What's goin' on, people? I'm back in the 'Ville... please hold your applause until the end of the story. First of all, I'd like to thank everybody who sent suggestions about movies to watch during my stay. They were great... well, the ones I watched while waiting for pages to load... damn dial-up. I think I'll finish some of them this weekend… after I can get over losing my damn hour – freakin’ Daylight Savings….
While I was in the Windy City, I saw a lot happening. I saw a girl gang almost come to blows on my corner (they even scared the cops away… guess it was the estrogen flaring that chased them away),
guys in various colored suits with matching gators (and no, they weren’t carrying around pimp cups with their names on them).
I saw cars riding around with the Denver boot on them,
children parenting other children, and lots of food that was high in cholesterol (like a gyro with two burgers underneath topped with a halved Polish sausage – yum!)
As entertaining as that all sounds, there's a much more pressing matter I'd like to discuss about my small homecoming...
Unfortunately, much to my dismay, I found out the harsh reality: just because I'm on vacation; it doesn't mean everybody else has to join me! I ended up spending a lot of time with family, upsetting a good friend and weathering a terrible lightning storm/tornado. Needless to say, I'm excited to return to the Music City from my quasi-vacation. During the trip home in this semi-typhoon, (Please tell me you all heard about those crazy storms blanketing the Midwest this weekend! You almost lost the kid.... but don't worry - I'm a soldier). So... all my near-death activities caused me to reflect on some things… it’s surreal how conscious you can be when you are in the middle of dark, swirling clouds with hail raining down around you.
It occurred to me that no matter how hard you try, you cannot please everyone. During the majority of my visits home, I always encounter some person, letting me know how I’ve neglected them. How come you didn’t come to see me? You never spend no time with me… always out running the streets until the break of dawn.
Do you know how hard it is to see everyone in 3 or 4 days with no transportation? It’s like trying to read War and Peace in 20 minutes… or writing a 25 page term paper in an hour because it’s due in the morning? (It can be done – and well… but that’s beside the point…) When you do stuff like that, someone always draws the short end of the stick… whether it is family, friends or other random people that you weren’t going to see anyway.
Let’s face it… many people are susceptible to bouts with flakiness. I, for one, should bathe in Head & Shoulders sometimes for things that I’ve done in the past but I’m willing to accept that fact about myself; but I also try hard to give pleasure to others, while pushing my feelings to the side.
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try – it’s just not enough for everyone? I always feel as if I am being pulled in several different directions, and I don’t want to hurt anyone ( OK, maybe cousin K.K., but she deserves it for always eye-balling me like that). I would like to extend a humble apology to anyone whom I’ve blown off in the years that I’ve been gone from Chicago… if I had more time, I definitely would spent time with you… then again I might’ve driven myself insane from seeing the people walk around the house in their Fruit of Looms for more than a week.
Despite my limitations, I always intend on taking care of my people – but sometimes I just fall short. Coming to grips with that is my ongoing struggle but for those that can’t understand, leave me the hell alone… because I have to take care of me first. I end this rant with the following questions: Do you feel like you have to please people? If so, how do you feel when you fall short? If not, how are you able to deal with those that you’ve shunned?
That’s my time… back again on Thursday.
- Jorge
While I was in the Windy City, I saw a lot happening. I saw a girl gang almost come to blows on my corner (they even scared the cops away… guess it was the estrogen flaring that chased them away),
guys in various colored suits with matching gators (and no, they weren’t carrying around pimp cups with their names on them).
I saw cars riding around with the Denver boot on them,
children parenting other children, and lots of food that was high in cholesterol (like a gyro with two burgers underneath topped with a halved Polish sausage – yum!)
As entertaining as that all sounds, there's a much more pressing matter I'd like to discuss about my small homecoming...Unfortunately, much to my dismay, I found out the harsh reality: just because I'm on vacation; it doesn't mean everybody else has to join me! I ended up spending a lot of time with family, upsetting a good friend and weathering a terrible lightning storm/tornado. Needless to say, I'm excited to return to the Music City from my quasi-vacation. During the trip home in this semi-typhoon, (Please tell me you all heard about those crazy storms blanketing the Midwest this weekend! You almost lost the kid.... but don't worry - I'm a soldier). So... all my near-death activities caused me to reflect on some things… it’s surreal how conscious you can be when you are in the middle of dark, swirling clouds with hail raining down around you.
It occurred to me that no matter how hard you try, you cannot please everyone. During the majority of my visits home, I always encounter some person, letting me know how I’ve neglected them. How come you didn’t come to see me? You never spend no time with me… always out running the streets until the break of dawn.
Do you know how hard it is to see everyone in 3 or 4 days with no transportation? It’s like trying to read War and Peace in 20 minutes… or writing a 25 page term paper in an hour because it’s due in the morning? (It can be done – and well… but that’s beside the point…) When you do stuff like that, someone always draws the short end of the stick… whether it is family, friends or other random people that you weren’t going to see anyway.
Let’s face it… many people are susceptible to bouts with flakiness. I, for one, should bathe in Head & Shoulders sometimes for things that I’ve done in the past but I’m willing to accept that fact about myself; but I also try hard to give pleasure to others, while pushing my feelings to the side.
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try – it’s just not enough for everyone? I always feel as if I am being pulled in several different directions, and I don’t want to hurt anyone ( OK, maybe cousin K.K., but she deserves it for always eye-balling me like that). I would like to extend a humble apology to anyone whom I’ve blown off in the years that I’ve been gone from Chicago… if I had more time, I definitely would spent time with you… then again I might’ve driven myself insane from seeing the people walk around the house in their Fruit of Looms for more than a week.
Despite my limitations, I always intend on taking care of my people – but sometimes I just fall short. Coming to grips with that is my ongoing struggle but for those that can’t understand, leave me the hell alone… because I have to take care of me first. I end this rant with the following questions: Do you feel like you have to please people? If so, how do you feel when you fall short? If not, how are you able to deal with those that you’ve shunned?
That’s my time… back again on Thursday.
- Jorge
Totally off topic but...I loved your pictures for this one Jorge. Particularly #2, what was that Whitney Young's Spring rendition of West Side Story?
ReplyDeleteNope, that was from Girlz N Da Hood...
ReplyDeleteIt went straight to VHS, it didn't make enough to get recorded onto DVD...
I can definitely relate. EV-ER-Y-time I go home, there are a bunch of people complaining about how long it's been since I've seen them, and how I missed them last trip, and how I don't call anymore (like they can only take incoming calls or something). Mind you, some of these people call me once every couple of months.
ReplyDeleteIf I spent all of my time driving around town catching up with people when I go, I wouldn't have a vacation. Sheit (yep, I said "sheit"...you read it right), I'm just tryin' to chill when I go home. My objectives are usually to lay low, eat some of momz cooking, and become a permanent fixture on her couch. I've gotten to the point where, if I'm going to be home for a week, I don't even let anybody know I'm in town until I've been there a couple of days. And I don't feel bad about it either. Gotta live for yourself. As long as I see my immediate family, I'm good.
You know what, I think I came to terms with your shadiness a long time ago. So when u try that flaky mess with me, I don't even care :P
ReplyDeletelmao I'm just messing with you... maybe
V... you can be flakier than some pastry while we're at home... but I still loves ya, though...
ReplyDeletePHS, it's hard to do things when you have such a limited amount of time... but you're right. You have to live for yourself...
When I was in the "Ville and came home,I suffered the "girl,I ain't heard from you in __ amount of time." But I'm a mean,smart-ass so my response,although it could have been phrased a little nicer,is what people need to realize in these situations:"If I wanted to talk to you,keep in touch,see how you were doing etc, you would have heard from me". Basically it boils down to, if your relationship was that strong,they would have heard from you.
ReplyDeleteDespite the distance in miles,you talk to your momma,your daddy(not me),your siblings,your best friends etc.Those other people fall short because they don't mean that much to you in the larger scheme of things.Face it:those people that remain in your cell phone address book are there for a reason.Don't feel bad about everyone else.Like Pimp said,you have to live for yourself.
I got tired of hearing all that mess from folks, so I just stopped telling people when I would be in town. If I feel like being bothered, I'll call and be like "hey! I'm here." That way, if they are not available, they can't say I didn't call and I get to leave without feeling bad. There are a few close friends who always know when I'm coming into town, but there are a great deal of random friends and family who have no idea. Hell, there are actually people who think I haven't been to Chicago in years! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI know it's sounds bogus, but I just got tired of trying to see everybody in one damn day.
Now I got tuh cut 'cha...
ReplyDeleteThere's a big difference between being flaky and flat out not wanting to do something. Just because something is suggested doesn't mean that I have to say "yeah, I'll go."
I'm like PHS, the times I go home are few and far between, majority of the time I stay no longer than a week. That is in no way enough time to unwind along with pleasing all my family and friend's demands. When I am away from the Chi, I'm constantly at work. When I'm in the Chi, the bed is my best friend.
Flakiness = committing to something, backing down, repeat. That isn't me... Now if you would have called me "lazy as hell," I can totally understand that. GET IT RIGHT!!!
To quote you, "but for those that can’t understand, leave me the hell alone..."
I feel you babe! No matter what you do, you cannot please everyone!.. and for that matter, you should not try!. At some point, the bastards whomever they may be, will expect you to go above and beyond all the time and in the interim, they will not reciprocate.
ReplyDeleteIf you are doing things to please others and don't feel good about what you have done for them, with them...whatever...then what good was it? .... You must, by all means be true and be comfortable with yourself at the end of the day.
One of my favorite slurs is " Its better to bepissed off, than pissed on!!" if folks are complaining that you should have done more, tell them you have done all you can... and having done that, its enough!
take from somone that learned the hard way.....
That's easy to do with strangers and associates but I'll have some random family member get on me - and that's not so easy to deal with... but I will take your suggestions and run with them... and throw the old middle finger salute to those who can't understand...
ReplyDeletewell... i am one of the people that got in ya ass about not seeing you during your time home, since everyone on here is on your side, i will take the opposing side. the only reason i was totally upset with this weekend not because you didnt see me, hell i see your picture on myspace regularly, especially since i saw you last rip, but i was upset with the style with you didn't hang with me... more than not hanging with me, i thought you would have thought to make more stable plans to hang out... as well as going ahead, yep i'll say it, CALLING TO TELL ME THE PLANS!!!! that would have alleviated half the trouble that came up this weekend...that and some other stuff i'll tell you about another day...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, lil' sis... it wasn't my intent to deviate from the plans but it happened... next time, I won't be without a vehicle and I'll keep my shadiness to a minimum...
ReplyDeletePleasing other people is so overated and not healthy. The older I get, the less I am concern about other people. If they wanted to see you that bad, then they would have gotten their butt of the couch and came to see you. They knew where you were. You can only control what self does. And if self is happy, and as long as you haven't harmed any one emotionally or phyiscally, then who cares?
ReplyDeleteThe only person I'm concern with Pleasing is GOD and as long as I'm good with HIM, I'm good with everyone else...