Sunday, October 30, 2005

Let's Do Lunch Someday

I realized several things when reading my last entry. First, I repeated the word promotion multiple times. I dare you to take a shot everytime the word promotion was written. Actually you could make a drinking game out of various posts where I may say a word over and over. Second, I realized that slightly less annoying boss = SLAB. Hence, my new nickname for my boss the next time I post about him. Slab, I like that! *LOL*.

So Hemingway I was saying that I had an actual interesting story relating to work that I was too tired to mention. It's not about the Slab either (Heh...I just wanted to say slab - heh, said it again - one more time.) Take a sip of vodka each time I say the word SLAB in this post. Slab, slab, slab, slab. Heh...ok I'll stop.

This latest work tale involves Reid (my bowling buddy) and long time former co-worker, now co-employee Deidre. A little history on Deidre since this is the first time I'm mentioning her on here. She's a young lady that I first met day 1 (eight & a half years ago) on the job. Her family's originally from Greece. She was always the nicest person to work with. She's the one who'd remember people's birthdays. She still remembers mine to this day even though we haven't worked together since 2000. Generally she's an all-around nice person, even though at times she's a bit naive.

So Hemingway she's been trying to schedule a lunch with Reid, she, and me (I hope I'm grammatically correct...*LOL*). Each time she's done this in the past, however, she's cancelled at the last second (all of them she says due to job commitments), much to the chagrin of Reid. Reid, you see, wants to ride (and take a ride) in her Mercedes (which she bought three or four years ago..I forget when). The last minute cancellations have occurred with much frequency, to the point that Reid doesn't want to hear about scheduling a lunch anymore.

You know how laidback I am. It's not like I was pressed to do lunch with either so whenever things didn't work out that day, I was like, coo(l). But not Reid. He ranted and raved to both of us about how Deidre is so undependable and unreliable. This was all done over email, of course. The funny thing, Deidre seemed a bit naive to Reid's insults and would interpret them different ways. It was crazy.

It was hilarious because at some point, the two of them were just going back and forth on email, cc'ing me throughout the whole thing. It was amusing but annoying at the same time, especially when Reid kept trying to force me to pick a side. For the record, yes I could understand how the repeated cancellations could be annoying. But since I didn't care either way, they didn't bother me that much.

Reid then complained to me in a separate email how Deidre keeps asking him how everyone's doing (myself included). He wonders why she can't ask people herself, which is actually a valid point. In the years I've known Deidre, she does have that tendency. But I guess I have a higher tolerance for it then Reid does...*LOL*.

The incessant emails got so bad that at one point I even called my good friend and former employee Stan and asked him if he could join the three of us for lunch (whenever that day happened). Stan has his own beefs with Deidre actually (which he has gotten over). While Stan and I converse every now and then, he hasn't been able to get a hold of Deidre, who rarely returns his phone calls. You see Stan, Deidre, Reid's sister Allie (who used to work at our company), and I were like four amigos. We'd go out for lunch twice a week at least. Just like at fellow blogger Karsh's job situation, there were people who were jealous and would always question why we always hung out together. Stan and Deidre both shared a love of real estate. Stan was doing it much longer than Deidre and basically helped show her the ropes as she got her feet wet. So they had an even deeper relationship (nonsexual as far as I know). When Stan left the company in 2001, he hoped to keep in contact with Deidre and myself (and a few other people I won't mention in this blog...*LOL*). He's always had the most challenging time contacting her. Then again I did too, even though we still worked at the same company, just different buildings.

So back to the original story. I wanted to have Stan as an additional buffer. I didn't want to be alone in case those two got at it during our lunch outing. So Stan and I joked about it but the lunch I was trying to get him to attend got canned again (by Deidre).

So Reid, tired of the cancellations, simply told Deidre to just not email him anymore about us getting together for lunch, but to just email me and get him (they work in a different location from me) the day the lunch actually takes place.

Of course, Deidre didn't get it until I explained it to her a couple times. She still emailed us both with future lunch plans, which irritated Reid all the more. When she finally realized he didn't want the emails, she called him a "diva". *LOL*...actually Reid is a diva.

So believe it or not, the aforementioned lunch actually finally happened this past Friday. We met at a Chinese restaurant mid-point between the two offices we work at. Reid didn't get to ride in the Mercedes, though. Actually he drove his car. Heh. The lunch was overall pretty cool, even though both tried dipping to find out if I'm seeing somebody. I managed to avoid answering it directly. Living the double life sucks sometimes. But that's another post...*LOL*.

Let's just say I'm glad the lunch finally happened. If I had to hear Reid bitching one more time, I would've lost it. As it stood, the back and forth emailing thing was getting pretty annoying. Hopefully we won't have to worry about scheduling another one until late next year.

Sigh...speaking of work, I have to log into work later this morning to fix a job that abended yesterday. Technically the person on support (it's not my month) should be doing this. But he didn't respond to the page because he forgot it at home while in class, so I got stuck doing it. I swear...*LOL*

But on a totally different note, I had the most wonderful conversation last night with a friend of mine who's not Eugene...*LOL*. Don't worry, Eugene and I chatted three times throughout the day yesterday. He's still my ace boon coon...:-) But it was cool chatting with this new friend of mine. We share so many philosophies on things. Hopefully things will continue to blossom from here.

Until next time my fellow bloggers.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Glued To The Ladder

They were working me like a field hen today at the job. Ironically my next post topic (aside from the 7 More Things that I need to work on) was going to be on work, since I hadn't talked about it in a minute. A few interesting developments are happening.

I had my mid-term review with my slightly less annoying boss this week. The gist of the review is that everyone loves my work & I'm a great asset to the team. He reminded me of how much I was missed when a critical job to our daily process went down while I was on vacation in Seattle. I actually was paged & assisted for about 15 minutes to resolve it over the phone. Isn't it nice to be wanted?

On the flip side, a promised promotion has been taking a bit longer than expected. Honestly I'm not that pressed about it, however I could definitely use a nice raise. On a total sidenote with relevance to this topic (so is it really a sidenote..*LOL*), I chatted with a long time co-employee of the company during my weekly bowling session. She was telling me about an opportunity in another area that upon further inspection would actually be a good fit for my current skill sets. The one negative, the job would be a lateral move, meaning I'd be at the same level.

I decided to mention this opportunity during my review. I debated back and forth on doing this but decided to just to see my boss's reaction. I could tell he was taken aback a bit. But he quickly went with the company spiel. He said that he wouldn't stand in my way if that was what I wanted but he reminded me that he's really, really close to getting that promotion for me (he projects mid-2006) and joining a new team with just a lateral move would set me back a bit. He kinda had a point, though he recently promoted (six months ago) someone with less years on the job than myself. But I didn't trip because that person did have a higher profile stressed project and he likely did it to keep her from quitting. I'm too nice, huh. But like I said, I don't get too pressed on promotions (though the way I'm talking about it tonight, you wouldn't know that..*LOL*). However, he did have a point. The area I was thinking of moving in already has four people at my level. If I joined there, it'd be five, so there'd be four other people who were there longer, competing for the promotion and I'd likely be bottom on the totem pole, unless they all suck, which is possible, but why take that chance...*LOL*. As it stands now, there's three people currently in my group at my level. I'm definitely next in line for a promotion since I have the 2nd highest seniority and they claim I'm so invaluable...*LOL*.

I'm glad I threw the opportunity out there at least. It may hopefully wake management up at least. At least they can't say I'm too laidback...*LOL*.

But I suppose I have a few luxuries that I try to take advantage of every now and then. For example, I'm able to start a bit later in the morning (when I don't have meetings and such). Plus I sometimes take a little longer lunch every now and then. Whenever I have long ass days like today, I remember why I take advantage of luxuries where I can.

I actually had an exciting work related story to share but I'm a bit tired so it'll have to wait for another entry.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

These Three Things

Technically I indirectly got tagged by LivingSingle to do 7 More Things. But then I realized I couldn't do 7 More Things without doing 3 things first. So I officially tagged myself to do it while sadly wondering why nobody ever tags me for anything. I'm not contagious...*LOL*.

THREE THINGS I DON’T UNDERSTAND
:
[1] Why do people say one thing but really mean another?
[2] Why is a hard man so good to find?
[3] Why can't I have a job that requires me to work two days a week and relax the other five?

THREE THINGS ON MY DESK:
[1] my RIO MP3 player
[2] my cellphone
[3] my blood pressure monitor

THREE THINGS I’M DOING RIGHT NOW:
[1] blogging...*LOL*
[2] listening to music on Windows Media Player
[3] clipping my nails

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:
[1] fall madly in love
[2] have a million dollar networth
[3] bowl a perfect game

THREE THINGS I CAN DO:
[1] keep my word
[2] change a flat tire
[3] say "YES"

THREE WAYS TO DESCRIBE MY PERSONALITY:
[1] moody
[2] laidback (when I'm not moody...*LOL*)
[3] quiet

THREE THINGS I CAN’T DO:
[1] win at gambling
[2] be intentionally mean
[3] sing well

THREE THINGS I THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:
[1] intuition (most definitely)
[2] signs
[3] vintage Toni Braxton

THREE THINGS I DON’T THINK YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO EVER:
[1] spiteful people
[2] the ID (especially when drunk...*LOL*)
[3] Barry Manilow...*LOL*

THREE THINGS YOU SAY:
[1] Hell to the no!
[2] Whatever!
[3] I'm sorry.

THREE OF YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE FOODS:
[1] Lou Malnati's pizza.
[2] seafood (crab, lobster, scrimp, scallops, fish)
[3] Haagen Daz ice-cream.

THREE THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN:
[1] speak French fluently
[2] short trading on stocks
[3] to not always bite my tongue (too much bleeding...*LOL*)

THREE BEVERAGES YOU DRINK REGULARLY:
[1] water
[2] orange juice
[3] green tea

THREE SHOWS YOU WATCHED WHEN YOU WERE A KID:
[1] Knight Rider
[2] Amen
[3] Golden Girls

THREE THINGS YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD LEARN TO DO:
[1] stop acting like fucking assholes
[2] be considerate of other people's time
[3] learn common sense

THREE THINGS I WOULD CHANGE ABOUT ME:
[1] I could stand to gain about 15 more pounds in muscle.
[2] I'd love to be two inches taller (that'd put me at 6 feet)
[3] Definitely be more aggressive.


THREE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING A MAN:
[1] standing up to pee (especially the nasty state a lot of public restrooms are in)
[2] no periods
[3] rough around the edges

THREE THINGS THAT MAKE ME LAUGH:
[1] the entire cast of Half & Half
[2] stupid people
[3] a good joke

THREE THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A GUY (OR GAL):
[1] good person
[2] honesty
[3] open communication

So I guess the way this tag thing works is that I get to tag three other people. Ummm, unscramble the following words (or click on the link..*LOL*), if it unscrambles to your sign-in name, then you're tagged. Of course, it's optional. I don't think it's like a chain letter where something bad happens if you don't do it. At least I don't think so.

[1] r l a d o h g s i n o b
[2] e q i o s u s b e
[3] j o n h r h n y e II

My 7 more things post will be coming sooner or later...*LOL*.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Satiating The Big Boys

My last post was a bit heavy. I wanted to thank everyone for their comments on the blog and via email. They are all appreciated and it's nice to see that I have a caring blog family.

Hemingway...on to today's entry! It's gonna be a bit lighter. Figuratively at least...:-)

Take a look at these guys:
PICTURE #1

PICTURE #2
PICTURE #3

PICTURE #4

PICTURE #5

PICTURE #6
PICTURE #7
So have you seen enough hot bods? I thought so. Here's a few more for your viewing pleasure.

PICTURE #8


PICTURE #9

PICTURE #10

PICTURE #11

PICTURE #12

PICTURE #13

PICTURE #14
So which are your favorites? My personal faves are #6, #8, #9, and #12. #9 would be my numero uno. I love muscle dudes...:-)

Hemingway I was talking to Eugene and he wanted me to check out a few pictures of some of these bodybuilders. Being one to appreciate the attractiveness of the male body, I obliged. I did mention that I love muscle dudes, right? Eugene began lamenting about how some guys have all the good genes. Then he got to the heart of what was on his mind.

Who the hell could completely satisfy these guys sexually?

Eugene elaborated. He assumed that these guys would do a lot of pumping and pounding & the wear and tear of the average vagina & anus may not be able to handle it. Also he theorized that since these guys weighed over 220 lbs., they would easily overtake a person of smaller stature.

Eugene, of course, was assuming that most guys as muscular as these dudes, also have a big dick. He was also assuming that they would all be on "top" of their game, regardless of their sexual orientation.

I was a bit surprised actually by the question. I gave it the lightest bit of thought and joked that they probably have some 5 foot 4, 130 pound lady (or guy) for the job. I think I watched one too many Maury Povich episodes (when he's not constantly doing those stupid 'Are you the father' DNA shows?) where they show truly opposite couples.

That answer didn't satisfy him, though.

I theorized that usually guys as massive as the ones in the pictures usually have smaller dicks. So the whole 'wear and tear' argument would be mute. Plus a lot of them are probably on steroids.

That didn't satisfy Eugene either of course since he said a lot of guys are 'naturally' that big. As Prince would sing, 'must be something in the water they drink'.

In all honesty, there would obviously be numerous answers to that question since it would depend on each guy's individual preferences. If I ever get the pleasure of getting a muscle dude to look my way, I'll have to ask his opinion on the matter.

In the meantime, it's nice to fantasize about. Especially since I return to my work reality tomorrow. Sigh.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Ego Tripping

Eugene and I recently had this interesting discussion about the ID, EGO, and SUPEREGO. Well Eugene does have a PhD in psychology so what did I expect...*LOL*. Humor me as I attempt to explain these three distinct personality traits we all possess.

The ID in a word is described as a pleasure seeker. The ID wants whatever feels good at the time, with no consideration for the reality of the situation. The EGO can best be described as the reality pill. The EGO understands that others have their own needs and desires, and giving in to its own needs and desires may not be beneficial in the long run. The EGO helps meets the needs of ID, while taking in consideration the reality of a given situation. The SUPEREGO is considered the moral center. It develops due to the moral and ethical restraints we have placed on us.

According to Freud, the EGO is supposed to be the balance between ID and SUPEREGO. Too much ID leads to instant gratification without consequence that can prove dangerous. Too much SUPEREGO makes a person too rigid and judgmental and unbending in his or her interactions with the world.

Eugene and I were talking about this in relation to my past and how it affects my present. My life hasn't always been a bed of roses. Who knew, right? As a child growing up, I endured constant teasing in school from bullies. I was accused of being a nerd, not being black enough, and being gay.

A couple excerpts in my journal that I wrote reflecting on my high school experiences sums up nicely what I went through.

Wednesday, March 25, 1992

Dear Journal,

Well, the sit-in at (my alma mater) is over. Most of the demands are in the process of being made....

....One of the demands that were supposed to be met was more African-American studies. I feel this is great because all that seems to be talked about is what the Europeans did....

.....I also think about the struggle it is to make it in this world. It is especially true for young blacks such as myself. What's ironic is that young blacks put down other blacks who excel in their studies. They say that you are trying to "act white" and suck up to the teachers. Sadly I speak from experience. I have been the victim of such attacks. During my high school years, I never really fitted in with the black students. In fact, my only true friend in high school was John Doe, who happened to be white.....Anyway, accusations flung around that I wasn't only "acting white" but was also gay. Naturally it upset me. No matter how I denied the accusations, they came back to haunt me.....

....One thing I remember is the new students that came to (high school) in later years. D.N. was one new student that came in the middle of my junior semester. He talked to me pretty well the first week he was there. I was thinking, 'This is great. I have a new person to talk to.' But after a week, I noticed he stopped talking to me. Then he would completely ignore me. I knew then that people were telling him that if you want to be popular, you won't talk to E. I got mad but what could I do....

....During my senior year, A.K. came to (high school). It was the same scenario as with D.N. The one thing I liked was that A.K. was in my calculus class. I was particularly happy about this because I was the only black in calculus and it was great having a brother in the class. For the first time, I actually talked in calculus (God, my writing sucks sometimes...*LOL*). A.K. would joke to me about (the place where my sister worked). We talked very well and I was beginning to look forward to class. Then, Ms. Halter (calculus teacher) said that A.K. didn't take Algebra II in his old school. So he had to drop calculus. I was mad. Here I was geeked up (maybe I was a nerd...heh) because I wouldn't be the only black in calc. class and then this. You can pretty much say the friendship ended that day too.....

I was desperately seeking acceptance at that time. I wanted to be one of the cool guys. I couldn't be one if I was a nerd, non-black, and gay.

Obviously I am gay, though it took me a long time to admit that to myself. What tripped me out was that I never gave anyone in the school (to my knowledge) any reasons to believe I was. It wasn't like I was hitting on any guys or anything. Perhaps my general demeanor may have given them ammunition. I'm convinced that I may have came to my realization sooner had I not constantly been barraged by the accusations and trying so hard to escape from it.

So Hemingway, Eugene concluded that in my need for seeking acceptance, I give into my ID too much and don't allow my EGO to kick in. Basically I know that a certain behavior is wrong but not wanting to disappoint the other person, I give in even if I know it's not right.

So what did I give into that prompted this discussion, you might ask? Remember when I mentioned not being able to meet that fuckwad Aaron due to me living the vida loca at a local bar. If not, scroll to the near end of this post.

Hemingway I did something that night that I'm not proud of. I had sex without using protection. Yes I know! I didn't know nothing. I was stupid, I was foolish. I was lying to myself.

Recalling that evening, I met up with a guy named Deion and after having dinner in a Mexican restaurant, we went to this gay bar called Sidetrack. It was my first time in a gay bar (as opposed to a gay club). I think the difference between a bar and a club is that the bar has no cover charge. So Hemingway I'm drinking pina colada after pina colada. After my third one, my EGO was trying to tell me that I had enough, but my ID didn't want to disappoint Deion so I had another. We even had a free round on the house. I had downed 6 of those puppies in a matter of hours & was certifiably drunk. Incidentally my inhibitions were dropped as I found myself feeling up on two muscle bound queens, who proceeded to call Deion and myself fast. That cracked my shit up, though it wasn't far from the truth.

Deion and I left Sidetrack and headed back towards his place. Before doing that, though, he insisted on stopping at Jewel's to get some wine. Even as I was stumbling along the sidewalk to keep up with him, I remember thinking, am I not drunk enough already? I may have even protested loudly to him but he told me I had to help him finish a bottle of wine. I was all whatever as we entered the Jewel. Thankfully Jewel has this rule that they don't sell alcohol after 1AM.

We wound up back in his apartment and you know the classic one thing led to another and err, yeah, I had my moment of shame. Ironically Deion did have a brief moment of sense when he asked if I was clean (in other words, no HIV or other STDs). I quickly told him yes just wanting to get it on. My EGO knew what I was doing was wrong but my ID won out.

So almost two weeks later (and a couple days after my date with that fuckwad Aaron), I had the worst flu/cold. It took almost two weeks for that sucker to go away. I started getting paranoid that maybe I got HIV from that night of unprotected sex. I remember whining to Eugene about it during that time and confessing to him my stupidity. I was worried the sickness I was experiencing was associated with it.

In recalling that conversation along with my past experiences, Eugene concluded that my whining to him was my EGO screaming loud and clear. Basically I was finally thinking of the consequences of my decisions that night. I clearly was feeling remorseful.

Eugene made me vow that I would never again get drunk with someone I didn't fully know. I agreed. I don't think I even want to be drunk around my friends. Sadly I've always been the designated driver type. But that night, I chose not to listen to my heart. I do plan on taking a test soon, even though Deion told me later on that he was negative.

Moral of the story. I need to listen to my EGO more and stop worrying about catering to other people's needs so much. Usually I'll never go wrong doing so.

As for my past, there's obviously no way I can go back to change it. I've slowly come to terms with the experiences and how my actions back then shaped those experiences. Had I stood up for myself and actually got into a few barnyard fights, things may have turned out differently for me in high school. I'll never know, of course. But I need to move on and keep the past where it belongs, in the past.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

I Feel For You

I Feel For You - Chaka Khan (originally sung by Prince)

Chaka, chaka, chaka, chaka khan
Chaka khan, chaka khan, chaka khan
Chaka khan, let me rock you
Let me rock you, chaka khan
Let me rock you, that’s all I wanna do
Chaka khan, let me rock you
Let me rock you, chaka khan
Let me rock you, let me feel for you
Chaka khan let me tell you what I wanna do
Do you feel for me, the way I feel for you
Chaka khan let me tell you what I wanna do
I wanna love you, wanna hug you, wanna squeeze you too
Let me take you in my arms
Let me fill you with my charms, chaka
’cause you know that I’m the one to keep you warm
Chaka, I’ll make you more than just a physical dream
I wanna rock you, chaka
Baby, cause you make me wanna scream

Well okay fine! Prince didn't sing the preface part in his original version. But I had to let the music aficionados know that I knew Prince was the original author.

Oh yeah, I'm back in Chicago and couldn't be happier.

I want to say thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. I'm humbled that a lot of you took the time to do so. It warmed my aging heart, which is always a good thing..:-)

Overall I enjoyed my trip. And for the curious, no I didn't have birthday sex or any sex on this trip. I just had to get that out of the way...*LOL*. If you're still interested in my trip, read on...:-) I may get a bit long-winded but then again you all know that about me...*LOL*.

SATURDAY
Hemingway the first thing I thought of when walking through Seattle's airport was that I didn't see many black faces. The few that I did see were all working at the airport. It was a bit jarring.

After picking up my rental (a white 2004 Subaru Outback), I drove myself to the Red Lion hotel (though the one I stayed at was more of a motel...*LOL*). As I mentioned in a previous post, I got there a little after 1:30PM. I was told by the clerk that he couldn't check me in until 3PM, which I suppose is pretty standard. I contacted Jerome (that's my Seattle friend) and told him that I arrived. He got the hotel information and agreed to meet me there.

Jerome threw a slight hissy before we hung up when I told him I didn't have a room yet. He was all like 'let me talk to the manager' and straighten this out. I had to tell him that it wasn't a big deal. Hotels (even motel-ey ones like Red Lion) typically do the 3PM check-in rule. The clerk mentioned that there was internet access to keep me occupied (little did I know it was dial-up, at least it felt like dial-up...*LOL*) So I went online and after waiting an eternity to log on, I typed my brief Happy Birthday to me entry and gave love to no_the_game. Afterwards I got weary of waiting for pages to load, so I decided to log off. Before doing so, I wanted to clear the history. I was annoyed when I discovered the hotel didn't allow you to do so. I assume it's to keep track of what people are doing. I was just glad I didn't log into a credit card account or something. Not that I would do that in a public connection. Luckily when my paranoid ass checked to see if I was still logged into blogger after 20 minutes, I wasn't. I was worried somebody could access my blogger account and wreck havoc. Paranoid I know...:-)

Hemingway I'm rambling again. While waiting for Jerome, I noticed that a portly white male arriving before 2PM was able to get a room. I ran after Portly and asked him if that was the case. He did this whole 'yeah' thing while giving me attitude. I was like 'I was just asking. Thanks.' (My tolerance for bullshit is way too high. Hemingway.) I was all 'it's cause I'm black' when walking back to the counter. I told the clerk in a polite tone that I couldn't help but notice that Portly was given a room and it was well before 3PM. The clerk made some excuse that Portly had the room with double beds while I had the King size bed. He suggested if I wanted a room sooner, I could switch rooms & get the double beds. I went along with it.

After checking into my room, I attempted to call Jerome to find out how far he was. I got his voicemail. It then dawned on me that he didn't have a cell phone. So I wound up sitting outside of the hotel waiting for him to arrive since I had no way of letting him know what room I was in. Luckily Eugene was available and we chatted for well over an hour before Jerome finally showed up bearing a stuffed puppy and card. Both were nice gestures.

The bulk of our conversation aside from general pleasantries was his obsession with Chaka Khan. He's met her twice and even had tattoos with her likeness done on his right shoulder and back. After treating me to an early dinner/late lunch (in Tacoma) at a neighborhood black owned diner, we went to his place where he showed me his "Chaka" shrine. He showed me a couple pictures he took with Chaka and her son. Plus he has autographed magazines & albums. Then there's the giant size signed Chaka poster in his room. Then there was his autographed box of Chaka Chocolates that he has in his freezer. Also did you know that October 19th (today) is Chaka Khan day in Chicago? He wanted to know what people do to celebrate it. I had to tell him I didn't even know there was a Chaka Khan day. Frankly I was "Chaka"-ed out...*LOL*.

Jerome treated me to a movie. He really wanted to see "The Gospel". Before going, there was an odd moment I noticed. Even though we were at his place, he asked if he could use my cell phone to contact his friend that he wanted to take to the movies as well. I thought he has a phone at home, why doesn't he use that? Of course, my quiet ass didn't say anything but told him okay.

So back to the movie. It's gotten a few pans, including one from fellow blogger Jamal. So what did I think? Overall I thought it was okay. The music (with the exceptions of poor Boris's lip syncing..though let's be real, nobody watches Boris for his acting...*LOL*) was very good. The plot I thought was a bit convoluted, though I did appreciate the politics that goes on in the church, since I grew up working in the church. Overall it was aiight. I'll say if you enjoy Gospel music primarily, definitely check it out as the music tends to overtake the actual story. If you like a bit of story more, I'd wait until it hits video, as getting to the real story was a challenge in itself.

After the movie, we went to a Fred Meyer's (Tacoma's version of WalMart...*LOL*) because he needed to purchase CD jackets while I needed a lithium battery for my camera. We then hung out in my room for a bit watching a boxing match on Showtime. They were replaying the rematch between Jose Castillo and Diego Corrales that took place sometime earlier. I really don't follow boxing...*LOL*. Jerome was rooting for Diego because he was "cute". But Jose wound up winning it by knocking Diego out in the 4th round. Afterwards we watched an episode of Barbershop: The Series. It was my first time seeing the series and honestly I didn't like it too much. Jerome then left for the evening & I went to get some Wendy's.

SUNDAY
I woke up around 8:30 that morning to the sound of my cell ringing. It was Eugene and we wound up small talking for about an hour. After hanging up with him, I went to the ghetto gym. Get this! They had three machines on the top of the 2nd floor hallway and called it a fitness room. None of the machines in the hallway worked. So I wound up doing some light exercising in my room.

After 30 minutes of that, I showered, got dressed, and headed towards downtown Seattle. On route there, I spoke with my older sis Tasha. We just made small talk, mostly about my birthday and what I was up to in Seattle. A friend of hers was taking her to a play so she had to go. Around that time, I found myself in the heart of downtown Seattle near the Pike Place Market. There was ample parking space so I found a spot, paid the fare, and headed down to the market.

The streets itself were a buzzing with folks. Lots of them I assume were tourists like me, checking out the different shops and wares. I myself was enticed by the smells coming from this bakery called Cinnamon Works. They specialize in Vegan pastries, including the Vegan Blueberry Muffin I ordered with a chocolate soy milk. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when tasting it. It was the bomb. I later on had lunch at a restaurant called the Lowell. It was actually a bit pricey...$19 for a salmon Ceasar salad? I think the catch was that the salmon was fresh. It was pretty good.

Before I went to Lowell, I walked quite a bit around the city. I went inside a restaurant called Fish Club. My eyes locked with an attractive brother that was chatting with another brother and a caucasian lady, who I assumed was the hostess. I stood momentarily dazed before the "hostess" directed me to another hostess. So she sat me down and presented me a menu. Unfortunately it didn't have anything I wanted (hot, tall brother about 6'3, weighing 195 lbs..mocha...ooops, just kidding...*LOL*) so I walked out. Before leaving I locked eyes with the same brother who seemed to be chatting up a storm with the hostess. I assumed they were asking for directions somewhere or hitting on her.

After lunch at Lowell's, I walked around downtown Seattle for a bit, stopping at a Sharper Image (I always have to stop there to check out their gadgets.) So does anybody have an Ionic Breeze? Or does anyone want one so we can save a bit more money by buying two units?

Later than afternoon, I drove to the Space Needle area to check that out. It was cool going on top of the Needle and checking out the view of key landmarks from atop. I snapped a couple pictures that I know won't come out anyway. Then this guide named Patricia was telling me some history of Seattle, including a mention of Bruce Lee, who apparently is buried in Seattle. She also mentioned the tragic death of his son Brandon during the filming of the Crow. Nice conversation.

I called Jerome and asked him if he knew of a great seafood place that I could treat him too. He got excited about the prospect and actually mentioned there was a good seafood buffet at Muckleshoot Casino. Ironically my Mom asked me if I planned on going to a casino in Seattle and I told her no. The background is for the last couple birthdays I've gone to various casinos. Last year, I went to one near Chicago and the year before that, I went to Vegas. I had no plans of hitting one this year but Jerome changed all that.

While dining at Pisces Buffet, I made the discovery just how ghetto Jerome is. Some of it will probably sound petty on my part so forgive me. When we started eating the food, Jerome was groaning and squealing like he never had food so good. It would've been funny had it only been in the first couple seconds, but he kept doing it, which got me annoyed after a while. Then while we were chatting, he suddenly starting screaming off the top of his lungs towards a lady in the restaurant he recognized and then ran towards her. Needless to say, everyone around us was looking at the commotion. I was ready for my second round at the time so I got up and introduced myself briefly to the lady he shouted at. Of course, the wait staff were now focusing their attention on us, which embarrassed me further. Asking twice if we were doing okay sort of gave that away.

I came back with my food while Jerome then proceeded to sit with the lady and her girlfriend for 30 minutes while leaving me alone at the main table. I thought it was a bit rude, especially after bringing attention to our table. He eventually came back and then said he could have the staff sing 'Happy Birthday' to me. (Because he didn't draw enough attention to us?) I decided I wanted to cut the evening short, though not without playing a couple games of Keno, which I royally lost. Of course his ass won $42 playing Chaka Khan's birthday. Grrr...*LOL*. As we were walking back to the car, he told me that the girls he sat with was stuffing shrimp in their purses. He then said that they enlisted his help in getting some. That was way too ghetto for me. I'm just glad we didn't get stopped as we left the restaurant, though technically we didn't have the shrimp on us. After that eventful evening, I called it a night...*LOL*. It would be the last time Jerome and I hung out during the trip.

MONDAY
I spent Monday in Redmond, WA driving back and forth around Microsoft's large campus. I enjoyed getting the run around from various staff members I met in the street or in the lobby of various buildings as I asked if they gave tours. I don't know why I got that impression that they did. I wound up giving up on Microsoft for the moment and headed towards Nintendo's corporate office, which I accidentally found somehow. I entered their customer service area and was able to play a demo of their new virtual dog game. It was so cute...*LOL*. I then spoke to the nice lady at the counter who gave me all kinds of promotional shit for Nintendo, namely because I lied about having two nephews. I don't know why I did that...*LOL*. She told me that Nintendo used to give tours until they realized the competition may try to steal their secrets. She then gave me directions to Microsoft's Store, which was actually down the street from them. I thanked her for her time and headed there.

Unfortunately I learned that only company employees were allowed in the store. However, there was a nice history museum. I walked through it with mostly senior citizens and maybe a couple of college students. No souvenirs from cheap ass Microsoft...*LOL*.

I later on headed back to Muckleshoot Casino for another round at Pisces Buffet. I guess I wasn't embarrassed enough last night to resist their crab and shrimp feast, which was in full effect once again. I saw a couple of the waiters from last night but ignored them pretty much, except the one that gave me the occasional glass of water. I found out that since it was my birthday month, I could get $10 off the meal, which was really cool. I wound up only paying $9.99 as opposed to $19.99.

I then tried my hand again at Keno and lost. I never did have much luck when it comes to gambling. I clowned around on the phone with Eugene again as I left the casino. I then went back to my hotel and watched a slightly less crappy episode of Girlfriends and the always excellent Half & Half.

TUESDAY
My last day in Seattle was spent downtown. I went back to the market briefly hoping to get another blueberry muffin from Cinnamon Works. Unfortunately they had no more so I settled for a poppyseed muffin. It was good too but I definitely feened for the blueberry. I headed towards the Seattle Art Museum & did a quick one hour tour. I decided that with all the beautiful art that I perused that there was no way I'd remember everything I saw so I decided to find one painting/object that I found interesting and focus on that. I chose a controversial piece to focus on. Kara Walker's painting titled I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle. Warning...the link of the painting in question is pretty disturbing. Here it is. The painting itself is said to depict several stereotypes that are prevalent in the black community. I'll leave it to interpretation what you think the painting depicts.

So Hemingway, after that I returned my rental car and then was driven to the airport. Overall as I said, it was a fun trip. I plan on just chilling out the rest of this week.

So does anyone have any plans for Chaka Khan day? :-)







Chaka Khan - I Feel For You


Provided by VideoCodes4U.com

Saturday, October 15, 2005

It's Your Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday dear me!
Happy Birthday to me!

I arrived in Seattle just a little over an hour ago. I'm typing this from a Red Lion inn. I can't check in yet because it's not 3PM yet. Annoying. I probably won't be posting too much until I get back in town. I'm just waiting for a check-in and for my friend to meet me. See ya next week.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Back Down Memory Lane

Minnie Ripperton - Memory Lane

"I stumbled on this photograph
It kinda made me laugh
It took me way back
Back down memory lane

I see the happiness... I see the pain
Where am I... back down memory lane"

This thing called life. It's a funny thing. I was stumbling through some old floppies the other day, looking for chapters to an elusive novel that I've put off writing, and I stumbled upon some journal entries that I had copied from a notebook. It's amazing the things I tripped out over back then and how my personality pretty much stayed the same. I had fantasies about guys back then but never acted on them. In reviewing some of my entries, I come to realize that I had a major crush on this one guy in college. I was never willing to admit that to myself, though. But the entries I have on how he "never calls" betrays my feelings.

Hemingway, every once in a while I may share an entry or two (depending how long it is). It's just my way of maybe connecting my past to my present. Plus it's kind of cool seeing where you head was at years ago.

So with that, I'll share an entry where I reminisce about my first time in a club. Some more background. I was a junior in college, barely 21, and a member of a national student organization. It was a doozy of a time. Well, here goes nothing...

Wednesday, November 3, 1993

Dear Journal,

In a few days I'll be in Madison, WI for NSBE's fall conference. If I haven't mentioned it before, these conferences are attended mainly for the purpose of meeting fellow black engineers. There is also a career fair as well as various workshops that speak of such topics as racism, engineering technologies, and academic excellence.

There's also alterior motives to going to these conferences. I learned that from the National Conference I attended in Houston, TX. What is this motive I speak of? It's to have fun, of course.

One way to have fun is to check out the city's nightlife. Earvin, Doug, Rick, and I did just that. We four adventurers rode around town looking for just the right spot. Actually we were looking for a place called Reggae Island. I think it was supposed to be a topless bar of some sort. Unfortunately we never did find the place. Instead, we stumbled upon a place I'll never forget as long as I live, or get Alzheimer's disease (whichever comes first).

9.9 was its name and rowdiness was its game. For a $5 fee, you get your fill of marijuana, weed, and gold-teeth women. Upon entering, a Daisy Dukes contest was taking place on stage. Daisy Dukes is the latest slang word that means short shorts that show part of your butt. Anyway (present day E comment...I didn't use the Hemingway back then...*LOL*), to win the contest, all the woman had to do was to dance suggestively on stage and bear her dukes. If she won, she got tickets to see Gerald Levert.

I remember seeing a girl in a tight, neon orange dress being on stage. When she started dancing, guys were jumping up and down like a bunch of ninnies to get a peek. Even I was disillusioned for a minute. Then I started realizing what a fool I must look like. The remaining fools booed the girl off stage after a minute. I guess she didn't show her daisy or something (I was sooo innocent back then...*LOL*).

Another notable girl, who didn't look particularly as attractive, came up. She had on tight jeans which accented her watermelon butt. (Look at me being all hetero...*LOL*) When she danced, the guys once again went wild. She took off her jeans and beared her naked butt for all to see. The guys really went crazy. I even got pushed by some overzealous guys. But they booed her when she put her clothes back on.

During this, I was bombarded by the smell of marijuana. I began to feel overwhelmed. I moved away from the crowd and stood near the bar. Bad move! I could still smell the marijuana. I was dazed. Meanwhile, three guys were now on stage gyrating.

From where I stood, I searched for the other guys. I saw Rick and Doug standing near the crowd where I stood minutes earlier. I approached them. Both seemed to agree that this place was more than they could handle. I wanted to go back to the hotel.

Unfortunately Earvin was nowhere to be seen. Since he's the one who drove, he was the ticket out of this hell hole.

For the next hour, I stood alone near the bar. Women with gold teeth passed me left and right. I even saw a girl who couldn't be more than 14 drinking at the bar. I had gotten used to the awful marijuana smell and loud rap music.

I saw Earvin once or twice during the course of the hour. He was having a ball with some girl he met. He appeared to have noticed I wasn't enjoying myself. I could barely hear him tell me that clubs weren't for everyone. (Ya think!)

Since Earvin was having fun, I knew I'd be stuck here for a while. I stood where I was for the remainder of the night. I once again searched for Rick and Doug from my vantage point. I didn't see either.

I began wondering why I was here. I'd given anything to be at home relaxing in bed. I wanted to get as far away from this place as I could.

Earvin approached me and finally suggested it was time to go. From his breath, I could tell that he had a drink, or two, or three. Anyway we split up looking for Doug and Rick. Neither of us could find them. Earvin suggested that we wait for them to come by the car.

When I stepped outside, two things became apparent to me. One was that I rediscovered the concept of clean air. The other was that I couldn't hear anything. I felt like I was about to be deaf forever. I also started to feel sick.

As Earvin and I reached the car, I saw Rick and Doug standing nearby. When I saw them, I wanted to kill them both. How dare they leave the club without telling me! Did they think I was having a good time? After a while, I realized that I should've been smart enough to get out of there myself.

I swear I felt like I was high or something. Breathing all that marijuana probably caused it.

Earvin drove around in circles for awhile. The guys started talking about going to some party at the Hyatt. In my mind, I was wondering if they were crazy. I wanted to go back to my room. Fortunately the guys were nice enough to drop me back at the hotel.

9.9! I still have nightmares about that place to this day. Hopefully Wisconsin will be nothing like that night in a Texas nightclub. I suspect that it won't, though. For one thing, we spent a whole week in Texas. That's why we had time to explore the town. We'll only be in Wisconsin for the weekend. The schedule is jam packed with activities so there'll be no time for clowning around. PEACE!

Yep, I was reminiscing there about my first time in a club. I wish I could say I'd act differently when going to a club today. But that would be false. I'm as shy today as I was back then. I actually did get over that experience but I must admit the experience changed me a bit. Even though I didn't partake in any carnal desires, I lost a bit of my innocence that night. I crack up when thinking about the time when the four of us had to relay our experiences about Houston. I swear I was cussing up a storm when it was my turn. Some of the other folks went to the other guys and was like, what did you do to him? Awww...I was so innocent back then...*LOL*.

So that was a piece of my past. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I did reliving it. Until next time.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Same Ol' E!


So is anyone else feeling Half & Half Season 4 besides me? If you haven't seen an episode yet, then you're really missing out. It's been rocking and rolling so far. What I like is that the scenarios are so realistic. You can almost see yourself in that situation. It comes on Monday nights at 9:30PM ET/8:30 PM CT on UPN.

Has anyone been checking out the Mona-logue? Besides The Humanity Critic? I have from time to time. "Mona" talks about the same old struggles with finding love that we have. I do like that the show actually does have a blog for her. I've read some complaints that it's too Sex & The City. My response is...so what? Did Carrie ever actually have a blog that their viewers could see? I think not. She speaks of her relationship woes. Preach on sister...or whoever is actually doing the posting.

This leads me to my very own Why Wednesday? Sorry Foxy...*LOL*. I promise to share the same question on your blog, though. Why do the guys that you're really attracted to wind up being assholes? I was flashing back to my summer as I evaluate how 2005 has been to me so far...and I thought about Vince and Aaron and how they both wound up disappointing me big time. I obviously did my part in shaping how both of those paragraphs (I can't call it a relationship since it really wasn't.) turned out. As I theorized before, I placed too much expectations on both guys. I was definitely attracted to both big time. They both bought their C-game. I mean, I can't call it an A-game because both gave out clues that they weren't the guys I thought they were. Yet I ignored them. Why? Well I was attracted to them big time. A part of me I think was hoping things would work itself out. You know. I was being dumb.

So what could be the lesson learned? Things in pretty packages usually aren't what they seem? If it's too good looking, then it must be bad?

Even if I spelled out the lesson, would I learn it? Or am I like Bart Simpson who'll keep on touching that hot stove.

I'd like to hope I can move on, especially as I approach my 33rd birthday. But I know it's one day at a time and I'll probably stumble again. But when I fall down, I have to keep getting up. Keep on keeping on. I think that's in a song, right?

I actually found some old "journal" entries from the late 80s and some of the 90s that I kept. It's hilarious reading some of those posts and how crazy (and innocent) I was back then. Funny thing is as much as I have changed since then, I'm still the same in a lot of ways. I may share an entry or two next time.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Could You Use $100,000?


I know I can. Service Employees International Union is hosting a national contest where ordinary citizens such as you and I (unless you're a reader outside the U.S....sorry) can submit a creative and practical idea for improving the day-to-day lives of working Americans. The contest is titled Since Sliced Bread and entries should be 175 words or less. It should first identify the problem, then persent the solution, and finally explain how your idea will help solve this problem. I know there's some creative folks out there so I thought I'd spread the word. Plus I know a lot of us could really use $100,000. There's also two second place prizes of $50,000 each. So go ahead and submit your ideas. You have until December 5th. And if any of your ideas happen to win, toss a brotha a c-note or two...*LOL*.

The address:
SinceSlicedBread.com
1220 L Street, NW
Suite 100-320
Washington, DC 20005-4018

Or you can submit your idea directly on their site.

I'm definitely gonna enter a few ideas.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Vacation Countdown

Seven more days until I leave Chicago. As you may remember, I'm flying west to Seattle on the 15th and staying until the following Tuesday. I already know I want to check out the Space Needle.















Here's an image of the Seattle Waterfront. It's in the heart of downtown Seattle. There's lots of shops & theatres and other forms of entertainment to keep one occupied down there. I'll probably be spending the majority of my time in this part of Seattle. I'm actually surprised they managed to get a clear picture of the waterfront. I've heard it rains in Seattle at least 300 days out of the year. That may be a rumor, though, so you didn't hear it from me.

I looked at the weather forecast for Seattle and man it's going to be freaking cold. The average temperature looks to be around 58 degrees. And of course, it's either going to be rainy or cloudy. I already have my umbrella packed. I guess I need to pack a jacket too. I might as well be in Chicago. Just kidding.


Seattle is home to the historical 5th Avenue theatre. The theatre first opened in 1926 and served as a venue for silent film and vaudeville acts. The inspiration behind its decor mirror the architecture of anicent Imperial China. The theatre underwent a restoration process in 1989. It serves as the home for locally produced musicals and touring Broadway shows. I looked at their online schedule and unfortunately it doesn't look like anything is playing while I'm down there. But I may stop by anyway. Though I wonder if they allow tourists during nonperformance days. I guess I'll find out.


I can't wait to check out Pike Place Market. According to some statistics, the market receives upwards of 9 million unique visitors a year. It was first established in 1907 by a group of citizens outraged at the price of produce. It started out with a handful of farmers who sold their goods. Today, over 600 business offering various produce exist. I even read about a fisherman market where the workers toss the fish at each other as sort of an entertainment ritual. It actually attracts a lot of folks into their establishment. As long as they don't throw any at me, I may have to check that out.

Of course they have other things to keep me entertained, including museums, restaurants, clubs, and other historical sites. I meeting a friend of mine down there so unlike my solitary but fun trip to Tampa last June, I'll at least have company some of the time. I totally can't wait.

Friday, October 07, 2005

RIO Top Ten - Round 1

I thought I'd share with you the top ten songs that are currently in my Rio MP3 player. It's amazing how songs almost apply to just about any situation. Of course, you sometimes have to adjust it a bit to fit your particular circumstances. However, as I learned from Mista Gaskin, who unfortunately isn't blogging currently, some songs fit you like a glove. Oh and thanks man for helping me complete my Toni Braxton Libra collection. The funny thing, the additional three songs kind of help balance out her album. I still don't know why they were left off. Speaking of Toni, she starts out my countdown.


10) Midnite - Toni Braxton, Libra - As much as I dogged Toni's latest effort, damn if this song didn't finally reel me in. I think it started off with me trying to figure out what the hell she's mumbling about. Then I was like...whoo (that's her trademark word by the way...*LOL*), the beat's kinda catchy. Next thing you know, for the last several days, I'm humming..."It's Midnight, tell me, do you know where your man is..." It's a definite mantra for all the trifling negros that choose to plague our existence.







9) Home Alone - R. Kelly, R - The man's a freaking mess. He's a lawyer's dream client. He has a thing for underage girls. He wants to continue the trifling ghetto soap opera Trapped In The Closet. The title makes no freaking sense at all. It especially doesn't connect when guest rapper Keith Murray starts off with the words..."It's gonna be a party ya'll". Then again, I guess if you're a teenager, something I haven't been in over 20 years and you're home alone (though, please, my parents didn't go anywhere...*LOL*), you would throw a party. So yeah, even though I can't relate, it makes sense. And what a banger to start it off. The beats are perfect for that night you're hanging with your boys or girls heading out to the club. Lower them windows, wave your hands, swish your head, it's gonna be a party ya'll.







8) Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson - Thriller - Like R., Michael Jackson has had his share of legal woes. But nonetheless, old school Michael rules. This song gets me to shake my booty everytime it comes on. It's Michael sassiness at his best. He dares you to start some shit with him. He's like, come on, I dare you. At least that's how I feel when listening to it. It's the jam even over twenty years later. Classic Michael at his best & before his skin started getting all weird.






7) Baby Love - Pebbles - Pebbles - You'd think the national girls let's stand together anthem of the 80's Girlfriend or the let me be all sultry and invite you to my Mercedes Boy would be the songs I'd jam to. And I do jam to them. Don't get me wrong! But something about the unfamous Baby Love gets to me. Maybe it's Pebbles pleading tone. Maybe it's the pulsating bubblegum tunes that hypnotically lures me in. Whatever it is! It's the jam to me. It perfectly showcases Pebbles vocals and gives her that innocence she lacked in Mercedes Boy.








6) Dissed Him - En Vogue - Soul Flower - I almost feel like I'm betraying the original foursome of En Vogue, especially since this song mostly features newcomer Rhona Bennett. But damn it! I love this song. Rhona sings the refrain quite strongly and alone, which is atypical for an En Vogue song. Then again, this is neo soul En Vogue. Cindy does take a verse and Terry does the bridge but it's Rhona's vocals that have me feening this song. And how many of us found ourselves in that situation? Here are the words... "I dissed him, now I miss him. But I miss him because I dissed him. But he done me wrong and I'm not that strong to resist him, so I kissed him. Should I have kissed him when I dissed him? Should I have dissed him when I only missed him? I don't really know. But I'm all alone and I miss him, I really miss him." Sing it Rhona.








5) Go Ahead With All That - Chante Moore - Exposed - I feel dirty even liking this song. I didn't like this song or her Exposed album all that much when I first bought it. You see, like Toni Braxton, she started out with two strong albums out of the gate. Precious & Love Supreme both showcased Chante's jazzy, Diana Ross/Barbra Streissand like voice. Exposed was her attempt to be street and ghetto and I guess try to find a more urban audience. I still don't forgive her for saying the N-word, not once but dozens of times on the track Bitter. However, I've grown to like a few of her songs from Exposed and this one stands out. She's basically calling a brother out for his BS. It's the classic you don't know what you got till it's gone song. And despite the change in genre, Chante's voice still stands out on this song.

Before I get to #4, you'll have to forgive the different album cover sizes. Some of them I'm getting off Amazon and others I'm getting off different pages so the sizes aren't really consistent.
Ok. On with the show.







4) Candy - Cameo - 12 inch Collection and More - Cameo has always had the coolest jams. I fell in love with Candy all over again when watching The Best Man a couple years back. It was so endearing seeing Murch get lap danced by the lovely "Candy". I swear, Candy would make me switch teams. Anyway I had to get the 12 inch version of Candy. I love this song. It's perfect to work out to and I have to stop myself from wanting to move seductively in the gym. *LOL*







3) Flirting With An Angel - Gary Taylor - Love Dance - Gary Taylor is the voice. He's among the cream of the underrated artists. He's written hits for Anita Baker, Angela Winbush, and The Whispers just to name a few artists. He's been in the business for over 20 years and currently releases CDs on his own independent label. Flirting With An Angel was an instant favorite when I first heard it. The scenario is that a friend is admiring the object of his/her friend's desire. Basically he's saying that he or she must've been flirting with an angel. The lyrics are tight. Here's a sampling. "She was more than a physical attraction. Her beauty was a plus but her smile was saying it all. So brief was my heart's encounter. If this is what it's like - (God) let me take the fall." Run, don't walk, and purchase this CD. And check out his earlier and current works. You won't be disappointed.







2) Say Something - Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi - I don't know who the hell Mimi is but she needs to stick around. Mariah came back strong and hard in 2005 with this CD. There's a lot of jams on here but this cute one featuring Snoop Dogg is tops on my MP3. I love the way Snoop and Mariah volley the song back and forth. It's all about getting your game in gear to pick up that perfect girl or guy for a quickie. I can't wait until the video comes out for this. I have a feeling it'll be pretty hilarious.

And drum roll....the #1 song on my RIO MP3 player is...







1) Me, Myself, and I - Beyonce - Dangerously In Love - Yeah, Beyonce is fucking overrated. See Clay Cane's legendary post to get the lowdown why. He explains it much better than I could. However, the aforementioned song has become my anthem of sorts. I have to ignore the whole "All the ladies in the house..." part, however, she speaks to all of us that's been through shit and realize that we're better off by ourselves than being in a bad situation. Sometimes the only person you can depend on is yourself. And if you can't depend on you, you can't expect someone to take care of you. Very nice lyrics and the beat isn't too shabby. That's why it's my #1 pick currently.

So there you have it! A taste of what's in my RIO. I'll have to do this again real soon. Hence, the words Round 1 in my blog title. You get to know me song by song. I hope you enjoyed the lyrical journey. I'll talk to you all later.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Dysfunctional Care Bear

I took the quiz posted by my boy Essequibo. And here's my results:

Tramp Bear
Tramp Bear


Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Maybe I need to slow down. *LOL*.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Super-Sized Star

I'm feeling silly tonight.

The following is a fictional account of an encounter E recently had with the person known affectionately as Star Jones Reynold (Heh. I threw up a bit in my mouth after typing that.):


(He speaks in a narrative tone.): "I couldn't even say I was surprised. I mean Star Jones and buffet lines go together like a lock and key, like cereal with milk, like the ying to the yang, the tit to the tat. I think you get the picture.

Picture it! A famished brother enters a local restaurant named China Buffet. He marvels to himself how there's a whole chain of restaurants with that same name. They must be owned by some Chinese mafia person who has a last name of Buffet, he says to himself. He pays his $7.50 and is quickly accosted by a waitress, desperate for a tip. Or could she be falling for E's charms. E laughs off the notion as he tells her that he wants a Sprite on the rocks. She's confused by the 'on the rocks' part so E sighs and tells her just to serve it with ice.

He gets up and heads for the buffet. He marvels at the nice spread and pulls a plate. He begins by taking a nice helping of fried rice. Just when he's about to head towards the shrimp egg rolls, he gets nudged by someone.

Excuse you, errr, ma'am, he says. It takes E a minute to discern whether the person bumping him is a man or woman. The person doesn't pay him no mind, instead she's yelling at someone on the phone, while simultaneously barking at a younger dude following her to stock up on the crab rangoons. It then dawns on E that the person that rudely bumped him was Star Jones. He eavesdrops a bit on the conversation."


(She's yelling to the young dude with a plate.) : "When you're finished filling that up with crab rangoons, take that plate back to my table and then get another plate of chicken w/brocolli. And get me a diet coke. I am on a diet, you know. (She gets back to yelling on the phone.) What do you mean the people at E! don't want to return my phone calls? Don't they know how hot of a commodity I am? I bought the viewers in. You tell them that. Bitch." (She hangs up her phone.)



(E hears the words E and walks up towards Star.) : "Oh wow. What's the odds of running into you at a buffet? You know, my friends call me E too."



(Star ignores E and walks around the restaurant.)




(E tries another approach as he follows her.) : "I was sick at home the other day and was forced to watch the Shrew. So tell me, is that former Survivor chick really that dense?"



(Star still ignores E, digging her fingers into the sweet and sour sauce.) : "I gotta get me that recipe."



: "Ummm, how about that all-star game?"






(Star still ignores E and is now picking at the mongolian beef with her hands.) : "Yum."



: "Oh. I forgot. I met Al at Steamworks and he gave me the best blow job."





(Star turns her head and gives E the dirtiest look.) : "What??!!? He told me he was walking our dog. He didn't tell me he met a mutt."



(E laughs.) : "Heh. You got jokes? I guess your stomach staples must've popped out considering the plates of food waiting for you."




: "Stomach staples? Fuck you!"




(E snarks.) : "Umm, hell to the no! If Al won't do it, I certainly won't. I'm trying to eat here. You know what, I just lost my appetite."




"So Star and I continued to exchange heated words. I was only able to get away because a new batch of cajun shrimp came out and distracted Star. Having lost my appetite, I quickly left the restaurant. I moaned over losing my $7.50. But I was thankful for escaping unscathed. Where's Kathy Griffin when you need her?"

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Sunday, October 02, 2005

Behind The Scenes Brotha

Let me preface this message by saying I hate Blogger! I had posted today's thoughts earlier but when attempting to publish it, the page had an error and the message I typed was lost. Screw you Blogger!

Now on to today's entry.

Another month has come and gone. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Before you know it, the radio stations will begin playing Yuletide holiday selections on the radio. It'll be time to dust off the old Nat King Cole Holiday album. I mean, no holiday can come and go without hearing his rendition of The Christmas Song.

Hemingway, in other news, my bowling team is currently holding on to 1st place. We solidified that lead with our wins this week. In a way, I kind of wish we weren't 1st right now. Considering we have twelve more weeks until the 1st half is complete, a lot of attention is focused on my team right now. I could see other teams coming up wanting to see how we were doing this week, secretly hoping we'd lose a couple games. *LOL*. Then again, I'd probably be doing the same thing. So let me stop being a hypocrite..:-)

My average continues to rise. My series this week was 158, 187, 170. That brings my current average to 154. I'm only 5 pins away from tying my all-time high average. Woo hoo!

I spent part of my 1st day of October doing some volunteer work at a daycare/training center on the northside of Chicago. My company (the identity of which I'm not ready to divulge at this time...*LOL*) has had a relationship with this particular center for several years and recently provided another grant in order for the director to purchase 15 PCs along with wireless internet capabilities. (I gotta get wireless technology one day..*LOL*). I helped hook up the PCs and connect them into the network. Well, the connecting to the network part was done primarily by another volunteer, but I had a role. The director couldn't express her appreciation enough. She even went and bought lunch for the volunteers at Quizno's, a submarine sandwich chain popular in several states.

It felt good contributing my time to the cause. The plan is to use the PCs to train those in the community on using different financial, productivity, and reporting tools. They're looking for trainers and asked me if I was interested. I was thinking, what the hell do I know? Then again, I'm not one that likes being in the spotlight. For that reason alone, maybe I should do it, huh?

Afterwards I spent the rest of Saturday hanging out at DeVante's crib. Who's DeVante, you ask? He's a 39 year old that I chatted with online for a couple days earlier this week. We conversed once on the phone and had a decent conversation. I was in the neighborhood while doing my good deed of the day so we decided to meet up.

We continued to have some good conversation. We talked about each other's jobs (he has his own cleaning business), histories, stuff like that. We watched a couple of Tyler Perry movies, including the theatrical release of Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which was very good. I was suprised to see another Braxton make an appearance in Meet The Browns. Toni's younger sister Trina makes an appearance playing "the slut"..her words...*LOL*.

We then half watched Denzel's flick Man on Fire. I have to admit to being surprised that kidnapping was described as being quite a lucrative industry in Mexico City to the point that it's not only affecting the rich but even the middle class. That's brutal.

Like I said, we half way watched it because by the climatic point, DeVante and I were having our own climatic experiences, if you catch my drift. It was pretty enjoyable except it took DeVante a longer time to climax due to my near silence during sex. I guess I've always been guilty of being nonexpressive sometimes. I think I get too bogged down with wondering who's listening in the next room. We've all been there. You're in the living room watching TV when you hear the springs going into triple time. Then you're like, again?

I realize that I shouldn't give a rat's ass who's listening. But it's in the back of my mind. I suppose that since I can't afford to do what Nas & Kelis did to avoid folks hearing their moans, that I'll just have to grow a pair and deal. (Kelis reportedly told Nas to rent some multi-million dollar house for a day so that they could freak in privacy.)

Hemingway I wound up staying at DeVante's until almost 2PM this afternoon. We woke up around 12:30PM or so. We chatted some more and I didn't get the sense that he was in a rush to throw me out. That was definitely cool. We chatted for a few minutes again after I got home today.

So what does the future hold for DeVante and I? I'm not even tripping about it. We did say we'd keep in touch. If we do, fine. If we don't, fine. I'm not having any unrealistic expectations this time and I'm not putting him on a pedestal. He's just a man like I am.

Oh yeah...here's a special shout-out to my boy Valentino! He hooked me up with a copy of Toni Braxton's Suddenly, one of the tracks missing from her LP. It's a nice track actually, kind of reminds me of Spanish Guitar & UnBreak My Heart. Why this isn't on the released album is beyond me? Thanks again Valentino! You're the man.

I need to call my Mom...:-)