Short answer is : Yes.

 

I was taught by my father to always tell the truth to your doctor and to your attorney.  Hopefully these are professionals who have a history of ethical behavior and you trust them.  If not, move on.

My ex keeps trying to bait my attorney by saying things like, “Oh I sent her a check for $20,000.00.  I guess Jodi didn’t tell you.”  The phantom check never came to me nor was I made aware of its existence.  I doubt it exists except in the recesses of my ex’s warped mind.

Fortunately, my attorney knows  what he is dealing with when it comes to my ex.  He also knows I tell him everything and I have never lied.  Create that kind of relationship with your attorney.

Another good example is taken from the movie Legally Blonde where Reese Witherspoon’s client is in jail for a murder she did not commit.  The client is a fitness instructor and was getting liposuction at the time of the murder.  She had an alibi and was truthful with her attorney but could not allow her alibi to be made public because it would ruin her career.  Interesting dilemma.  Her legal representation needed to cover her and if he/she is a good attorney they can do that successfully.

Last time I checked, there is no shortage of lawyers.  Be persistent and get the relationship you want.

Being a lifelong resident of New Orleans means I was raised around the supernatural. Growing up, there was a church or synagogue in every neighborhood and we lived side by side with cemeteries…literally.  For example, when my boyfriend Jack and I went to visit his parents’ grave site recently, I walked toward a fence made of an open masonry design and could see someone’s carport and driveway connecting to the divide!  Many of the graves are above ground.  They are part of the landscape and New Orleanians drive by them each day on I-10.

A number of musicians choose to record in New Orleans, especially during their Jazz Fest performance because the music actually sounds better.  I had someone, who is not a local, tell me they heard the same jazz band in two different locations, once in NOLA and once in another city.  This band did not sound nearly as good outside of New Orleans.  He said it was like listening to a completely different group.  Musicians believe there is a spiritual connection with the musicians of the past, as well as, our history of music that does not exist any place else.

We have an Arena Football team named Voodoo and an NFL team called the Saints. The supernatural is very real to us.  It is day to day life like our spicy gumbo and red beans and rice.  So, if I talk about a Higher Power or a manifestation of evil, that is very real to me.  I’m putting myself out there and if you read any of my writing you need to understand the whole package.  I cannot separate myself from my culture.

However, I do not think my writing will ever go in the direction of horror stories. Although you might say what happened to me is a horror story of sorts, complete with its own monsters, it is not, to be sure, your classic flesh eating zombie-vampire affair. I do not read classic horror stories because I like humor.  If they could make it funny then I might try it but then I guess it would defeat the purpose of being scary!

For the record, New Orleans has the same problems as “any town USA”.   No better and no worse.   I have spent time in a few big cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and  Boston, so I have witnessed the similarities first hand.  What we do well here is a kind of ambassadorship.  During Mardi Gras the Catholics, atheists, Muslims, Protestants and Jewish brothers and sisters all show up for the parade.  We know how to be cool, laugh and have a good time.  Certainly, that humor and levity shows up in my writing.   New Orleans taught me, when you can laugh, you can overcome the difficulties of life.

During the Civil Rights Movement, New Orleans was the only city in the South without violence.  You could call us the UN of the South, only we don’t consider ourselves southern.  We are a port city like NYC.  Our accent is different and so is our attitude.  We are our own country.  Anyway, we know how to charm the pants off of anyone and have them eating beignets out of our hand! 😉  I hope the love for my city and its people shows in my writing as well.

So, come down and see us and shake it in the hood cuz it’s all good!

The following response is a quote from something I read.  I cannot recall if it was from a book or a internet piece but I quote:

“At least in part because of the language used to describe them.  They are lawmakers, leaders, The Honorable This, The Distinguished That.  Such vacuous honorifics subliminally suggest that, having attained positions of power, they are now set way above John Doe or Jane Doe, Joe Sixpack or Joe Shmoe.”

There is a condition called The Tyranny of the Weak.  You and I cannot stand by and allow others, who are pathologically dysfunctional, rule the day by destroying lives.

 

I remember reading an interview with Goldie Hawn as a teenager.  In it she said she would probably not remarry until the laws surrounding marriage changed.(paraphrased)  Her comment stuck with me, even though I was confused by it.  Now, having gone through a nasty divorce myself, I get it.

Ultimately, I would like to effect change, someway somehow on laws that concern marriage.

For example, I have a friend who is an insurance broker.  She is well aware of the circumstances I endured.  I asked her, “Why did the insurance companies or the banks or title companies not call me to verify that this was my signature?”  She was candid and said, “Frankly, we never call a spouse to verify a signature.”   No doubt, in my case, with my then husband being an attorney and a ready notary, no one questioned him.  He gained their trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a possibility but my reason would primarily be work related.  I do love Cali.

On the other hand, lets face it… living in the same city as my ex and looney relatives is gold for my writing.  They are the gift that keeps on giving. 🙂

Most of the time, no.  However, when I do see her it is, quite frankly, weird.  For example, I saw Justine in a Fresh Market yesterday.  I was simply picking out lettuce and I suddenly heard a voice so close to me she could have smelled my deodorant.  “Hi Jodi.”, she said.  I turned to see who it was and it was Justine dressed in cognito with dark sunglasses, long wet hair and baggy gym clothes.  She stood there with a toothy grin and a coffee stirrer in her teeth.  Creepy.   In my mind I thought, “Smiling like the devil himself.”  I just muttered a very unenthusiastic “hey” and went on shopping.

For the record, she likes to be in disguise at Fresh Market so no one will recognize her as the pastor’s wife shopping in a high end grocery store.  Whatever.

I will honestly admit, I have never seen a possession but I felt I was in the presence of a full manifestation.

I think there is a part of every criminal that wants to be caught.

 

22% don’t forgive

54% forgive don’t forget

24% forgive and forget

This was another question to the viewing audience on the Suze Orman show on financial infidelity.

The voting results were interesting:

60% never

39% depends

1% yes

After watching a show Suze Orman did on the signs of financial infidelity, I was surprised by the results of the voting audience; 87% voted yes.

I disagree but I believe here is an opportunity to educate the public.  Certainly the purpose of F.I.F.I. and this blog is to break the silence and shed light on the dynamics of FI.   Read on!