If the first day of 2009 was any indication of the rest of the year, it should be a blast. I woke up with one heck of a katzenjammer. I went to my grandmothers for our traditional New Year’s lunch. We had collards, black-eyed peas, ham, cornbread, chow chow, fatback, and enough Earl Grey to drown a pig.
After our extended lunch, I taught my Uncle how to take really good pictures with his new camera. I also tuned up his new laptop so that it would run more efficiently. We babbled for hours about all sorts of subjects.
Later that evening, I went to the store to pick up some essential ingredients for supper. As I made my way out the exit, I discovered a young man and woman arguing. I didn’t pay it any attention until the bloke started man handling his girlfriend. I told him that I’d stick my steel toed boot so far up his backside that he’d be spitting out lead for a week, if he pushed her again. (I have a very low tolerance for men hitting women.)
The guy looked me up and down then apologised to the girl. From what I understood, she hadn’t called him in a few days, so he came to her work and demanded to know why she was ignoring him. He let his emotions get out of hand. The manager came out and wanted to know what the heck was going on. The guy was banished from the property. I left victoriously but kind of felt bad for the guy, for I know what it is like to be blown off.
As soon as I arrived home, my cousin called and wanted me to come over and work on his computer. So, I grabbed my gear and headed to his house. We worked on the PC and talked about skirts (women) ‘til 1AM this morning. It was an interesting day!
Christmas was such a blur! Only wee bits of it remain in the whacky alternate cosmos that is my brain. The stupid bits remained, while the important one’s dissipated into an alcohol based egg nog.
It all started Christmas eve. I arrived at my grandmothers house fashionably late with presents in hand. As soon as I walked in the door, the Marylanders began berating me with wave after wave of comments and questions about Ireland.
Why aren’t you in Ireland? You chickened out, right? If I wanted to, I could do it, they’d say. What happen’ to the gurl you were dating last year? Are ya ‘tupid? How come ya can’t keep a woman more than a few months?
It was all in good craic. In my family, if the other family members constantly aggravate you, then they really..really like you. Crazy family!!!
“Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee, here comes………..”, my father hollered whilst parading through the entrance like a superstar.
He set the presents down and handed my almost two year old sister off to sister number two. We shook hands and proceeded to grip like we’d never gripped before. Every single time we see each other, we go through this traditional handshake that is really like putting one’s hand in a vice. Whoever can hold out the longest without giving or breaking a knuckle, wins!
He won this time, but only because he cheated by twisting my knuckles in such a way that they stated to grand against each other. Yikes!
After bulling around with the Marylanders and wishing my grandmother a Merry Christmas, I headed to a friends house to watch a movie or two.
Before I knew it, we had watched two incredible 80’s movies and knocked back a bit too much egg nog. I went home and tried to catch some much needed shut eye.
At 2AM, I realised that I had not wrapped some presents. So, I stayed up the rest of the night wrapping presents and reinstalling windows on my desktop. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the hard drive failure, which caused me to lose a lot of files! We’re talking head to platter failure!
Christmas morning, I met my mother at my sisters house to give gifts to my nephew. I got quite a few of my own! I have never seen a lad so enamoured by a skateboard with lettering on it that only a hardcore skater can comprehend. My sister is mad about frogs, so I took one of my coveted shots of a bullfrog and put it in a frame for her. She was thrilled!
Later that day, we went to my other grandmothers for Christmas lunch. It’s always a grand occasion. It’s never as tense as Thanksgiving. Everyone ate way to much. My Uncle went on about his holiday in Florida. He showed off pictures that he had taken at sunset on the beach. My mother got irritated and demanded that my sister go get the picture that I took and framed for her. It was quite humorous.
Anyhew, I showed my uncle how to tweak his images in Photoshop. He was quite amazed at how I can make a picture pop with clarity and colour.
I ended the day on my hands and knees installing base and quarter round moulding around the perimeter of my kitchen. I put in the last bit of new wood flooring today. I believe that I’ve caught the remodeling bug. Kitchen counters and sink are next!
Right, anger is not a good thing, no matter how many times Martha Stewart tries to say it is! It lurks in the dark and weak recesses of our souls awaiting the chance to erupt and cause destruction upon our lives.
You see, I don’t take losing easily. I’m not the type of guy to just give up and forget about his dreams. I’m a stubborn mule that won’t take NO for an answer. I’d climb every hill and eat granite to get to the summit. Never would I just turn around in shame and go home.
But, that is almost exactly what I did. The very fact that I gave up so easily has been driving me mad (not a very far drive. ). I should have never ever given up so easily. It is not in my character to be a quitter. When I was younger, I had to fight just to wake up every morning. Even in the last few years, I’ve had to fight the state for the right to drive a vehicle. And, I had to prove that I was competent enough to control me funds. They all wish they hadn’t messed with Jefferson Davis. Don’t even get me started on doctors!
I’ve been mad at myself for months for letting such an opportunity slip out of my hands.
Tuesday night, I was walking from the local shopping centre to my truck. A young man came running out from the darkness encircling a block of cars. He pleaded that I give him some money so that he and his girlfriend which was still at the petrol station could get some gas to get home.
At this point, I asked him which station. His eyes began to cross, as he pointed in a zig-zag motion. I asked him what her name was.
“Ma…Maa….Mary, yeah”, he slurred whilst pointing into the darkness.
“Do you know how many times I’ve heard this story, boy?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“No!”
At this moment, I was still moving towards my truck. I discovered two more young men hunched over behind a muddy and tattered Toyota Supra.
“I need the money”, he yelled whilst leaping towards me.
“They are going to rob you, you idiot”, I thought, as I reached for his collar.
He was no more that eighteen and slender like myself. So, I screamed for a guard that was on duty and threatened to beat him to death if he tried to get away. The two blokes lurking in the shadows ran off, leaving their friend behind.
“What in the hell did you and your pals think you were doing?” I demanded, as I shook him like a nut shaker shakes a pecan tree.
“They put me up to it”, he muttered, as the rent-a-cop made has way to us.
“What’z he dun?” The officer asked whilst relaying to the radio operator what was going on in the parking lot.
“Made a move to rob me”, I said whilst letting the kid out of my grip.
“Come on inside, I need you’z tah sign sum pap’r w’rk”, he mumbled, as he dragged the youngster through the entrance.
The security officer, with his belly hanging over the top of the desk, asked me what happened. As it turned out, the boy was only seventeen and had no prior convictions so he was released, but not before I had the chance to talk to him. I told him to stay out of trouble, but gave him one lifelong tip.
“Never ever mess with a white man with his head down, chances are he’s got more problems than you or just a nutter!”
“I’m ah…white man”, he said, as his eyes twitched.
“Do you want someone fecking with you, when you have your head down?”
“No!”
“Then why in the hell did you see fit to fuck with me”, I yelled while the rent-a-cop laughed.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. His father came in and apologised for any trouble. He said that he was a good student but was mixed up with a bad crowd like so many other young people.
I saw something within myself out there in the midst of the pallid street lights. There is part of me that loves the fight. I could chalk it up to my Cherokee ancestors. They did enjoy scalping their enemies.
Seriously, it is not good to let anger build up. Thankfully, I handled myself in a rational manner. I have not always been so refrained though. My short fuse must be gettin’ longer. That, or the kid got lucky.
Right! The three glasses of Chardy that I had with dinner are beckoning my attention!
Peace!!!
Don’t let anger build up in your soul. It’ll destroy the the loveliest part of you – your soul –, if you let it.
I hope everyone is doing grand. I’ll be back to blogging soon. Thank you all for your lovely comments in the past. I hope to post something worth your reading very soon.
With all of the tomfoolery going on in the world, I reckon all of us could use some gorgeous shots to illuminate the imagination.
Photography is serene to me. No matter what is going on in my life, taking pictures makes it all fade away. Picturesque scenes and a vivid imagination is all that is left.
