In Grand (father) Fashion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandparents are a special breed. They all have their little quirks, sayings, and what nots, that through the years first get on your nerves, but then grow to be some of the staples that you live your life by. On this November 4th, I would like to honor my Grandfather's 70th birthday by introducing you to some of his greatest sayings.

1) "Well I'ma tell you like this" - Most of Grandfather's pearls of wisdom/stories normally start with this phrase. When you hear this, you might as well settle in. The only bad part about hearing this is when you've come to him with what you feel is an important problem. If you're hype is any manner, its pretty deflating to have him come back with that.

2) "Every closed eye ain't sleep" - This one is a classic. In order for you to understand this one, you must know that my Grandfather hasn't slept through the night probably since the Kennedy Administration. So when as a kid I would always hear him say this, I always thought it was really just a threat. Well that was until my brother and I tried to be slick and sneak into the kitchen for late night peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Grandfather swooped in on us like an owl on a three legged mouse. That night, I truly learned the meaning of this saying.

3) "Jaws tight like Dick's hat band" - Well this is probably how my Grandfather would have described the look on me and my brother's faces when he busted us. I don't know who Dick is, but I do know that we were pretty salty that night, so Dick wears a seriously tight hat. I've always wondered if Dick was just somebody my Grandfather knew, or if it was a well known fact that Dick had a tight hat band.

4) "Joe Sausage Head" - To be referred to as a Joe Sausage Head was pretty severe. If Grandfather called someone this, they generally didn't have much, if any, sense. The funny thing about this saying is that until a co-worker of mine used the term last year, I thought my Grandfather was the only one who said it.

5) "Neither Vip nor Vop" - I have no idea what the hell this means. But when Grandfather says it, its with so much authority, that it almost makes sense.

6) "Like 40 going north" - In case you guys don't know, I drive for a living. I have damn near been on every highway and byway in America. But both US 40 and Interstate 40 travel east and west. So I have yet to figure out what 40 he's referring to. I'm not trying to prove Grandfather wrong, I'm just trying to understand what my man is referring to.

7) "More (Blank) than Carter had little liver pills" - This was another saying that for the longest time, I just took Grandfather at his word. I had no idea who the hell Carter was. With the advent of the internet, I finally decided to look up Carter and his little liver pills. Low and behold, I finally found the information. Carter wasn't a person, per se, but instead a company that made laxitives. Apparently they must've done big business back in the day cuz Grandfather is still referring to them now.


So those are probably the 7 most classic sayings from my Grandfather. I share them with you because though he's not your Grandfather, I'm sure your grandparents have some good saying of their own. I invite you to share with the blogosphere some of your grandparent's sayings. I'm proposing that we keep a Grandparents dictionary. These 7 are enshrined with my Grandmother saying "Flusterated, and Testes (That's the plural of test to her, my girl's grandfather who says "Search" (That's church to everyone else), and My Grandfather John's singing "Every day, every hour of the day", and the ultra classic "Summage". (A summage is a son of a bitch. I guess that's just how it was said in Mississippi).

To my Grandfather. Happy Birthday Grandfather. May you always know that though you might not have thought we were listening, WE WERE! And as we've gotten older, your words have never been truer. We Love you, and hope you're around for many more of these birthday posts. Enjoy your 70th. Next time I'm in Chicago, the cognac is on me! Lol


-DrizaDre-

Randomness

So I haven't done one of these in a long time and figured I'd go ahead and hit you guys with some random things about me. I have no set number of items I'm just going to ramble on until I stop. So here we go:

1.) I want to learn Spanish. As much as it could have come in handy in my old job dealing with a 90% Hispanic customer base my reason is not for career advancement. Although it may benefit in that way, I have another reason. On the real I want to learn so that I can watch the Soap Operas that come on the Spanish Channel. Maybe it's just me but I turned past the channel all the time and sometimes stop. But I swear whatever goes on in those shows is deep as hell. And dramatic as all get out!

2.) I thought about it and I've had a very wide range of best friends going back to grade school. Let's just say no one can ever say that I discriminate. 1st Grade: My best friend was disabled. Yep he had only 3 fingers (or maybe 2) on each hand. But we hung like it wasn't nothing, and I still got play from the girls back then. LoL. 3rd grade my best friend was Indian. I mean for real Indian he wore a Turban and all. Shame that they hated on him though. Someone pulled his Turban off once. Although I was glad my curiosity was finally satisfied as to what was under there I felt bad to see him cry. His hair was long as hell though. From there I went to black, Hispanic, white and now a female. Like I said I don't discriminate. Good friends are hard to come by. LoL. Not to get too deep but isn't it funny how innocent we are as kids and how race, religion, creed, and gender don't matter. All we see is another kid.

3.) My closet as I've been told resembles that of a woman's closet. I admit that I do have a lot of clothes. However, I'm not like a female when it comes to shopping. I actually hate shopping. I blame my grandmother for that. As a shorty we would have to spend hours upon hours waiting in the store for her to finish shopping. And as boys we would play and get into stuff. And as soon as you did she would pinch the HELL out of us!!! But as for my shopping my problem lies with bargain shopping I tend to find great deals. Therefore when I do shop I buy a lot at once but get a great deal for the amount I spend. But yeah there you have it my closet, clothes, shoes, etc. Damn Shame! LoL. Unfortunately I didn't have time to provide a pic of my own closet.

4.) I don't know if it's partly with me being as suspicious as I am or what. However, I've noticed that I can not kiss entirely with my eyes closed. I've even tried to and I can't. Not all crazy staring like some lunatic. LoL. But at some point during the kiss I must take a little peek. Maybe it's me making sure she's enjoying as much as I am. Who knows exactly.

5.) I've done this ever since I was a kid. But I still fall asleep on any car trips over an hour long. If I'm not driving I'm sleeping. Bottom line and people who know me know that. I remember my bro and I being both drunk and sleepy leaving Vegas for L.A. I'm talking big stuff like yeah I'm gone stay up don't worry. Next thing I know I'm waking up and we're in Cali. My brother was like I knew your ass was going to fall asleep. Lol. I'm headed down to Atlanta, GA next week for my cousin's wedding. I'll be riding with my Mom and possibly brother. And I'm sure I'll be sleeping half of the trip at least. lol.

6.) As a black man it's in my DNA to love chicken. However, some would say that I don't eat it properly. You see it is impossible for me to clean a chicken bone. I just can't do it. As good as it tastes I just can't eat it all. My parents would eat after me as a kid. Now my mom just talks about me still. And my son has the same issue so far. Again, I have no clue as to why.

7.) I'm not a big sweater. Unlike the typical man I don't perspire that much. It will take some pretty strenuous activity and extreme heat for my sweat glands to go to work. Even some of the 'hardest' work one could put it may only produce a few drops of sweat from me. LoL. Now you man think I have the top line of anti-perspirant. However, that's not the case. Due to the fact that I don't really sweat I actually tend to purchase the cheapest deodorant there is. It may even say stick on the bottle or just deodorant. Lol. Not that I would ever attempt to go a day without it. But my money would be on if I did forget to use deodorant that no one would ever know I didn't.

8.) In the morning I must have a drink of juice. If there is no juice it must be something equivalent (kool-aid, tea, etc). I think I picked this up somewhere along the way from my father. He would open up anything in the fridge come the morning. He didn't care whose it was, if it was in there come morning it was subject to getting opened and drank. But for me it's almost like the morning just won't start off right without this beverage. Just like some need their morning coffee, I need my juice. Unfortunately, I haven't had any the last few days and it's not a good thing.

9.) Speaking of drinking. I discovered a long while ago that I have the weird ability to be able to drink while laying down. Yep I can lay down on my back and drink a cup of whatever without spilling or choking. People that have seen me do it wonder how I can do so without damn near choking. But I have no clue I have just always been able to do this. Weird I know. LoL.

10.) May 5th of this year I would have officially been married 8 years...if I had not gotten a divorce 4 years ago. LoL. If you are following me on twitter then you would have seen me dub that day my "Non-Iversary." LoL. It was also Cinco De Mayo so my BFF and I celebrated that as well. But I need to remember the date I got divorced and start to celebrate that day. Isn't that public record? I need to do some online searching and confirm that's in the public record before I discover my ass is still married or some garbage. Now wouldn't that be some s**t? LOL.

11.) Speaking of divorce. I have taken the opportunity of having gone through an event such as divorce at a young age and chosen to share my experiences with the world. Yep I have began drafting a book. Don't ask me when it will be done or what will take place once it is done. However, I have some stories (boy do I...) and I feel like they're so great that they must be told. In fact, I tend to tell myself just in everyday life that I must be living a movie cuz some of this stuff is purely cinematic. So stay tuned. Perhaps I'll leak some chapters for you guys feedback as I get the the chance to.

12.) My Birthday is coming up on May 30th. Although I don't look it I will be 29 years old. Hard to believe myself that I am only a year away from 30. But hey I look forward to it. Just another chapter in this book I call my life. Also, speaking of B-days. Shouts out to my best friend's 25th b-day is coming up next week on the 20th. Also, a special birthday shout out to KingsMomma who is also celebrating her 25th on Sunday. She threatened me from afar via twitter to finally post a blog. LoL .

13.) I miss my granny. I know I don't see her since she moved down to ATL and have been a bad grandson and not calling like I should have. But I talked to her on Mother's Day and I look forward to seeing her when I go down there for my cousin's wedding. My grandmother has some of the funniest quotes in the world. For instance. No matter who you're with or how long you've been with or married to that person she will refer to them a certain way. So to my cousin (her oldest granddaughter) your new husband will still always be "The Boy" when it comes to granny. Another great saying of my grandmother's are actually words of wisdom. She would always say. "The one thing I can't stand is a Liar and a Thief, because if you'll steal you'll lie, and if you lie you'll steal." Now I don't know about the latter part of that, because I know liars that don't steal. But the first part is dead on!! To this date I've known thieves that will lie they ass off. So shout out to all the thieves and liar out there. And speaking of, if anyone ever gets their hands on a book called "Purpose through Pain." I doubt if it ever will surface but if on the off chance someone sees it please inform me asap. LOL.

That's it for now lucky 13. Hope everyone has a great weekend and holiday weekend if I don't update the blog by then. Also, I seem to be a little addicted to this twitter thing. So feel free to follow me there twitter.com/crecks. It is probably the easiest way to check in with the latest and greatest of one half of Brothers' Blog. Especially since I've been able to update this so rarely.

--C-Recks--

4 Weddings and A Funeral

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you..." Eric B. &Rakim "I got Soul."

Okay I want to personally apologize to all for our lack of posts over the last month. I wish there was a specific reason we could quote as to why we haven't been posting, but unfortunately there isn't. There have been no major tragedies or drama (Thank God), and all is actually going very well with the new job and everything else. So to be honest I will simply chalk it up to pure laziness. As my late granny Alverta often use to tell my brother "You're just Lazy! Boy You're Just Lazy! Why are you so Damn Lazy?!!?" LoL. The new job has kind of been kicking my butt and my commute has changed to public transportation (I'll maybe reveal why in a later blog). But by the time I get home I'm too lazy to read or write.

But I want to thank all of our followers for being patient and not going anywhere. I was quite surprised when I logged in the other day to see that we still had the same number of followers. I was expecting half of you to stop following. Most of my previous blogging and reading was done while at my old job and it's much harder to do that from this job. Yes I actually have a steady flow of work to do. And as great of a multi-tasker I am I have yet to be able to fit blogging into all I do now. But I will make better attempts to read everyone's blog and start blogging at least 1-2xs a week.

Also, I decided to finally jump on the Tweeter bandwagon so feel free to follow me there @ http://twitter.com/crecks.

So this isn't a major blog but just got presented something and I just had to speak on it really quick. So speaking of work I actually have my 60 day review today. So I've been here 2 months. Now I worked 5 years for a smaller company and for a company not much bigger than that prior to. But the company before that was much bigger and they tended to celebrate everything. I mean you name it they celebrated it. Birthday, baby shower, wedding, engagement, etc.

Well I've found myself back at another company that does this. I told you how on day # 2 I got talked into signing up for the birthday club. But I did so thinking that my birthday was coming up next so why not. But since then I've already had to put my $5 in on 3 other birthdays. But it's not just the $5. But then I have to bring some kind of snack or goody for the party. Isn't that what my $5 was for? So, now my boss is getting married next month and just got an e-mail that I gotta put in on that as well. We're not having any strippers in the office so to be honest I'm good on putting in on his party. If there were going to be strippers of course I'd be the first putting my money in the pot. LoL. But I don't want to be the only one not contributing so I'll pony up next week. I'm actually starting to feel like Elaine in this episode of Seinfeld Below. LoL.

Now today I got an envelope passed by me. I opened it and read that a lady from another department's husband died. They of course wanted a donation and they had a card to sign. Now I didn't have any cash on me so I'm like I can't put in. But I did want to at least sign the card and send my condolences. But I guess since I didn't put in on it I couldn't sign the card. As smokey from Friday said "You didn't put in on this Maaaan!" So I'm like damn okay well get me next week if it's still going around. Or I'll just give my condolences when she returns to work.

But basically I feel like I'm in 1 of those churches that pass the collection plate around about 5 times a service. After you put in on the first time it's like damn come on now. You mean we still don't have enough for a new building yet? LoL. All I know is that I better get hooked up come my birthday next month. I at least need my $15 back I've put in so far. LoL.

But that's it people nothing major or exciting. Hopefully, I can get something good for you next week. It's finally nice weather in Chicago so I plan on getting out and enjoying. Have a great weekend everyone.

--C-Recks--

Play Your Card Right

"Don't Be fooled by the Baby Face." - Lil' Cease "Crush On You"

If you've seen me in person or in pictures there is no question that I do not look my age. In fact, I look considerably younger than I actually am. My brother at times refers to me as "The Baby Face Bandit." LoL. But it's true I can admit that I do look very young. I Definitely don't look as if I'm less than 2 years away from 30! {!Gasp!} Therefore, I don't mind using it to my advantage at times. Don't ask don't tell. LoL.

Although I constantly get teased by my family and friends, I take it all in stride. I don't get upset when I'm carded to buy alcohol anymore. I come with I.D. in hand ready for the cashier. Whenever I visit Las Vegas I constantly think about making a name tag with my I.D. to display as I walked through the casinos. Either that or put it on a shirt like the guy in the picture so the left. LoL. But when I do get carded I love the suspect looks I usually get. They look closely at the picture and the I.D. as if it's fake. I have never owned a fake I.D. when I was younger and damn sho have no reason to now. Then there are the rare times that I do not get carded (which is not too often), I don't know why but I feel like I got away with something. Then I think to myself I hope this cashier hasn't slipped up and sold alcohol to a minor before. Because if they're letting me slide without carding me they clearly don't care.

Now I've attempted to figure out what is the factor that causes me to get carded and at times not get carded. I thought back upon some of the times I got carded and my theory was maybe it was based on how I was dressed. On average I dress very urban or hood as some would call it. Therefore, I could definitely be considered to look young not only in the face, but also some may assume my age based on how I'm dressed. However, there are other times when I do dress up with more casual and sometimes dressy attire.

So, below I am going to display some pictures of me dressed normally (hood) and some of me more dressed up. The results of me being carded or not are listed below each picture. But I want you to tell me how old do you honestly think I look in each picture. And would you card me or even be willing to serve me alcohol at all? LoL!

1. I wore this to go to the movies with a friend a few months ago. I was carded for an R rated movie. SMH! Damn shame. We then went to grab a drink and the waitress didn't card me at first. Wow what a surprise considering minutes before I didn't even look 17. But soon after the drinks arrived she came back said her boss said she needed to card us. LoL.

2. I wore this out to a bowling alley with my brother, best friend, and some of her girls. I Got carded for drinks there. From there we went to a hood bar where my cousin was partying at and didn't get carded.

3. I wore this out to kick it with the bff about 4-5 months ago to have some margaritas at this Mexican spot. Funny thing about this is my bff forgot her wallet/I.D. at home and the drive is at least 25 minutes. My mom happened to be over and I told her to borrow my mom's I.D. She was reluctant and didn't think it would work or that she would get caught. LoL. We get there she's scared to death when we ask for drinks and they carded us. I handed mines and she handed hers. But we didn't even look at each other, for I knew she would fold under the pressure if we made eye contact. LoL.

4. I wore this out on a date on Christmas Eve to a restaurant. We ordered drinks and I was of course carded. Then my date playfully asked to see my I.D. as well. She claimed that since the first time we went out she didn't believe my age either. LoL.

5. I wore this out on election night to an event being held by Jesse Jackson Jr. I was actually not carded, but you had to purchase drink tickets. I immediately took my ticket and I tipped the bar tender nicely. She never asked for my ticket. So I kept coming back and doing the same thing. I swear I got about 6 or more drinks off the same 1 ticket. LoL.

6. I wore this out to my best friend's graduation/dinner. They gave us complimentary champagne to toast with. And yes they carded me.

7. I wore this out on my birthday last year [2008], we first hit up a comedy club. Then afterwards we went to a restaurant to have some drinks and food. I ordered my drink and the waitress immediately carded me. She didn't believe it was my birthday nor my age. She said she had a 16 year old son that looked as old as me. LoL.

8. I wore this during my first visit to Las Vegas a couple of years ago for my Birthday [2006]. Here me and my bro were at the champagne Brunch at the Rio Casino (Best Brunch Anywhere). Although this was the first of many drinks that day, if memory serves me best I'm quite sure I got carded here as well.


Well based on those results I don't think the way I dress has anything to do with being carded at all. I just look young. LoL. But I look forward to seeing your answers. Nonetheless, it's cool I don't mind looking young. I'm completely comfortable with it. I figure if I can still probably pass for 20 when I'm 30 that means when I'm 40 I'll look about 30. And I'll take that all day.

--C-Recks--

Any Given Son Day

November 28, 2008

Dear Son,

It was almost 5 Years ago to the day when your mom and I realized you were indeed on your way. It was November 29th 2003. It was around 1am in the morning. I was up late as always, but I can't recall what I was doing. I believe your mom was sleeping. However, something awoke her. I'm sure it had something to do with you moving around. She said she had to use the bathroom. So I helped her up and as she stood up she said I think I peed on myself. Well she then went to the bathroom to clean up. But she came out and said I don't think this is pee. After making a call to your grandmother and to the doctor she was able to determine that a portion of her water had broken.

So we packed up and drove to the hospital. Your mom did all the hard work I just tried to be supportive and not get on her nerves. But almost 22 hours later at about 10:50pm that night you were born. I remember when your head popped out, the doctor pulled you out, and your eyes were wide open and you looked right at me. In between tears I smiled, as the doctor wrapped you up and handed you to your mom. She quickly called me over to hold you as well.

It was hard to imagine that I had spent almost 9 months talking to you through a barrier of stomach that grew by the day. You used to kick whenever I talked to you. But then and there I was holding and talking to you in the flesh. I had overwhelming feelings of joy, happiness, nervousness and even fear. Yes me the self proclaimed fearless man was scared at that moment. The thought that your life was essentially in my hands had me scared to death. The thoughts of what kind of father I would be to you, and would I be able to do this job forever had me fearful. But I vowed to you even less than hours old that I would do any and everything to take care of you and be there for you.

Well it didn't take too long for me to get the hang of the parenting thing. However, there was trouble on the home front. I can and will explain to you the entire story as you get older and are curious as to what happen. But a long story short your mom and I ended up splitting up and eventually divorcing. I had to make some of the hardest decisions of my life during those rough times, but in the end I feel like I made the best decision when considering you. It was difficult to make such decisions and not want to be selfish. However, I had to take a look at a much bigger picture which went beyond just myself.

You may hear different variations of the story when you get older, but I have no problem being open and honest when you're able to handle it. You weren't old enough to remember your mom and I ever being together. Which in part I find a good thing most times. The way your life is now is how you have always known it to be. So you don't remember some of the back and forth and changes that took place back then. Regardless of what has taken place, just know it had nothing at all to do with you. And in many ways what took place forced me to be the man I needed to be. The man I needed to be for myself and for you.

When I think of you being five years old it is still hard to imagine. Time flies is all that I can say. I mean I can truly recall it all like it was yesterday. From your first words (which were da da don't let anyone tell you different), to your first steps, your first fall (I dropped you), and recently your first dentist trip (I took you, poor thing you shook like a leaf you were so scared). I've made sure that I have been there every step of the way. Not only financially, but also physically and emotionally there as an active father in your life. Besides a hand full of weekends out of town and when for whatever reason your mom had something else planned, I don't/didn't miss a weekend spending quality time with you. The same goes for calling and talking to you on a nightly basis.

Over these five years I've watched us begin a bond as father and son that is undeniable. I wouldn't give it up for anything or anyone in the world. It reminds me of how I was with my father when I was a kid. Unfortunately, that relationship slowly whithered away over the years due to some circumstances that I will reveal to you later as well. But I vow to you that I won't let anything get in between us remaining close and me being a constant in your life. In the next 5-10 years I'm sure you'll be experiencing many more firsts. Including, your first day of school (real school), first crush (Kim Possible doesn't count), first heart break (sad to say but it's going to come), first fight, etc. Just know that you will have me there for you and there to help guide you through each of those events and more.

I love you so much and I am so very proud of you. And even prouder to call myself your Dad. I wish you the happiest 5th birthday ever and so many more to come.

Love,

Your Dad.


--C-Recks--

Got M.I.L.F.??

Welcome to another M.I.L.F. Friday. In this weekly segment we will be highlighting women that we feel fit into the category of M.I.L.F. Again, if you're not familiar with the term M.I.L.F. keep in mind it is an acronym for (Mother I'd Like To F____). Feel free to fill in your own F-word there. But my personal criteria for a woman to qualify as a M.I.L.F. would be that she would have to be an attractive lady over the age of 35 with at least 1 child. So here's this week's lineup...

Thandie Newton - Age 37

If you ask my brother his dream girl would be a beautiful black woman with a British accent. Don't ask me why ask him. lol. Well I know for sure that Thandie Newton fits into this category. Born and raised in London, Newton began acting in the early 90's but had no note worthy roles. It wasn't until a role the 1994 movie "Interview with the Vampire" that she came on the radar. She later on went to play roles in movies like "Jefferson in Paris," and "Gridlock'd." And no man can forget her role in "Beloved," the movie adaptation of Toni Morrison's book. In that movie she appears naked and pregnant in one particular scene. Other movie roles included: "Mission Impossible II," "The Truth About Charlie," "Crash," "Pursuit of Happyness," "Norbit," "Run Fatboy Run," and most recently in "W" as Condoleeza Rice. Also she played in about 13 episodes of the TV show E.R. At age 37 Thandie has 2 daughters ages 8 and 4 and you probably would never even be able to tell she's had children.

Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas - Age 37

In 1992 when the group TLC jumped on the music scene with their single "Aint Too Proud to Beg," the group became instant sex symbols. Also wearing the colorful condoms everywhere was a big help with that as well. But even though the group wore baggy clothes which were the trend back then they were still sexy. Well when their 2nd album CrazySexyCool dropped they let go of the baggy clothes and wore more feminine attire. It was at that time where I chose my favorite of the 3 which was Chilli. The group went on to record 2 more albums and sell millions more. Unfortunately tragedy struck when Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez was killed in a car accident in 2002. Chilli is still working on her solo career. She's also acted in movies such as "House Party 3," "Hav Plenty," and "Snow Day." Her acting resume also includes shows such as: "That 70's Show," "The Parkers," and "Strong Medicine." Of course we all know Chilli was romantically involved with Usher until he released his "Confessions" album in 2004. Believe it or not Chilli has an 11 year old son with producer Dallas Austin.

Sharon Leal - Age 37

Ironically today October 17th is Sharon Leal's 37th B-day. Well happy birthday Sharon as a gift allow me to induct you onto our M.I.L.F. List. Sharon began acting on the soap opera "The Guiding Light." She then moved on to act in the TV shows "Legacy," "Boston Public," "Las Vegas," "LAX," and "CSI: Miami." Leal has also appeared in movies such as "Dream Girls," "Why did I get Married," and "This Christmas." She will also be in the last Bernie Mac Movie "Soul Men" that is due out soon. Leal has worked both in front of and behind the camera directing episodes of such shows as; "Sister Sister," "The Game," "One on One," "Half and Half," "Girlfriends," and "The Parenthood." Leal has a 4 year old daughter.

To Be Continued...

--C-Recks--

The New 20

I had to take the time out of our regularly scheduled programming today to make a quick dedication. This one goes out to a man that I consider a great man, a great friend, and someone I am privileged to have in my life. On Monday September 1st my brother will be turning 30 years old. Having grown up with him it's hard to imagine that the day is coming. I mean I can sit back and remember him turning ages like 10 and 20, but 30 always seemed like such a long way away. Well that is until now. You have officially made it to age 30. So, I want to take the time out to say Happy 30th Birthday to my one and only brother.

When I started to think of three decades worth of living I didn't just reflect on the good old days and good times. However, I started to reflect on just some of the things we did as kids and as adults that could have prevented us/you from reaching this 30th Milestone. That's right I'm referring to the dumb shit that could have killed us/you. So, I've taken a bit of time to outline a few of those things. They're in no particular order.

I know Lupe Fiasco's first single was Kick Push which we all realize now is talking about skateboarding. However, my brother and I regard ourselves as the original black skateboarders. When we were living in California in the early 90's skateboarding was the thing to do. So of course we had to have skateboards as well. When our parents finally got us some we were all over the place on those things including places we shouldn't have been. Not to mention doing plenty of things we shouldn't have been doing. But I guess as they say boys will be boys, and boy oh boy did we prove that statement true. Most of the friends we hung out with and skateboarded with were white. And let's just say that back then we were too young to really realize that white people are the let's just say the "adventurous" type. So, that along with some peer pressure we were introduced to some things we normally wouldn't have done. Well somehow we were talked into riding a skateboard down a hill such as the one you see in the image on your left. Not standing up but laying down on the board as if one is really less dangerous than the other. But as if it's not bad enough to simply ride down the hill as you can see at the bottom of the hill there is a traffic light. So we would ride down the hill through the intersection using only the soles of our shoes as brakes. I remember my brother got in trouble for tearing up a pair of dress shoes this way. LoL. Needless to say we should have/could have died doing this.

As a kid peer pressure is a Mutha. Here is another example of peer pressure. This had to be like 1988 or 1989. But as me, my brother, and a friend of ours were walking home from the local arcade we were walking over a bridge similar to the one in the picture to the left. Below the bridge was like a basin so when it rained it filled with water. But on this particular day it was empty and exposed it's solid concrete. Well our friend decided to dare my brother to walk on the outside of the overpass. It may have even been a bet I don't exactly recall. All I know is that my brother makes the decision to take this dare or bet. So, as he proceeds to climb over the railing and walk on the outside of the railing across the bridge. As he's holding on tight to the railing and moving across the bridge I was on the other side quickly becoming hysterical. This walk may have taken a minute tops but to me it seemed like an eternity. I attempted to talk him into stopping and come back on the other side. However, I was doing mostly crying and yelling for him to do this. In hindsight that may not have been the best thing to do while he was concentrating on walking and not losing his balance. Yes I know I would make a great hostage negotiator. LoL. Yes so what I bitched up. LoL. But I was like 8 and thought my brother was going to fall to his death at any moment. So what would you expect? Well of course he made it across but it gave me a mild heart attack in the process. Once again another stupid move. LoL.

My brother and I didn't learn how to swim until probably after age 10. One particular day we were hanging with friends in their apartment complex that had a swimming pool. Well some of our friends had been swimming. They all knew we didn't know how to swim. However, one of them decided it would be funny to push my brother in the swimming pool. Now this swimming pool was designed as most are where it starts shallow and as you go further the water level gets deeper. Well he was pushed into the shallow end, which is maybe 4 Feet of water at most. Although he wasn't that tall at that time he was definitely taller than 4 Feet. Although as my grandfather always says, you can drown even in as little as a thimble of water (this is probably the one fact of his I still haven't fully accepted. LoL). But as he was pushed in feet first, his head never went under the water. But I guess just the thought of being in water and not knowing how to swim is enough to panic anyone. So once he began to panic he was flapping his arms all over the place while trying to reach out for the edge of the pool. Although I should have been scared and hysterical as in the story above, I was not. I was quite the opposite. I was actually laughing. To see him with his head above water essentially standing up within a fingers reach of the edge screaming I'm drowning was funny to me. Because I was sitting there thinking in my head like "your ass is nowhere near drowning kill the drama." LoL. But one of our friends went ahead and jumped in and saved him by guided him back to the edge. Although, it wasn't really a near death experience I'm sure my brother felt like it was. Also, not too long after this incident we decided to learn to swim.

As I stated, growing up we had many white friends. Well I remember we were maybe 12 and 14 respectively. Me, my brother, and our friend Mary (she's white) were walking to another friend's house. It was night time and sort of late maybe 9pm. Well we were walking down some residential streets and it was pretty dark on those streets. All of a sudden we hear someone yelling out. "Get away from her!!" But we thought nothing of it and continued walking. Then we hear it again "I told you to get the hell away from her!!" Then we finally look back and we notice this white man a ways behind us yelling. We then realized that he was yelling at us. And by her he meant our friend Mary. We keep walking but the man doesn't stop. He continues to yell then the racial slurs began to come. "Get away from her niggers." The man appeared to be intoxicated, and he began to increase his speed almost as he was running towards us. Well as I mentioned in my last blog about fight or flight one of the 2 will take over when your adrenaline is pumping. Well when you're 12 and a drunk white man is running at you spewing racial slurs guess what? You're going to run!! Which is exactly what we did. We all took off running. The only thing was that our friend Mary didn't quite have the speed we had. My brother and I ran so fast that we ended up leaving her behind. She was yelling "wait up for me!!" However, we figured he's after us and he was trying to save you so we're not going to stop to wait for you and get killed by some drunk KKK member. Well we lost him. And we proceeded to our friend's house. We had no clue what happen to Mary though. Back in those days we didn't have cell phones to call or text each other. All we had were pagers and had to locate a phone to even be able to page someone. Eventually we ran into her and all walked to the other friends house safely. We're still friends with Mary and she did forgive us for leaving her like that. LoL.

As they say what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. Well my brother recently introduced me to Las Vegas on my 26th Birthday in 2006. Ever since that first trip I try to get back to Vegas whenever I possibly can. However, there should be a disclaimer on the Las Vegas brochure and I don't mean that what happens in Vegas slogan. I mean it should tell you something like "if you gamble the alcohol is on us and you will get F**ked up." LoL. That first trip to Vegas is memorable for a few reasons. This is the short version of the story. One, we were so intoxicated that while playing Keno I filled out a ticket and gave it to my brother to play. Well he played it but didn't play the right game. So next thing we know as the numbers start coming in all damn 7 of my numbers hit. Please keep in mind that I don't recall any of this but this is how the story was told back to me, I was that intoxicated. So as my brother goes to redeem what should have been my $7,000 winning ticket they tell him he played the wrong game. He attempted to argue but the most they would give him was the $1 back it cost to play.

Well next thing I know (this is the part where my memory comes back) I'm walking through the casino parking structure and cars are honking at me to move out of the way. I tried to call my brother but my phone was dead. So I tried to find the car. Well I did but my brother had the keys. Well I was smart enough to leave a note for him on the car. I have no clue what it said but I'm sure it made no sense at all. But I was lost. My brother later told my mom that this was the first time in 26 years of being a big brother that he's lost me. LoL. Well next I decided to walk back in the casino and look around for my brother more. But as I'm walking in guess who I bump into? Yep my brother. So we were both like "where have you been?" and then we started laughing and he proceeded to tell me the story about the money. I was livid to say the least. But the fact I had no recollection of any of it kept me from being upset with him. So we hopped in the car and I chose to drive for whatever reason. As I stated in previous blogs one should never drive intoxicated and here is a good example of why.

So, I get behind the wheel and my brother tells me which way to go and we hit the highway. Our destination was Primm, Nevada. According to Google Maps this is a 43.8 mile trip on Highway 15 that should take approximately 40 minutes to drive in decent traffic. Well those estimations are made with a sober person in mind. When I hit the highway I decided to turn into Lead Foot Larry and put the pedal to the metal. So we're flying down Highway 15 in a rental car made by Mazda doing 100 plus miles an hour just talking like it's nothing. I guess what they say about God looking out for babies and fools is correct. Because he's the only reason why we didn't either wrecked out or get pulled over and jailed. But we made it to Prim in what seemed to be 15-20 minutes max. The funny thing is that once we got to Primm we stopped at another casino and guess what we did? Yep we sat down gambled some more and no sooner than we sat down there came the cocktail waitresses with the short skirts on serving us more alcohol. It's free what was I supposed to do refuse it? LoL

Well I'm sure we've survived death even more times than the 5 that I recalled here. And I'm sure that God willing we'll survive plenty more to come. The first 30 years have been a blast. I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to share them with you. And I look forward to another 30 plus some. All I can say is embrace 30 I hear it's not as bad as they say it is. But let me know how it's going as you know I will be joining you within the next 2 years. But we all know your life is just beginning again so make sure you hit the ground running come September 1st. Plus as Jay-Z said 30's the new 20. LoL

Love you Man.

--C-Recks--