Right Now

"Bill Gates (paid), all my bills paid..."

That was a bar by Pierre Bourne on Carti's tape, exhilarating...

There was an event for my internship last night where there was no dress code at all, yet everyone there decided to come dressed in suits and fancy people clothes. I literally came in a sweater, running shorts, and tennis shoes. Did I stick out like a sore thumb? Yes. Did I almost hit the panic button and dipset? Most definitely. But, I went and saw my CEO/Executive/ Big Boss Guy and he told me there was no worries about my dress and thanks for coming. As soon as he said that a literal weight had been released from my shoulders.

My parents and I are going to discuss the travel accommodations for Chile this weekend. My excitement knows no bounds for this trip. I feel like my whole life has been formulated for this. That was really dramatic and obvi it's a boost I'm just HYPE AS SHIT.

My ex-gal and I just broke up recently, kind blown yet not blown at the same time. More time for myself, my friends, and my dog. And I save money. And I am free to do whatever I want. Not that having a girlfriend holds me back but I can just do me and not have to worry about what anyone thinks. That mindset should have been instilled in the beginning (tru) but it's better to get that through my head now rather than later. So, a consolidated version of this paragraph is that at the end I, Lawrence Jones III, did NOT take the L.

SKOL

3:10 to Yuma

i AM NOT MAD ABOUT ANYTHING, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT? i REALLY DON'T KNOW BUT i REALLY DON'T CARE. YESTERDAY, MY ASSISTANT MANAGER MORE OR LESS TOLD ME THAT i DON'T TALK TO ENOUGH CUSTOMERS AT WORK AND SOME OTHER STUFF THAT i REALLY DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO BECAUSE IN THE MOMENT i WAS VERY LIVID AND IRATE. NEVERTHELESS, i PERSISTED.

(GOD'S PLAN BY DRAKE PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND)

I guess moral of the story is don't work a retail job when you like to keep to yourself and not really befriend your coworkers? Or maybe know where everything is supposed to go in the store? To my very, very lazy defense when I close I really am eager to leave and often rush to get things done. I know I am not alone, dear God I hope I am not alone on this one...

The weirdest part about this nonsense, which often is my job, is that I've never had a complaint from a customer about me, my manager told  me exactly 8 days ago that I did a great job, a customer said to me, verbatim, "Wow, you're, like, the first person that actually cares about the customers at this place. Thanks.". So, here are what my thoughts on the bullsh*t are:

1. The owner of the store is out to get me. I saw her at a bar for a split second this past weekend and quickly made my escape from her vision.

2. My manager might think this is an incentive for me to out-pace some of my other coworkers, to work harder (it's hard to work hard from clock in to clock out when all you do is put clothes on racks and post to Instagram 400 times a day), or some other odd reason.

3. This is some social study on the effect of negative reinforcement on employee behavior.

4. My coworkers are upset that I don't talk to them that much and keep laflare's thoughts, comments, concerns, and other personal things to myself. Personally I don't care what my coworkers think of me (LOL)

Honestly, all of the theories listed above are probably wrong, but it's still interesting to think about.

ANYWAY,

Today has been one of the few days where no signs of low self-esteem have appeared. Serotonin is very nice to your body, I suggest we all get some!

Last, but not least, New York is going to stop arresting so many people for smoking weed in public as long as the interaction between the officer and the POI isn't fueled by the officer's presumption that the POI is a threat to the public, the POI doesn't have any pending charges, has their ID on them, and all that good stuff. And Canada just legalized Mary Jane.

Cool, right?

Summertime Siesta

It was what, 90 degrees yesterday? You can miss me with ALL of that heat...

Well it is June, what else can I expect from the days besides humidity, heat, sweat, and high dosages of water? The answer to that question is bumping the new Carti album, 40z, listening to the same songs over and over again until I am tired of them, skating until my pants are soaked, and flirting with E. Coli and all the other germs that live in our beloved river system. Happy Summer!

My internship is going well. I am practically 1/3 of the way done with it. We're hosting a summer happy hour for our business partners, first drink is free for interns! Excited is an understatement. I mean, overstatement. I really don't want to be surrounded by drunk businessmen/businesswomen on a Wednesday night when there are half-off wings somewhere else that I could be crushing. Ya can't win em all EVERYDAY...

Monte came back from France with cool rocks that I am going to give to Mason, Bethany is leaving for Montana soon, Marshal is going to Colorado (where Caroline already is), Rachael might be going back to NoVa, Bridget is coming to VCU and possibly rooming with KT, and I am studying abroad in 6 months.

These last couple of semesters are going to be interesting, to say the least.

That was such a cliche way to end this blog post so I'll jazz it up.

This final school year I am going all out. Academics, brews, The Classic Pap, and everything that comes along. The 5 year journey from Marymount (lol) to VCU (yea!) is coming to an end.

My Revenge Tour has Ended

The 2017-2018 Revenge Tour held by Lawrence Jones LaFlare and company has, indeed, ended. And it has ended on a good note.

I made dean's list for the first time in forever, no cap. I didn't even think this was possible. I am the master of all time and space. Not really, but I did get good enough grades to be the master of my education!

Today is a full send. A full send on everything. It will turn out well. I am not even planning on it not turning out well. If I can't be actually confident, I can at least fake it? But I am confident? This is confusing, but the world is confusing.

I had Chipotle last night, got heartburn directly after. Not the best feeling, but damn, Chipotle is good.

I start my internship next week. I will be wearing fancy clothes and stuff like that. Clothes are really cool. They have a story to tell. But fancy clothes are a lot lamer. They all kind of tell the same story but in a different way but it isn't as, I guess, authentic?

Any who, this summer is gearing up to be a good one. My first video part is nearly done, I'm still flow for Utmost (it is still crazy to me that I am lowkey sponsored), and my last year of school is en route. The Future Of LaFlare Is On The Horizon.

FRUSTRATION by Enjoy (look it up on Spotify)

My Revenge Tour is Coming to an End

My REVENGE tour is coming to an end, aka the school year is ending and I am excited/stressed about it. The looming omnipotence that finals has on literally everyone (including professors) is maybe my biggest fear next to my fear of getting stung by a wasp. Still, this year was a good one. Here's why:

1. I didn't really tell anybody or give any detail behind getting hooked up by Utmost besides an IG post, but I am flow for Utmost and it's like.....hype
2. I started "interning" for this small online publication, another banger I can add to my resume
3. I've made some of the best friends a laflare could ask for this year (Beamer Boiz/Mijo Means Well GC shoutout)
4. I got one D on a Spanish Exam
5. Greek Week 2 times in 1 week
6. MY FIRST FULL LENGTH VIDEO PART IS DROPPING VERY SOON........
7. REFER TO 6
8. I believe that I've found my knack with journalism/prose and am planning to have that direct me in some sort of direction a year from now when I graduate (oops!)
9. NO MEAT MONDAYs are here to stay (until further notice)
10. I didn't let my stress get to me this semester, or the semester before, which is a feat of its own because I usually cannot deal with any sort of stress without going bananas/brazy/boonk gang/gang sign John Wall on a ho(e).

So, my 3rd year at VCU/4th year in universtiy is almost complete, my resume is beefed up, my skateboarding is getting elevated, the greeb has been my friend, and my left hand won't stop shaking because today is one of the first days in a while where I've had coffee to start my day. I looked up on the internet why people get so many muscle twitches (not asking for myself, for a friend obviously) and something along the lines of WebMD said that excessive caffeine consumption makes your body twitch and make the possibility of an irregular heartbeat higher than normal. WebMD is your friend sometimes.

Also, the Cowboys released Dez Bryant and the Penguins are up 2-1 on the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.

Revenge Tour 2k18, baby.

Comfort

Clothes. We all have clothes, right? I hope so. Outfits, shoes, pants, jackets, shirts, all that jazz. Do you feel comfortable in your clothes? Are your clothes a reflection of who you are, or are they a reflection of your environment? Do clothes mean anything to you?

For me, I am not too big on buying brand spanking new clothes. Unless it's been a multitude of months since I've shopped at an actual outlet store and am in dire need of a completely fresh fitted, most of my wardrobe comes from thrift boutiques, thrift shops, and any other kind of place that comes to mind when thinking about a typical VCU student's clothing. It's cheap, it's authentic, and there are more stories to tell behind a shirt that you bought from Rumors or Family Thrift than there is behind the Kappa jacket or Nautica long-sleeve from Urban Outfitters. This isn't to say that there's an issue with shopping at places like Urban, hell, if I had the money to blow at Urban every other weekend maybe I would be shopping there. But that's behind the point. Thrifting for cool shit is always an experience. You can fantasize about the story behind the "new" piece of clothing that you got and almost put yourself in that person's shoes. A little weird? Yeah, I'd say so. But it's my kind of weird. 

I bought this one flannel a couple of years ago, from Goodwill I think. It's a green, plaid, jaded piece of cloth that maybe an old farmer might have worn while toiling on the fields with his or her sheepdog and cows. It could have been in the back of some normie's closet, hell if I knew. Wherever this piece of clothing ventured from before me picking it up off the Goodwill gave it a narrative that only the former owner would know. A story that resonates only between the former and the clothing. I just think that it is really interesting that I am, in a slightly ominous vicarious way, coexisting with an object that used to be part of someone else's life as it is part of mine now. I've done so much in this flannel. I've given it to a girlfriend (but then took it back after we broke up, obviously), I've landed some of my best skateboard tricks in it,  I've traversed in multiple cities in it, the list goes on. 

This flannel, as insignificant as it might be to who is reading this blog post (if you're reading this blog post, please bring a bagel to Cabell library, second floor, with cream cheese!***I don't think anybody will get this joke, but that's ok***), has been home to many memories that predate my ownership of it and has allowed me to create a dialogue of my own with it as well. 

Comfort. 

Pre-Game Speech

Just when I thought that winter break would last forever, the harsh realities that come with school starting have emerged from the abyss. Books will need to be bought, classes will need to be attended, toleration of classmates will be mandatory. A solid three and a half weeks away from school was definitely something that we all needed, especially myself. Still, I'm excited to get back in the groove of school.

Winter break this year was awesome. I took a little skate trip to D.C. with a friend, threw down on New Year's, created semi-professional relationships with individuals who have the potential to direct me in the right direction in regards to a career, and had an interview for what some would say is my first "actual" job. Quotations around the word actual because of the magnitude that this position (Non-Profit Admin at Think Of Us Organization) would have on my resume and experience for possible careers in the future. It looks like my life is slowly and steadily shaping into a mold that I hadn't planned for, but what's the fun in going into every situation in your life knowing the exact outcome?

I woke up today around 7:20 after falling asleep at 3:30/4ish in the morning, and throttled my way to the library to get an iced coffee from Starbucks (ironically I am in the library now writing this blog post). That cup of coffee held me down for several hours, and by several I mean seven hours. Why did I decide to eat so late? Not a clue, but that Chipotle burrito definitely played its part by filling me up.

Recent efforts have been made on my end to stop eating so much meat/animals and eat more plants. I had to google the difference between being vegan and vegetarian, and hundreds of others probably had to do the same. I get the two so confused just because they both have similar concepts, with one being a more strenuous diet than the other. Whatever.