Phone Boning*

*phone boning - the act of talking sweet or making love on the phone... also known as caking. That's not what this post is about. This is about my phone boning me. LOL

Spring strikes again… I’m saying, I think there’s a conspiracy to detach my money from my bank account. I blame Spring. I bet you are getting tired of hearing about it, but its so sincere. I already told you about last year when I was going through 4 cars in a 3 month span. Or this year, when I just last week paid a grip to fix some obscure car problem that could only happen to me or a member of my family. Now, today, I had to buy a new phone. I just got a new one in November, but that one is a wrap. And because of the way that the damage was inflicted on the phone, it was not covered by the warranty.

My phone was already kinda bootleg to begin with; You kinda expect that when you only get the free upgrade phone, instead of spending any loot on it. Ask anyone that’s talked to me on the phone, and they will tell you that my phone would turn off at least once during any extended conversation. I’m not talking about dropping calls, I’m talking completely powering down, then recycling and turning back on. Plus my beard rubbing against the phone sounded like ashy hands rubbing sandpaper in a blender. It was all part of the package deal. You get what you pay for. No biggie. Well, Friday morning, I realized that the phone was not charging at all. I plugged it in, but no charge. I even thought it might be the phone charger, so I bought a car charger, since I couldn’t get to the Sprint Store before they closed. Tried that, and that didn’t work either. I talked sparingly on the phone last night trying to preserve a little bit of battery life until I could get to the store to see if they could fix it, or possibly get a new phone. When I woke up this morning after a long insomnia filled night, I realized that I forgot to turn the phone off before I went to sleep. There goes that extra battery life. Plus I woke up mad late and didn’t have time to make it to the store.

So, I went to work. Did I mention this is the one Saturday a month that I have to work. So, yeah, I was at work. Finally on my lunch break I went to the Sprint Store and had them check out my phone. Apparently, the charging connectors were shorted out, and would no longer charge the phone. Guess what’s not covered by warranty: electrical damage. My punk ass apartment has hella electrical problems. Like when my dryer blew the electrical socket or when my TV and VCR got struck by lightning, even though they were in a surge protector. Or when the microwave just randomly decides to turn on and off. You get the point? It’s messed up. Anyway, enough complaining about that, lets move on. I decided to go ahead and actually pay for a phone for the first time in my life. The damage to my phone may be covered under my renter's insurance, but I'm not sure yet. Gotta check the policy details to see if it would even be worth it to file a claim.

Cool! I have a phone now. It’s nothing special but its not the free free wack joint that I always get. But of course, there’s another problem. My old phone died and all my numbers are trapped in the purgatory of the unchargeable phone. Sure, I can get some of the numbers from my phone bill, or from my voice mail, but the numbers that I haven’t called in a while are all gone. So much for trying to reconnect with the ghosts of my past (like I would really do it anyway.) If any of you have my number and I act like I don’t know who you are, now you know why. I’m a be screening like a mug for a few days. LOL Aiight, so, I know I owe you a MTB amongst other posts, but you’ll just have to deal with it until I get back right. Spring just keeps trying me... but I’m cool. Bout to go get some drinks, if I can remember my people’s phone number so I can meet up with them. Dammit, man! This is getting annoying. One!

Word??? Spring, You Gonna Try Me Like That?

We just talked about this, Spring! Matter of fact, I'm not speaking to you anymore. Consider yourself cut off. I'm gonna talk about you to my blog fam. They always have my back, whereas you always be trying a brotha..

Man, Spring tried to steal my joy this weekend, but couldn't do it. Saturday was one of those days that last year woulda messed with my head. I'm driving around like I always do when the four walls start moving in on me. I get in my car and I'm chatting on the phone with one of my "once a month" friends. I bust a right on to Arcadia from Ponce De Leon, and all of a sudden the car jerks to the left. Like all the way into oncoming lanes of traffic. Like if there was actually any traffic, I would have ran directly into a head on collision. I try to correct, but the steering wheel doesn't want to cooperate. I finally manage to get back into the correct lane and fight the steering wheel to get off the road. I didn't know what was going on. I figured the power steering had went out, but not knowing anything about cars except how to put gas in and drive, I wasn't sure. I'm sitting in the K.roger parking lot trying to figure out what to do, when by a stroke of luck, I see a tire shop. Yes, I know that this problem had nothing to do with my tires, but I figured one of the technicians could possibly tell me what was wrong.

I fight the wheel for a little longer until I get to the shop, hazard lights flashing to signify don't get behind me. The guy at the shop pops the hood and tells me that my steering belt has completely popped and also something is wrong with alternator and some other stuff that sounded like Greek to me. He tried to make me feel stupid for a quick minute until I hit him with The Smirk and he backed off. Apparently I was supposed to hear that the belt was about to pop, but yeah, I didn't. Anyway, long story short, they can fix it, but they were closing so they couldn't get to it to the next day. Cool, crisis averted. No big deal. My months of being a miser have left me with enough left over money that the amount they quoted me wasn't stressing me out. Just fix my joint and I'm good.

But then I had to figure out a way to get home. Call my sister.. her cell is off. Call my brother, he's an hour away. Thought about calling some of the homies but they all live on the other side of town, and I didn't want to do that to them. I figured that I could just take a bus home. So, I walked to the nearest bus stop, but those buses weren't going in my direction, not to mention, I didn't know the number of the bus that goes right by my crib. I get the bright idea that I'm gonna walk home. I kinda needed to clear my head, and walking always seems to work. So, I'm walking down the street and then I remember that Lawrenceville Highway is not exactly pedestrian friendly. Only by the time that I actually process this information, I'm already a good 2 miles into my trek, and far past the point where I could stop and call a cab. So I cross the 4 lanes of traffic and keep on walking until I get to N.orth Dek.alb M.all. Did I mention that it was raining? I had an umbrella, (just a basic black umbrella, Stace. No Burberry patterns) but it started raining like crazy. I finally broke down and called a cab. A $10 ride later and I was home.

Getting home, I thought stuff was gonna be better, but Spring decided to play one last cruel joke on me. Why was my internet not working? Com.cast got me. You know the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was to blog about what just happened, but I couldn't. My internet was down until like 6 o clock Sunday evening. The thing that was so stupid about it, is the cable was working, but the internet, not so much. I even missed my standing Saturday night emailing session with Jameil. The lack of interweb was almost as bad as walking home in the rain (but not as bad as paying $592 to get my whip fixed.) Spring couldn't break me though. The car people called me this morning and told me they would fix my ride today (even though I couldn't get it until Monday), the internet was back up when I got home this evening and I'm still in good spirits. Keep it coming, Spring. I'm stronger than you.

On another note, I took my nephew and one of his friends, and my niece to the A.tlanta Ha.wks-New Yo.rk K.nicks game today. It was cool. I actually was rooting against my all time favorite basketball team today, since their chances of being successful ended around the time that they didn't fire Is.iah Tho.mas, and Atlanta still has a chance to get destroyed by the B.oston Celt.ics make the playoffs. Our seats were mad nosebleed, but the way the Ph.illips Aren.a is designed, we saw everything just fine. After the game, the kids got to go on the court and shoot free throws. They had a great time and I felt like super uncle. I also saw a few people I worked with there, so I'm guessing I'll have to actually talk to them when I see them on Monday. When I got home, I watched the Wres.tleman.ia PPV with my brother. It was one of the brother bonding things we used to do every year back in the day, so it was cool to do that again even though I don't really watch wrestling anymore. Sunday was my day to hang with family.

One final note, the other day I wrote about my drunk night out. I called Kristie to fill in the blanks of the evening, since I had some gaps. Apparently, the Haitian was trying to holla at the drunk girl, and I cockblocked him. Oops, my bad. Really, it wasn't intentional but who can resist my charms? these things happen sometimes. LOL I think Kristie was exaggerating, but she told me that we were all touchy feely that night and she thought I was gonna go home with the girl. Also, even though I forgot to get her number, I was straight enough to make sure she got my number as evidenced by a voicemail I got when I was at the basketball game. Now if I could only remember what she looked like. LOL

Okay, I think I have taken up enough of your time with my ramblings. The next Making The Blog is gonna be postponed until Wednesday, so if you haven't completed your assignments, you have an extra day. The rest of you, I'll be by to read what you wrote shortly. Have a good Monday, everybody!!!

Dear Spring

Dear Spring,

What up homey? When last we spoke we had some beef. I'm not even talking about the allergies or how you left your pollen all over the ride. You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about 2007. You had me on some depression stuff, but I'm here to let you know, its not going down like that this year. I know I've always been partial to Autumn, but you and me have to ride together for 3 months, so we need to come to an understanding. There will be no more messing with my life like you did last year. I can hear you now saying its not entirely your fault, and you're right. Winter played a big part in it, but we since have made up and are old friends once again. I can't say the same for you just yet.

Last year about this time, I was going through some things. Nah, that ain't strong enough. I was going through some shit. Between the broke down cars (plural), and the job making significantly less than I was used to, to the females messing with my head, it just was not a good time for us. I mean really, it pains me to read the garbage I was writing. Or rather not writing because I only posted a total of 11 times in February, March and April. Some of the stuff was completely nuts, some of it just revealed that I was depressed or something. The drafts that I didn't post are even worse. I was truly on some Oscar the Grouch stuff. That's your fault, my dude! Spring is supposed to be the time of new beginnings, but you had me dwelling on hurtful days gone by instead of getting past the pain.

I think about that time last year, and I just was not myself, Spring. See, I'm the guy that rolls with the punches, the one that doesn't let stuff bother him, the one that laughs in the face of adversity. I'm so glad that I'm beyond the mess that my life was in last year. Remember that post I did about Spring Cleaning? On the surface it seemed to be about getting rid of stuff I don't need anymore, but it was really about cleaning out my life of all the negative energy I felt was surrounding me. It took a minute, but like George Bush in a flight suit: Mission Accomplished! You didn't help much, luckily Summer had my back.

Even though I still have all the stuff I mentioned in that post, like the FUBU hoodie and jersey, more MP3's than I will ever get around to listening to and I've added to my old no longer used remote control drawer, the important things have changed. I've cleaned out my soul so to speak. I'm really good. You know how when you ask someone how they are doing, they always respond with "I'm fine" or "I'm good?" That's my reality right now. I am really amazed how much differently I feel now than I did last year. We need to keep this momentum going. Spring, no matter how much you and I argued last year, we have to put that behind us and work on the future.

The Real Rashan is back. Not that complaining, self loathing bitchassnigga you turned me into last year. This year, I'm a beast! Spring, I'm taking you by storm. (Speaking of storm, can I get a few days without rain or snow? Thanks.) This is my season. And for real, its not about going to the park, or cookouts with friends, and the emergence of the girls with the short shorts, although I thank you for all of those things. Spring, what I'm talking about is my piece of mind. I've not had anything to really complain about since last Summer, and I expect that you and I are gonna keep that streak going.

So Spring, let's make 2008 infinitely better than 2007 was. Nobody wants to see a return of last year's Rashan, especially me. Isn't it much better when I can just be the man that I want to be? None of those married women in my life, none of that being broke stuff, none of that retreating from everyone and everything I hold dear. My people need me and I need them. What better time to expand our relationship that with you, Spring! Let's get this thing rolling. You do your part, and I'll do mine and together we can be a force. You know no matter how dysfunctional our relationship was last year, Spring is a time to start anew. Just think about it, please?

Peace and Blessings,

Rashan Jamal

Spring Cleaning

This is not a metaphor. I'm really talking about Spring Cleaning. I am a pack rat. There's no two ways about it. I have some stuff that I've had for years that I can't bring myself to to get rid of. For instance, look at the jersey I'm wearing in this picture (WARNING - EXCUSE TO POST PICTURES OF MYSELF LOL). I've had this since 1998. This picture was taken sometime last year, but I still have it. It's FUBU, and when is the last time you have seen FUBU, except on crackheads and the homeless? But I still wear this jersey when I'm loungin' around the crib on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I also have a bright yellow FUBU hoodie from 1999 that I wear around the house when it's cold. I have no explanation other than it's comfortable.





I also still have old letters and pictures from high school. I have a bag of pictures of people I haven't spoken to since I graduated high school 15 years ago. You know those wallet size senior pictures that you gave out to anyone who would take them? Yep, I got those. I imagine that I wouldn't recognize these people if they were sitting in the same room as me, but for some reason I hold on to the photographic evidence that at one time in my life, I wasn't a total and complete recluse. I think the really sad part is that whenever I have company, I bore them to tears by pulling out the old high school flicks like I'm trying to relive my glory days or something. That doesn't really make too much sense, because high school was far from an exciting experience for me. People didn't really get me until I went to college. I was just a nerd back then, before being a nerd was acceptable.


I'm an electronic pack rat too. I have remotes for TVs and VCRs I haven't had in years. I have Playstation 1 games that I keep for some reason, like I'm gonna actually play them again. I just got rid of my non working Atari last year. This morning I was looking through my computer at some of the files I have downloaded and realized that I have mp3's that I have not listened to in a couple of years and movies that I will never get around to watching. I already started deleting some of these files to make more space on my hard drive.


Since it's spring, as evidenced by the waves of yellow pollen covering my car, I think its time to do some Spring cleaning. Time to get rid of the past and move forward. Time to delete those inactive files and replace them with something that will actually be useful. Time to let go of those old pictures and create some new memories. Time to get rid of the old clothes and find something else to make me comfortable.


Maybe this is a metaphor for my life after all...