Coworkers

Isn't a rule that if you're new to an office, your coworkers are supposed to take you out to lunch...or at least invite you to join them....or at the very least invite you to place an order when they are having something delivered???  These folks are scandalous....all week long I have not spoken more than 200 words during work hours....which leads to me getting into a mood....which leads to me going home and being quiet....which leads the fiancee into thinking that I'm not happy to finally be home....which leads to both of us being quiet....and though I may want her to stop talking sometimes, it scares me when she's quiet.  It's like very like weird like totally like odd....

Isn't a rule that if you're new to an office, your coworkers are supposed to take you out to lunch...or at least invite you to join them....or at the very least invite you to place an order when they are having something delivered??? These folks are scandalous....all week long I have not spoken more than 200 words during work hours....which leads to me getting into a mood....which leads to me going home and being quiet....which leads the fiancee into thinking that I'm not happy to finally be home....which leads to both of us being quiet....and though I may want her to stop talking sometimes, it scares me when she's quiet. It's like very like weird like totally like odd....

Good start to the day. First a little background....I'm officially thirty...okay not official 'til next month but mentally I'm done. All week I have chosen to listen to sports talk radio instead of CD's or music radio on my way to and from work. I just flip back and forth between 790 and 680....yes AM radio...whudda thunkit??? Anyway, on 790 this morning they did this thing (don't know if it's a regular thing 'cause I just started listening) called barbershop roll call where they call a barbershop and inquire about specials....basically free advertising for the barbershop. So they called this one place and the owner refused to give out any information stating he was too busy to talk...at 8 am in a barbershop! Never thought that barbershops had a morning rush but I could be wrong...doubt it though....N e way, the radio guy goes off talking about how he was raised in a barbershop (this is the black guy on the morning show) and how much barbers love to talk...which is true . . .at least in a black barbershop. So somehow the discussion turns to whether or not the barber they had called was white or black....Now I've always been able to tell over the phone whether a person is white or black at a 90 to 95 percent clip. Just the voice inflections and how things are said. So the radio folks decide to ask the listeners to call in to tell if they thought the barber was white or black....since I was sitting in traffic thinking about playing with myself (joke...kind of) I called in. I didn't get on the radio but I did get a $25 gift certificate to Santana's or something...don't know what Santana's or whatever they said is but it's a free 25 bucks.....Free stuff is always a good start...

By the way the barber was white...if for no other reason than he ended every sentence with 'buddy' and that's not something black folks do...not every sentence...nope

This was yesterday..first day in new office

I have had a long day....;) So after sitting in traffic which I'm
sure you did, then thinking my badge was lost, then realizing that I
may not have enough gas to make it to work if I have to sit in traffic
too much longer, I finally get to the office and realize I have no
clue which building out of the 12 that I'm supposed to go to. So I
call Shanlon and she tells me that she thinks it's building one which
makes sense because the address is 1 Piedmont center (I didn't know
that until Shanlon told me). So after holding a stranger up while
talking to Shanlon ( I flagged him down in my desperation), Shanlon
gives me the phone numbers to contact Rose. But I don't have anything
to write on!! So I type it in my phone thinking I can save it after
the fact. Except when we get off the phone, I close the phone(out of
habit) thereby erasing the number to contact Rose. So instead of
calling Shanlon back, I just drove around until I found building one.
I figured suite 600 would be on the 6th floor. Got lucky on that one.
So they take me to my cube and I start to get setup et cetera when I
realize that I forgot the power cord to my laptop....it's in Winston
Salem. So not a biggie right....except everyone here uses Dells and I
use an IBM laptop.....luckily they found one that they 'borrowed' from
somewhere (I'm not asking any questions but the way they said borrowed
was more than a little shady). So now Winston Salem is mailing me my
power cord....and it's just 9:30.....

Well, it looks like I will have to remove the day by day comic strip that has adorned my blog for the past few months....it has become ridiculously conservative during this campaign year and frankly...annoying....I could deal with the conservative republican black guy...but now it's like every character is a republican....a bit of the artist coming into play there......

Can it really get anymore obvious than a civil suit? At least in the OJ case the family had the decency to wait until the criminal case had been decided (and I realize the differences in the case, but it was the first example of criminal case then civil case that I could think of). In my ever so not humble opinion, I think it should be illegal to file a civil suit against a person alleging the same accusations that were the focus of a criminal suit if the defendant in the criminal suit is found not guilty or the case is thrown out. It doesn't make sense. I know double jeopardy only applies to criminal cases but there should be some kind of extension like Final jeopardy that applies to civil filings.....

It's 99% official!! I will be going home permanently Friday afternoon. Unless something completely unforeseen happens, I will be a full time ATLien again!!! Tonite, Winston Salem homies are trying to get me drunk as a farewell but I'm going to try....notice I said try....to avoid liquor and stick strictly with beer. Or if I do shots, I will chase it with water to try to stay somewhat ahead of the game.

There is nothing worse than a coworker (and I know I've mentioned this before) who thinks he's funny but he really isn't. Wait, yes there is. There's the coworker who thinks he's funny but really isn't who won't let his bad jokes die a nice sudden death. NOOOO, he's gotta go to the internet to further enhance the 'comedy' of his joke. And then he laughs at his joke which forces you to at least give the pity chuckle so he doesn't feel like ..... well the weird guy with the weird sense of humour (weird as in not funny, not as in I don't get the joke)

Finally, a member of the media has something positive to say about the Franchise

On a separate note, I should be going to that ATL for good in a couple of weeks. Permanent job offer from the company I have been contracting with. Still working out some details....

Redskins play Denver in a little over a week....

Don't feel like driving today but I guess I have to suck it up and move on....

I have a shopping problem. I've bought 12 shirts in the past week. I have taken my metrosexuality to a new level. And not just with the clothes, oh no! I let the fiancee talk me into getting a pedicure. A PEDICURE!!! I know the new age folks are going to say, 'There's nothing wrong with a man getting a pedicure' but sorry that's not my upbringing. Men have no use for pedicures in my opinion. Nor manicures for that matter. Cut your toe nails, cut your fingernails, and don't think about them ever again. But the part that scares\bothers\boggles me is that I think I enjoyed. I'm almost certain I enjoyed it. And enjoying it goes against my preconceived notions of what was going to happen. And if I can be wrong about this, then heaven forbid I could be wrong about other things too...I feel shaky....my whole belief system is in peril.....if a man don't got his principles what do he got (the worst english I could bring myself to type)!

I must admit though, I didn't know my feet could be so soft and pretty.....WAIT I didn't just say that....but the nails are so shiny....STOP IT.....and the dead skin has gone bye bye... SHUT UP.....and the leg massage kind of got me too....AARAGGGGH

Meanwhile, on the left side of my brain....

FOOTBALL is only 2 and 1/2 weeks away...it's the sport of kings....better than diamond rings....

I'm very irritable today. There are people whose voices are just getting on my nerves and I feel bad because they are nice people, just surprisingly annoying today.

And why do people talk funny when they talk to kids?

And country accents are really starting to get on my nerves? Not everyone's, just certain ones...like the ones attributed to the people whose voices are getting on my nerves....

My off the chain list for July (I say it like I do one every month):

Music:
Joss Stone: The Soul Sessions - This girl can blow. She has a smooth R&B style even though most of her songs are covers. There are one or two tracks on the 10 song CD that are suspect but all in all worth the purchase.
Javier - I can't remember the name of his album but I first heard on late night BET. The entire CD is worth it. I can't think of a song on this album that I dislike. And unlike the current R&B atmosphere, there are exactly zero rap interludes and not a single mention of 22's or a rolex, a BMW 745.

Video Games:
NCAA 2005 - A review of this game is probably uncalled for but at the same time a damn necessity. Can EA sports keep this up? Year after year they give me a brand new addiction and quite frankly, I'm dumbfounded. It's the attention to detail that puts this as a sports game of the year candidate. Camera panning to the fans as they hold up a user created sign. Crowd noise so loud the screen and the controller shimmy like Elton John at a gay music festival. Oh yeah, player suspensions due to academic violations, team rules violations, and who knows what else. And the NCAA will take scholarships. I haven't even gotten to the post season yet, I have a Music City Bowl to play against Ole Miss with Va Tech. There's so much more to this game but you just need to buy it yourself.

People:
This girl here in Winston I'll call C is cool as hell. I don't like to use folks names. She is ghetto as she wants to be, she trys to play hard, but she is just as sweet. She's cool to drink with.

This dude here in Winston I'll call J is just as cool. I actually met C through J. J has more woman problems with his ol' lady than any dude I have ever met that is only dating somebody. I can't think of a time that I've hung with both of them and some kind of argument broke out. But it's kinda funny too and makes me realize how lucky I am L-Boogie (my ol' lady) isn't as crazy as she could be.

Okay. I find it completely unfair that the world is blaming Kobe for Shaquille's departure. Let's think about this....Shaquille, in the very first exhibition game this past season, yells at Jerry Buss demanding more mone given that he was: 1) Overweight....again!, 2)Out of shape. . . again!, 3)In the first year of his extension as it was, and 4)the highest paid player in the league. Enough to satisfy Shaquille? Nope!!! But Kobe forced him out?!?!? Through all of this, has the media reported any Kobe pay demands? Not that I've seen. Even as he tested the free agent market, you never heard of teams not being able to afford Kobe. But Shaquille couldn't be happy be the highest paid player in the league...a mantra he won't deserve when his current contract is up.

Now I have intentionally not spoken of the Phil Jackson situation because honestly I haven't seen the media harp on this as much. At least nothing more than mentioning that Kobe wasn't a fan of the triangle offense which he wasn't but so weren't players! And let's face it, Phil was out coached in the finals, his theory of not calling timeouts to stem runs by the opponent didn't work in this scenario and he didn't do the X's and O's adjustments necessary for the Lakers to win (and yes I still stand by my statements concerning the one-sided officiating earlier, but Phil's approach didn't help matters).

All in all, the Kobe dismantled the Lakers theory is a media created soap opera. Kobe has made no public statements until he announced which team he was playing for yesterday. The Media created a story, and ran with it. Strangely enough, the 'story' that the media has been running for the past weeks about Kobe's evil plan to take over the Lakers is actually an editorial; an editorial is supposed to be an opinion since it's basically based on what one reporter thinks; yet, this editorial has been repeated over and over again by reporters from the smallest, most unconnected news sources to ESPN.com as if there opinions were based on factual conversations held between Kobe and Buss and Kupckak. And still, there is no documentation that Kobe had a thing to do with this 'breakup'. The media, as it often does, has decided to steer the public's perception because it makes for a good story. It's really as simple as that....unfortunately, the public has shown once again they would much rather be told what's going on than to think about it and opine on their own. Groupthink is a terrible fashion to wear........

I thought it best that I not immediately comment on the happenings surrounding Shaquille O'Neal (no longer Shaq, no nicknames for non-Lakers). Up until late last night, I tried to remain neutral given that Shaquille had been a Laker for eight years, I had grown accustom to having the dynamic duo, and that there seemed to be something fishy about the way Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss were handling things. Then I watched a press conference by Kupchak, who I still have no faith in as a GM but more on that later. The thing that turned me against Shaquille (and this is a new feeling for me, but it is a passionate one) is the fact that he turned down an extension that would have kept him the highest paid player in the league. What more could you want in a league that's willing to give Carlos Boozer 68 million bucks? But to listen to Shaquille speak, you would think they offered nothing. He says he didn't like the way the team was going, that the executives didn't come to him and communicate effectively, that the organization didn't keep things 'in-house' so to speak. Oddly enough, he is\was the first person to speak to the press about matters that should have been kept 'in house'. It is sad to see what could have been disappear so quickly, so underhandedly (on both sides), and so trivially.

As for Mitch Kupchak, why in the hell are we getting Brian 'my accomplishments in the league (and I played against Magic) total zero' Grant, Lamar 'I've been to L.A. but never really did anything' Odom, and Caron 'unproven' Butler in exchange for a franchise player? Oh yeah, we also get a first round pick which may sound nice unless Miami finishes in the upper echelon of teams then it becomes a twenty something pick....woohoo! Mitch has thrived off the team the Mr. West built. He has yet to make a single improvement that he can call his own. Payton and Malone? They came on their own accord. Now there is a possibility of losing Kobe, Derek Fisher, and a few others. Let's put Magic in the GM's chair....he garners respect from the players, the fans, and anyone who has anything to do with basketball. And further, he's a helluva businessman who knows the game. Yeah, Magic couldn't coach but that's a different animal.

Needless to say, I am not the happiest Laker fan there is right now. I guess I need to try to get excited about our new look teams and try to build some enthusiasm that can only come from the loyalty of a true fan.....shit's gonna be hard though....

Today's question: Why do we call it a toothbrush? We rarely brush just a single tooth. Shouldn't it be called a teethbrush? Or perhaps a teethbrusher?

I'm sleepy but I didn't go out drinking last night. I think all this driving is wearing me down a bit. Plus, I got a speeding ticket yesterday...84 in a 65. Must make a cameo at the Gastonia, NC courthouse. I may have a lawyer go in my absence.

THe ol' battleaxe's birthday is next week and for the second year in a row, I will not be in town. That kinda sucks! Oh well, guess I have to go broke trying to do right by my Bae....

It's been a while since I posted regularly but summertime is so less creative for me. Uh, let's see. Making quite a few friends here in Winston Salem....to the point that I hate to tell them that I may be leaving soon. I ran into a friend I went to VT with. Turns out she is a pretty cool chick. We didn't hang out much in college since I didn't mess with white folk too much, you know I was in my militant phase. But she told me last night that I seemed very different than what she remembered. I was like it's because I talk to white people now. And she was quiet for a second and then she said 'Maybe that's it'. But we ended up hanging out most of the night with good conversation....cool chick cool chick.

I had a thought the other night during karaoke night. Karaoke is discriminatory towards the illiterate. What if someone plagued by illiteracy wants to sing 867-5309 but can't remember all the words. Are they forced to endure the embarassment of having to hum parts they don't know?!?!? WE MUST MAKE KARAOKE AVAILABLE TO ALL!!!!!

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you without a strong rhyme to step to" .. . .Eric B. and Rakim (I think)

Yeah, I know I have been kinda vacant for a minute now. My bad. Still recovering slowly and quietly from the debacle known as the NBA finals. Nuff said about that...

I think I am going to make this my metrosexual summer. I am going to buy one metrosexually inspired clothing item per week. Deciding to dress metrosexually is a big risk since I live in Atlanta, the (drag)sister city of San Francisco. This past weekend was Gay pride weekend in the ATL. That got me to thinking.....homosexuals always claim that they want to be just like everyone else, treated the same etc....but there is no heterosexual parade?!?! I think I'm going to start the Straight in Straight Out Parade for heterosexuality (and lesbians...I like lesbians, not butches, but lesbians). We can have a mobile wet t-shirt contest conducted by the chippendales (so all heterosexuals are entertained) followed by heathen night at a local whorehouse.

Okay, I don't know where all that above came from......

Finally! Someone else saw at least a hint of what I saw, click here. Check the excerpt:

You love NBA conspiracies ... what's the best one you heard during the playoffs?

A: As you know, the officiating was curiously one-sided in the Finals. It reached the point where ABC was afraid to show replays -- like when Rasheed delivered a flying forearm to Devean George in Game 5, sent him flying out of bounds, drew a prolonged whistle from the referee ... and play was mysteriously allowed to continue. What the heck happened there? Thank God for TiVo. And have you ever seen a team set more moving picks in a single series?

I'm pretty much at a loss for words. The pistons played the best that they could have possibly played. Combine that with shady officiating (more on that later) and less than average play from the Lakers and I guess the outcome of this series isn't as 'surprising' as the lame ass media would have you believe.

As far as the officiating goes, I am not saying it was some conspiracy cooked up by the NBA. What I am saying is there is no way you'll ever convince me that one team could be 'aggressive' enough to shoot 171 free throws in five games (avg 34.2 per game) versus 111 (avg 22.2 per game). My view? The refs allowed one team to play physical because that's how they played all year long while they blew the whistle if the other team played physical. Tayshaun Prince wasn't moving his feet on Kobe at such an incredible rate that he could stop him, he was holding and pushing long enough for help defense to arrive (Strangely enough, tv announcers throughout the series applauded Detroit for playing Kobe and Shaq straight up, yeah never saw that).

I know this sounds like sour grapes but when a team is in the penalty within the first three to four minutes of every quarter, it makes it extremely hard to be competitive. Especially when the calls aren't being made on both sides of the floor. Just how often is Ben Wallace allowed to jump over someone's back to tap the ball out? Is Chauncey really allowed to take two steps and a hop.....when catching the ball?!?! Rasheed is allowed to curse the referees blatantly for 3/4 of a quarter but if Gary Payton so much as looks at a referee it's time for a technical? One sided affair and I'm not talking about the gameplay....