Not Monotonous

My only goal for this weekend was my newfound goal in life for it not to be montonous, boring, mundane, or pedictable. Okay maybe that's too much to ask for one weekend.

So on Friday I had planned to take my mother and my aunt/godmother to the movies. My mother begged off, so I met my aunt/godmother at the movies. She was late about fifteen minutes late partly because the only time she's on time is to work because she can get written up, and partly because it was raining really badly and it was hard to find parking. Finally we went in and saw "The Family That Preys." In my estimation it was good because much like the last Tyler Perry movie I saw "Why Did I Get Married" it wasn't overly preachy, and wasn't too formulaic. Though you know Tyler Perry's movies will have a happy ending, it's how people triumph over their adversities which makes his works interesting. After the movie we went home I talked on the phone and chilled.

On Saturday I woke up to go see a friend of mine speak to some young kids about journalism. It was cool he and a co-worker both reporters for the local paper in town did a great job. They did a breakdown of what they do from note taking, writing articles, and interviewing. They even handed the kids fake press passes, reporters notebooks, and gave them snacks. There were atleast maybe 30 kids and parents in the room on a Saturday at noon.

After seeing them speak I went to my old college and met up with one of my friends. Mikey and I used to always get together and just chill. I'd either ride with her as she drove the campus shuttle because she's a student shuttle driver, and we'd grab food and chat. Or we would randomly venture off campus. Yesterday we went to Panera Bread, one of our fav spots. Then we went across the street to Lee's/The Fractured Prune. It's a ice cream and donut shop all in one. Do you realize how dangerous that is? You can get ice cream, ice cream cones, sundaes (we both had the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup sundaes), or you can get your uniquely flavored donuts. I brought half a dozen Reese's donuts to take home to my family.

Then we went back to campus where I ran into five or six people in a span of thirty minutes. Then Mikey, and two of our friends Carl and Leon went to the movies. That was an adventure. Mikey is bi, Carl and Leon are two flamboyantly gay boys. And they are over the top. Mikey is chill but not Leon and Carl. Walking with them I felt like we were putting on a show.

Everything they did was in a phrase extra. We missed the first movie, the second show was sold out, so we had to get tickets for the 9:30 show.


While waiting for the movie to start we went to Old Navy for them to peruse. Then we wen to my haven Barnes and Nobles. I renewed my membership card and picked up "Letters to a Young Sister" by Hill Harper (a book Ill probably read and pass on) a book of advice and words of wisdom offered by prominent celebrities from Gabrielle Union to Jada Pinkett Smith and similar folks geared towards young black girls; then there's "One Drop" by Bliss Broyard about her father's life as a Creole man who passed and lived as a white man; then there's "Brother I'm Dying" by one of my favorite writers Edwidge Danticat about the lives and relationship of her father and uncle, and "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz a story about a ghetto nerd's coming of age. I wanted the last one because I read an interview with Diaz in Vibe and he seemed so raw and real. I also believe he just picked up a Pulitzer for the book.
As for today it was a chill day. I just chilled in the house, watched T.V..
I'm off work tomorrow and Tuesday. I work Wednesday through Sunday next week. It sucks because you know my friends are all busy with work or school Monday and Tuesday, I have to work Saturday and I was supposed to go to the local chapter meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists. I've never been at the station on a Saturday and Sunday and never really wanted to know what weekends at the station felt like LoL, truth be told.

Tomorrow I'll probably try to clean and read. One co-worker keeps asking me if I've finished Sidney Poitier's book and I have maybe a hundred and twenty five pages to go.

Then Tuesday I'll probably try to have lunch with one of my fave teachers from middle school and maybe visit the middle school (and my alma mater) where the best friend teaches. That'd probably be fun.

My Heart's in Texas

One of my aunts is dying of cancer. The doctor’s recently told her that there’s nothing more they can do for her, and they sent her home. God I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

I called her the other day and even though we don’t talk as much as we should, she knew exactly who was calling. "Hello my favorite nephew," she said. I wanted to say, "Aunt Bettye you’re not supposed to have favorites." But I didn’t. I didn’t say a word. I just smiled my knowing smile. Of course I'm the favorite, just kidding.

My Aunt Bettye is one of four aunts who aside from my mother and my late maternal grandmother have the most say in and most sway over my life. My mother has five sisters, and my "father" has six sisters.

My Aunt Bettye is special. If my mother ever had problems out of me, as rare as those were, it wasn't past her to call Aunt Bettye. A call from Aunt Bettye would make you sit down, shut up, and get southern ("yes ma'am", "no ma'am" came with a quickness).

My aunt said to me as she always does that I have made her proud. It means so much because when she says it she says it with all seriousness and sincerity.

She said her only wish is to live to see me graduate in May, and that God willing she'll do the same for my cousin, the only daughter she's ever known.

Before she let me go she asked me about my job interview last weekend. After I told her I didn’t want to pursue it, because it wasn’t what I wanted, she had a word of advice. "Just know that you’re going to have to do some things in your life that you don’t want to do."

It was as sobering as the sound of her voice, as serious as the tone of her voice, and said with as much sincerity as she could muster.

I knew then that real life was upon me.