Kiesha, Craige and I took a drive up to Columbus yesterday to check out these two sneaker boutiques on the O. State campus. It was a cool experience. I have to find a way for Kiesha and Craige to get more comfortable around each other, but I think it will come with time. We are all connected by friendship which I think can take us anywhere we choose.
We get to the first spot and it's pretty much what I expected. Some shit I've never seen before, in a pretty cool environment. I got a chance to introduce myself to the owner and talk to him for a second. I got his business card, so I'll be emailing him to see if I can spark a working relationship. Hopefully get some useful information from him. I'll be in Dayton, so I won't really be his competition...don't see why he wouldn't be willing to help?
So, we leave the first stop and are encouraged by what we saw and really feel like we can certainly pull something like that off. No doubt!
The mistake of the day was walking to the second spot. We went from the 700 block to the 1500 block of High St. in Columbus....that was a long fucking walk! Plus it was cold, and the second store wasn't even worth the walk. And when we got back to the car, Kiesha had a ticket! Didn't know you had to pay on Saturdays....
Our store is coming soon...and kids will be looking to us for their inspiration and motivation. Damn, it feels good just thinking about it!
13.4.08
Johnny be good
Kanye said it best....'how he stay faithful in a room full of ho's'
Friday night we went out to a club for an Urban League event. It was for my brothers completion of a leadership development training. Anyway....we are out at this club, downtown Cincinnati and the women are coming in at an alarming rate. Tall, short, thick, skinny, little asses, big asses, weaves, natural hair. Any type you wanted was at this event, and I'm there with my wife. So, obviously I can't do anything but look and even that was a chore. Know it should be noted that my wife was shutting most of these women down. She looked HOT. But a man can't discount that feeling you get when you see a 'new' HOT women. It's like 'damn, wouldn't it be nice to go over and talk to her'. To see what was up with her, hell even to see if you could take her home. There were definitely some women there that I would have attempted to talk to had I not been married. Several numbers would have been exchanged...no doubt!
I hadn't been out in Cincinnati in a while, and this is one of the reasons. If I go out without my wife then what happens? Do I have to just sit at the bar and not talk to anyone? Am I allowed to dance with another woman? If she's beautiful, smart, funny and we get along I just have to leave her there...why can't I know this woman?
I'm not too sure if any of the woman at the party were checking me out, wifey was close by most of the time. Not sure if any of them notice me looking either. But I was. Ummm ummm ummm, women are something else. A beautiful black woman...shit, you can't get any better than that!
I say all this to say, that I was on good behavior. And have been. I might not agree with all of the rules of relationships and marriage, but I understand that I have to play by the rules. So that's what I'm doing.
Just don't catch me out without my wife.....
Peace
Friday night we went out to a club for an Urban League event. It was for my brothers completion of a leadership development training. Anyway....we are out at this club, downtown Cincinnati and the women are coming in at an alarming rate. Tall, short, thick, skinny, little asses, big asses, weaves, natural hair. Any type you wanted was at this event, and I'm there with my wife. So, obviously I can't do anything but look and even that was a chore. Know it should be noted that my wife was shutting most of these women down. She looked HOT. But a man can't discount that feeling you get when you see a 'new' HOT women. It's like 'damn, wouldn't it be nice to go over and talk to her'. To see what was up with her, hell even to see if you could take her home. There were definitely some women there that I would have attempted to talk to had I not been married. Several numbers would have been exchanged...no doubt!
I hadn't been out in Cincinnati in a while, and this is one of the reasons. If I go out without my wife then what happens? Do I have to just sit at the bar and not talk to anyone? Am I allowed to dance with another woman? If she's beautiful, smart, funny and we get along I just have to leave her there...why can't I know this woman?
I'm not too sure if any of the woman at the party were checking me out, wifey was close by most of the time. Not sure if any of them notice me looking either. But I was. Ummm ummm ummm, women are something else. A beautiful black woman...shit, you can't get any better than that!
I say all this to say, that I was on good behavior. And have been. I might not agree with all of the rules of relationships and marriage, but I understand that I have to play by the rules. So that's what I'm doing.
Just don't catch me out without my wife.....
Peace
8.4.08
Big kid
Today was a lovely day. Spring is in the air, and I can feel it. It's like a rebirth. They say that hope springs eternal don't they? Well, I think it does....
Anyway, I went to the park for a walk. For the exercise more than anything seeing that I've got this big ol belly that I want to get rid of. I'll get to that later. Something struck me while I was at the park. I want to be a kid again. Kids were all over the place. Playing basketball, baseball, soccer. Some of the little ones were playing on the swings and monkey bars....what wonderful times those were. Somewhere along the way we allow ourselves to get too serious about stuff. We stop having fun. Real fun! Play all day fun. Yeah, responsibilities have to be tended to but, we have to learn how to get back to playing and enjoying life. Position ourselves in a way that allows us to have fun and enjoy our time here. We are consumed with work and money and everything else besides enjoyment.
My mother used to always tell me about how things would be when I grew up and I always questioned what she was doing to make her feel the way she did. I knew that I didn't want my life to be all about work. I didn't want to come home worn out from work every single day. I didn't want to stress about bills. About where money was going to come from to pay for this or that. At an early age I had the feeling that to a large extent we have control over what's going on in our lives.
After seeing the kids playing today, I'm committed to spending a significant portion of my life playing. Having fun. Simply enjoying life.
And losing this fucking belly!
Peace
Anyway, I went to the park for a walk. For the exercise more than anything seeing that I've got this big ol belly that I want to get rid of. I'll get to that later. Something struck me while I was at the park. I want to be a kid again. Kids were all over the place. Playing basketball, baseball, soccer. Some of the little ones were playing on the swings and monkey bars....what wonderful times those were. Somewhere along the way we allow ourselves to get too serious about stuff. We stop having fun. Real fun! Play all day fun. Yeah, responsibilities have to be tended to but, we have to learn how to get back to playing and enjoying life. Position ourselves in a way that allows us to have fun and enjoy our time here. We are consumed with work and money and everything else besides enjoyment.
My mother used to always tell me about how things would be when I grew up and I always questioned what she was doing to make her feel the way she did. I knew that I didn't want my life to be all about work. I didn't want to come home worn out from work every single day. I didn't want to stress about bills. About where money was going to come from to pay for this or that. At an early age I had the feeling that to a large extent we have control over what's going on in our lives.
After seeing the kids playing today, I'm committed to spending a significant portion of my life playing. Having fun. Simply enjoying life.
And losing this fucking belly!
Peace
6.4.08
Share
I was reading the news, particularly an article about the economy and another possible stimulus package. One that will professedly send some money towards the country's foundation. How some people are for it or against it for whatever their reasons may be. And I think to myself that if the people who had wealth and money just shared some of what they have the masses would be so much better off and our country would be stronger than ever. People complain about having to pay taxes to pay for things, but to me thats out of greed and an idea that what I have is mine and everyone else needs to get they own shit. And that is true, and agree with that sometimes but I realize the great need by so many people, cities, businesses, schools, parks, public transportation, streets. Every segment of our country is in need of help...except the cities, businesses, schools, parks....where the wealthy people dwell. How is it that we know this and accept it as ok. It's not ok. It's not cool for someone to make upwards of 10 million dollars a year and have such a strong desire to keep all of that wealth to themselves. I agree that everyone should have the opportunity to make upwards of 10 million dollars a year, but I have a greater wish. That those people felt an obligation to give back to their communities...to their country(if you love it so much.) Didn't everyone get taught to share when they were young, certainly if you had siblings. Most of our problems in this country if people would just share and establish a culture of sharing so that our youth would become accustomed to it and emulate us. Cause let me tell you, I go to a county government building everyday to work, and whatever tax dollars we are being allot ed is not enough. Whatever money they are using to fix the roads, is not enough. Whatever they are using to fund our public school....NOT ENOUGH! The people in the world who care the most about money don't understand that they have an obligation to their country to help support it, as it has him/her so that they were able to obtain wealth. Damn, don't that shit makes sense? Or am I trippin? Share you fucks!
Peace
Peace
25.3.08
Oh, snap!
Reading is fundamental....I came across something that I really needed to see this evening while looking for some information to share with my business partner, Kiesha. So, I'm looking through several web sites, getting some information here and there. Then I hit the jackpot! The jackpot for what I needed...it was an article with a q&a with some sneaker boutique owner. Just regular cats answering some basic questions like regular cats. Not so formal and in words and or actions that I could DIRECTLY relate to. Not something out of a book, but real life experiences. Yeah, do this. No don't do that. Maybe try this and see how it works for you. But the underlying and undeniable message was to follow your dreams! Do what the fuck you want to do and do it well. Shit is going to be some work, but it's okay when you are working for yourself! There is alot of things you wouldn't do for you boss. Nothing you wouldn't do for yourself.....WOW!
I gotta do this. I gotta go get some of this money. I gotta spend my time working doing something I love.
'firm disbeliever in your punch clock logic'-Lupe Fiasco
Peace
I gotta do this. I gotta go get some of this money. I gotta spend my time working doing something I love.
'firm disbeliever in your punch clock logic'-Lupe Fiasco
Peace
13.3.08
You can't be serious
On the Friday before Christmas, the lovely agency I work for confirmed that employees such as myself would not receive a raise or bonus this year because of the county's inability to manage money. We knew it was coming, but the official notice right before Christmas was a blow to the gut. But, life goes on. And you keep working cause that's what you have to do in order to provide, right?
Well, in all this my assumption was that a raise for any county employee in any department would be put on hold. I know that HCJFS is looked at as the scum of the earth, but we provide services for this communities most needy people....anyway, the fact that we wouldn't be getting fair compensation for what we do came as no surprise.
Then comes today....and wouldn't you know it. The director of our lovely agency has received a pay increase of close to 50%. Yes, 50%. She now makes $145k a year. Now under normal circumstance I would applaud this. Not right now. Not when your employee's have been told to continue doing what you're doing and hopefully in the next year or so you might be compinsated. How do you, as the director, even accept a pay increase when the county can't provide it to the people that make this ship run? Leaders in my estimation lead by example. They lead side by side with their men and women. This is a slap in the face of all of HCJFS employees. A blatent backhand of disrespect and unjustifiable!
Whatever her salary might have been prior, or how it compared to other agency directors is none of my concern. The bottom line is that she has chosen to accept something that the rest of us were prohibited from. Fuck her, this city, this county and this state. I hate OHIO and I hate working for someone else. This simply fuels my fire even more to go out here and make something for myself. A place where I can treat people with respect and not insult them by fattening my pockets while they are left out in the cold......
Peace
Well, in all this my assumption was that a raise for any county employee in any department would be put on hold. I know that HCJFS is looked at as the scum of the earth, but we provide services for this communities most needy people....anyway, the fact that we wouldn't be getting fair compensation for what we do came as no surprise.
Then comes today....and wouldn't you know it. The director of our lovely agency has received a pay increase of close to 50%. Yes, 50%. She now makes $145k a year. Now under normal circumstance I would applaud this. Not right now. Not when your employee's have been told to continue doing what you're doing and hopefully in the next year or so you might be compinsated. How do you, as the director, even accept a pay increase when the county can't provide it to the people that make this ship run? Leaders in my estimation lead by example. They lead side by side with their men and women. This is a slap in the face of all of HCJFS employees. A blatent backhand of disrespect and unjustifiable!
Whatever her salary might have been prior, or how it compared to other agency directors is none of my concern. The bottom line is that she has chosen to accept something that the rest of us were prohibited from. Fuck her, this city, this county and this state. I hate OHIO and I hate working for someone else. This simply fuels my fire even more to go out here and make something for myself. A place where I can treat people with respect and not insult them by fattening my pockets while they are left out in the cold......
Peace
10.3.08
Take your time and hurry up
It's time to create a course of action concerning the business. We've been reading and trying to find out information...do research, but I think we need to become more guided. More detailed. I plan on meeting with Kiesha this weekend to talk about our progress, by then I should be able to create a list of things we need to due & by when. We need deadlines. If I don't have a deadline(and even when I do) I tend to procrastinate. Not this time! Not with this! I'm putting shit in motion on this, while the fire is starting. I will not let the fire dim, but continue to feed it until it is at it's hottest. And then maintain it so that it burns forever. This is it. Something for me. Something that I want. Unrelated to the wants/needs/ideas of anyone else. It shall be my triumph or failure. Each of which life will present to me. My current mind state is such that I'm no longer afraid to fail. Because not knowing is far worse than failure. I may have failures during the process of opening a business, as a matter of fact, I am certain that I will have failures during this process. But I am not afraid. I am looking forward to them. Looking forward to learning. To building. To creating something that will be a source of love, peace and happiness(MONEY TOO.)
Starting tomorrow, I will be going to the library to get work done. If I come home, I won't do it. I will put it aside for tomorrow. TOMORROW IS TODAY! I realize that working at this, in some way, everyday if what is going to be needed. This will become my second full time job. I must take advantage of the motivation that GOD has sent to me in the form of Kiesha. She has inspired me to dream. To believe that this store could become a real possibility. A possibility to do something I love, with someone whom I am certain has my best interest in mind, is equally passionate, and is a fantastic friend.
Spend some time on something everyday. Everyday do something for yourself. Keep working....
Peace
Starting tomorrow, I will be going to the library to get work done. If I come home, I won't do it. I will put it aside for tomorrow. TOMORROW IS TODAY! I realize that working at this, in some way, everyday if what is going to be needed. This will become my second full time job. I must take advantage of the motivation that GOD has sent to me in the form of Kiesha. She has inspired me to dream. To believe that this store could become a real possibility. A possibility to do something I love, with someone whom I am certain has my best interest in mind, is equally passionate, and is a fantastic friend.
Spend some time on something everyday. Everyday do something for yourself. Keep working....
Peace
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