Okaerinasai James "Mr. Diamond" Durant!!!!

Okaerinasai means "Welcome Home" in Japanese....So I am sending a special "Welcome Home" greeting to my boy, James "Mr. Diamond" Durant...who called me today to tell me he was in NYC briefly for the funeral of his uncle.

James and I became friends back in the 90's when I was singing with a band called "Probable Cause" and we were doing our thing at the open mic showcase I was hosting at Willie's Lounge. James was my keyboard player....and basically my musical director and we have been friends ever since.

He moved out to Japan many years ago to seek his fortune and has been living there ever since. James is a musician and an entrepreneur. He's doing very well for himself and I am as proud as a peacock for him.

Anyway, he called me (at the last minute....lol...like he ALWAYS does) and told me he was leaving the city in the morning but was staying up in the Bronx with a friend name Ronald, who I affectionately nicknamed "Soul Glo" a looooooooooooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg time ago. I haven't "seent" my homie in a minute so I jumped on the 6 train and headed up to the Castle Hill section of the Bronx where everyone was meeting.

Ronald picked me up from the train station and we stopped to pick up a pizza then we took the short drive back to his apartment. I was overjoyed to see my old friend and we spent the remainder of the evening reliving old times and some of his old band mates even showed up. We ate pizza & had cocktails while we watched and old video of some classic "Willie's Lounge" performances that I had on tape.

I even got to speak to an old flame of mind on the telephone (he was gone before I got there) and I was SHOCKED when this mofo didn't know who I was!!!!! (lol...I didn't bother telling him my last name....I figured my first name should have been enough...I tend to leave lasting impressions on the men that I date...), Anyway, he called back later remiss about not immediately remembering who I was (lol) and had a very nice conversation....which of course led to much teasing from James & crew when I got off the phone. (James doesn't forget anything!).

Shortly after James' only daughter, Lauren, stopped by and I got to meet his beautiful and very intelligent GRANDDAUGHTER for the first time. She reminds me very much of her mama when she was a little girl. I have only seen Lauren a few times in her life and all of it when she was a little one but she has grown up to be quite the beautiful young woman and she was rocking a FLY short cut that I was simply loving!

She also took this time to announce that she was a few months pregnant again....I don't think her Dad liked THAT news too much!

After Lauren & Company departed James & Ronald told me a hysterical story about his uncle's funeral and how it wound up being a "free for All" slugfest both IN AND OUTSIDE of the church ending with at least NINE POLICE CARS pulling up in front of the church.

James says his family, with a previous 30 years attendance history, will never be invited back to this church again....ROFLMAO!!!

My People!!! YOU GOTTA LOVE US!!!!

When I left James, I was tired from laughing and he was exhausted from Jet Lag. I wish you safe travel home and I swear I'mma get over there soon!

Love Ya!

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”