll be working.

(By the way, bonus points for anyone who knows the number of hyphens I used in this post without scrolling back up to count!) (Don't worry about what the points are for. You'll find out when the time is right.)

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A Verse For You Today

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in this law does he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water
that brings forth His fruit in His season.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the ungodly shall perish. ~ Psalm 1