Lifestyles

I might be jumping around the whole place in this one, but lets see…

I don’t live the typical life of a 20 year old. During this time, the college student should still be partying, going crazy, messing around with girls and just having a good time, not worrying about too much, and having a blast going through the best time time of their life: college. By the age of 21, I’ll be graduating with my B.S. in business administration and options in finance and corporate management.  I have a 5 year plan ‘til the age of 25.  I work more then I party and I probably go to school more then all of that. Is that a means of calling me antisocial or thinking that I’m just a boring homebody? I admit, I know I’m not out much, but school and work really drain my energy from me throughout the day, and sometimes I just can’t go out because of that… okay, most of the time… so I may be at home most of the time.  Is that me being smartheaded and doing the right thing or is that me just not going out? I don’t know… it gets to me when people just don’t see it.. I suppose I don’t look all that fun from the outside. I’d think I was this boring guy that was just busy over nothing all the time too…

I guess it all started with the infamous “why do you only call me and come to me when you’re in trouble?! I always have to pay for you!”… because you’re my mom. I’ll admit, the family lives out in Hercules now in a pretty good area in a pretty expensive house, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  It’s pretty much just my parents living there. I basically live out in Hayward like I was a native here or something.. I go back home like once a month!  anyways, my parents probably do have a lot of extra money just laying around, but if they do, it goes to their own luxuries and lifestyles, and I don’t see any of it.  That one quoted line up there is the reason I work so much. I don’t ever want to go to my parents for trouble again. I’ll admit, I’ve fucked up BAAD in the past, but you’re still my mom, and having something like that come out of you is just ridiculous… but that’s old news. I’m over it. I heard it, I processed it, I dwelled on the information at hand, and I figured away around it. That’s what I always tell people going through shit, that’s my advice to anyone going through problems: receive the info at hand, process it and let it sink into you’re head/heart, dwell (because it’s obvious that everything isn’t going to be so easily brushed off), and you figure away to get past it. Simple as that. But the point is, I do what I do because I’m looking out for #1, myself, and that’s all I have to fall back on.

I see so many people with free time on their hands, and I wonder how they do it. Shit, when I party, I wile out just as much as the next guy (someone back me up here! Haha), but I see people just chill and hangout with no cares and worries all the time. They live carefree lives without having to pay attention to the details.  I stay financially intuitive (I guess it comes with the finance option, but it should be common sense for people to not fuck up their moneys…). I have good credit. I don’t max out my CCs and I don’t overdraft anything. I repay all my debts that I owe. Just writing all that out, I guess I put it all on myself a lot, but still, its common sense, watch your own back, and these people don’t.  They have folks that they can fall back on and that’ll just pay their way through everything for them without a word.  They won’t get any “I always have to pay for you”s from their folks… they won’t get any backlash. 

I don’t know… I guess I don’t live “in the moment” enough for some of these people, so I’m forgotten. I’m always thinking of the future and thinking of contingent plans for failures. I guess I prepare for the worse too much, so I don’t fall too hard when shit happens (and shit happens a lot to me.. trust)

Throughout my college years experience, I’ve done A LOT! I partied with the best of them. I talked to girls left and right.  What can I say? It was innocent mingling from a single male with a healthy appetite for women.  I never “played” any of them because I had a connection with every single one of them during our time together (and no I don’t mean I was with all of them at the same time). I wasn’t ready for commitment at times, and ill admit that, so yes, I might’ve strayed away from some of them when it got a little serious, but I was always sincere in my intentions, and those intentions were always good ones. But all that mingling was back then, and trust me, I wont hide it, its been a LOOONG time since I’ve jumped around like that, or even just been with someone as a matter of fact.  I’m not going to quantify anything, lets just say this has been a dry year, ill be the first to admit that.  I don’t know why it’s been that long, maybe because of work and my logic of people seeing me as boring because all I do is school and work? That’s what I mainly based my assumptions on until just the other day…

I’ve been blackbooked, marked, redflagged, whatever you wanna call it… I guess my reputation for having relationships with women isn’t that great… and I have no idea why.  I’m still friends with and have GREAT friendships with all of those I’ve gotten involved with. There are no hard feelings or resentment from any single one of them.  We may have fell apart, but there is no bad blood anywhere. So I don’t know where these people (supposedly, my own friends, so im told…), who weren’t even in the relationships, who don’t know of each situation, who didn’t even know until now (by reading this) that I’m still friends with everyone of them… I don’t know where they’re getting their information from. 

I’ll put it just like my cousin put it, “don’t judge me from my past, but judge me as I now am”.  My first two years were a riot, and those close to me, actually know EVERYthing that I’ve been through… but I’ll lay it out here for everyone. I’ve been kicked out from places I lived, I lived out of my car for awhile, ive cried and been on my knees begging for forgiveness from loved ones, Ive been arrested, I’ve gotten into accidents and paid them off on my own, I work 24 hours a week, I take 16 units at school, I recuperate on the weekends and catch up with school, I continue with my passion of dance on whatever spare time I can really get, and the list goes on… raw and vulnerable…

To the people that know me, and knew me back then, I might seem more introvert now then I used to, and I guess that may be due to the fact that I decide not to flaunt my talents and passions so freely anymore.  I don’t have that same charisma and energy anymore… I guess from everything I’ve been through.  To anyone that knows me, of recent, if I always seem busy, you now know why, but just know that I’m capable of anything and everything and I got’cha back when you need it. I’m always around.  To those that I don’t know or don’t know too much… take this information, process it and let it sink, dwell and make your judgments, and find a way to get to it… get to what? Get to know me.

I guess I’ll be starting over again.  Anyone who wants to come along for the ride, it’ll be a pleasure.  Whomever doesn’t, it was a pleasure.  Regardless, very nice to meet you. =]

I guess that’s what comes out from waking up after a long nap in the heat and too much time to think on my hands… haha.

just because

i just need to tell myself a few things so i can keep doin' wut im doin..

so, this whole "future" thing has really been on my mind. i have two cousins that just landed internships and both have been entrenched in their shit ridiculously. one, literally, has work days where he starts at 9, and doesn't get home until 10. CRAZY! and my other cousin, hes involved in his internship where "free time = internship, breaks = sleep" (exact quote from him, haha). hes schoolin, workin at his internship, and thats it. we had a little talk, and i mentioned, how ive kinda been a hermit and haven't been seein' anyone or not really doing anything at all. i go to school and i go to work. a lot of my time has been alotted to those two segments of my life.. actually, pretty much all of it.

talking to my cousins made me see that im not the only one. we all have to go through this stage sometime where we're gonna be loaded with responsibilities and where our investments are gonna take a toll on our lives. my investment is in my future, just like my cousins are investing in their futures rite now. we're all handling our business..

i guess im just tryin to convince myself that im doing good, so i dont go crazy and stray away from the focus... work is work, theres not too much to concentrate or learn, its all repetitive to me rite now, its just really time consuming... i think what i really have to do is get on my high horse and focus on school A LOT. i REALLY want straight A's this quarter, its been so long since i ever did that... err, however, it kinda looks out of range 'cause one of my classes is really hard... i think i can settle for a B in that class this quarter, but an A would just be the cherry on top.

focus focus focus... do good in school bao. u need to

2007

lets not look back (yet), but forward... i think ill post things here for every month, relating to goals, aspirations, plans, iteniraries, and just everyday lessons that run through the month, to help stay on task, and to let'cha guys know wsup with wsup, yadida?

January

I'll be STUPID M.I.A. I only go to school on Mondays and Wednesdays next quarter, but, i go from 12pm to 10pm at night (with a break from 6-8), however, for the month of January, I'll be working two jobs.  on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, I'll be working in hayward through Nelson Staffing.  On Fridays, I'll be working at my permanent job.  Pretty much 9-5 (possible overtime) days everyday that im not in school.... so how much time does that leave for schoolwork?!? not much! haha... so, that kinda means, when im not at school, ill be at work; when i'm not at work, ill be doing homework or studying for school! its an endless cycle of ridiculousness... YEE!

so, im gonna need all the motivation, drive, and focus i can conjure up... from myself, or any other random unexpected sources...HELP ME, ME!

i guess thats it for now... "possibly" ill post some up about 2006... what does possibly mean? that im NOT going to write about it! haha, j/p. pursuit of happiness joke if you guys have seen the movie... but yea!

Hope everyones Holidays are good, and Happy New Year!

RIP "Godfather of Soul" James Brown

var clickExpire = "01/24/2007";

Story Highlights

• James Brown dies after being hospitalized with pneumonia
• Agent says it is unclear what 73-year-old singer died of
• Death ends revolutionary career at forefront of funk and disco

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ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- James Brown, the dynamic, pompadoured "Godfather of Soul," whose rasping vocals and revolutionary rhythms made him a founder of rap, funk and disco as well, died early Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

Brown was hospitalized with pneumonia at Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday and died around 1:45 a.m. Monday, said his agent, Frank Copsidas of Intrigue Music. Longtime friend Charles Bobbit was by his side, he said.

Copsidas said Brown's family was being notified of his death and that the cause was still uncertain. "We really don't know at this point what he died of," he said.

Along with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and a handful of others, Brown was one of the major musical influences of the past 50 years. At least one generation idolized him, and sometimes openly copied him. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style.

If Brown's claim to the invention of soul can be challenged by fans of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, then his rights to the genres of rap, disco and funk are beyond question. He was to rhythm and dance music what Dylan was to lyrics: the unchallenged popular innovator. (Watch the "hardest working man in showbusiness.")

"James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close."

His hit singles include such classics as "Out of Sight," "(Get Up I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Say It Out Loud -- I'm Black and I'm Proud," a landmark 1968 statement of racial pride.

"I clearly remember we were calling ourselves colored, and after the song, we were calling ourselves black," Brown said in a 2003 Associated Press interview. "The song showed even people to that day that lyrics and music and a song can change society."

He won a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys in 1965 for "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers.

He triumphed despite an often unhappy personal life. Brown, who lived in Beech Island near the Georgia line, spent more than two years in a South Carolina prison for aggravated assault and failing to stop for a police officer. After his release on in 1991, Brown said he wanted to "try to straighten out" rock music.

From the 1950s, when Brown had his first R&B hit, "Please, Please, Please" in 1956, through the mid-1970s, Brown went on a frenzy of cross-country tours, concerts and new songs. He earned the nickname "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business."

With his tight pants, shimmering feet, eye makeup and outrageous hair, Brown set the stage for younger stars such as Michael Jackson and Prince.

In 1986, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And rap stars of recent years overwhelmingly have borrowed his lyrics with a digital technique called sampling.

Brown's work has been replayed by the Fat Boys, Ice-T, Public Enemy and a host of other rappers. "The music out there is only as good as my last record," Brown joked in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I'm saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me," he told the AP in 2003.

Born in poverty in Barnwell, South Carolina, in 1933, he was abandoned as a 4-year-old to the care of relatives and friends and grew up on the streets of Augusta, Georgia, in an "ill-repute area," as he once called it. There he learned to wheel and deal.

"I wanted to be somebody," Brown said.

By the eighth grade in 1949, Brown had served 31/2 years in Alto Reform School near Toccoa, Ga., for breaking into cars.

While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd also took Brown into his group, the Gospel Starlighters. Soon they changed their name to the Famous Flames and their style to hard R&B.

In January 1956, King Records of Cincinnati signed the group, and four months later "Please, Please, Please" was in the R&B Top Ten.

While most of Brown's life was glitz and glitter, he was plagued with charges of abusing drugs and alcohol and of hitting his third wife, Adrienne.

In September 1988, Brown, high on PCP and carrying a shotgun, entered an insurance seminar next to his Augusta office. Police said he asked seminar participants if they were using his private restroom.

Police chased Brown for a half-hour from Augusta into South Carolina and back to Georgia. The chase ended when police shot out the tires of his truck.

Brown received a six-year prison sentence. He spent 15 months in a South Carolina prison and 10 months in a work release program before being paroled in February 1991. In 2003, the South Carolina parole board granted him a pardon for his crimes in that state.

Soon after his release, Brown was on stage again with an audience that included millions of cable television viewers nationwide who watched the three-hour, pay-per-view concert at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

Adrienne Brown died in 1996 in Los Angeles at age 47. She took PCP and several prescription drugs while she had a bad heart and was weak from cosmetic surgery two days earlier, the coroner said.

More recently, he married his fourth wife, Tomi Raye Hynie, one of his backup singers. The couple had a son, James Jr.

Two years later, Brown spent a week in a private Columbia hospital, recovering from what his agent said was dependency on painkillers. Brown's attorney, Albert "Buddy" Dallas, said singer was exhausted from six years of road shows.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/25/james.brown.obit.ap/index.html

always dependable..