Hopscotch
2006-07-29 8:50 a.m.
It�s been a while hasn�t it. Where to begin� I�m not going to fit everything here, so I guess a summary will have to suffice for now. I�m not even going to remember everything in order to summarize it, so we�ll just play the-past-month hopscotch. Maybe (probably) I�ll give more details in the following posts.
Of course I�m always late everywhere, no matter what I do. I packed early, was showered and ready early, was returning a rental from the night before so I didn�t have to count on a cab. I left for the airport extra early. Stopped at 7-11 to grab a carton (they never have Newports when you leave the states). Returned the rental. Plenty of time left to get on the shuttle and� Turns out I dropped my passport at 7-11, which is about 3 blocks from my apartment... Just barely made my plane.
Mexico was incredible for numerous reasons. Foremost is that I�m finally beginning to fit in more like a cousin and less like my dad�s 2nd wife�s kid. Not that anyone ever went out of their way to put me in that position. Just always has some sense of it. I�m fairly positive it was all in my head, but it lingered no less. And now it�s gone.
The actual reunion party was huge � about 300 cousins (20 of us from the states). In about 6 years I�m going to be one of the people running the planning committee which I�m excited about. Guess I�ll have to learn a little more Spanish.
The drive to Chicago from the middle of Mexico was a bit taxing on day one. I felt bad for my mother having to deal with the 2 egos in the front seat: My father and myself. I swear the fucker was about to throw a tantrum. He gets rather childish when he�s in a bad mood. Add to that my inability to take shit and you have a heavy air in the car for all the hours it took to get from San Luis Potosi to San Antonio. Fortunately, dear ol� mom gave him shit for being an idiot and the rest of the drive up to Chicago was fantastic.
Chicago was dope, as always. Text messaged about 5 people �Shhh, I�m sneaking into town this weekend, let me know if you have some time.� Within the next hour I�d received about 15 phone calls. Thanks for the confidentiality. Luckily, on the first night I got to� um� reset the counter. If I hadn�t, I would have spent the breakfasts and lunches with ex�s doing my best to get them into the bathroom for dessert.
Speaking of eating with the exes, rather uneventful, but cool. All of them look amazing. All of them seem generally bored with �things� but happy. Was very nice to see them.
Um� spent lots of time with my cousin�s kids who I can�t get enough of. One�s 4 and the other�s about 6 months, both with birthdays within a week of mine. Absolutey adorable and intelligent and fun and all that. I�ve always had this thing with kids. I never deliberately wanted to avoid them, but hadn�t been around enough to be confident that I wouldn�t break them. I�m not quite tossing them in the air yet (as they�ll probably get knocked out on the ceiling), but it�s nice to be more comfortable with them.
The weekend flew by � 5 days in Chicago always seems like about 5 hours. Of COURSE I missed my flight home, which I always do. Always. Sometimes it�s because I want more time for whatever reason (or whomever). This time it was because I was reading my arrival time as a departure time. Head back to Cali the next day and right back to work to catch up on being out for 2 weeks.
And so back to being busy� And there was an incredible amount to be done. Nonstop, day in and day out. After 4 days it felt like I never left. Back to work for the major music company. I have another in the lineup. I have more ideas with which I plan to take over the world, so I put the gears into motion for them. I finally returned my pending emails 2 weeks late as of yesterday� Busy busy busy.
Got a call from SO about a week ago. Another cat who�s like a brother to me. He fell on hard times when we were younger and ended up living with me for a while. Right now he�s considered one of the top DJs and Breakers in Chicago. And his crew wins just about every battle out there. Good guy, one of the best guys actually. Big heart and always honest.
Poor bastard just found out he�s got a 2nd kid (he has half custody of his first). 2 years old already. The girl (writer for a major newspaper and ex-graff writer) wasn�t planning on telling him until child services told her she had to. Who the fuck does she think she is keeping a man�s child from him? She must be out of her god damned mind. SO might not have much, but he�s a good father and doesn�t deserve that bullshit. I�m seeing what I can do about getting him a 2nd job out there.
Scandalous bitches these days. As if they deserve to be the 2-bit whores they�ve become.
Lets see what else�
SS just moved back out here about a month ago from NY (met her in NY through RB, she�s originally from Orange County). The day before I left for Mexico she was damn near tears on the phone for being scared of being here. I don�t understand why anyone who spent 10 years in NY would be scared of pussified lil LA.
I�ve learned a lot about this girl since I�ve returned. I offered my place while she works in the city so she doesn�t have to commute from OC. It�s easy to be attracted to someone just because you think you �probably can.� Especially when sharing a bed. And I probably could, but shouldn�t and won�t. Again� good thing the beast has been fed recently.
This girl is actually the prime example of someone who�s gotten by on her looks and how �crazy and fun� she was all her life and suddenly at a whiff of 40 has to actually cede attention to the young�ns and maybe even gain a personality. And she�s got a long way to go. In many ways, she actually reminds me of a 25 year old finally noticing that things aren�t quite what she thought they were all through college.
All in all, and my roommate agrees, she�s like a pending train wreck. You want to tell the conductor to slow down, but you� Just. Can�t. Seem. To make. The call. Actually, truthfully, she�ll be fine. But I don�t think she�s going to like the truth when she realizes what it is.
The day I left Cali, I left my roommate stoned on the couch playing Madden. His primary position for the whole week after he�d been suspended from work. I told him to have a steady income (job or unemployment) when I get back or he�ll have to go. The day I get back, same exact position. Suddenly the next day he�s up job hunting. I�m not a fucking idiot. I know he hasn�t done shit in those 3 weeks. So he�s not going to have rent for August either.
And I pussed out. Actually, not entirely. In the end, if I find a roommate, he�s on his ass or at least on the couch with a debt to me. Fuck him for taking advantage, he can kiss my ass. Fuck him for making me actually have to Ask when he�ll have money. I wish he would man the fuck up and take care of his shit. I don�t have time to hover over him like his god damned father. Just for reference, a plan to move weight form Cali to Chicago to get on your money is the plan of an enterprising 15 year old, not a man smelling 30.
But I�m still not just going to put him out. I�m just too god damned old and busy to deal with �getting along with� some stranger. I�m not even dating. Shit, I�m not even fucking the ex-stripper sleeping next to me 3 -4 nights out of the week, what makes you think I feel like dealing with other people�s bullshit?
I can�t seem to get my head off a couple special ladies. One, I�m planning on flying out here in a couple weeks for her birthday. The other I�m hoping to visit sometime soon. We�ll see how all that goes. No idea if I�ll open that door to you sick bastards, but we shall see.
Let�s see� ah. Reading. Yes reading is a new part of my life. Has been for the past couple of years, actually. I was reminded recently of the ability I once had to gather all contextual information from my surroundings regardless of the focus of my attention. It�s what got me through high school, and even my short stint in college without ever studying. Well, a few years of constant weed intake has dulled that ability, so I actually have to read shit now.
Most recently was the Tipping Point upon the recommendation of a crazy lil butterfly whom I happen to adore. Loved it. N loved it as well. The both of us actually fit in two of the groups it defined. Um� I believe they were �connectors� and um� there was another, but I can�t seem to think of it for the moment. Just finished few books on and by Hunter Thompson recently. I think I�m done with him for a while. Not necessarily through disinterest, but rather overload.
Been reading the Future of Ideas by Larry Lessig lately, which is somewhat dry (As it should be), but very good. The information is solid and the perspective is right on. Uh� premise� right� copyright law, the changes it�s going through and the effects for good or ill on innovation. Right up my alley these days. Not sure what�s next. My amazon list is about 10 pages long and consistently growing. This one�s probably going to take me a few more weeks anyways.
Oh yeah� I�m hoping to get back to pencil and pen drawing, but on a larger scale than usual. I usually try to fit an 8 � x 11 sketchbook. Now I want to try to fit 11 x 14 pages if I can. I�ve been flipping through my pics intermittently trying to find my first few subjects. I�m generally drawn to �fun� group photos. 4 - 7 people, drinks in hand, perfect moment of laughter and excitement. Kind of the story of my life and I think would be the most fun to present on paper.
And I guess that�s it for now. I have a weekend full of work to do � which should clear All my debts (hooray for being back to zero!!) and probably even afford me a car. And then, hopefully, a couple days at the beach.
Ok, one more Gin and Tonic and back to work.