HE REPUBLICANS ARE COMING!!!

THE REPUBLICANS ARE COMING!!!

THE REPUBLICANS ARE COMING!!!

(Think: Chicken Little's infamous "The Sky Is Falling" chant)

You really would think that New York is preparing for an oncoming plague. Protests everywhere. Signs holders trooping about like life depended on it. Police literally EVERYWHERE, in helmets, some with riot gear, some still snacking on donuts, some on bicycle runs. Anti-Bush memorabilia and plenty of it (saw one chick on the news the other day who quickly sold out of her "Bush for your Tush" toilet paper--gotta' admit I really liked that one). SOME anti-Kerry stuff too--including flip-flop shoes with Kerry's picture on it but there's like 10 times more anti-Bush stuff then there are anti-Kerry crap. Idiots getting arrested for "protesting" in the nude in mid-Manhattan, barricades, etc. etc. etc.

Yesterday me and my friend Shireen came out of the Loews theater on 34th and 8th (after seeing "Collateral" which I HIGHLY recommend by the way) to nothing but cops behind cops (this was around 10 at night), MORE barricades and people just milling about like a big fight was gonna break out. Of course it was MY fault for picking a theater only 2 blocks away from Madison Square Garden, better yet, the EXACT spot in which the President and all his minions will be at next week. But the theater was pretty spanking and only a year old, but I hadn't been there yet and wanted to check it out.

And not to get too political here (not YET anyway), but hearing about those protesters in the buff getting arrested downtown as well as the hundreds of protesters who got arrested yesterday for doing all kinds of stuff in the streets including blocking major traffic spots as well as a couple of ambulances....got me kinda irked. Let me explain....as someone whose participated in many a rally against tuition hikes, budget cuts, police brutality and the like, I can say that one thing that pisses me off about these mostly white, young liberals is the way they go about their business at times. Put aside the fact that I cant stand liberals anyway, in my opinion they do a lot of more HARM then GOOD in getting their so-called "points" across esp. when they make complete and utter asses of themselves like they did yesterday and like they're planning on doing all this week while the Republicans are in town. I mean what kind of message does parading around nude send exactly? How do you say you're about PEACE when you cause major disruption to traffic and risk people's lives in the process?

I'm all for rallies, protests, sit-ins and the like, but there's a major difference between constructive criticism and utter nonsense. And it just seems too that so many of these pro-Kerry, anybody BUT Bush-ites are so angry that all they do is end up spreading hate, making spectacles of themselves and looking like fools in the process. They're all so quick (esp. In New York) to jump on the anti-Bush bandwagon and yet half of them have no idea what the issues are about or what the key swing states are in the upcoming election or the fact that Kerry too voted "yes" for the war in Iraq. Most of them refuse to even listen to what the other side has to say (I REALLY find it ironic that Kerry's camp would be calling for Bush to get rid of these "Kerry lied about Bush" ads when Kerry said nothing while his pals went on for weeks questioning Bush's service) which is really ignorant, not to mention the fact that Kerry receives almost 10 times more funding then Bush does from the "527"'s--the people who supply "soft-money" to use for ads for whichever candidate they're siding with.

But what am I complaining about? Fuck that "lesser of 2 evils so vote Democrat" theory that so many Black people be on. I think BOTH Democrats and Republicans are equally EVIL and on some BS. Republicans are just more in-your-face about their evilness while Democrats smile in your face and make BIG promises, but almost always fail to come through.....so frankly speaking, both of them can kiss my BIG BLACK ASS!!!.....

'cause fuck that....I'm voting for Nader!

Xanga Post No. 10: 08/25/04

Some things going on so I'll get right into them......
First of all, I called up Patrice on Monday but she was out. Then she called me back on Tuesday and we spoke. Turns out her cousin died and she was at the funeral when I called. Of course, this made me a little hesitant to even think about the possibility of "hooking up" sometime soon, but she seemed to be in a pretty good mood and was actually happy to hear from me (a little surprised to). Anyway we spoke for a bit, did some catching up and decided that maybe we'd try and hook up soon. She got a little heated at the idea of me coming over just for sex--tho I did try my best not to make that the gist of the conversation (of course, the SHALLOW GUY in me did think about what a "catch" a chick in mourning can be--I've been there)--but hey I am a guy, right? so dont blame me.
Also made a call to Imani on Monday. I mani is an ex-co-worker at VVA who I've stayed friends with for 3 years since she left in pretty dramtic fashion from my job. She used to be the receptionist and while at first we didnt get along at all (she can be a BITCH!!! for real, but hey, at least she can admit it), somehow we were able to find a common ground and become really good friends. Imani is also an entrepenuer--always up on some new venture whether its helping her cousin start a clothing line a couple of years ago or now trying to jumpstart an urban magazine today. And thats where yours truly comes in. Seems that Imani has found herself a partner and they've gotten funding. Therefore they're looking for writers and graphic artists. So of course, I mentioned to Imani that I was looking to get back into writing and she took me up on it and now wants me to send her some of my old clips for her and her partner to look at. She wants my clips by Thursday so I'm gonna have to throw together a package tonight so I can fax it to her tomorrow. She seems pretty gung-ho about all of this and her enthusiasm has me warming up to her ideaof an urban magazine. She was honest in saying that while I can expect to get some work, dont be on the lookout for much $$$ and thats cool b/c I'm just looking to get back out there again, not really any money...not yet anyway. Of course, there's NO WAY I'm even trying to do near the amount of "paying my dues" stuff that I did years ago in my first attempt to get in the game, but I'm defnitely looking forward to posibility writing on a consistent basis.
Lastly, Teresa called me today with some "good news". After a week plus of arguing about her getting me all hyped up to seeing her soon and then dissappointing me in the end, she told me today that she finally got to speak to the mgr. of the subsidized building she's trying to move into. The lady had a lot of paperwork to go thru (the main reason for the holdup) and had to do background checks on all of her potential renters. So today Teresa tells me that she thinks she could be moving out by the end of September at the latest. She seemed pretty elated and I cant blame her b/c she has seemed pretty genuine about moving soon (kinda ironic huh? ME complaining about someone ELSE moving out with my Black ass still chillin with pops--but hey, we're not talking about me). But yesterday Teresa also gave me the news that she'd set a date for her hip surgery and that she'd be out recuperating for like 2 to 3 months afterwards. I'm still a little pissed off about taht b/c of the all-too-calm way she told me all this and how it might effect us, but hey, what can I do? And as I keep reminding her, she cant be mad at me whining all the time about seeing her only b/c its just--I wanna see her and if it her up to me we would've been seen each other. Of course, she has a about-to-be 1yo to take care of......but still. I just wanna get it over with already to be honest. Because I may not know much, but I do know ME and as long as this "standstill" with us continues, the more I'm gonna f--k around and do shit i shouldnt be doing considering how she feels about me....but hey, I'm a GUY, right? so dont blame me!

Xanga Post No. 9: 08/23/04

Pretty quiet weekend. Not much happening on this end. Got plenty of much needed sleep tho which is always good. Looking forward to paying the usual bills tomorrow and may be buying my new cellphone this week (I've only seen about 7 that I like so it's definitely gonna be a TOUGH choice, but then ANYTHING will be better then the crap I have now) so thats good.....well, thats all for me, gotta another HARD (yeah, right) work week to look forward to!

Xanga Post No. 8: 08/20/04

Yesterday (as in Wednesday) I got a free Mobb Deep album in the mail from Jive Records. Amazingly enough, even tho I haven't written anything on a consistent basis for almost 3 years now, I'm still on Jive's mailing list....goin' on like 7 or 8 years now actually. I guess I can thank Roberta Magrini for that, she's the head of Publicity for Jive now and one of the few record industry heads whose super nice and all too accommodating to the media. Early on when I was first trying to get my writing on, she'd always ask me how I was doing, make jokes and sometimes even take the time to read and criticize a record review I wrote. She would makes ure I got new press clips quick and without me even asking, she put on Priority records (thats where she worked before she went to Jive) mailing list even tho I still had a peachfuzz. So yeah, thanks to Roberta I've gotten every single N'Sync, Britney Spears, Petey Pablo, R. Kelly record as well as any other artist whose ever been on Jive for the last 8+ years .....and except for the R. Kelly joints and some other rap artists stuff, I've pretty much sold every single damn one of them (No Britney or N'Stink up in my crib!!! No Sirree!!!) and made myself a pretty penny. Of course, that sort of thing isn't "proper" but what the hey and .....thanks Roberta!
I guess I'm starting off this blog talking about this because I really have been missing writing of late. And doing this blog thing is magnifying that a bit. Not to mention seeing a kid on the train (like I did today) or in the streets reading a Hip-Hop magazine & reminiscing on what it felt like to think that some kid was spending their hard-earned funds on a magazine that I might be in or reading a piece that I may've wrote. That's a "buzz" that I really miss sometimes. So of course, it makes me think about the possibility of writing again or putting together a press package and sending it to some magazines. I mean, not to toot my own horn, but being the magazine junkie that I still am, I KNOW what's going on out there and thus, I still know and feel that I'm better then 75% of what's out there. But it's just the shadiness of industry folk (UN-like Roberta) and esp. the shadiness of fellow writers that has me wary of throwing my hat back in the ring, plus too....it has been awhile. Yet, talking with Kris Ex (who should be done with 50 Cent's autobiography by now) a couple of months back did get me seriously thinking of forgetting the BS and just goin' for mine, but as with most thoughts that pop up in my head, it was pretty fleeting. Kris did put me on to a couple of people I should holla at and I still have the info he gave me. Cant act like I dont miss the $$$$ writing put in my pockets too...so who knows? maybe in a few weeks I'll put something together....we'll see.
Lastly, I forgot to mention that last week an old "associate" of mine (no, not THAT kind of associate--quit being so NAUGHTY!) called me to tell me that she'd moved from Atlanta to Oklahoma of all places, settled into a 2-bedroom down there with plenty of room and 2 baths and wanted to know if I'd be intersted in coming down there and checking it out with the possibility of moving in as a roommate. Tonia, is a friend of a friend, who used to live in the Bronx, saved up some money and moved to Atlanta about 4 years ago, didnt like Atlanta as much as she thought she would and somehow read about all these Black people moving to Oklahoma City, checked it out, liked it and put all her stuff in storage for almost 2 years before she was ready to move. Now she's there (and sounding a little lonlely) and wants yours truly to come and visit because she remembered our little talks of my wanting to leave NYC. Even if I was to even seriously give any of it a real thought, one thing keeps tapping at my head and thats the fact that Tonia can be really annoyin' and lets just say that she's not the brightest bulb in the room either. But other then that she's good people and not to say she'd be interested or that she isnt cute, but she's not my type either so thats a good thing. But no sense even getting into this anymore unless I were to go and visit, so I just wanted to throw it out there  I guess mostly because the offer kinda surprised me, not to mention that we hadnt spoken for months. Yet with the way I feel about being in NYC sometimes, I cant completely put it out of my mind either.

Xanga Post No. 7: 08/19/04

WARNING: This is what they call a mindless RANT that really has no direction, doesnt go anywhere particular or make much sense or.....o, who cares!
I was just thinking about this....wasnt Doogie Howser the REAL inventor of the blog? I mean, remember how at the end of every captivating show he'd go on his computer (I think the computer had a name but I cant recall what it was) and write some little obnoxious diatribe about that day's events? It was usually somethin' corny and short, but it also had a certain amount of "depth" that just made it ingenius.....like Doogie of course. Just thought I'd go on record and give Doogie his props (where IS that guy anyway???)
I dont HATE my job at all, but it is getting pretty boring there to say the least. It just goes back to that 'ole feeling of doing the same shit, different day and for what? So you can get paid, use half your money on bills, another half on food, maybe another half on whatever little socializing you do when you're not stressed out from that same ole shit you do every week so some fat cat that if you're lucky, MIGHT remember your name if he sees you on the one day a week he actually shows up at the office ....gets paid? I should be so lucky. Or maybe we all just need to start thinking about becoming fat cats. Hmmm.
Scott Peterson is GUILTY and so is Michael Jackson.
I do HATE my shitty cellphone tho, bought just before 9/11, works when it wants too, whose antenna fell off like 4 months ago, has more "dead spots" then a Chinese cemetary, run by the the SHITTIEST cellphone company in the world called Sprint, cant dial right, features NO games and comes with 3, thats RIGHT 3!!! ring tones (high, medium and low). Pretty embarrassing indeed. So you'd think that a guy whose paid his stupid cellphone bill on time for 3 years could catch a break, right? Of course not. I mean this is Sprint PCS we're talking about. Wanna get a new cellphone? with games, ringtones out your ass , internet access and all the other goodies that most people use nowadays? well how about forking over $200 and waiting 6 to 8 WEEKS AFTER you sign a 2-year agreement to get your $150 discount in the mail with some stupid coupon (now THATS a real RANT!)....I've been laughed out of 2 Sprint stores already. All for having the balls to suggest that since I'm already eligible (look it up on your computer you dumb fucks) for the discount, I should just be able to pick up the phone and get my new phone the same day.....doesnt that make sense.
"Entourage" on HBO....best new show I've seen in a while. And tho I've made a concerted effort (thanks Deidra) to cut down on the idiot box hours, that show is definitely worth the time......later.

Xanga Post No. 6: 08/17/04

Teresa called me this morning around 8:30 to tell me about some hotels she'd looked into for my coming out there in 2 weeks. Why anyone who knows me calls me that early is beyond me because 99% of the time I dont pick up the phone. That's probably why my pops will yell into my answering machine for me to "Get Up!" when he calls me that early and needs to talk....which actually isnt him "needing" to talk, but just him being one of "those" people who feels like "normal" (i.e. NOT me) people should ALL be up at that time....yeah, whatever.
Anyway, this whole hotel idea was really sparked by me only because I'm starting to get a little antsy about meeting her already and she keeps on having problems with the landlord at the place she wants to move into. We had originally planned on my staying by her for a weekend when she moved, but now that doesnt look like its gonna happen anytime soon so......but then after all her hard work looking up hotels over the weekend, I changed my mind b/c cheap-ass that I am, I started thinking about having to spring loot for not only the trip out to Maine (thats 8 hours for you Geography buffs out there), but also for a damn hotel for only ONE night! And to think, all that and the possibility of not getting any ASS!?! Nah, cant risk that.......so tho a little surprised at first of my sudden decision to change plans, she seemed pretty cool on going back to the original plan of waiting till she moves before we hook up.

And speaking of ASS.....I really need to get me some....and fast. I mean its been awhile (fucking April) since me and Patrice and I'm starting to think about that little firecracker again. I met Patrice earlier this year while at Niya's house, she was in town from Orange County (a little bit outside of NY) visiting her cousin who is an old friend of Niya's and does some modeling on the side. Niya figured she might be my type so he invited me over to "help" him with his photo shoot. Patrice is cool, likes to crack jokes and all, but she's crazy ghetto and lets face it....you dont need much game to get her to take off her drawers. And tho she's not exactly my type in the face department, she has a smoking little body that she can somehow keep in shape despite eating Doritos all day and sleeping every second on the hour when not getting C's in the junior college (she's 22) she goes to. So after talking on and off for a month, we hooked up nearby her house, went and saw "Last Temptation of Christ" (her choice, not mine) and made out a little bit before I headed back home. Two weeks later I was "in" there, back at her house (her mom's works for a liquor store so she's out all day every Saturday) and we did the deed. Gotta say too (and she warned me) that Patrice is a FREAK for real! Over-unders, salad tossing, brain....just how I like it! And lets just say her "experience" definitely pays off in many different areas as well (why am I being so vague on my stupid blog???).....of course, we did it again the following week (less filling, but still stellar), but since then our schedules just havent been able to match (plus too getting back home all the time at 3am in the morning doesnt spark my enthusiasm either) and for all intents and purposes Patrice has moved on. As a matter of fact, one of the last times we spoke I called while she was about to get on top of some lucky young buck....aint that some shit??? But I'm thinking about her again and thats not a good thing ( I hate going backwards....WATCH your step Cleon!).
Lastly, my little sister calls me today about some digital camera she wants to get--a Toshiba w 4.0 pixels going for $150!!! She wants to get it so she can take some pictures for her upcoming trip to the Bahamas which is now officially happening (she'd been talking about it for a month). Deidra is 25, has 2 degrees, her own house (waaaaay more luxury then necessity, but thats a story for another day), lives in Philly and works for a company she hates, complains about all the time and feels like she should be making way more money (hey, join the club). Deidra can also be a selfish prick at times, but i love her to death and I'm proud of everything she's accomplished in life. And as goal-oriented as my sister can be, I'm always the one reminding her that life should be enjoyed from time-to-time as well. So last year she took my advice and went with some friends to Las Vegas (the first time she's really been anywhere that tourists frequent), didnt win a penny but had a good time anyway. And now this year her and a friend are going to the Bahamas (which I've had more then one person tell me is the most RELAXING place on the whole entire earth), so I'm happy she's going and needless to say, I strongly recommended that she buy the damn camera.
Thats all you're getting out of me today.....nighty night!

Xanga Post No. 5: 08/15/04

I can already tell that I'm getting a little wary of this blog thing. Only because when I think about writing something I'm too afraid I'm gonna write a freaking "book" like I've done with each of my previous entries.....guess I REALLY do miss writing. So anyway, here's my humble attempt at writing a much shorter post while sharing everything so any of you who reads this doesnt fall asleep out there..
It's Saturday night as I write this. Didnt do much today as we felt the effects from Hurricane Charly and it did nothing but rain and thunderstorm all day. Cant complain tho' what with the hit it put on Florida (thats ONE thing I like about living in New York....you almost never have to worry about natural disasters or the like occurring here). So I pretty much just stayed in, did some laundry and tried not to twist in the wind too much due to by aching back which is currently going thru its every 3-month ritual of causing me some SEVERE pain (thank God for Motrin!)
As for my love life....me and Meredith might be DONE. She's mad (again) because I dont show her the amount of attention that she feels would amount to what I "claim" to feel for her. So on Thursday we got into it late on the phone (I called her) and any chance of me going out there today (as we'd talked about earlier) got ruined...oh well, if it wasnt meant to be, it wasnt meant to be. No big loss and I'll get over it. A little mad that I aint "hit" it tho, but hey, whatever. 
Me and Teresa are still cool and talking every day. I guess time has healed the wound I had from that little picture "incident" from the week past. She's trying to move out of her parents house (where she was supposed to be temporarily staying after a fallout she had with her roommate/best friend a month ago) & that was supposed to happen next week. But the landlord is giving her some drama so its not looking good (at least her moving out next week anyway). Now she's looking into some hotels around her way so I can come by her and stay for a day or 2 in a couple of weeks.....we'll see.
Ok, thats about it. Don't think I did too bad.

Xanga Post No. 4: 08/13/04

Ok, this is a blog I had intended on finishing yesterday, but didnt get around to....so I worked on it a little bit during the day and now I'm done......
If there's one I love its LISTS. I'm a big lists kinda guy so much so I watch shows about lists, read books on lists, can spark a conversation or 2 about lists, etc. etc. So sometimes when I really dont have much to share, be on the lookout for the occasional list here in Roy's Kitchen. And since romance has been in the air of late, today I thought I'd share with you my 13 rules for dating. Feel free to agree, disagree or just tell me I'm full of shit by the way......but what the heck?share anyway....

RULE #1 - You are NOT in a relationship until it is MUTUALLY agreed upon by BOTH parties that you will be seeing each other EXCLUSIVELY. Till said time happens.....you are by decree SINGLE, no matter how LONG you've been "seeing", "dating", "fooling around" or "boning" someone.

RULE #2 - NEVER date a friend's ex. Here lies the premise for many a Jerry Springer or Maury episode so unless you wanna risk your dumb ass being caught out there on TV......just DON'T do it, after all there's plenty of other fish in the sea (or so they say anyway).

RULE #3 - On a first date, esp. a BLIND date....make EVERY attempt to go dutch. Hey, they say that most woman know within 5 seconds if they're ever gonna fuck you or not, so why risk giving her a free meal when chances are pretty good that you're never, ever getting ANY. When the bill comes, simply take it (or pick it up....whichever), take a look and continue on like nothing happened (even order another drink if u want). This gives her a chance to offer to pay for her half of the meal (that half the time she hasnt eaten anything on the plate anyway) or if you're really LUCKY....yours too! And if she offers (a test of TRUE character indeed), then you can either stop her and say to yourself "what a gal!" and pay anyway or you can risk being seen as a lowlife schmuck (which u know u are anyway). But hey, women want equal rights, right? Sorry, cant have it both ways.

RULE #4 - Don't be too obsessive. If she doesn't call you back after 3 voice mails then she's simply saying she's not interested and you're basically just shit outta luck so just deal with it and more importantly....move on before you get arrested for stalking.


RULE #5 - Do LISTEN to them. Shut up about yourself for a few minutes to hear what they have to say and almost as important....try your best to REMEMBER at least 75% of what the hell they had to say BEFORE you have sex (afterwards its really touch and go). MOST chicks dig the little things (your dick not included) as opposed to the bigger ones and listening can go a LONG way......and trust me if she's as smart as she doesnt look, you WILL BE TESTED!!!

RULE #6 - Don't drink too much. Impaired judgement ALWAYS follows and you only end up looking like an ass, which leads to.....
RULE #7 - ACCEPTing the fact that they WILL talk about you to their friends (which can really do wonders if u live in a small town), this is just a FACT (believe me I've learned this the hard way more then once), so the more you just accept it, hopefully this will give you MORE motivation to not act like a jerk.

RULE #8 - A rule I idiotically almost NEVER follow, but anyway.....DONT ask about their sex life BEFORE you came into the picture because 9 times outta 10, you will NOT like the answer. Besides, unless she's a virgin, why should you even care?

RULE #9 - Don't think that they're ever gonna change for you. In other words, if when u met here she was dressing like a slut, dont think that just because she's dating YOU that she's gonna stop dressing like a slut. If there's somethin going on that you dont like (like her being best friends with her ex who spends WAAAAY more time with her then you do), either drop a subtle hint or there, talk to her about it as pleasant and respectful as possible or decide on your own if its worth you having to put up with.
RULE #10 - Don't make plans out too quickly (i.e. don't start naming your future kids on teh second date)....these days women are just as capable of getting scared of the word "COMMITMENT" as men are. Instead, go with the flow and apply (light) pressure only when feel its necessary and worthwhile.


RULE #11 - NEVER, EVER give a chick MONEY!!! Simply put, this makes you look like a straight-up punk. Only exceptions here are babymamas, fiances and wifey! Other then that, such matters as being behind on next month's rent is NOT your problem. And why is she asking you for loot anyway? when she should surely has family, friends or other associates she can mooch off? Not only does giving a chick loot make you a Gump, but if she ends up spending it on the next man (like SOME of 'em do), then you really need to never show your face in public again.

RULE #12 - Don't talk too much about your ex or any other item from your past that doesnt NEED to be brought up (like that 10-year bid u did for trafficking cocaine awhile ago). And if you do talk about that crazy ex, don't say anything too desparaging. It could cause a pipi le pew situation (you persue and the other runs away as fast as they can).You're, hopefully, starting a new relationship so it's best to empty your luggage at the door.

RULE #13 - Be CREATIVE with yours. Chill with the typical flowers and candy and that "nice, out of the way" restaurant you think everyone else doesnt know about. Instead, use some ingenuity, be different, take her places you think she wouldnt normally go to or take advantage of what you know she likes to do and come with things you know she'll like. And NEVER give her a toaster on any special occasion, not even a four "slicer". And that goes double for frying pans, waffle irons and can openers.....hey, try a Pez dispenser, it worked for me one time!
RULE #14 - be a MAN for chrissakes! This goes hand-in-hand because MOST women really just want the same thing--attention, respect, some romance, appreciation, compliments, reliability, trust, honesty, yada, yada, yada. And sure its easier said then done, but the more effort you're willing to put in, the more the payoff can be HUGE! So be presentable & get your grown-man on, iron your pants, make sure your collar is down, wash your hands, go light on the cologne, make sure the socks match, etc.
RULE #15 - Make 'em laugh....esp. if like me, you aint no pretty boy. Enuff said!

Xanga Post No. 3: 08/09/04

To say my neighbors are "ghetto" would be a serious understatement. I mean does it get any more ghetto then a family of 4 (mom, dad, and I believe 2 daughters) where no one seems to work on a regular basis, who smokes weed openly on the regular, who are nosy as hell peeping into your house any chance they can get, keeps their front door wide open at night (what? no airconditioning?) and where the oldest daughter and her "boyfriend" make Whitney and Bobby Brown look like Helen and Tom Willis for all their bickering, fights and hollering. And is there anything more GHETTO then a female telling anyone to "suck their dick" as I've heard this teenager scream repeatedly at her "man" a few months back during one of their more infamous episodes. I mean, for a block as boring as mine, these 2 really make for must-see action!

I bring this all up because today was another drama-filled day for Christopher Avenue's cuddly twosome. Mind you, these 2 really do deserve each other as everytime they fight she locks herself in the house while yelling at him, only egging him on to acts that border on stupidity, much less lunacy.

So there I am an hour after coming in from the store when I hear a loud THUD in the front yard. I scramble to the window to see whats up and its him standing in their driveway throwing bricks at their house all the while screaming at her to give him back some "watch". My parrot's going berseck and of course, my pops is in Philly visiting my sister so I have to deal with this latest episode all by my lonesome. After waiting about 15 minutes and seeing him finally walk off and thinking everything is done for the day, a couple of hours later there he is again.....this time on TOP of the awning we share with our neighbors (how he climbed up there is something I'll never know) trying to get in their bathroom window where she was yelling at him from. Of course by now, more and more people on the block are just watching all of this not saying anything (Black folks are good for putting on "blinders" whenever necessary). And later on I guess when the parents finally got home, there they all were chasing down the boyfriend whose looking to fight with the dad whose kicking at the dude while being kept away by 2 dudes while the boyfriend is being yelled at by the "innocent" daughter while mom has a baseball bat in her hand ready to do God knows what......and later on some more "almost" fights, yelling, screaming, threats and by this point half the entire block is all watching collectively at these crazy nuts. Later on the cops came and some police reports were filled out....who knows whats gonna happen now, but I wouldnt be surprised if everything was back to being good in a week or so and our block's couple of the year was back to being lovey-dovey again. And did I mention the mom needing to walk thru my house because somehow they all were locked out? Of course, I deserve all of this for being 31 and still living at home with daddy, right? Yep, cant complain at all. I really need to get up out of here.....speaking of "get up out of here" congrats to my friend Kimberli (up in Canada) on FINALLY getting her own place today! Poor Simba's gonna have to be a watch cat now! Good Luck to ya both!

Xanga Post No. 2: 08/07/04

Didnt do much today except go down to the post office and spend an hour there mailing out some records to Australia for a guy who bought 8 records from me about 3 months ago on Ebay. Kind of got pissed off that I had to shell out 30 bucks for shipping (which included a box for the records, tape and shipment by boat--the cheapest the p.o. offers), but the guy did pay for shipping so I cant be too mad. Besides, there was some miscommunication with us so I even included about 5 extra records for free, which undoubtedly added to the total shipping costs.....but I still felt better for doing esp. considering the long delay.

I've been on Ebay for 2-plus years now buying and selling everything from CD's to press photos I got from my old writing days. And I've done well making almost $5,000 while taking care of a pair of HUGE bills that really needed to get taken care of and buying a nice iMac G4 computer in the process. But now as I run out of things to sell (besides getting tired of selling anyway), I'm ready to say bye-bye to Ebay as I've seriously become an ADDICT. I have some old soap opera magazines (my research tells me that they do well), plenty of old baseball cards and comic books left to sell. And I wanna use whatever else I sell to buy me a new cellphone (I know which one I wanna get, too bad I'll be staying with Sprint even tho SPRINT SUCKS!!!), get me a VCR/DVD recorder so I can transfer some old video tapes to DVD and get me some new kicks (my sneaker game is getting pretty tight--WATCH OUT!).

Meredith called me tonight nagging me (again) about going to her church, not calling her to tell I was going out (she knows I dont work most Friday's so it bothered her a little bit when she called me earlier in the afternoon and I didnt pick up the phone) and how much she hates her job, then tells me how much I have her "heart"......sometimes I wonder if I have some secret neon light on my forehead that only chicks with DRAMA can see, begging them to come forward and add more strife to my already screwed-up life. I really need to check into that.

Xanga Post No. 1: 08/06/04

Today I actually hung out with some of my co-workers after work as we had a little going-away "party" for Jeff who after 8 1/2 years at VVA is leaving for what I guess are greener pastures at Time Warner. And I had a nice time as we went to a really exquisite (I believe) Greek restaurant a few blocks up from where we work. My job is a project mgmt. firm dealing in construction and I've been working there for almost 5 years there part-time as a file clerk. For the most part I like what I do, as I pretty much get to do what I want, be late almost every day and get paid pretty well. Not a bad combination......but it IS part-time, I only get paid once a month and there are times when I cant believe that I've been there THIS long.

The company I work for is also almost all-white (except for me now), run by 2 partners with 2 pretty distinct personalities and after a dry spell of almost a year or so (in which we lost our quarterly bonuses), it's doing pretty well. In fact, so well that we just moved into this phat 3-story around the block from the old, rundown offices we used to work in. As part of the support staff I'm mostly close with Arlene, the office mgr. and my direct supervisor, but I pretty much get along with everybody including the partners, associates and the rest of the support staff. The company (esp. the higher-ups) is filled with typical diet-soda drinking white folk making money, driving nice cars, with their nice homes, vacation spots, stay-at-home wives and of course, a nanny for the spoiled-ass kids. But most of them are nice, we bug out sometimes and they treat me with respect. I even have my own cubicle, get to listen to the radio all day, get on the Net whenever I want, can fidn any excuse to put in extra hours on the daily and leave late (and handle personal business) just for the hell of it.

But for all the times in my 5 years that my job has had X-mas parties, picnics, after-work drinks, etc. etc. I've always been invited but never went to anything....really because I've just never been interested in playing the "token" Black guy in a white-dominated field/company. Today tho I actually wanted to go and just say bye to Jeff who was always nice to me tho we never really were close. Jeff, who is/was one of 3 gay guys (TOLERANCE does NOT equate to ACCEPTANCE....more later) at my job, was also close to Imani, an ex-co-worker who quit in dramatic fashion about 3 years ago that I still speak with on occasion. So that was it for today and I'm glad I went. I had a nice time and got to eat some food that I wouldnt normally eat much less get a chance to eat.

Also, my old college buddy Rich called me today checking to see if I was still "alive". I havent spoken to Rich in months, on purpose really, only because I've just needed a break from talking to people who I knew from my old school/employment Hunter College. Yet its pretty considerate when people call u to check up on your status, so I'll be sure to give him a holla soon. Its rare in life that u come across people as genuine as Rich, plus he could always make me laugh and I liked that....ok well gotta go!