L Train to Rockaway Parkway/Canarsie

 My commute to work has changed, but not that much. Moving within the same neighborhood can also mean a different train line. Bushwick has about 3 of them, and I´ve used them all to get to work at some point. But, every part of the neighborhood has their beloved subway station. Ironically, I´ve used both train lines that spell out my name.

Similarly like my route to work has changed, so has my role at work also changed, but ever so slightly. To my relief, or dismay, however one may take it, there is less oversight on the work that I do. LFG! Or, WTF?

Some days I feel as if I have taken the sword out of the stump, breezing through work as if I was careening through a wormhole to take me to the year 3000 (everything has changed, we don´t live underwater, and the $2,000 stimulus was actually given). Other days I feel jaded, under the all too familiar guise of what the reality of being an entry level worker in an industry that has never, and will never, go out of business.

On the way home last night, one of my coworkers, who is surprisingly my age and takes the same train to and from work, engaged me in conversation about what our contributions really mean right now at this point in our careers. TLDR: we are more than qualified for higher level positions, given the accolades we have accrued, but how is that going to stand out in a group of boomers and corporate vets who see us as nothing more, or less, than early to mid 20´s number crunchers?

And I kind of agreed with her. Now, I´m not saying that I have a rap sheet that stretches from the Hudson to the James that is chalk full of achievements. Rather, I´m saying that I worked my ass off to be here, and what is there, is there. Nothing more (LOL), and nothing less. Take it or leave it. 

We both came to the conclusion that to even attain the success that we desire is going to take years to achieve. But, if we´re being honest, you have to be naive to think that a senior level position is going to fall into your lap not even one year into your job. It´s been 10 months for me, and this is the longest I´ve ever had a full time job to being with. Drinks up for that one, chief!

Circling around to having less eyes on my work at work. My supervisor had a mini-meeting with me in his office today. Although the masks were on, I couldn´t help but notice the goatee that he was sporting on his ID badge. That will be another story for another day. Anyways, he reviewed my work out of my audit range (fine, for the time being), laid down some areas that I could improve on, and ended the conversation with the age old ¨Good work, but...¨

So... what do we have hear? It begins with a C, end with an M, and is the absolute worst thing for people who already live inside of their head M-F during regular business hours.

CRITIC-FUCKING-ISM.

Yes. that´s the one. 

I get that I´m not going to be perfect in my first year of work. If you are, you are a unicorn, and should try your hand at investing in the stock market (if you get that reference, you will probably have a chuckle). But there´s something about being told by anybody that you could improve on a certain subject. It´s like you´re telling me that I come into work for 8-9 hours a day, do what is expected of me and often what is not even in my job title, and you are going to sit here, in my face, and criticize my work? On the job? in 2020? DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC? ON A TUESDAY? WHEN THE CLUB IS GOING UP? ON A TUESDAY? 

I had to take a deep breath going back to my desk because honestly he didn´t even go in on me like that. He didn´t yell. He didn´t give me any flack. He was simply trying to better my understanding of my work, show me the areas that need improvement, and inform me that he believes my on the job knowledge is where it should be at this point in my career. It only took me reading a Forbes article on how to deal with criticism, Die Lit, two packs of peanut butter crackers, taking out my recycling, and a cup of iced coffee to understand that my world is not falling apart and that my job isn´t fed up with me. If they didn´t care, they wouldn´t be showing me where I could improve. I guess the moral of this story is that criticism sucks, but internalizing it in the wrong way is worse. 

The Mitch McConnell slander tweets are providing comedic relief for me today. If they ever regulate Twitter, the real WW3 will happen. Deuces. 

12 dollars for a 6 pack of tecate

 I have experienced my first price gouging in my neighborhood. My old apartment had a convenience store about 100 feet to the right of my fire escape. You can buy a 12 pack of Northeast PBR (Narragansett) for about $11. A steal, right? I love that place.

The convenience store next to my new spot? I hate that place. The title says it all. $12 for 6. Who did the math on this one? Get me outta here!

We apparently had the biggest snow storm that the northeast has seen in a while most of yesterday and part of today. All that remains is a brownish/gray wocky slush. That´s a twitter reference.

Stimulus. $600. Our country is..... ya know what? Not even gonna finish the sentence. There is no need to. But, what in the hell is $600 for a single person going to do for all that has been lost during this dagum´ pandemic? I mean, don´t look a prized horse in the mouth, but come on. Senate/House majority and minority leaders have been working ¨endlessly¨ to secure a deal of SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EACH AMERICAN CITIZEN. WE ARE THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, AND WE ARE ONLY GIVING THAT MUCH TO PEOPLE? 

I am... at a loss for words...

What else? I stumbled a shoe repair shop and found a pair of very gently used Vans in my size for a measly $12. And even though the 6 pack of Tecate for $12, I am thoroughly enjoying my financial faux pas. 

Vans and Tecate for the win. 

NY During uhhhh Covid

 For some reason, being in a new apt. has got me in the mood to just scribe more on my nice Chromebook that I´ve gotten chop cheese grease all over.

This one is about how I´ve seen the effects of Covid during my time in New York so far. The headlines are all right. It´s a nightmare (for some). I have a plethora of colleagues that have been given the ability to work from home, which is great. On the other hand, there are thousands of people who have been pushed to the margins because of this, and those who were already there are on the brink of poverty, it seems. 

Lines for food pantries are spanning 10, 15 blocks in Brooklyn. Relatively speaking, Brooklyn as a whole isn´t even one of the most hard hit areas. I may be wrong, but at least my zip code has been faring ¨well¨ in comparison to other areas that have higher density, aka the Bronx. That part of the city has years been hit hard by crime, car accident deaths, and affordable housing. Covid has made it a living nightmare. Although I typically don´t spend that much time up there (dude, it´s like an hour and a half to get to Pelham Park on the 6), enough news outlets have been able to showcase what is going on in borderline upstate NY. 

The Times  recently put out an article about undocumented workers who have been more or less forced to sell food on the streets because of their immigration/nationality status, which realistically does not create the kind of income that is needed to sustain a family. 

Bike delivery workers have become a vital part for the consumption of food with the least amount of contact, well, at least those who can afford it. Not to mention that even before this pandemic, these essential workers were getting stiffed on their tips, being denied PPE, bathroom services, you name it. For a lack of better words, it is unreal. That´s not what I really wanted to say. It´s crazy as fuck.

To end on a good note (as good as a note as I possibly can), Senate Republicans just brought a relief bill to Pelosi and the House Democrats that was constructed by McConnell and his team, which may mean the arrival of new stimulus checks sometime in the new year. 

Plus, the UK just started giving out the Pfizer Vaccine. I bought one share in it before it was even popular. (aka I bought the share last week.)

Im Walkin Hea´

 Here is a small update.

Word on the street is that my job may be getting the vaccine very soon...

How do I feel about that? Hm, not sure. Do I need it? Maybe. Do I deserve it? Um, subjective question. Will I take it? Odds are yes, but part of me wants to say no. Who knows! Because I sure as hell do not!

I have been slowly but surely getting better at my job, at least judging from what my mentors have told me. I even got a perfect audit the other day, which is, for a lack of better words, fire.

Winter is cold in New York, but then again winter is almost cold in every other state. I think that it´s time to buy that fake Moncler jacket from Chinatown that I have been talking about for the last few weeks...

This weekend I visited a small town in upstate-ish NY named Beacon, which automatically makes me think of bacon. That´s besides the point. It reminded me of Boone, NC. The Main Street shops were made all out of brick. Dinner on Saturday was the first time that I had feta on a burger, and I would do it again, but only if you asked me nicely!

SO...this vaccine again... what´s up with that? I mean, am I going to be a guinea pig for something that has yet to be tested on US citizens? It probably has and I have not surfed the internet waves long enough to find an article or succinct evidence that shows it. Should I become one of those essential oil stans and just drink a whole bottle of lavender? IDK MAN! THIS SHIT IS CRAZY. 

I also just bought a new pair of shoes from Marshalls. They are very ¨trendy¨ and I bought them from Marshalls in Long Island. Did I mention that they are from Marshalls and that they are Reebok, and that I got them from Marshalls for $30? My $30 shoes from Marshalls? I love them and they love me. Together. Forever. And forever means 2 months until I decide go and get another cool pair of Reebok from my beloved Marshalls......

MARSHALLS!

nyc type beat but in spanish

Hoy es el 15 de agosto, yo creo. Estoy esperando pa´ mi joyería que pedí hace una semana. Tal vez pienso que alguien está robandome de las paquetes que deben estar a mi hogar, pero es posible que todavia no hayan llegado.

Tomé el tren a Pelham Bay Park en The Bronx. Allá descubrí una playa, la naturaleza, y un casco. Mi novia me dijo anoche que sería bastante enojada si no lo comprara.

Hoy es la primera vez en un tiempo largo que he usado mi balcón. La temperatura es bastante buena, fresca. Si no sabía, diría que estamos en la primavera.

Cuando me desperté esta noche, busqué algunas publicaciones de unas de mis profesoras de VCU, Aspen Brinton. He pensando en eviandole una mensaje por correo electronico diciendo que todavia tengo un interés en aprendiendo más sobre los temas que estudiaba en universidad.

Dentro de las paginas que leí hoy, ella habla sobre lo que ético y educado. Toma vistas diferentes, cambiando entre Ghandi (quien vivía bajo el colonialismo de Inglaterra), Aung San Suu Kyi (quien vivía en un país qu fue gobernado por un gobierno autocrático), y una variedad de países en Europa Occidental (generalmente, estos países eran en contra del comunismo del USSR). Aunque no he terminado las escrituras, fue algo diferente que hice para empezar mi día.

diarios diarios

Hoy: el veintesiete de julio. Conducí por 7 horas anoche sin parar. Obviamente, pasé tiempo con mi novia. Diciendole adios nunca será fácil jamas. Nuesto futuro es brilliante. Estamos de acuerdo con las metas que ya habiamos hablado sobre para mejorar y preservar lo que ya tenemos entre nostros mismos. Acabo de llegar a una reunión que crearon mis jefes hoy. Todavia estoy cansado desde anoche. Me siento como si fuera que no exista. He comido bastante pizza para almuerzo en las ultimas semanas, y tengo 12 huevos a casa que no he tocado tampoco. Es imperativa que cocina más, el gasto de dinero me asusta.

Hoy: el veinteocho de julio. Leí un articulo desde el NYT que describió lo que está pasando en América Latina, y los metodos que personas han sido afectadas por el coronavirus están usando. Hay una química que fue usada muchisimia (trataría escribirla, pero no sé como deletrearla), e otros tratamientos que han llegado a la región. Me duele pensar sobre otra gente en otros partes del mundo que tiene que sufrir en esta pandemica. Hay comunidades que recientemente crecieron rapidamente que fallecieron más rapidos que se mejoraron en no más que 5 meses. Tambien, leí otro articulo de el NYT que explicó una situación de una mujer colómbiana que fue afectada por el coronavirus. Ella acabó hacer una vida comoda pa´ si misma y sus hijas por trabajando largo, duro días por la que pareciera como siempre, y el virus robó toda desde ella y su familia. Cada día, trataré de ser más gracioso, amable. Porque la vida no es prometida jamás. Solo estoy alegre estar vivo, y tener la capacidad de tener una casa para regresar despues de un día de trabajando.

Hoy: el veintenueve de julio. Todavia estoy entrenando, haciendo lo que yo hice hace una semana. Por la primera vez en hace un tiempo largo, he cocinado diariamente pa´ mis desayunos y almuerzos. Definativamente hice un punto de llevar mi almuerzo conmigo a mi trabajo. Tambien, encontré que prefiero escribir escritos cortitos como esto. Corto y dulce.

saturdays are for the.....chores?

Believe it or not, this was the first time in 2 weeks that I was at my apartment for the entire weekend. It fell in between a weird slew of events where 4th of July was one weekend and then the weekend after that I went home to visit.

Usually I like to think of Saturdays of the day where you go out with your friends and essentially throw all caution to the wind. This Saturday was different. Although I did get to hang with one of Midlo´s finest (ain´t it something that there is a handful of Midlothianites up here?), I got some other errands done that I usually don´t do until last minute due to precarious time management during the week.

First thing was getting up mad early to bike to Lower Manhattan. I helped a lady and her kid the other day there fix the bearing on the kid´s penny board, and decided to skate around a little after that. At first, I realized that I was right next to the NYSE. I had just bought a share of some stupid company on Robinhood the day before, so that was funny (more or less). The view from the pier was nice, and I told myself that I needed to go back this weekend while the temp was not deathly hot like it has been today already. The J train was under maintenance the whole week, and it would have required me to take a bus (which I still have to figure out). The GPS said it would take the same amount of time to get there by bike, so I hit the audible play call button and went along with it. Getting there I crossed the Manhattan Bridge, went through Chinatown, and Downtown Brooklyn all for the first time. Solid move on my end.

I even did my laundry. This doesn´t seem like a big deal, but I never do my laundry on the weekends, specifically on a Saturday. Then I went to the grocery store. Then I went to get an oil change. Then I went to the skatepark. Then I linked up with some usual suspects. All on Saturday. I, I am unstoppable.

Today calls for a tire rotation and cleaning my bathroom. Domesticated? Maybe.

I still got it / todavia lo tengo

I bought a new board today. And some new wheels. I was riding fresh coming down DeKalb towards the avenue.

New trucks and bearings were waiting at my apartment, and it was only right that I set up my board as soon as I stepped through my bedroom door. I thought to myself whether I wanted to hit Maria Hernandez, or go to TF West (TF West, right?). The latter enticed me more and I boarded the J with 10 seconds to spare before it took off from the platform.

I had a feeling that I had not tightened the bolts to my trucks enough, but still went on my little escapade. La Abiceleste on my back, and a old pair of Nikes that I bought from Marshalls last November. I go for a back tail on the baby box, and BOOM. My wheel pops off, which means the bolt is also off. The next 30 minutes are spent walking around, trying to figure out where such a small yet important piece to my board went. Nearly giving up, I find it behind a bench and continue my session.

Two dudes sat next to me as I took a break from skating once I had found my bolt. They were speaking Spanish and I instantly picked up on it. As they left, I left them with a ¨Que se vayan bien¨, and we instantly had a 3 minute convo about how Messi may never win a World Cup because of how shit his team is. That was one of the first times I was able to use my Spanish out of the context of ordering food over the counter, or speaking to my stepmother. I was confident, in that I usually do not decide to do such a thing.

In short, I still got it.

driving down the jersey tnpk

The Jersey Turnpike is, for a lack of better words, everything that you expect it to be and not to be, all at the same time.

I have had the pleasure (ergo, sarcasm) of taking this route to drive down south and back for the last few months on numerous occasions. The smell is constant, the speeding drivers never seem to slow down, and me driving in the slow lane at exactly 65 MPH is less than a threat to society.

Driving to DC and back on a regular weekend takes about 8-10 hours round trip. I always feel like the way back up is easier than the way down. I keep my car parked in Hempstead so that I will not have to deal with the daily parking craziness that exists all over the city. Close enough to where I have easy access to it. Me and BL decided last minute to meet half way in Cap City at, like, 7PM Friday and ended up linking around 3 in the morning and not getting to bed until 6 the next morning. The bags in my eyes from 2016 are slowly but surely making a comeback.

BL and Larry´s weekend getaway, if you will. A trip to the river and biking/blading through the city was nice, topping it off with our fancy wine ($8 bottle of Vinho Verde) to end the night. Waking up next to her never gets old, and saying goodbye typically never gets easier.

Well, what´s new? My job is a job. No complaints, or anything overly exciting to share. Being one of the youngest people at the workplace is definitely different. The typical office jargon revolves around topics that I have no interest in, and I am perfectly fine with that. Even better, I am essentially invisible at work at the moment. We´re so swamped with backlogged work that me and the other like 4 people who have started at the same time as me are just sitting in the training room, simply existing. Ain´t no complaints (shoutout Metro Boomin).

I´ve been in the city for almost a month now and I am starting to get the swings, and by that I mean I am finally starting to walk a little bit faster than usual. I can get on the train to work without using my phone for directions, found the local park, and got a bike to cruise around when I have not-shit else to do.

I´m going alright, very alright.

an ass out of you and me

¨Never assume, because it will make an ass out of you and me.¨- Anon

Whoever said that was pretty damn wise.

Today, I assumed the worse on a situation that panned out perfectly and nearly drove myself insane while thinking about it at work. While sitting in a meeting earlier, all I could think about is a text message from SWSNBN confirming what I had already surmised. I humbly accepted that I was wrong in hour that followed and celebrated by getting a Chipotle burrito.

It´s ok to be wrong but damn it is not fun being wrong and stressing about it for, like, 3 hours before anything has even happened.

Anyways, Martin let me get his AirPods and my pants button came off while I was on the train this morning. Everything happens for a reason, though. I left about 30-45 minutes earlier for some odd reason and was able to loop back around and get what I needed (aka a change in outfit). I made it to SoHo on time, found a coffee shop that sells ice coffee for a humanly price, and made it to work early.

Currently I am on my fire escape. This thing is awesome.

Un Buen Día

Ayer, no tuve un buen día trabajando. Llegué tarde a una reunión, dejé mi botella de agua a la casa, y me perdí tambien. Anoche me dije a mi mismo que tendría un día diferente, y olivdaría mis faltas de ayer. Aunque dejé la botella de agua de nuevo hoy, no me paró de tener un día bastante bueno.

La primera cosa que hice fue decirle a mi jefe lo siento por llegando tarde a la reunión ayer. De verdad, no sabía el lugar que la estaríamos. Recibió la disculpa sonriendo, y me dijo que él no me notó llegar tarde. Tambien, terminé con la mayoria de mis entrenamientos y seguí de leer el libro que empecé hace 4 días.

Hoy fue el primer día que tuve amigos a mi apartamento. Las leyendas de Marymount llegaron a las 8 y nos disfrutamos algunas cervecitas en el techo de mi hogar. Martin trajó empanadas desde una restaurante en Queens que fueron tan ricos. Caminé con mis amigos desde mi apartamento a la puerta para decir ¨chao¨, y regresé a mi cuarto para otra cerveza.

Today was a good day.

First Day Out Tha Field

Chesterfield. You tell someone that you are from there and their response will most definitely be ¨what the hell is a Chesterfield?¨, unless they just so happen to be from there.

Their response is nothing new. Chesterfield is not some small town. In reality it is one of the largest counties in Virginia. Everybody almost knows everyone in CField. You knew that one girl who went to that party with that one dude who used to ride the bus with the girl next door, if you see what I am saying.

Like most places, CField makes you feel like you are, more or less, trapped. We escaped to 20 minutes north to Richmond and make it our playground to feel what it is like outside of the field. Long walks down Broad at 2 AM make you feel alive. That $2 from Christians at 1:30 is the best slice of pizza you will have in your entire life for the measly 10  minutes it lasts. A different landscape.

Everyone wants to get out. Whether it be getting to Richmond, Norfolk, or anywhere that doesn´t include NoVa, us Chesterfieldians want to get a breath of fresh air that isn´t laced with Salisbury moms, Chester pickup trucks, Cosby nose-jobs, Midlo ignorance, or Bon Air brats.

When I graduated from VCU, my plan was to head to DC. I love it , and I really cannot explain why. Long story short, I applied for a job in DC and ended up moving to NYC, back to CField, and then back to NYC again. But this time, it´s forreal.

It is definitely a jump from taking the Powhite 10 minutes to Cary Street to go hang with my buds on Floyd or anywhere else, but it´s that breath of fresh air that I´ve been longing for. A place of my own. 

My college experience was laced with long nights and endlessly crashing on my friends´ couches. And to be quite honest, those were some of the best times of my life. But change is good. This time, I´ll be offering the couch to stay on, or the glass of water, or the geeb.

This is just the beginning.

life is brazy. no cap.

Everything is so weird right now. I come back home for an undefined amount of time and get the call that I am going back to work in a few days. I am more shocked than anything... One would think that your employer would give you more than a few days notice on when you would be going back to work. But such is life. You have to be malleable. You have to be like, like water? Is that what the saying is? Shit, I dunno.

Stuff like this happens when you begin to get comfortable where you are, too. I honestly thought that I was going to be here until the end of the month, maybe even into July. Even still, New York decided to begin the reopening phase for the city just yesterday. I guess the government was exuberant to get this show on the road.

This is the album that I have been listening to since
I learned that I was going back to work. If you know,
you know.
 

I talked to someone earlier about how climate change is unleashing old pathogens, and when I say old I mean ancient, that have been underground for who knows how long. She told me that this is just the beginning. God I hope not...

Life really is crazy. No bap. 

Diario Diario

De nuevo, ha sido mucho tiempo entre hoy y la ultima vez que había escrito. Me estoy sentando abajo un árbol, disfrutando la sombra. Estoy escuchando a la canción ¨La Chica de Ipanema¨. La gente que organiza la manifestaciones exclamó que habría otra hoy a las 5 de la tarde. Desde el viernes pasado, la ciudad ha sido en fuego, y cuando digo en fuego, lo digo en serio. Lxs manifestantes incendiaron un autobús y coche de la policía, y tambien destruieron unas de las tiendas más conocidas y famosas en la ciudad. Doy mis condolencias a los trabajadores que perdieron sus trabajos como resultado de la violencia, pero no es tan importante a mí como se siente el dueno.

Él ha trabajado con companias grandes come Nike y Guess. La gente sabe que su cartera no va doler nada. La cosa que me hizo pensar diferente la imagen publica del dueno es un foto que puso en Instagram de un tanque con la leyenda que dice ¨Gracias Dios¨. Sí, entiendo que estás triste sobre la destrucción de tus tienditas, pero no ves la razon que hay los cuerpos en la calle? Es porque hay una lucha enorma contra de la gente como tú. Incluido a Virgil Abloh, quien solamete donó $50 USD al movimiento de liberar las personas equivocadas del cárcel. Leí hoy que el poder política viene desde el canón de un arma, y seguimos más adelante de hacer esta frase verdadera, para la gente.

Our State of the Union

What is a revolution? By definition, it is the forcible overthrow of a government or social order, with intent for a new system to replace it. This weekend, we were able to see what a ¨revolution¨ meant to the hundreds and thousands of people that have decided to take to the streets in their respective cities. One could say that the primary actor in the violence sustained these last couple of weeks was the unjustifiable murder of George Floyd. Simply put, it´s another act of police brutality that our nation has become tired of being numb to, and decided to raise hell to react to it. Richmond saw its population take to Broad Street and break down the barriers that local businesses put up. Monument Avenue felt the momentum of protesters graffiti the Confederate monuments. A GRTC bus got set on fire, along with a cop car that may have been planted. Officers were in the streets macing peaceful protesters, and snagging them from crowd like they were picking apples at Carter Mountain on a cold September evening. This is our current state of the union.

Does revolution work? Does breaking the silence actually make real noise? I´m gonna do my best to not get too history intensive and only bring up a few examples of how revolution has been used in the past. One of the most influential, in my opinion, revolutions was the Haitian Revolution. Haiti was the first country in the Western Hemisphere and in the Caribbean region to gain its independence. And to make the story even better, it was definitively a slave revolution against their French colonizers. Touissant Louverture successful lead against his colonizers was something that Africans in this time period had never seen before. I think that fact speaks more to how potent a revolution can be. Touissant proved to not be such a great leader post-revolution, and Haiti found herself owing reparations to the French.

The Bolshevik Revolution is another one. I´m not too keen on Eastern Euro-Chinese history, so hear me out. Lenin and his team were able to dismantle the czarist rule in through a series of demonstrations and strikes. They suffered through Bloody Sunday. They endured the February Revolution by taking to the streets and ignoring the calls by officials to subdue themselves to the Soviet Union´s imperial rule. Eventually, Czar Nicholas left the throne, and hurdled the Soviet Union into a new form of rule.

Is that not what revolution is about? Breaking the norms in an effort to achieve a new form of governance? I cannot speak on contemporary Russia or Haiti and give an accurate or fair description of what has happened since their dated revolutions, but simply put, their violent actions were able to communicate a message that they could not get across prior being peaceful. A controversial quote from Mao states that ¨Political powers grows of out the barrel of a gun¨. As the days have gone by and the protests have warranted lethal force from authorities, this quote seems less and less to be something that is specific to communists or hard left leaning political ideologies. It makes sense that police brutality against majority POC is part of a political ideology that aims to suppress those who don´t look like those in the highest positions in the world. Their weapon of choice is double barreled in that it can take one´s life away and simultaneously put more power into the most powerful´s hands. Just some food for thought during these trying times.

In other news, I´m about to order Thai food.

Enjoying Memorial Day

There is a Law and Order SVU Marathon going on right now. Robin Williams appeared as his own defense during this episode, and he won his own case.

Today was one of the first days where I was able to link up with the usual gang. Names will not be dropped, but if you know, you know. Something different, and out of the ¨usual¨ from social distancing.

This six pack of Naturdays is doing me a favor. I cooked breakfast for BL this morning, and I am planning a trip up north tomorrow.

This post is short, sweet, and too the point. Chao.

relearning how to kickflip

Today is Wednesday, at least I think it is. It started out as usual, except that BL figured out how to attach her antenna to her television. So, you could say that today started differently solely to the fact that I was watching Good Morning America. I had not seen Al Roker´s face in like, years.

I decided that I was going to skate today. As of late, I have been skating more than often just because of the never ending free time that I have. But instead of just skating on the block, I thought that I would step out the jaunt for a little bit. I hop in my car, and hope for the best. The Coliseum. That sounds like a good spot to hit, yeah? Yeah, that´s what I thought to. I pass it, and a multitude of other spots, only to continue down Leigh Street with my windows down and music playing in the background. It would have been the perfect backdrop for the opening of Hawaii 5-0.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that I ended up driving around for a solid hour just cooling. Vibing, if you will. ¨Vibe¨"is such a funny word nowadays. Sometimes I can´t tell if I decide to use it for comedic purposes or just to make fun. I get back to where I started, and park my car on the same block. I even got to park it in the same spot. That specific spot makes it so I don´t have to worry about being blocked in, giving me easy access to escape at any given moment. At that point, I had told myself that I was not going to skate at all. But then I though to myself ¨ You just sat in your car for about an hour, and didn´t even touch your board. You gotta get some.¨ And get some I did, and started to push around. That´s all it takes. It´s the feeling that you get from stepping on your board. The feeling of landing a trick how you believe it´s supposed to be landed. The feeling of skating flatground, without a care in the world. The feeling that reminds you of how you first started skating, and why you started it in the first place.

Lucky enough for me, DG rolled through out of the cut and we cooled it for a minute. I did about 10 tre flips in a row for the first time in a long time. IG has it documented. I even relearned how to get the proper flick on kickflips.

Today has been good.

time flies

A year ago yesterday, I graduated college. If I´m being honest, the actual graduation itself was kinda wack. We did it at the convention center, which isn´t my favorite venue for a graduation. The business school gets priority for the Siegel Center, and that´s probably because they are such a huge school on campus. Nevertheless, the feeling of crossing the stage and knowing that you have finished what had been your life for close to 5 years is nothing that can be beat. 365 days ago I ended one of the most interesting, and challenging times of my life.

It is always good to reflect. I can´t forget that my journey in uni started at Marymount. I made some of my best friends there. VCU may have been the best decision that I have ever made in my life just because of the proximity of the school to where I lived. I learned the most about myself here. I learned how to think critically. I learned how to craft a research presentation and tailor it to a specific audience. I learned how to survive off of 7-11 coffee and peanut butter crackers. I learned how to stretch that $5 for a day or two. I learned how to make the most of a $9.50/hour job. I learned how to work 2 jobs at once, and sometimes even 3. These are the things that make you into the person that you become, and I think that my time at VCU has molded me into the person that I am.

As of right now, there are now only two people in our groupchat that have not graduated. 2 days ago, it was 4. Time does fly, indeed.

diario diario

Last night, I got wasted off of wine. Today, as in right this moment, I'm sitting on a patch of grass in Randolp with BL. We thought that going to the river would be a bright idea. Well, I have one word for that: WRONG. There were so many fucking people out and about.

Estoy seguro que la gente está cansado de la mierda que viene con el coronavirus. Hemos hecho lo que el gobierno dice ¨social distancing¨ por un mes, casi siguiendo a dos meses. Es bastante loco y temible que nuestro país ha cambiado tan drastico en menos que dos meses. En mi opinión, creo que esta situación es algo E.E.U.U. necesitaba por mucho tiempo. Y todavía la necesitamos. Es mejor decir que mi país, mi patria la merecía. Lo que está pasando es una llamada desde las fuerzas que controlan las cotidianas de cada humano que camina en La Tierra.

Hemos visto los fallos de los gobiernos al rededor del mundo en el proceso de combatir en contra de esta enfermidad. Los resultados hablan por sí mismos. Nuestras enfocadas tienen que cambiar si quisieramos ver algun tipo de progreso positivo. Ojalá que podamos usar esta experiencia, y ver que los valores que teníamos hace dos, tres meses no existen más. Hasta que lo suceda, ninguna cosa cambiará nada, y vivermos con las consequencias.

Run that back Turbo

Well, it's Thursday. Another day in the simulation. Another day in quarantine. Another day, nonetheless.

It's quite interesting how memes have, ya know, taken off in the last couple years. UCal created a meme studies department. Same with the University of Texas at Austin. It's just insane.

We can take any event, any video, any screenshot, and recreate it into some wicked format that will get hundreds of likes and retweets and shares. This is the new world. This is high tech. Memes. Would you have ever thought that?

Subreddits are full of em. Deep fried memes. You name it. And it's there.

Hm, slow day at the office Larry? Just a little bit. These last few months have been slow. Why not make a blog about memes? This is gonna go down in history, at some point. Someone's history...

I watched Blondey McCoy's "Out There" that Thrasher posted yesterday. It's crazy because whenever I see him, I think of Palace. But the creation of Thames and still riding for Adidas seems to be pretty cool. The fake tooth was something that I wasn't expecting at all.

Has anybody noticed the weather? Last year around this time, it was about 80 degrees and above every day. But, this year there has only been 1 or 2 days that have been over 80. Smooth 60's, 50's at night. I can dig it.

What else is on my mind? I tried a kickflip into a bank (a natural bank) with a vat of murky water waiting for me at the bottom and got hella mud on my board. I ruined my favorite pair of shorts that I got from the thrift store and managed to salvage a dirty Penn State hoodie that I was gifted years ago (Thanks Sam). I'm sore, but am in the mood to go for a walk and maybe get a coffee. It seems as if I am doing myself and others an injustice If I decide to walk outside and just EXIST in public. Slowy waiting for this pandemic to pan out and give me and the rest of the world their lives back.

I'm currently listening to the "Like I Never Left" documentary by Future on YouTube. The king of misogny, as he has been dubbed by twitter snobs these last couple of years. Understanding that Future got it out of the mud and keeps making hits, is truly inspiring. It makes me feel that I can do anything, even if the realms of the world that we exist in are two completely different areas.

 "Real life shit man..... we just taking advantage of the moment. I ain't even done yet..."

Hellscape

Hellscape. Hellscape. Hellscape. Reality doesn't even feel like it's real anymore. The United States has decided to give the governors of each state the capability of re-opening whenver they see fit, and I just don't know how that is going to play out.

Like, I saw a tweet the other day about how some old couple ended up in a 3 person car accident with cars piled on top of each other. I don't know how this relates to how states re-opening on their own will, but it was definitely an opportunity to talk trash about my least favorite state in the world.

Right about now, working for the fed is a freaking dub. I won't get into it, but I'm doing well.

I tried the kickflip that the bountymen posted on the gram and ended up ripping my favorite pair of shorts and getting super dirty. The benefit of the doubt is that it was super wet and nasty. Maybe I'll go back, or maybe I won't!

Life has been super slow as of late. More time for reflection. So much refelction that I'm seeing myself in a mirror... Terrible joke. 4/10 at best. Do not pity me.

I did my laundry today. The tenant has always been super nice and quiet, and today was the first time that I said "hi" to her. She had a soft, low voice and told me to be safe. It's the little things. It's like I want to say hi to people in public, but it's kinda hard to do that with these stupid masks on our face. Oh well.

New York is still on pause. My whole entirety is moved up there. Just waiting on that call to come back.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

PS: I miss the Jersey Turnpike.

who up? It's 12:34 PM EST on a Thursday

Who up? This is not a joke.

As quarantine persists, we must continue to find different ways to attack to mundane days that we are subject to undergo. It's not illegal to go outside, but it damn sure does feel like it.

What I've done in the last 24hrs to change up what I do on a daily basis is get a New York Times subscription (fry me later). It's $4 every month, so $1 every week. I figured that the NYT gives more of an analysis on the pieces that they put out, judging off of what I read about their comparison to the post. Plus, how can you beat $1 every week for a credible news source? That sounds a little too hard to do. Whatever!

In Virginia, and other states, protests are going on for the state to re-open. That's not to say that there aren't protesters out there because they think that this whole quarantine idea is stupid. I don't have too much remorse for the adults. If you have a functioning brain during this time, you would keep your distance from most people and leave most, if not all, social gatherings on hold. I feel for the kids of these so called "adults". They are putting themselves at risk and putting their children at even more of a risk. A selfish move if I've ever seen one. The cops are even letting them know that if they don't keep their distance on the protest grounds (The Capitol Lawn, I believe) that they will be handing out court summons. Just stay at home! Drink a beer at 12PM to take the edge off. At least that's what I've been doing.

Thanks to my lovely mother, I now have access to both Netflix and Hulu. Netflix is a shit show for movies. There, I said it. You have to do some serious digging unless you're trying to watch a sub-par Netflix original. Hulu is better for TV shows, and makes that clear for the viewer. The movies are up to par, if not better, than what is on Netflix. Slim pickings on both, but one is definitely the better. Or maybe I'm just too impatient to browse through all the categories. That is also a possibility!

I did Kroger curbside pickup for the first time yesterday, only for me to call them and realize that I put in my order to pick up a week from yesterday. Tragic L on my end when the whole point was to just get a few bottles of wine and not have to worry about going inside of the store. Unfortunately, the Vinho Verde was calling my name way too loud and I made the trek inside of the store decked out with a new face mask and gloves on the behalf of BL. Wins and losses.

Hamms has been my best friend these last couple of weeks. I will never forget these times that me and my Hamms 6er from sev spent together. We grew together. We laughed, cried together. We matured together. And that's the beauty of it.

Pandemic Diaries Pt. 3

Another day that feels the same. We truly live in a simulation.

The absolute most moronic thing that I've heard today (unless it's proven otherwise) is that 5G is causing the coronavirus, or something of that sort. Like, what? Where's the evidence? References? The logic? It's all in thin air. Literally, I'm shaking my head.

I watched a movie this morning. Mystic River. It has the guy who played in the Shawshank Redemption. Ya know, the guy who didn't actually kill his girlfriend and gets framed for it anyway. For the 12 people who read this on the daily, I am so sorry if I just ruined that movie for you.

Thinking about this whole pandemic situation in a positive light, it helps people who are just like me with student loan debt to be able to save some extra money these next few months. I get some extra time to enjoy doing absolutely nothing, which sometimes is completely underrated. I've yet to get a Switch and I don't own an XBOX or PS4. Maybe I'll order one off of Amazon or something like that. I've also been listening to "unreleased" Carti songs on YT that just seem to be bits and pieces made by fans in the void of WLR. Honestly, I'm not mad about it.

I'm not so sure if I should be out skating today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. So on, and so forth. The weather is so nice, and admiring it from the inside is just ironic. Like I said before, maybe this is just mother nature taking back what is hers.

Other than that, same old same old. Finding interesting tweet threads, attempting to be a local twitter troll, finding new subs. The world feels like it's in a complete stop. I was reading what some of the top economies in the world will be in the next 30 or so years, so by 2050. India is up, Mexico is up, and obviously China is at number 1. I'm no economist, but it definitely is considerate of GDP/PPP, which is directly related to a countries population. India and China are two of the most populous countries in the world, so I'm not surprised. If I'm right it goes like this for the top 3:

1. China
2. India
3. United States

Not gonna lie, I perused much of the article until I found what I was looking for in the charts. There may or may not be more pertinent information that I left out in this. Oh well.

I think another thing that I am going to do today is write down my goals. I've been trying to convince a certain someone to get hip, but they're not subscribing to the idea. If you're reading this, you most def know who you are.

Writing goals down makes them real, and is definitely a good step into making them into a reality. If there is a tip that I've learned throughout all of my life, it's that. Oh, and that the Irish goodbye is mad underrated, too.

Pandemic Diaries Pt. 2

Today is Wednesday, yesterday was Tuesday. But honestly that doesn't even matter. EVERY DAY HAS FELT THE SAME FOR THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS. Period.

Bernie dropped out of the race today. I foresaw this coming, but seeing it turn into a reality does not make it any easier. Is the DNC just as corrupt as the RNC? I read a thread of thoughts about what the left is made out of, its origins and recent happenings in the last several years that have created the left that we know today. Basically, it said that there are so many actors on the left that are unaffected by much that happens between the left and the right, and that their lack of support (rather, their lack of knowing what to do to support) is part of what makes the left kinda wonky (for a lack of better words). Events that were listed were the end of the '08 financial crisis and the Occupy Wall Street protests. The thread went on to say that until we can sway the major supporters that we have on the left (large non-profits, certain celebrities, tech companies, etc.), or create a change from the inside of those influences, that this continual downfall of great candidates such as Bernie is going to be normalized and unfortunately another thing that will define the left. This sucks.

In other news, Northam just announced that as of Thursday at midnight that restaurants can serve all kinds of alcohol in to-go cups. It used to just be beer and wine, but now cocktails are on the list. Is this the future? Drinking, on the go! My next guess is that Public Intoxication will no longer be law and that ABC stores will be open 24/7. Only seems right at this point.

I SKATED skated for the first time in a few weeks yesterday with a few of the Utmost guys. It was good getting out of the house for a couple hours, but it's lame as shit that you can't not think about that stupid bitch named coronavirus every time you are anywhere other than your domicile. All the more reason that I bought a post skate sesh brew. It's the little things.

Pandemic Diaries Pt. 1

Pandemic Diaries. What an appropriate name for a time such as this. If you think about it, we are all currently living through an event that will no doubt go into the history books. You've got places like Manhattan being a wasteland at night, often finding yourself and a few other stragglers as the only people walking around. Richmond is the quietest that I've ever seen it. Main Street isn't teeming with frat parties and Helen's is flat out EMPTY on a Saturday night. Have we reached the twilight zone? I mean, come on. I just saw a tweet where Offset and Reese Witherspoon were on IG live together.

I've been away from home the whole time for the entirety of this "quarantine". I've only been to the skatepark in the morning when I'm the only one there. As of yesterday 28th street, Texas Beach, and the Roc are all closed. Kroger and Aldi are the only other places I have ventured to, obviously equipped with the bandanna/latex glove look. 

My job keeps updating us on when we're going to come back into work, and it's looking like it's gonna be a while. What are the odds that I move to one of the biggest cities in the US during a transnational pandemic? If you think about it, it's kinda hilarious. 

Other activities that have taken up my time during this bonanza consist of walking through alleys, going to see the sunset, or drinking on a rooftop. Is there an endless summer approaching? It sure as hell feels like it. What is an endless summer anyway? Just hours upon hours spent with friends doing absolutely nothing, only to figure out the serenity in the slowness that the world has succumb to? I wouldn't mind.

Questions, questions, questions. The omnipotent feeling of uncertainty. Certain to only feel uncertain. This is honestly how all of 2020 has panned out to be. Maybe this is mother nature saying that she needed a break from everything? 

Of course I would end this post in a question. 

 

is it even march anymore

This March is not like any other one. No basketball. No going outside without feeling the stares of others that are doing the same as you. Did I mention no basketball?

To make matters even worse, for some it may even mean no paycheck. No month's rent. No groceries. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you've got money in the stock market, your profile's value has only gone down. Gas prices are down (yes for the moment, AHH! for the theme of what I'm writing about), schools have closed, restaurants have converted to take-out only. It seems as if our typical lives have suddenly come to a halt.

The difference between what's going on now and anything that most of my friends and colleagues have been through is that something of this magnitude has never happened until now. I mean, the 2008 crisis was bad, but we weren't the ones being directly affected by it. Instead of our parents, we're the ones to suffer the burn. That shit is wild.

A positive to take from this? Pollution is down! BBC's been giving me pretty good charts and what not to keep up with in order to be aware of the latest news that revolves around the coronavirus. My favorite news source.

The irony in all of this? My job in New York started a week before craziness began. By craziness, I mean all of the above that was mentioned and then some. EG: being in a group of people that has more than 10 individuals and receiving a misdemeanor. Like, what? We've never seen anything like this before.

What's good in the world? Maybe using this quarantine time to reconnect with loved ones. Or chatting on the phone with your friends via FaceTime or Skype or whatever app you choose to use because it's the 21st century and technology is everything and anything. Hell, it might even begetting the new Animal Crossing. I saw a tweet about a girl doing some weird stuff in order to get, like, some new garb for her island or whatever? At this point I'm just typing.

I'm on a 14 day quarantine with a certain someone due to recent travels up and down 95. My boss called me and said that we don't have to go to work for the upcoming week, and didn't give me a ring this week (yet) about working this week either. Administrative Leave and Emergency Leave are the name of the game.

The other day I watched the documentary about the really smart guy who went to jail who was one of the cofounders or whatever for reddit. Aaron Shwartz? I read his "Guerrilla Manifesto" and it was.... what I expected of a game developer. Daring, yet filling in the same mold of what every modern opposition piece. What he did different was actually being on his bully. He eventually leaked hundreds of court documents that he believed should have been available to the public. At least his words have reached out to an audience of one on this fine Monday night.

Quarantine has made every single day feel like the same. I don't have to wake up and worry about work in the morning. I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm gonna make it to a meeting on time or not. I am absolutely cooling. In every sense of the word. Pros and Cons.

Sidenote: I've been watching Epicly Later'd with BL for the last hour and a half.

Honey! I let my self-esteem go again!

In 2-minus 2 weeks-ish I will have achieved every young man's dream who is from Chesterfield: to get out of Chesterfield.

It still doesn't feel real, and maybe it's because I've been here for literally forever, but a change in pace is always good!

Here are some things that I will miss about CField/Richmond

1. Free food samples at Chesterfield Towne Center
2. Getting kicked out of Sullivan's
3. Christian's after 11
4. Purple Dog Lady
5. Lombo Mart
6. Rostovs
7. Not Lamplighter
8. Holly Street
9. Texas Beach
10. 28th Street

Only a few things off of the dome, but important nonetheless.

Goin' thru it

My thoughts, dreams, plots and my schemes-- Ask what's on my mind when I'm wide awake in my SLEEP. Rest for the night, you have a long day ahead of you. But remember, tomorrow is not promised.

What is promised, though, is caged thinking. Caught between a pebble and a low-tide wave that eventually sweeps you away to sea. I've retreated to the pen to get my thoughts across; my anxiety has been channeled though the ink that stains this paper. And not all stains are immovable, but in this case, these stains are here to stay. Be careful to no go off of hear-say, instead have a listen to what I say: It's quiet in my mind, and the ringing doesn't stop.

Isn't the old saying "silence is golden" ? If so, why can't I see it's majesty?

Maybe silence is not for me, and hypocrisy is just my reality.

Shallow? Possibly.

Undefined matrimony to a phony.