Well I am going to be in church tonight bringing in the new year. This is a tradition for many people. For me this will be my second year attending.
Growing up, I have never been pressed to go. My mom and granddad (when he was living) attended all the time. I chose to stay at home and bring it in with Dick Clark and ABC.
Last year, after going through some shuffling of jobs and not being able to go home, I decided that I was going to attend. Before that I had read some history behind the "watchnight". Snopes.com proclaims that Watchnight started with the Morovians (which may be true) however it primarily became an African American tradition. However, check out the website http://www.wsbrec.org/blackfacts/WatchNight.htm and you will find out that African Americans have been gathering together praising God for years before the term officially had been coined "Watch Night". So really we didn't need a particular name for something we have been doing for years.
Back to the 2007 watchnight. I attended last year at Pine Grove AME Church (the church that I attend sometimes here in Columbia) and it was a packed house. Young, old and in between, you could see people filing in. I thought that was really cool. Some people have been going since they were kids (because their parents made them go). Others began going when they started college and was told this is what you need to do before going to the club on New Years. I will never forget one of my friends said a group of young people in their mid 20's attended watch night back home, and as soon as midnight hit, they passed their children to their parents and said "Off to the club we go!" WOW...that serious?
I enjoyed myself though. There were those who had their testimonials. I am more into the singing, so if I knew the song I was definitely into it. Two minutes before the new year we prayed it in. I'm thinking "this is how it is supposed to be...really". I felt more at peace that night. People coming together, whatever their problems may be and rejoicing and celebrating...and then....running out of the church to get to the party (club, house party)...lol. For me it was going home but if there was a motorcycle party going on...I would have been there, after the watchnight.
To all my readers and everyone on Blogger, have a safe and Happy New Year.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Be Responsible
I chose this topic for my Monday morning blog because of my oldest nephew who needs to somehow "find himself".
"Tay" needs to keep himself free and out of trouble for as long as he can...til infinity for that matter. In September,he got caught up with some older dudes and this girl and ended up being arrested for an attempted armed robbery that went bad. When I say bad, I mean the older ones pushed him up to go try to rob some dude who happen to be a big time drug dealer 90 MILES AWAY FROM COLUMBIA and then the dude was able to grab the gun from him and hold him up.
(I'm going to wait on you to digest this bit of info).
Continuing...
Tay was 17 at the time of the robbery-gone-bad scenario, which here in South Carolina you are considered a adult. Period. End of discussion. The other three (from what I am told) were in their mid 20's. One other girl was arrested, but he other two got away (those two never got out of the car). So now, these two are awaiting trial for this bullcrap, which could take forever to get on the docket.
Bond was set at $1000. You know me, I was like let his ass stay there. Tay was grown enough to leave home at 6am having this mom thinking he was going to school early (???) when in fact he was two counties away. Then on top of that, he didn't call his mama first to let her know where he was. Nah, he calls is then 15 year old sister on her cell phone at school. All the kids at school knew before his mama knew.
(Giving you 30 seconds to digest that info).
But you know mom wants her son at home so what does she do? Scraps up the first $500 to give to the bail bondsman so her son can be home. This was in September. He had spent three weeks and three days in jail from that time. Since then, Tay has had to appear for roll call three times for a 5 minute (or less) appearance which I had to drive them there, take off time from my then permanent job to go 90 MILES AWAY from Columbia for some bullcrap that he should have never been in.
So my thing is, since you ain't locked up yet. You got to do something. Get on the bandwagon. Try to prove to these people that this was something that you weren't trying to get into in the first place, but you are correcting your actions because you don't want to repeat the offense.
Tay turned 18 in November, which meant that he could try out for his driving permit on his own without being on anyone's insurance policy. He successfully got that after two tries.
He then applied for jobs and ended up getting a job at Honey Baked Ham. Sounds like the road is paving away smoothly.
The rocky part of the road: Today, Tay's boss calls him and ask him to come in a little later this morning. Ok fine. So he ask me what time to I have to go to work. I tell him I work this evening but I don't get off til midnight. He sighs. Now he's like he don't think he's going to work today because he doesn't have any bus fare to get back home and nobody to pick him up.
I'm already heated with that line cause first of all, you can get a ride anyplace else you want to, the teen club, the mall, whatever but you not going to work cause you can't find a ride?
I told Tay that his on him, but he need not be asking anybody for any money for anything because he could have been doing what he supposed to be doing.
But 20 minutes later Tay is on the phone with one of his homeboy's and is about to leave the house.
His brother told him he was on that bs cause if he had that job, he would work all the hours he could. He'll find a ride back home somehow. That's what I'm talking about.
It's all about responsiblity. Mama, auntie, or whoever can't hold children's hands when they get grown. They need not to. Let their asses go!!! Most of us who are able to work are doing it because we got to. If I didn't have to pay bills I wouldn't bother getting up to go to anybody's office, retail store, or anything for that matter.
I have my own place, so what's goes on here with Tay at this house, let his mama deal with it if she so please.
Maybe it is just my frustration for today, but when you are 18, you need to be making most of these grown decisions for yourself, not waiting on somebody hand and foot.
Ok, I am finished ranting for the morning.
"Tay" needs to keep himself free and out of trouble for as long as he can...til infinity for that matter. In September,he got caught up with some older dudes and this girl and ended up being arrested for an attempted armed robbery that went bad. When I say bad, I mean the older ones pushed him up to go try to rob some dude who happen to be a big time drug dealer 90 MILES AWAY FROM COLUMBIA and then the dude was able to grab the gun from him and hold him up.
(I'm going to wait on you to digest this bit of info).
Continuing...
Tay was 17 at the time of the robbery-gone-bad scenario, which here in South Carolina you are considered a adult. Period. End of discussion. The other three (from what I am told) were in their mid 20's. One other girl was arrested, but he other two got away (those two never got out of the car). So now, these two are awaiting trial for this bullcrap, which could take forever to get on the docket.
Bond was set at $1000. You know me, I was like let his ass stay there. Tay was grown enough to leave home at 6am having this mom thinking he was going to school early (???) when in fact he was two counties away. Then on top of that, he didn't call his mama first to let her know where he was. Nah, he calls is then 15 year old sister on her cell phone at school. All the kids at school knew before his mama knew.
(Giving you 30 seconds to digest that info).
But you know mom wants her son at home so what does she do? Scraps up the first $500 to give to the bail bondsman so her son can be home. This was in September. He had spent three weeks and three days in jail from that time. Since then, Tay has had to appear for roll call three times for a 5 minute (or less) appearance which I had to drive them there, take off time from my then permanent job to go 90 MILES AWAY from Columbia for some bullcrap that he should have never been in.
So my thing is, since you ain't locked up yet. You got to do something. Get on the bandwagon. Try to prove to these people that this was something that you weren't trying to get into in the first place, but you are correcting your actions because you don't want to repeat the offense.
Tay turned 18 in November, which meant that he could try out for his driving permit on his own without being on anyone's insurance policy. He successfully got that after two tries.
He then applied for jobs and ended up getting a job at Honey Baked Ham. Sounds like the road is paving away smoothly.
The rocky part of the road: Today, Tay's boss calls him and ask him to come in a little later this morning. Ok fine. So he ask me what time to I have to go to work. I tell him I work this evening but I don't get off til midnight. He sighs. Now he's like he don't think he's going to work today because he doesn't have any bus fare to get back home and nobody to pick him up.
I'm already heated with that line cause first of all, you can get a ride anyplace else you want to, the teen club, the mall, whatever but you not going to work cause you can't find a ride?
I told Tay that his on him, but he need not be asking anybody for any money for anything because he could have been doing what he supposed to be doing.
But 20 minutes later Tay is on the phone with one of his homeboy's and is about to leave the house.
His brother told him he was on that bs cause if he had that job, he would work all the hours he could. He'll find a ride back home somehow. That's what I'm talking about.
It's all about responsiblity. Mama, auntie, or whoever can't hold children's hands when they get grown. They need not to. Let their asses go!!! Most of us who are able to work are doing it because we got to. If I didn't have to pay bills I wouldn't bother getting up to go to anybody's office, retail store, or anything for that matter.
I have my own place, so what's goes on here with Tay at this house, let his mama deal with it if she so please.
Maybe it is just my frustration for today, but when you are 18, you need to be making most of these grown decisions for yourself, not waiting on somebody hand and foot.
Ok, I am finished ranting for the morning.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Back from hiding
I think I have been away from blogger for about a week. Alot has gone on since I last posted. My followers and others I network on blogger know that I would be on here every week.
Well here is the scoop.
About a week ago, the customer service side of our department got the confirmation that we were being let go and our 60 day working notice had begun (December 6). The "working notice" means that we will continue to get paid biweekly until February 3rd, however we will not be required to come back to the office. In other words, we want to get rid of you right now. We will pay you for your time just as long as you pack your things and get out. At least 10 of us were eliminated from our jobs. This does not include an additional 10 that were let go at the beginning of November.
The only thing that irritated me about the whole deal was that they called us in for a 9am meeting to tell us this crap and then we would have to leave by 12 noon. Not to mention the big whigs were in Hartford, Connecticut when they decided to drop the 60 day bomb. I guess it was safe for them to to it there instead of South Carolina. The last time they were down here and they let those first 10 people go, I thought I riot was going to break out.
So last week I picked up hours at Kmart to pass up some time and to make some extra money. Why Kmart have to have their Christmas items 50 percent off already? People buying lights and garlands out of the ying yang and we got like TWO cashiers open up front. I was so sick and tired of Kmart that week alone. I am so glad for this day off.
This weekend I went to a motorcycle club party, which turned out to be pretty good. Sunday, I had to work till midnight at the Big K. I get a voice message from my friend who I am feeling but not trying to get wrapped around him cause just like Raymond, everybody in the motorcycle community loves him. He says (on the message) that it was unsual for me not to call and wanted to know what was up.**clearing throat** If you are into football, and you religously watch it every Sunday and you have already told me that you don't talk to anyone while football is on until afterwards, then why at 7:30pm are you calling with this message??? I had to listen to this 6 times to make sure I was hearing it right. Hell, since football is his "me" time between him and the television, why even bother him, especially if I am not interested? (Note: I do know the rules of football. I rather watch it live than in front of a television set). Lo and behold my friend calls me this morning and I ask him about it. His reply: "I know you don't usually call during football but you do text me sometimes to tell me have a good day so...I guess I got used to hearing from you all the time with something." YO!!!!! Is he getting his head wrapped up? I am not reading into that too fast but who would have ever thought I would have heard him say that.
So now you know I am riding high off of that little comment for the moment. Monday is going pretty good. I am catching up on all my networking sites and check other blogger pages to see what's going on. Hope your Monday is good also.
Well here is the scoop.
About a week ago, the customer service side of our department got the confirmation that we were being let go and our 60 day working notice had begun (December 6). The "working notice" means that we will continue to get paid biweekly until February 3rd, however we will not be required to come back to the office. In other words, we want to get rid of you right now. We will pay you for your time just as long as you pack your things and get out. At least 10 of us were eliminated from our jobs. This does not include an additional 10 that were let go at the beginning of November.
The only thing that irritated me about the whole deal was that they called us in for a 9am meeting to tell us this crap and then we would have to leave by 12 noon. Not to mention the big whigs were in Hartford, Connecticut when they decided to drop the 60 day bomb. I guess it was safe for them to to it there instead of South Carolina. The last time they were down here and they let those first 10 people go, I thought I riot was going to break out.
So last week I picked up hours at Kmart to pass up some time and to make some extra money. Why Kmart have to have their Christmas items 50 percent off already? People buying lights and garlands out of the ying yang and we got like TWO cashiers open up front. I was so sick and tired of Kmart that week alone. I am so glad for this day off.
This weekend I went to a motorcycle club party, which turned out to be pretty good. Sunday, I had to work till midnight at the Big K. I get a voice message from my friend who I am feeling but not trying to get wrapped around him cause just like Raymond, everybody in the motorcycle community loves him. He says (on the message) that it was unsual for me not to call and wanted to know what was up.**clearing throat** If you are into football, and you religously watch it every Sunday and you have already told me that you don't talk to anyone while football is on until afterwards, then why at 7:30pm are you calling with this message??? I had to listen to this 6 times to make sure I was hearing it right. Hell, since football is his "me" time between him and the television, why even bother him, especially if I am not interested? (Note: I do know the rules of football. I rather watch it live than in front of a television set). Lo and behold my friend calls me this morning and I ask him about it. His reply: "I know you don't usually call during football but you do text me sometimes to tell me have a good day so...I guess I got used to hearing from you all the time with something." YO!!!!! Is he getting his head wrapped up? I am not reading into that too fast but who would have ever thought I would have heard him say that.
So now you know I am riding high off of that little comment for the moment. Monday is going pretty good. I am catching up on all my networking sites and check other blogger pages to see what's going on. Hope your Monday is good also.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
When You Think You Had It Bad...
Earlier this week I had been under alot of stress. You know how it goes: not making enough money, stretching to make the bills meet, aggravating relatives. Makes you want to go on a vacation when you get back on your feet. QUICKLY!I had to do alot of praying and mediating so I could ease my nerves. There are times when I feel that there is so much going on in my life that I think I am going to crack.
A cousin of mine called me last night and we were talking about the Friday after Thanksgiving, how it was so great seeing people near and far, folks we having seen in a long time. Some how of another we got to talking about this young lady I used to hang out with when I was working in Hemingway back in 2000. She, her sister, and I were real good friends working at Tupperware Manufacturing. Since we were temporary workers, we could work as many hours as we wanted during the week. We used to log mad overtime, at least 60 hours a week. Once we got paid we took care of the bills we had to take care of and every now and again we would go shopping or go out to eat. It was so much fun. At the time I was back home in my granddaddy's house, which meant no rent, and no house bills, but I felt it was my responsibility to help out with the food, cooking, etc and anything else he needed. His only request was that his kids and grandkids worked. And I wasn't about to sit around the house no way.
By 2003 I had enough money saved up to move to Columbia, and though I didn't want to move away from granddaddy but at the same time I needed to progress financially and Heminway wasn't doing it. Columbia was a better move because I wasn't that far from him and I could still come home and hang out with my family and close friends.
Which brings me back to the conversation with me and my cousin about my friend and her sister. I will call them Amina and Stacia. Amina (who is older) was about 20 when I met her, already had her own mobile home and a car, and a 2 year old and kept herself up real good. Stacia was about 3 years younger, also worked at Tupperware and she worked because her mom made her basically. She was so stuck on this guy named Shawn, and he was dogging her out by dating this other chick, had a baby with her and all.
My cousin told me Amina has "lost her mind". I was like what do you mean? I mean she always said something off the wall sometimes but she could not be like THAT. My cousin was like, "No, I really think she lost her mind or something. From what the people say here, Amina was messing around with this married man. His wife found out about it and had put roots on her. She hadn't been right since." I am now shocked like hell. I was like, "Shereka (my cousin) you got to be lying." But Shereka was like,"Nah. I know Amina real good too and she was always friendly and I know of her to always try to keep herself up. But now? Girl she gained weight. She don't keep her hair up no more and I saw her and her mom going to Family Dollar and she had to hold Amina's hand like she was retarded or something. I spoke to her and she kinda speak slow now." Right now (it just came to my mind) that this girl could have possibly had a stroke but I don't know and according to Shereka, no one really knows what happened to Amina except people keep saying the lady put roots on her.
Well why not put roots on the husband? I mean he was just at fault as Amina was.
Don't get me wrong, I am surely not saying what Amina did was right but if indeed this lady put some type of roots on her she is so dead wrong for that. If anyone practice that stuff I believe you should never do harm to people. That put you in a category of witches (if you believe in them). Shereka said that I should go see her one day. I want to but then I don't. I don't know if I can really stand to see her in that state of mind. Then again, Amina may need her true friends to be by her side. Maybe she can snap out of this trance, if it is one.
Her sister, Stacia, on the other hand...a total mess. According to Shereka, Stacia is still fooling around with that no good bastard Shawn and he got the girl sniffing powder. WTF??? This chick went from the town princess to the town drug addict??? Where is her mind? She had some issues from the time I met her anyway because the rumor around town (back then in 2000) was that she messed around with her momma's husband (which would be her stepdaddy). Ewwww.... I don't know for fact about that but that's real nasty to say and even do. I don't know when it happened but I know her mom and stepdad were together when we all were working back at Tupperware. I don't know about now cause I haven't seen these ladies in about 5 years.
Hearing what Stacia and Amina have (and is still going through) now proves to me that my issues are not really that bad. I break out in hives from time to time (that's usually caused by stressed) but in the end I am able to get through it. Both of these ladies need help and fast. It looks like a long road ahead for both of them and I really hope Stacia gets cleaned up and Amina gets well soon.
Now, would you really say you got it bad?
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