I Woke Up Early on My Born Day...

...I'm twenty twenty-two years of blessing
The essence of adolescence leaves my body now I'm fresh in
My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created"

Be back for the day's events/pick-ups/etc.

Things Done Changed (Word to B.I.G.)

I woke up today and I turned on the TV to make sure I wasn't dreaming at 4am this morning when I finally went to sleep.

I can't even start to put a cap on the amount of excitement I have for the fact that Obama is the next president of the United States. People all across the world celebrated Obama and proves that this country lives by its word, and the American Dream is obtainable by anyone regardless of race. Because, people like Malcolm, Martin, and Medgar Evars (who died after coming home from helping people register to vote) fought for this day.

To be just 40 years removed from the civil rights movement and to have a man of color become president is unprecedented. Malcolm fought for equality in his own brand, and he wasn't killed by whites, he was killed by his very own people, who, like many today, were afraid of change and cynical of the ideas that Malcolm could bring forth.

In essence, (and in the words of Ghost), "a bunch of shark biters was crampin' his style."

I look at the TV eyes filled with tears and say I will never be inspired like this again.

This election is to me the chance to reverse the travesty of a Presidency that never should have been. We have won the popular vote in four of the five last elections, and will now win a real majority, not a plurality. This country should never have been taken as far right as Dick Cheney and George Bush took it, to an extreme representing a fringe of committed ideologues. We will not be denied by butterfly ballots, by hanging chads, and yes, the endless stories around the theme of voter suppression are often overstated but that say in one voice, "Never Again." I have tithed to Obama to say that, in part, and admire so much my many friends who have canvassed ardently for going out and winning this election to say that. I admire you more than I can say.

This election is the moment for my generation to take the world of power from those who have abused it before us. For a judgment that does not prize fight for its own sake but is tough, that is progressive but clear-eyed, that listens but is not afraid to call itself progressive or liberal. We'll make health care more widely available. Call us socialists. We'll force cars to 45 mpg. Call us green kooks. We'll rein in gross excesses in the market. Call us socialists again, (you like that one). But as you do, call us the majority party. We have shed our glass jaw of Dukakis' campaign passivity. And we are that majority. Finally.

Most importantly to me, this election means Dr. King's wish is fulfilled. The little black girls and white girls aren't just playing together. Americans are voting for people who aren't like them, in massive numbers, thirty six million votes for a woman and a black man for President, and now a black man again, twice that many votes. The insular America of past years is dead...grown over...moved past. This election for me was in a way a very simple act of inclusion and antiracism. It was a touch to an idealistic young person who is as dead as the era he grew up in. Or maybe not. As long as I live, there will never be anything as good and true to me in public life, as what we've accomplished today.

And it's only the beginning.

The day has come to start turning the pages and saying that those who preach hate and those who live based on hate have no place in this country.

And now I remember this:

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!" - MLK Jr.

Fire it up.

FTW

I’m back in the business of doing online applications, and an unfortunate reminder of my hate for filling out applications are the stupid Unicru tests that retail companies have become oh-so-dearly fond of. As you probably know, when applying online to such retail businesses as Staples, Best Buy, or whatever, toward the end of the application you have a long 20-30 minute test that ask you stupid, repetitive, personality screening test questions like:

• I enjoy talking to strangers.
  • Strongly Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Agree
  • Strongly Agree

• There are some people I really can’t stand.
  • Strongly Disagree
  • Disagree
  • Agree
  • Strongly Agree

Before, I was so oblivious about the purpose of these tests that I would actually answer truthfully. After a being rejected repeatedly and never seeing an interview, I began to realize that I might have to lie to get by these tests. Chanel laughed at me when I told her this and said “That’s what I’ve been doing the whole time! You mean to tell me you’ve been telling them the truth? HAHAHA!” SMH
. Anyway, I'm beginning to answering the questions based on what they might want to hear.

• I enjoy talking to strangers.
  • Strongly Agree!

Real answer- Hell no.

• There are some people I really can’t stand.
  • Strongly Disagree!

Real answer- Hell yeah, basically the entire universe…

You get the idea. So after I've started lying on the tests, I gotten plenty of interview opportunities. Sadly, I'm picky and haven't called back for any of them.

The Unicru tests are poorly designed to seek out people with an extroverted, happy-go-lucky, optimistic personality, that can be easily brainwashed into listening to an idiot manager and backward company policies. The type of people who actually enjoy doing the same BS over and over again, can get yelled at by customers and by managers, smile about it, and go all Kunta Kiente on them. “Yes massa, I was wrong.” Basically people who don’t have a mind of their own and don’t have emotions- human robots.

Unfortunately, if an introverted person were to answer truthfully, he/she would get a “red flag” on his/her application and won’t be able to be hired. I think the same concept applies to an emotional person, a pessimistic person, or anyone the least bit normal. I personally could care less about working retail, but unfortunately, even introverted people need temporary jobs to get by in life, and to discriminate against us in this way is horrible, but understandable. Retail companies are sick of having people who can think for themselves around.

Once you get the idea of what the Unicru test’s purpose is, you can easily get by them by answering the way you think the company may see as the ideal employee (a brainwashed, optimistic robot). Stick with answering “Strongly Agree” or “Strongly Disagree” and avoid answering just plain “Agree” or “Disagree”. I used to answer with a plain “Agree” or “Disagree” when I’m unsure of what they want to hear. There are companies that have similar tests to Unicru, so the same concept applies to them.

Anyway, forget them. And forget the retail environment for not liking my introverted, negative, people hating personality. That’s why I lie to get jobs. Ha.

10.14.08: The Day We Make Contact

I seriously just had an interaction with the alleged aliens that were rumored to visit Earth today. I was out in my backyard doing backyard stuff, when i suddenly heard the palm trees rustling in the wind. So, I went to grab my camera.



I went back outside to scope for mre suspicious activity. Then, out of nowhere a giant bright light in the sky! Sure some may call it the Sun, but I beg to differ .




The next thing I know...a perfectly clear sky! Impending doom?



Then I saw it! It said that unless I gave it all my cookies, the world would be enslaved and all fast food establishments would be destroyed. I even had to raise up off my Oreos. SMH. A small price to pay for the survival of mankind I suppose.



It left me with this video communication that I am immediately forwarding to the local authorities to have them decipher the scarily real footage.
I'll be posted in my room waiting for downtown Los Angeles to get murked

Feel Good Hit of the Summer

If this girl wasn't 3000 miles away most time of the year, I bet my life would be filled with way more fun.

The Dodgers snag the W (10-7), and we get to sit next to none other than Dom Kennedy and K Town. Cookies from Diddy Riese afterward made the night only sweeter.

Loves Again

Adventures in the Land of Disney 9/16/08

Ater weeks of deliberation, Natalie and I finally decided to get annual passes for Disneyland. $268 and miles of walking later, they prove to be pretty smart investments.

Of course, the day had to start off with the best ride. Even though its almost 20 years old, I always get hyped when you make that wrong left and get to fight TIE Fighters in a Death Star Trench.
Random Question: If Star Wars took place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," why is it in Tomorrowland?
Random Fact: Paul Reubens is the voice of RX-D4.
As we were walking into DCA, some random lady looked at Nat's tee and said

"OMG...where did you get your shirt from?"

She told her where she copped, but the lady had no clue as to even what Urban Outfitters was. So, we asked where she lived.

"Oh, I'm from Canada"

I guess even old white women from the Great White North know what time it is.

No letter D in California. I kinda had to improvise.
Pooh's Acid Trip. Obviously there's more than just crack in the honey of The Hundred Acre Woods.
Target practice


The real deal. Disregard the first score. My fingers slipped (more times than I care to count).


It took some convincing but she finally agreed to get on. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Telfer; she actually managed to be the only person screaming through the entire ride of what may possibly be the only roller coaster that's weaker than Knotts' Jaguar. Thats a smile of embarrassment...the other people on the ride were laughing AT her.
Random Fact #2: You know you're spoiled when you get a FastPass when you don't wanna wait in a 10 minute line. We did that about 5 times. Does that make you quintuply spoiled?


...and what better place to spend the end of the night? Sonic stays on point, except for when you have to substitute diet cherry syrup in your Cherry Limeade because "we ran out of the non-diet stuff." SMH. It tasted like a Shirley Temple after you already drank half of it and the ice had fully melted. the Toaster more than made up for it though.
Random Question #2: Who came up with the idea that putting bacon on anything automatically makes it better?
Random Question #3: Who came up with the idea that putting undercooked bacon on anything automatically commands a $1 price hike from its non-undercooked bacon sporting counterpart?
Random Fact #3: Coney (n)- a hotdog which was dipped in the toilet purchased from Sonic

1)What the hell was that? It tasted like shit..
2)Oh, that was the Coney from Sonic*

* Urban Dictionary


Sadly, Fantasmic! is closed until November (otherwise you'd be seeing 139475879749 photos of the dragon sequence right now). Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn notwithstanding, we've promised to get on every ride and see every attraction that Disneyland has to offer this year.
362.24 days left...

Loves

Shoes and toys: the best 1-2 combo since the Dynamic Duo. (and Doublestuft Oreos w/ Sprite)

Zeus x That Ether

Orange County: A Story in Four Parts

So...Nat takes me on a trip to the O.C. today.
I figure it's only right to show her a few of my own spots...
The run to Blends CM was the sole inkspot of the day; I picked up a pair of Iron Maiden Sk8 Hi's for a decent price and didn't bother trying them on (against the recommendation of the virgin sneaker shopper that is Natalie). Woke up today to see how they looked on and noticed the tag on the box:

Mens' 9.5
Womens' 11.0

All sales final and no exchanges. Shoe boutique store policies FTL. Brilliant.

Chocolate Marshmallow; brand new flavor. Imagine the best Ding Dong you ever tasted, then multiply that x10 and slap on a $3.75 price tag. It's better than that. Food always tastes better when it costs more. Except In-n-Out.

$25.59 worth of some of the best stuff on Earth (best meaning best tasting, not best for your health).
Yes...it was all eaten. 30 seconds later, she was swayed to the dark side. We'll be making another trip soon.

Start It Up