Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Last night around 11:45pm I heard gunshots outside my window. This is not the first time I've ever heard gunshots, this isn't even the first time I have heard gunshots outside a place where I live(whether its been DC or MD), but given all that's been in the news during the past 48 hours or so, this set of gunshots had me standing at attention. I kept thinking about those students who actually saw the VT gunman, and spoke of how they reacted once they heard the shots. Then I thought about what would happen if a shootout occurred outside my window while I was sleeping, and bullets got me in my sleep. And then I thought about going to the window to see what was going on, but I know that would have been a dumb move. And then finally I said to myself, man it isn't quite my time to go, so let me stop worrying and go to sleep. Of course this thought process took place in a matter of 10 minutes while I was on the phone, but it felt like an eternity. I don't even live in what would be considered a risque neighborhood either, but in this day and age that really doesn't mean much. Maybe I should have know when I saw that shopping cart near my house, that doom and gloom wasn't far off.

I consider myself a perceptive fellow for the most part. So if I walk past someones desk or even if I see someone on the street, and I get the sense that they aren't interesting in talking or they don't have a whole lot to say, I keep it moving. This goes for new people I may meet, people I may know and run into on the street, or people who I work with. These aren't difficult things to diagnose. If someone gives you minimal eye contact, if they keep staring at their computer or cellphone, or if they keep walking while you're trying to talk, you can pretty much chalk that up to being blown off, and not in the good way. For some reason though, people dont seem to pick up on my avoidance tactics. For example, the woman at my job who looks like Clinton Portis came in my office and said good morning, and I returned the favor and then immediately went back to typing my blog. But did it stop there? Oh no no no..then she commented on how I looked tired(see the gunshot story), then she commented on how tired she was, and then it moved to i need a vacation, then on to I need to hit the lottery, and all the while I wasn't even look at her. She was in the middle of her rant about the lottery, and threw out an obligatory, "yeah the lottery's good", and she didn't even pick up on the sarcasm and proceeded to go on for a good five minutes. Friendly people at work are way overrated. Just do your job, get ahead when you can, kiss your bosses ass, keep your office clean, keep the meetings,gossip, and inappropriate sexual behavior to a minimum, update your resume every now and then, and leave me the hell alone. It isn't all that difficult.

If you ever get the chance, and you have HBO, please watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. It is an excellent show that approaches sports in a 60 minutes type fashion. And the shows are done in a way, that even non-sports fans can appreciate what's going on and get something out of it. I have coerced a few non sports fans to watch it, and they enjoy the show a great deal. Plus, despite what you may think of Bryant Gumbel, he is THE best sports journalist out there in my opinion. For 30 plus years he has done everything in journalism. He's run a underground, pro black newspaper, he's covered baseball, football, basketball, the Olympics, basketball, he's hosted morning shows, and now he primarily does this show on HBO. Plus he's not afraid to make someone uncomfortable in an interview, which I appreciate as a viewer. So watch the show when it comes on, or if you have on-demand watch an episode or two. And no he's not paying me, I just feel strongly about this show and thought I'd share.

Leo Sayer - Magdalena
Gangstarr- Precisely the Right Rhymes

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't live in the safest of neighborhoods either. Although my apartment is upstairs, I find myself scared to sleep by the window for fear of bullets....

Jo said...

Ummmnnn . . .sorry about he 'hood . . . I guess it has its pluses and its minuses . . .

And NO, you should NOT kiss your bosses ASS!

As for Real Sports . . .are their knees touching . . .that's wierd . . .

Jo said...

PS. BTW - Your windows are way to high for you to be shot by a stray bullet! Stop acting like you live in a glass building OR on the 1st floor! LOL!

soft and subtle said...

It's been a minute since I've read your blogs and I just finished April; I’ve been ill for the past couple weeks. First, congratulations on seeing your nephew and the whole adventure in Atlanta (house party and all). Secondly, it was a delight hearing the story of your father and how he waves at the end of the driveway. I envision you doing that with young Carlton when he gets your age. Thirdly, it is tragic what happened at VT. My heart goes out to the families and friends. Of course, situations like this put everyone on edge but we will conquer this as well. There’s one thing I thought about (and was quite disturbed) knowing that God knew the events of that day before anyone and He still allowed it to happen. I'm a Christian but it's still hard for me to cope with or comprehend that knowledge. Again, congratulations Rashad and blessing and prayers for VT.