Tuesday, May 08, 2007

I remember the first time I was mean to someone. I was 16, and I was in both the jazz and the marching band in high school. My band teacher, Mr. Robin Putt, was accusing me of never practicing because he never saw me take my trumpet home. He said he expected more of me as the first trumpet in both bands, and if I wanted to continue to hold my spot, I had best start practicing. I asked him how he could just take away my spot as first trumpet, when there was a "challenge" system already in place that determined who was the #1 of each section. The challenge system involved both players going into a room and playing, and the rest of the band would vote on who sounded the best, and the winner would retain his #1 spot. Well I would ALWAYS win these challenges, so I was more than a little perturbed that I was being threatened like this. Plus, I politely informed Mr. Putt that I had 2 trumpets, one here at school and one at home(which was true), and he said he didn't believe me. THEN he said maybe if you spent as much time with your music as you did with the basketball team, you'd be much better(mind you this was high school, not college). And THEN just to really piss me off he said, I heard you barely made the basketball team anyway(which was true, but still, it was none of his business). So at this point I was hurt, and I couldn't believe my band teacher was calling me out, when I had done nothing but good things for he and his band for 2 years. So, right after that basketball comment, I said to him, well I heard one of your kids was born retarded, but I never say anything about that(and this was true..he had announced in front of the band about 2 weeks earlier that one of his newborns was born severely retarded..he had cried in front of us and everything). Well right after I said this he stood up and sent me to the office, and eventually kicked me out of band. I told my parents that I had quit, because I didn't want them to know and luckily they never had to. At that point band was getting boring anyway, because all we played is boring swing music..nothing current, no real jazz, no nothing. But I felt bad that I insulted that man like that, but I must admit part of me felt good that I could get the upper hand. That is just wrong, but it is where I was at the time.

What made me think of that? This morning in the shower, I was trying to think of what made me have such a smart ass mouth, and that was it. I don't remember being that way in college, probably because I was too busy being overwhelmed and anti social. But once out of college, I remember being that way all the time. Now at 32, it is just a part of who I am, although I am trying to minimize it a bit..ok I'm lying..but still, i have tried to reel it in. Plus as someone jokingly told me recently, no one loves a smartass.

I really would like an invitation to one of these White House dinners. No I don't particularly care for this Bush administration, but I'd sure as hell eat up their food, get my picture taken with important people, and kick around some bullshit small talk with the likes of the Queen Elizabeth, Peyton Manning, Trent Lott, and Colin Powell, all of whom were in attendance last night at the state dinner for Queen Elizabeth. I would be on my best behavior, I would have unbelievable amount of blog material, and how knows maybe I'd get a job out of it all. I have no idea of what you do to get an invitation, or who the correct person(s) is to sleep with, but I need this information. I think it would be a quality experience.

Clearly I am rested and wide awake today.

Run to the Sun - NERD

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Take a bow Rashad, this was excellent....

how the hell did Manning get on the guest list?

Miss. Lady said...

Rashad you being a smart ass is one of your best qualities. This is coming from one smart ass to another. :)

Janelle said...

Embrace the smart ass in you. That teacher had it coming. Once in high school I told a teacher she was racist because she couldn't get the black girls names right. She burst into tears and said her husband was black. While I felt like an ass on the inside, I stood by my words because for 2 months she called me Claudine. LOL

To paraphrase a gospel song (Lord, please forgive me): "The smart ass in me loves the smart ass in you" LOL

Anonymous said...

you ole meanie!

Jo said...

You were mean, but I think he was being racist. Was he white? It sounds like he assumed that because you were black you couldn't possibly have an instrument at home . . .the jerk!