Da Pain

I started writing just to be somebody, then I realized I already was...

we are a van full of pakistans at the Jordan residence tonight- I wasn't planning on coming up tonight or this weekend but I got a call from triple a yesterday and after the phone interview they scheduled me for an interview, well this morning since its already 1 am, in Burbank and
speaking with Brian I decided I should come up instead of having a possible 4 hr trek from SD. I am sure I will interview fine I just don't know if I should say something about my credit issues or if I should just let them sort it out. Someone told me that I should dispute everything so they can see I'm disputing it and that they'll maybe disregard everything so thats what I did last night. If anything after the interview It'll give me a chance to hit up griffith park again. Then I'm gonnna head to the hollywood sign and check that out finally...

I'm outside as to not disturb this guy named Wu from sleeping but its freezing, I just got back from the gym and I'm completely soaked. Too Cold I'm calling it a post. This might be the shortest one ever.

Supreme the Elohem or whatever the hell that means. nice track from a member of duck down. I am off to see if I can sleep. Adios.

Not Another Day

Yesterday I headed off to downtown. There is this site called king of happy hour and I checked it out to find this place that had 2 dollar bud lights. It's called redzone. Maybe if the crowd was better or maybe if it wasn't right next to the trolley stop it might have been a decent place to watch the game. But its right next to the trolley stop and the crowd is... not so much. Not wanting to deal with traffic and not wanting to pay for parking I decided to park way out of the gas lamp district. Plus I decided it would be a good walk if I ended up having one too many. I had also gone down to help out and donate some money for a homeless shelter's kids halloween party. Apparently they had requested fried chicken and the person in charge was raising funds to grant them their request. Anyways on the walk down to the gaslamp from where I parked I noticed a bum was wrapped up and sleeping. It was all of 645 pm. I thought to myself, if I was a bum I would never go to sleep early- I would rock out til the morning. But thats just me. Anyways after the failure of redzone I headed off to rock bottom to meet up with Claudia and her friend so that I could drop off the money. There I basically crashed a birthday party, had a couple more drinks and found myself sitting next to some british guy who had just flown in. We start talking about sports. apparently he is a big cowboys fan and he tells me why that is. Back in London when he was like 10 he had recorded the superbowl that they were playing. Since they won bam he became a fan. He is actually like a real fan too- knows all the players and what not. Anyways during this I had to interrupt him to let him know I didn't speak Celtic. Haha thats my new thing I guess. He just laughed and said he couldn't help his accent- I told him I was just kidding. He also said He loved San Diego and that this was his second time back and that out of all the places in the USA this was his favorite? Oh yeah?
" Then tell me sir why would you parade yourself in downtown san diego wearing a giant shirt?"
"I thought since the Paaaadres (attempting his accent) weren't in it you all would be rooting for the california team."
" First of all its Pawdres not whatever you just called them haha just kidding. But seriously no. No padre fan is gonna sit here and tell you to wear a giants shirt and cheer them to world series victory..."
" Have you been to the Zoo?"
"no."
"How can you possibly say you love San Diego the most out of any city including LA and New York and not have gone to the zoo? you know its world famous? Other than the stupid pandas its a must stop."
hahaha we just started laughing- this guy knows comedy. He's here for another couple of days and I left him with a to do list for while he is here- Pacific and Ocean Beach, Cabrillo National Monument, Golden hill and north park, and the Zoo, haha.
After a brief stop at the whiskey girl, I decided I needed to call it a night. I had exceeded my allotment of beverages I had planned to drink but that was ok because it had been a nice night. I had a long walk back to the car and I figured if that wasnt good enough I could just hang out for a bit. On my way back, I notice the bum ( I forgot to ask what they prefer to be called a bum, homeless, or hobo...)that was sleeping earlier was no longer wrapped up and he was just looking up at the buildings and sky. Figuring I had time to kill, I stopped.
" Hey can I ask you something?"
"Sure"
"Why do you go to sleep so early?"
" Nothing else to do. plus if I wake up early I can get in line for some free coffee and bread at the shelter."
"Makes sense..."
At this point in realizing he is not crazy, not irrational, and seems quite normal I decide to ask him another question.
" Can I ask you something else?"
" yeah go ahead..."- He's just lounging in his sleeping bag with his belongings at his feet looking up at the night sky and buildings. I wasn't trying to change the guys life, or trying to document the plight of the homeless. I was just trying to converse with who I thought would be one to bring interesting conversation.
" What did you do before?"
" Before I lived on the streets?"
"Yeah before you used the union building sign as a night light."
He laughs.
" I worked construction. I was a laborer. Then I lost my job and didnt bother getting another one. So I ended up here"
" No family?"
I don't remember his reponse to that one because he asked me a question. I had by the point sat down on the sidewalk
" What do you do?"
" I am out of work. I used to work in insurance. But I havent worked since February."
" Do you get unemployment?"
"yeah but its not nearly enough. Its not what I'm used to getting paid."
"well at least its something."
I stop and think real quick. Here I was about to start bitching about the small amount of money my unemployment check was to some guy who was sleeping on the sidewalk. How much of an asshole am I?
" you're right"
The guy then asks me;
" You still looking for a job?"
"yeah actually but my credit is preventing me from hired. I actually got selected for an underwriting spot down here in one of these buildings about a couple of weeks ago. Commercial underwriting. But when they asked me about my credit and I told them about some things, they told me they wouldnt be able to hire me. So I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. I have an interview Friday in LA."
" LA huh? I prefer stayin down here"
I realize I am talking more about me so I bring it back to him.
" So you think you will ever not live out here?"
" I hope I don't but I'm not exactly trying- I sometimes drink too much."
" Me too man."
The rest is regular guy b.s. the chargers, padres, Adrian Gonzalez, hot women that walk by him sometimes, that almost motivate him to get back to work...
I finally decide to call it a night and as I am leaving I decide what the hell...
" Here man. I am broke as fuck myself but figure I would probably just end up drinking this away anyways." I handed him a 20.
" Are you sure man? Thanks! This is like coffee and food for a week."
" Man I don't care if you buy a beer with it too. I just..." I realized I was stereotyping him.
" Dude its yours to do what you want."
At this point we had awoken another homeless guy and he starts asking the guy I was talking to if he'd buy him something in the morning. what the hell...

" Dude here you go." I handed him a 10. Why? Because honestly, those 30 bucks to me just represented about 6 beers. To them it represented more important things. I'm not mother teresa or anyshit like that- I'm just a guy who drinks and needed to chill for a bit before heading on home. As I am walking away;

" Hey thanks again for the money man- Good luck with your interview in LA."
" No problem man. Thanks."

His name was Eric.

Not Another Day by Atmosphere-third verse.

Travel(remix)

"We travel like the wind across the rotten fruited plain. We travel like the blood that surrounds your brain. Atmosphere has landed, demanding that we raise the curve. Expand the kingdom, all heads of the earth..."

I think I have my answer as to the types of jobs I can no longer apply to. Out of 28 that were to get hired at United Health, I was not one of them. At least now I know why. Its actually is a little comfort knowing there is nothing I really can do about it. That came out wrong- the comfort is in knowing I do interview well, hence me having 2nd and 3rd interviews and just not getting them because of some number. Yeah the number is my fault but I can't fix it right now. Anyways now I just have to concentrate on regaining my Property and Casualty license (just gotta save up for the exam fees, renewal fees, courses/hours fees- the exam itself is easy.)and try to land a job at an Eastwood, Adrianas or some place like that. I don't know if its knowing its my credit or the fact I have been thinking a lot clearer this last week about myself that I'm not bummed and primed to hit a bar. I have come to understand I have lots of outs left. In hold 'em, outs are cards that still give you a shot at winning the hand. I know I still have some...

Speaking of my job status I had promised some car insurance advice- here are a few tips; In California, its against the law to discriminate based on age. So auto insurance companies are not allowed to use age as a factor. So the whole thing about insurance dropping once you turn 25 is not exactly true in this state- no matter what the schmoe at the insurance company you got insurance at tells you. In California they care about how long you have been licensed. So if you were licensed at the age of 16, then yes the 25 yr old thing would still apply. If you moved from New York, Chicago, or somewhere where the public transportation system was good and there was no need for a license and you're 25, not so much. If you first get your license at 25, you will have the same experience rate as a 16 yr old teenager (if you think about it, it makes sense right?) So if you have a kid close to being of legal driving age, get them their license-even if you aren't gonna let them drive till like they are 18 or something. on paper it will count as driving experience even though he/she hasn't driven. This is important because the major discount in California is the California Good Driver discount and you need 3 yrs of driving experience to qualify for it (also no more than one ticket or at fault non injury accident and no DUIs within the last 10 yrs)

Also California allows insurance companies to offer discounts based on your occupation- so if you're an account executive, office manager, lawyer, software engineer, etc... and you're with a company that doesn't offer this type of discount, you might be getting screwed. Normally its the bigger companies, (all state, GEICO, State Farm, Progressive etc.. that offer these discounts). Sorry bartenders, migrant workers, waiters, police officers, cashiers- you don't qualify in most cases.

Package your insurance policies- even if you don't own a home, having renter's insurance isn't only a good idea especially if you live in a somewhat shiesty area, but it could drop your auto insurance as well. You all should have known this one by now.

Double check your mileage- now I'm not gonna tell you to not be forthwright, but a lot of these companies now allow you to adjust your annual mileage on line. If you own multiple vehicles do you really drive each one at least 12k a year? of course not. You split the mileage evenly and drive them both 6k a year right? And if you only own one car, you carpool right? to do your part for the environment? Also think of all the cab drives you take on weekends. Do you really drive 15k-20k a year? Or is it more like 9K a year? You miscalculated the distance between work right? its not really a 30 miles one way. Its only 10... Sure some might end up asking for proof that you only drive so much, but then these are the companies you shouldnt be giving your business to if they arent gonna take your word for it.

Don't just take your agents word for the coverages you need, remember they have to make money off of you. question each coverage and each coverage limit. Or fuck it ask me.

I'm off to the gym, zoo, donate some money to help out with homeless children's halloween party, and have a beer for Jared's speedy recovery. Jared's in the military and all of his friends just found out he was wounded in action. Go thank a Veteran for their part in letting you lead the life you do.

Hey Ladies Fans

So tonight I found myself in downtown at some bar called the Local. Not too bad a place. I had always driven by it and always wanted to check it out. They have a good beer special on Mondays if you like bud light, dollar off if you want the pricey stuff. I also noticed that Wednesdays is trivia night where they have 10 buck pitchers of most domestics and also of Dos Equis, so if anyone is ever down to watch the display that is me acting like I know every answer when I don't, let me know. They have a pretty good selection of local brews as well. I will need to stay away from Thursday as that night they have their stone pale ale special at 3 bucks a pint... I am practicing this whole moderation thing and tonight was a success. After 2 pints I switched to water, ate, saw that Tony Romo got injured and bailed. He was on my fantasy football team and the only reason I decided to go out was to check to see if he could bring me the glory. Nope.
Anyways as is always the case being downtown and close to Little Italy reminded me of this dating tale. It occurred not to long ago I wanna say in January. A friend from work and me were at this place called the blue foot on a Tuesday night and began talking to these ladies who were dressed like they had just gotten off of work. They were also apparently very intoxicated. Well one of them and me started to hit it off. Her name was Adrian. I refrained from what I can only assume was a tired Rocky reference of yelling out "Adrian" in an attempted Sylvester Stallone voice. We were talking shit to each other about the jobs we had, the music we listened to, and the beers we drank.Now I love me a good beer, but when the objective is to have more than a few,I prefer bud light-well cuz I'm always trying to watch my figure. haha no. its cuz its economical for me. Have you not noticed how much I drink? I would have been homeless a lot sooner by now if I always drank Hef or New Castle or Stone. She was also in disbelief that she had met someone named Roy. "Who's named Roy nowadays? thats like a dog's name- isn't their dog food named Roy's or something?" haha. There is I think-good one. She was also from Pennsylvania and when I mentioned I had been there a few times and liked it, that seemed to grab her attention. I also told her the PA story I just put up here on this blog and it went over well. The rest of her party kept trying to pull her away to call it a night but she was refusing for awhile. They would look at me disapprovingly even though I was only doing harmless small talk bullshit type banter. Anyways they finally succeeded but before she left (at this point she was wasted) she tells me I should get her number. How do I know she was wasted? Because I had already asked and gotten her number. As she was walking out she mentioned something about living in Little Italy and that we should meet up for a drink sometime closer to there. She also mentioned something about the Mexican Consulate, but at the time I really wasn't able to hear what she had said- I just assumed it being in Little Italy as well, that she was trying to say she lived by there. I remember I worked like 13 hours on Wednesday so I was too tired to call or text her and decided just to give her a call on Thursday. After calling her Thursday and talking for a bit we decide on Friday we should meet up for a drink at this place called Anthology. They usually also have live music so it was sounding like it would be a good time. I get there first and decide of course to have a quick drink before she arrived. She actually got there at the time she was said she was (not that thats important because I am usually always late). But as I go to greet her I can tell something has confused her. "Roy?"
"yeah, why do I somehow look different?"
" oh no, I was just making sure..."
I go ahead and ask her whats she's having and she orders a martini. We start to talking for a little bit and its going pretty much like Tuesday. Then she brings up what she had said about Mexican Consulate again. Turns out she was talking shit about all the fuckin mexicans who are always lined up in the morning and how they all are rude and never let her walk through on the way to work. She was lucky enough to work and live in Little Italy. She then starts pretty much going off on Mexicans and Mexico overall- its dirty, they're dirty, third world country... I just started laughing and shaking my head. Of course I would get a date with a bigot. She then realizes I am Mexican. She would later tell me when she saw me again she had hoped I was Italian or Middle Eastern and that she had been thrown off by the fact my name was Roy. Yeah, because all Mexicans are named either Jorge Juan or Felipe, I guess. Anyways I just start to laugh order her another round and tell her it had been a pleasure but that maybe we should cut our losses. She sheepishly smiled tried to pay for her own drinks, but at this point I wasn't even mad- I was impressed at this new dating folly so I just paid the tab and headed off to meet D at the Turf.

Either this was one of the most extremely rude ways to cut short a date on purpose or I now know why her friends had been giving me a disapproving look at the Blue Foot.


I'm not gonna talk about your background or your origins. Who am I kidding? Thats exactly what I'm gonna talk about...
This song came on the itunes today and I decided to post it for the Russians who for some reason- I'm its sure the excellent videos actually- keep checking this page out. I'm now concerned this is on some spies like us tip so if I ever go missing, try looking for me in St Petersburg...

Ill Mitch- Hey Ladies Fan. props to Sag for discovering this possibly Russian-most likely not- rapper.

I got 5 on it

Last night scratched off another legendary group from the still need to see list. Pete Rock and CL Smooth. They are best known for the classic T.R.O.Y., but they have plenty of other classic songs. Also Pete Rock is a legendary producer- not a legendary MC, we could live without his attempt to rap, kind of like I should live without my attempt to write- but anyways, A member of the group LMNO was right in front of us during the show and like my cousin pointed out, he was so blazed it was like he was sleepwalking. His eyes were basically closed and he could have been mistaken for a zombie. As if he had smoked the Frankenstein weed from Grandma's boy. The show was the end to an action packed day which began with a trip to the gym, then some basketball by the beach ala king and duck, then my kid's school carnival, and finally the show. This had me on my feet or running around for the better part of 12 hours. Which made me decide to go ahead and be god like and take the 7th day off (today) to rest. While waiting for Pete and CL to come on the DJ played a nice playlist from back in the day. Why because the majority of the people at this concert would be around my age. I dragged my cousins along and they were joking on the way that they would most likely be the youngest people there. Which other than maybe a couple of other girls there, they might have been right. Anyways one of the songs that came on was, you guessed it this luniz joint (ha get it- yeah I'm a dork). Anyways it got me to thinking- I am a failed ganja, herb, or stick if you will, smoker. There are just too many reasons why I am. So I stay away. You wanna read about it?

Ok here we go. Please note for all you non smokers and Nancy Reagans, these stories are years old- we're talking high school times. Again this is one thing I have been retired from for a long ass time. I'm not smoking it and blowing it into my kids' faces nowadays...

First of all, it makes me pass out. Once while in PB it got passed to me and not wanting to spoil the puff puff pass flow, went and hit it. I was told not 15 minutes later I had gone to pass out in my buddy's room. Which he wouldn't had minded so much if his girlfriend hadn't been drunk and gone to go pass out herself and didn't realize she had been sleeping next to me until a few hours later... But more commonly would be the times friends would come over to my apartment, want to get blazed and watch a movie and I'd pass out 10 minutes into Anchor Man, the aforementioned grandma's boy, Old School... So its no fun when all I end up doing is going to sleep. Although the last special lady friend I had was all about it and supposedly there are strains that actually do the opposite. I find this hard to believe...

Second, on the occasions I don't pass out, it voids me of any rational eating restraints. Once back during the pizza hut days, we went to a friend's after work with like 6 pizzas. They decided to try whats called a bucket bong, which is a bucket fashioned to be used for smoking. Well after a few hits of that, I got hungry and proceeded to consume at least 3 of those pizzas by myself in about 10 minutes. 10 minutes later I would be leaning over the balcony puking it all up. I am pretty sure I was laughing the whole time while puking too, which leads me to the final reason;

I have a ridiculous and obnoxious laugh when I'm not higher than eagle nuts, so just imagine when I am. Once while hanging out with a friend- who is a frequent user- in OB, we were wrapping up a night of drinking by going to enjoy a burrito. Well while waiting for our order I notice something fall out of some dude's pocket. It turns out it was what I would guess a couple of grams or more of the green- I dunno when it comes to weed I don't know the measurements by eye. Anyways knowing my buddy is a fan I quickly pushed it with my foot towards me scooped it up and surprised him with it when the dude that had dropped it was gone. We then for some reason proceed to go to another buddy's house- we'll just call him "joe" for security reasons- so that they could enjoy my finding. Well they convince me to try it since I had been the one to find it so I went with it. Well this "Joe" character starts talking about how his roommates can't believe he hates Tiger Woods (this was pre finding out he had cheated on his wife, when it seemed he was just a good ol' fashion nerd) At one point his story goes to how they are watching a tournament and Tiger is winning and from nowhere his roommates' dad goes to "Joe"
"HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THIS GUY! REALLY HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE THIS GUY?"
Obviously sometimes when you're stoned anything remotely funny is gonna trigger hardcore laughter. The way "Joe" had told the story with the culmination of him trying to impersonate a confused old man got me rolling. I didn't stop laughing at the top of my lungs for a solid ten to 15 minutes. My ridiculous and obnoxious laugh triggered them to start dying laughing. It woke up his room mates apparently. It was actually noted on the facebook when it occurred. "Joe" posted something to my wall about my laughter, I replied and his room mate ended up replying;
"That awful sound was his laughter? Me and (his special lady friend) thought it was some animal out in the wild that was dying..."

So for these reasons I find it best to stay away from this drug... Enjoy your Monday morning...

I'll Be OK

"As long as I know right from wrong I'll be ok I'll sing my songs..."

My new daily routine-
wake up at 8am, scour the internet for jobs with 16 oz of coffee in hand, write, maybe write a little more, proceed to my Hershal Walker exercise plan that consists of sets of push ups (100 total), sit ups (200 total). Maybe have some oatmeal/honey nut cheerios/frosted flakes, all this while listening to music, posting bs on the face, ignoring phone calls from bill collectors, and drinking 3 pints of water. Then hit the gym where I do 4 to 5 miles of exercise either on the treadmill or elliptical, then shoot some ball for a half hour maybe play a game or two, and into the sauna for 20 minutes. leave the gym and do an extra exercise like rockin the zoo, hitting up cowles mountain, or head back to the gym for more bball shooting. comeback drink 3 or 4 more pints of water, shower, get antsy just sitting here, maybe write some more, def listen to more music, plan to stay in, get a call or text from someone heading out, debate for 5 mins if I should go out, go out, get drunk, eat at denny's (southern omelette with hash browns has 1070 calories and 80 grams of fat... wow man wow.), or stay in watch the history channel or 48hours try to go to sleep around midnight, give up get out of bed head to the tv/computer room stay up till 4, fall asleep on the couch wake up around 6 head to bed, wake up at 8am. repeat Have I mentioned I discovered my love of fishing?

Speaking of the Gym, tonight's conversation with Sofia;
" Why do you go to the gym so much?"
" Because I am getting healthy and skinny"
" So- When's that gonna happen?"

:/ hahaha


...Christ I tried to replicate the drivel of other blogs but I just couldn't. back to my own version of drivel...



Last night was what going out should be about. I met up with Nick and Brian at some bar and grill in Mira Mesa. To skip the traffic that is Mira Mesa Blvd. I decided to get off on Carroll Canyon rd. That got me a little pissed. Carroll Canyon road is the exit that my work used to be off. Bitterness, anger, regret, all set in and for a moment I thought it was gonna ruin the night. Nick asked me the other day if I was done grieving over the loss of my job. Up until last night I don't think I had. Carroll Canyon is also where Brandon works. He is a construction worker and they are expanding the off ramp. I was still thinking about the AG all the way to the bar and as I sat down. But 30 seconds in and we were all laughing. It didn't turn into a night of drinking to forget, or as a temporary band aid for me. It was a true honest good night. Laughing the whole time at Callahan's, watching the Giants lose to the Phillies- our conversation are epic and ridiculous.
" your weiner is like a petri dish"
" It felt like I was doing my mattress"
"who's that hot chic pitching for the Giants?"
"1 pm on Wednesdays peak time to speak to Brian..."
hahaha man. It a great feeling to know I have two guys like these that not only put up with my moodiness, retardeness, drunkeness, (insert whatever else I maybe missing) but make it go away, without having to really talk about anything. I actually have a couple of other friends like that but last night it was these two. The party moved on to Patricks in Poway where we conversed on Slavic history, The civil War, the downfall of the USA, how lame politics are (democrats, repubs and everyone in between), and management styles and why the corporate world sucks. Then proceeded to getting shot down by girls and sobering up at Denny's eating, having some coffee talking to our usual waiter. We realized we were the only ones inside of Denny's last night (how you come up with the name swollen members? drunk at Denny's!)Thats what an outing should be about. not getting stupid, not not knowing what you were doing, drinking till a debate about whether you should get hauled off to detox, etc... Remembering the whole night with the cool people you have the privilege to call friends and waking up regretting the trip to denny's. Only improvement really would be the whole getting shot down thing. haha.


to the waiter- " you're awesome!"
his reply? " Naw Man you guys are Awesome!"


I'll be Ok from Aesop Rock featuring Slug because with friends like these I know I will be.

this quote is what I feel about my friends, though I am both the crazy and the drunk...

"General Grant is a great general. I know him well. He stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk; and now, sir, we stand by each other always.".

Full Moon

My buddy Stacey has this band made up of mostly his other siblings and this song reminds me of them. Not because he's always forgetting his lyrics and tripping over the mic chord, but just the sound. So much so I have told him I have a song they need to cover- I just keep forgetting to let him know...


Besides french fries, I am also addicted to cashews, anything gummy like worms, bears, gummi starbursts, etc... and watchamacallits- or however you spell them. Some are thinking " you're missing a couple of other issues dude." but really I'm not. The dip is really only done out of boredom and hunger suppression. I figure since smokers usually gain weight when they quit, people who start up tobacco lose weight. How is the logic flawed there? But like I said in a previous post, I'm in the process of giving it up- don't like the notoriety of being a dipper. Plus I realized a couple of weeks ago I found myself excusing myself from the table at Tompkins square to get a dip in and thats right on the verge of actual addiction so I have decided I needed to chill out. I had never done that. The alcohol usually is only done in a social setting. I'm not sitting here typing away downing a bottle of bacardi every night. Or every other night for that matter, or even on a monthly basis. I know youre pointing to pretty much ever post on this blog. Damn it... Hmm. I'll take the terms binge drinker or functioning alcoholic- not full blown alcoholic or alcohol addict. Good Henry Clay type of compromise... (Henry Clay check out some history for the love of God)

I was perusing the reader last night between handfuls of cashews, and decided the writing is subpar. Trying to be all newsworthy and shit. But not in a good way. I think I could be a helluva lot more entertaining. I think what is preventing that though is my lack of grammar or my lack of caring about it. Punctuating, paragraph breaks, " article manuscript" formats, are just so constricting. But really I shouldn't devoid the masses with this great shit, so I'm debating on hiring on an intern to be my grammar/format editor. A la Vandelay industries. The pay wouldn't be much- fries, cashews, gummisavers, dips from my cans, maybe a beer, chicken hotdogs, an autographed headshot, and maybe a cut of any proceeds I would get out of a job that their editing skills got published. Oh and of course all the hip hop they could listen to...

I found my folder from my english class I took in Monterey. My english professor loved me. I remember every- and I mean every essay I wrote she read to the class. I had an A in the class right up until... The required research paper. With its bibliography, keywords, citations, and all the other bullshit they had you put in it. The length of the research paper was never the problem. It was lame that if you didnt turn one in to the required specs you werent passing the class. Again the shit was too constricting. So I never got around with bothering with any of that shit. Funny how years later for reports and audits I had to do for my last job I would easily throw it all on there. But not on a paper I wrote about the band the roots (that's right my research paper was on a hip hop group- add that to my addictions I guess). I remember her pulling me aside and basically telling me to drop the class before she had to fail me. She told me she had loved everything I wrote and that I should pursue it and I just needed to nail down the technical aspects of it. I felt back then, (I guess much like I do now) that I was gonna write how I knew how to write and that I was gonna stick to writing on what I knew. Plus to me it was just a past time, I was concentrating on being a bad ass history teacher- as bad ass as a history teacher could be I guess but anyways now that I do it on the daily I want to give the research paper another shot. So once I get back on track, I'm gonna hit up a community college near you and be that old guy people think is just there out of boredom or is maybe a Johnny Depp 21 jump street undercover police officer type of dude that happened to be the youngest so the squad had no choice but to select him for the assignment.

And if given the topic choice on the research paper, its gonna be on Atmosphere...