Catching Up..

up and down.. up and down..

nah, not a porno move or anything like that.. just more life.. life now is playing funny games.. convincing you that things are one way, when they really aren't.. thinking you're up, when really you're just in the middle.. hovering.. wading water or something.. the only thing real is that when you're down, you're officially down..

what do we have here? banks closing up and saying they don't have money..

pause..

are you kidding me? y'all don't have my money any more? please believe cats will be getting robbed if this talk keeps up..

un-pause..

citigroup just delivered more "write-down" news that didn't make me feel any better about our economy, our depression, our recession, and whatever other "ssion" they can come up with.. i don't think ppl are realizing how bad ish really is.. i was talking last week and over the weekend about this.. shoot, when rappers ain't poppin' bottles anymore, you know the game is messed up.. cuz they don't even have bank accounts.. they have the rubberbands.. and when they can carry loot w/ no band? yeah, not a good look.. people ain't going out no more.. people ain't even trying to be seen as much.. shoot, even Kanye ain't in the limelight as much.. what is going on??

the heat ain't making it no better.. this weekend it was so hot that my wardrobe was straight up and down a beater (if i was lucky) and my draws.. every time that i came out of the bedroom, Sleepy was sprawled out on the floor on some "negro can you turn on the air out here, too??!!".. see Sleepy don't know that ConEd is trippin' right now with these bills.. i conceded and turned it on, cuz shoot, at this point, ain't nothing getting paid anyway.. it is what it is..

it costs a Ben Franklin just to fill up the gas tank.. American restaurants are now providing European size dishes for NYC Friday prices (triple your normal Friday's bill if you're thinking about eating there in NYC).. cable companies are cutting off cable if they think you're going to be late.. AT&T stalks you if you are 28 minutes late paying your bill.. shoot, i went off on my mom the other week.. kinda felt bad afterwards.. sadly it was on some money stuff.. maybe she wasn't coming at me sideways, but during this time, it sure felt like it..

all the cats i know that are used to making long money are no longer making it.. we all pinching pennies, cuz we don't know when those pennies will be gone.. everything is harder.. doing good work is harder.. i never thought that would be the case.. shoot, i'm learning a lot more over the last year than any time i spent in b school.. they didn't tell me about this.. and what about ethics?? i'm struggling with that, as i'm getting hit up with more interview/media requests to talk about business stuff..

shoot, i don't want to talk about that stuff, cuz i ain't feeling that media worthy.. i won't even go further with that statement (as it relates to me).. but the stuff in the news ain't always the truth.. businesses ain't doing that well.. the numbers reported aren't right.. the stories told are skewed.. it's a mess out here.. but i understand the journalists, reporters and media outlets.. ish is depressing and ppl need to read and see brighter days and times..

shoot, i've been stuck as i'm writing my book right now as well.. i'm still in the pre-college years.. learning more about myself as i recall things.. remember things.. remember things that i wanted to forget.. it's therapeutic, and probably what is getting me through right now.. cuz i had it hard back in the day, and i ain't going back.. or so i thought.. nah, i'm playing.. i ain't going back.. no way, no how.. but these days it feels like i could.. luckily i got enough stuff to pawn off if i really needed to avoid the 'jects..

oh, and people coming at me sideways.. let's get a couple things straight.. check the resume.. South Side of Chicago.. fight history.. bully history.. check the eyes.. i'm not shook off of your words.. if you wanna come for me, come for me.. all this talk ain't nothing.. corporate bullies.. lol.. are you kidding me?? corporate bullies.. get your company and your business affairs in order before coming for my head with words that mean absolutely nothing.. my phone doesn't work for your calls.. stop trying.. my email is about to stop working for you too.. the longer it takes for me to respond to you, shows your position on the totem pole..

also, some of you dudes need to recognize who's really on your team.. i'm just sayin'..

Q Quotables.. Music on My Mind

so i'm feeling a few joints..

1. first is Jazmine Sullivan.. that "Need U Bad" joint? with Missy? yeah, official.. 21 years old.. the girl can blow.. not your typical size, but i love her size, shape and talent.. y'all need to check for her..
2. Ne-Yo's "A Millie" remix.. ok, i lied.. i like his the best.. and the video they did? please check it.. YouTube it.. i'm too lazy to provide links..
3. YouTube "Al Green Soul Train".. Click on the one that shows him in a hat.. Please.. Anyone that knows the Boondocks, think about Gangstalicious.. "Homies over Hoes!"
4. YouTube "James Brown and Pavarotti".. True music.. True genius..
5. i'm inspired to figure out this music thing again.. was trying for a sec, then life happened.. now i'm meeting more and more ppl in the biz.. i need to get that new Ashley Renee Jordan joint popped off.. point blank.

I'll be back..

Not in Harlem..

so, yesterday i made my way to Bank of America to open up an account.. i can't stand banks.. none of them.. they all crooks.. been with Bank One, then Chase, then Wachovia, Chase again and now Bank of America.. they all the same.. but, i pretty much had a clean slate with Bank of America.. or so i thought..

so there i was.. in Harlem.. in Bank of America.. why i chose to go to that location is beyond me, other than being in the area.. obviously there are different standards depending on where your bank is located.. or should i say depending on how many white people you have living in that area.. don't believe, if you're here in NYC, try a big named bank in mid-town, and then one in the Bronx, Harlem or Brooklyn.. see if you don't see a difference.. for one, the mid-town ALWAYS has 10 too many bank associates at one time.. in the hood? you have 3 people manning the whole bank!! the ppl in mid-town can tell and advise you about everything.. in the hood, that chick don't even have her GED, but she can take my money and punch in wrong keys into a computer.. and the service? forget.. you can be in a hood bank for 2 hours and 18 minutes just trying to get cash out.. first you have to sift through the people who have no business trying to deposit $3.99 Publisher Clearinghouse checks.. or dude trying to convince the teller that he was just waiting for another check to come in, so that he can bring his account current.. or the dude pulling out 10's and 20's and trying to deposit into an account that's not even his name.. it's a mess..

but anyway, there i was.. i get in there and 4 ppl are waiting for a person to help them get loans, open accounts or get another loan.. my attitude immediately was expressed on my face.. there are no signs, no nothing.. i have to "spot" a sign in sheet.. so my name is placed on the list.. i sit down watching a tv that i thought had CNN on, but realized that they have a cycle of 2 minutes on a news station, followed by an 8 minute loop of the same Bank of America commercial.. so there i was watching some people sue PediEgg about them not being paid to be in tv commercials.. and her comes this Jewish white lady.. in her 60's easy.. possibly early 70's.. we're in Harlem..

she immediately turns around and mumbles something.. i give her the instant gas face.. not on purpose, but i really wasn't in the mood, nor could i hear her.. the look on my face must've scared her cuz she turned around immediately and then mumbled "the picture and the voice is not synched! ikk, i hate that!"..

pause..

first i was like "the chick just said ikk!"

un-pause..

thanks lady, i wasn't even noticing that, but now i can't get it out of my head, and i'm now as agitated as she is about it, and i've inserted "ikk" into my grown man vocabulary..

the chick gets this manager to sign her name on the list.. i guess her hands were too precious to sign it on her own.. she then convinces the dude that she was in front of 3 other people.. i walk over and look at the list and just laugh.. this chick is crazy.. all of us overhear this, but we don't say nothing.. cuz every last one of us (Black and Latino) KNEW she was going ahead of not one of us.. not that we said it collectively, but individually we all were on some "shit, let her try to go in front of me!"..

so i was the last of the 3.. so it's me and this white grandma in the lobby watching a messed up FoxNews show.. a bank teller comes out and asks what we were waiting for, to see if she could help us.. she couldn't.. she then asks if i'm next, and i say yes.. then the mrs. klause clone asks how long the one guy was going to be in the meeting he was having with a customer.. the teller wanted to tell her something, but didn't.. the white chick then demands that she go ask him.. and the teller did!! i smiled.. she comes out and says that he will be in there for awhile.. so the white chick then says "oh well, i just go to the other guy next".. yup she said "next".. i laughed.. grandma didn't know that i had a quick first step and a sharp elbow.. grandma can get it too!!

so the banker comes out and gets me.. i go in the office.. 15 seconds later.. not 3, not 5.. 15.. maybe 30 seconds later, grandma comes running and storms into the office.. out of breath she says "no, no, i'm next.. i was next.. see my name was on the list before his!".. i laugh.. and sit calmly in the seat.. again, i was one of the 3 that was like "i wish she would!!".. so i told her, no, you're mistaken.. my name is on the list before yours.. she then points to an arrow from her name about 3 people before me and how the manager did that and she didn't.. "call the manager" came next.. i laughed.. the banker asked me again, and i told him the same.. i signed up before her and was sitting there before her..

pause..

now, while this all made sense and was true.. let's think about the situation again.. 1 name, 2 name, my name, her name.. all in order going down with hers in last place.. then an arrow from her name to before the first name..

think about that..

1 name and 2 name have come and gone.. if she was before them, why was she not going into that office making a scene? why did the tellers ignore that arrow the first 2 times and go to the name that was next on the list? why is she now making a scene? chick, you have no case.. get your hubby, he'll tell you!

un-pause..

so, after we laugh, she goes and sulks in the lobby..

excuse my french, but Bitch this is still Harlem for now.. slow your roll.. "we ain't.. go-in no where.. we ain't.. going no where.. we can't be stopped now, it's Harlem!"

don't let the cracks in the image fool you!!