Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My Journal #205 - VOTE!

As a reminder, or a public service announcement, today is voting day in Texas. Due to a lawsuit over re-districting in Texas our votes for the president is now mute. But there are other very important elections going on; SO VOTE.

All the great nations in history failed due to public apathy. Don’t allow our great country to go the same direction. One vote can make a difference, and the wrong leader can ruin a country . . . . current case in point.

And if you don’t vote, don’t complain.

Monday, May 28, 2012

My Journal #204 - That Biaatch!

It’s been a really long weekend. So before I begin let me note that I typically don’t drink like a fish. I do drink, but on a weekend I don’t usually get wasted. But this weekend began on Thursday night and didn’t end until about noon on Monday. The rest of the time I was at my pool, with friends, and drinking heavily. I share this so you will understand the humor in this story.

I keep my phone near me most of the time. But when I’m near the pool I keep it several feet away and under a porch. My typical pattern is to check my phone about every two hours or so. Other than that I ignore it.

This past weekend I sort of was hoping to hear from someone. I had no reason to expect to hear from them. But it was a difficult and frustrating weekend. And in the past whenever I have hard times this one person sort of just appears. So since I was having a hard time, I waited for them to reach out.

Again, I had no reason to expect it, I guess I was just hoping . . . or something.

Well, I was doing my usual, only drinking more as I mentioned. The first ten or so times I checked my phone I had no message. I did hear from my other friends, but this one person was the one I needed to hear from. So I kept checking.

I think it was early Saturday when I first began to get frustrated. There was still no message, and even though I had no reason to be upset I was still becoming upset. And that was when I first uttered that phrase . . THAT BIAATCH!

The first few times it was more of a mumble. But as the evening continued I sort of got louder. By Sunday I guess my ranting had become more obvious that I knew. It was dusk on Sunday and my frustration was sort of beyond control. I’m sure the three days of sun and booze added to it, not to mention all the problems I had rolling around in my head.

And then it happened, I checked my phone and still had no message. I shouted out, “THAT BIAATCH!” Apparently one of my friends was too close and actually busted out laughing. As I looked around I saw that everyone was snickering and laughing.

[Can you say embarrassed?]

That was the moment I realized three things.

1. My friend wasn’t interested in communicating.
2. I should never have expected that they would want to communicate.
3. I was acting like a fool.

I woke up the next morning in bed with someone from the party. The weekend apparently got better!

Friday, May 25, 2012

My Journal #203 - Let's talk about Relationships?

I don’t mean a marriage, a truly arranged monogamous relationship, or even a relationship where two people live together and have an “understanding”. No I’m talking about a guy and a girl, occasionally dating but close. A relationship where there is no presumption of monogamy but yet no formality in asking for dates is required.

And to further pinpoint my discussion, let’s avoid discussing what people may do. A drunken night ending in the back seat of a car basically isn’t the discussion. No, instead what I want to discuss is the amount of communication that would be expected. Again, I will concede that communication is not necessarily required. It’s more like what would be the RIGHT thing to communicate.

Granted, right and wrong are discernable. But if two people like each other, have some amount of respect for each other, and typically count on each other for support and entertainment what would be the anticipated amount of communication regarding the time apart from each other?

Since I am a guy I presume that you would guess which side of this talk I will be on. I’m confident you are thinking “what happens in wherever stays in wherever”. Being totally honest, for the bulk of my adult I lived by that motto. Phrases like “Be true to myself and screw the rest of ‘em” and “live and let live” were part of who I was. Yet at some point I started having a lot more respect for myself, and that became a standard for how I treated other people.

So here’s a big surprise, I believe in open and honest communication.

I was trying to explain this to a friend recently. They have a unique lifestyle and it often “splashes” over on other people. I explained that usually the people around you are the same people that care about our well being, and the “splash” can sometimes be shocking. My point was that I didn’t so much care about the choices they made, but since I was a friend I am sort of a part of their life; and I’d like to know what’s coming at me.

So let’s get back to the aforementioned “drunken night” scenario I mentioned earlier. Let’s say there are two close friends, dating regularly, and intimate often. One party asks to spend time with the other party. The second party can’t because they had already made other plans. The second party goes out, become inebriated and aroused, and hooks up with a stranger.

The next morning, although not necessarily regretful, the second party is aware of the actions that occurred; But not remorseful as they have no obligation to anyone else. Then the first party calls up, as they usually do and asks, “How was you night and what did you do?”

So . . . .  Are you honest?

I would say yes you should be. If the first party is really a friend then they deserve to know the truth so they can make decisions based on reality. I mean the second party made a choice that was good for them. As a friend shouldn’t you give your friend the same opportunity. Maybe it won’t matter, but maybe it will. If they are a friend then you won’t lose them due to you actions, but they can adjust the interpersonal relationship they have with you and others.

In my opinion it’s only fair!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

My Journal #202 - Holley

Let’s chat about current events.

Here in Houston a kid was beaten by police while being arrested. A security camera attached to a storage facility caught the beating. One officer has been tried and acquitted. Three more begin their trials this week.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the news could report facts?

Let me explain something to you; most of what you hear, whether it is television, radio, friends or even blogs (except for mine) is false. Maybe it’s not intentionally false, but false is false nonetheless. When something happens in our communities a race begins. This race is to see who can get the story on the air waves the quickest. And needless to say, accuracy is far from important.

[I remember in my con days I was told by my mentor that if you want someone to believe you then tell them something they want to believe]

And now let me caution you, when you hear about BREAKING NEWS, take it with a grain of salt. Folks, the ONLY place in the world where it is illegal to lie is in a court of law when you are under oath to tell the truth. Other than that it’s just a nuisance.

Before you take any actions based on a news story, try to check it out yourself. Read more stories, check the internet, look at video’s yourself, and just be responsible. And if possible, do what I did and go to the darn trial, where I repeat that you MUST be honest, and listen to the FACTS.

In the case of Chad Holley, it was reported that an upstanding black child was brutally attacked by four police officers. Upon hearing this story the community went viral. People wanted someone’s head on a platter. About a week ago, the first officer was tried and acquitted. Upon hearing this news the community began urging its citizens to attack people of other races to get justice.

Today there is tension all over Houston. Basically we are on the verge of racial violence. And the shit of it is that the news media CREATED all this tension just to MAKE a story. When they release the court findings in this instance, they showed a picture of Chad Holley in 8th grade. Yes, he looked like a child. Then they showed pictures of uniformed police officers in tactical gear and the caption was “Officer Gets off Scott Free”.

C’mon . . . . Really?

So I attended one day of the trial. Upon the conclusion of the trial, I paid for the transcripts. So let me share with you the FACTS of this case.

The officer on trial for POLICE MISCONDUCT testified that he never touched Chad Holly. Chad Holley testified that this officer never touched him. This officer ran to the aid of fellow officers, is in the video for 3.7 seconds. He arrives in the video, looks at scene, and then sprints away to help another officer who is dealing with another perpetrator.

Since the officer and Holley both testified under oath that nothing happened between them, the officer was acquitted. For the record, the officer had already been fired by HPD for policy violations pertaining to this incident. So anyone that knew the FACTS of this particular trial would see very clearly that this particular officer did absolutely nothing wrong. If you do nothing wrong then you shouldn’t be found guilty.

In this particular case I believe justice was served. But let me tell you some other pertinent facts that came out in this trial to help illustrate how the media twisted the information to create what is now a very deadly situation.

• Under oath, Chad Holley admitted he was a member of a gang.
• The attorney for the officer presented Facebook photos of Holley, not from 8th grade but from the past few months. In the photos he was wearing gang colors and showing gang signs.
• Holley had three previous arrests.
• Holley had skipped school to assist his gang / friends with a home burglary.
• The police had a tip that his group would be committing a burglary on the day in question and that on the previous day the same individuals had burglarized a home where two weapons had been stolen.
• The police staked out the house where the individuals were meeting, watched as they boarded a van and drove to an unoccupied home, watched as they broke a window to gain entrance, and watched as they exited the home with their stolen loot.
• The police then attempted to stop the vehicle with the criminals and watched as several individuals (including Holley) exited the moving vehicle and began fleeing on foot.
• The police chased Holley demanding that he stop running and lie flat on the ground.
• Holley refused to stop and instead tried to climb a chain link fence to escape.
• Holley was pulled to the ground and told to keep his hands where they could be seen.
• Holley reached into his pants.
• Three officers attacked Holley believing he was reaching for one of the weapons stolen the previous day.
• No weapon was found.


Now these are the facts presented in court. Based on these facts, it seems obvious that Holley was not a child that had been randomly attacked by police. Holley was a young man, hanging around known criminals, and performing criminal actions himself. Holley was violent and could have been carrying a weapon. Holley was fleeing a crime scene after being told he was under arrest. Holley acted inappropriately.

[Hey, here’s a hint . . . if a cop tells you to do something, DON”T RUN!]

So take my advice . . .

Be smart, read everything, listen to people cautiously, use your own judgment, and don’t cast aspersions until you are confident that you know the truth.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

My Journal #201 - I'm Back!

Hi! Did ya miss me?

I did actually start a new blog, but it didn’t keep my interest. So I went back to writing my book and even started a second book. But then the one I used to refer to as Sunshine began to dominate my attention again. I actually started a blog of letters to her that I would never send. She had a guy and if you’ve read my words before you would know I don’t do taken women.

[I know, it ALL sounds sort of goofy]

Anyway, I officially change her pen name to Moonlight since she no longer really enlightened me. I actually felt like I was more often in the dark with regards to her anyway. So she became Moonlight. It seems to fit.

SO BE IT!

Moonlight and I got back together, and we've had some really great moments. And I did learn a little about her one Saturday night sitting on her back porch. But since then, even thought we still talk, I have no clue as to where she is or what she is doing.

Moonlight absolutely hates ultimatums, but I live by them. And I had given myself an ultimatum a year ago. Basically, if I reach May 21, 2012 and STILL have no clue about her life, who she is, or what she wants with me; then I quit, no matter what. And to me “quit” means I give up on any hope of the type of a relationship I wanted with her. I’ll still be a friend to her, but I won’t seek her out or accept any date invitations.

At 6:00 pm yesterday my ultimatum kicked in, and I quit.

Honestly, she was a one in a million lady. Everyone found her beautiful and sexy, which she definitely is. I was enamored with her beauty as well. But what made me think of her differently was her drive to succeed and her intelligence. I’ve always been drawn to hot blondes, but with her there was so much more. She was the first lady I still wanted to be with after trust became an issue.

Lord I will miss her.

But get this . . . .

I know a guy in Austin that used to keep tabs on Moonlight’s ex-fiancée. I didn’t ask him to do this, and it’s a really long and complicated story; so I won’t share it now. But in any case, this guy contacted me today. Now he is aware that Moonlight and her fiancée had a rough breakup recently, so he thought I might want to know that the ex quit his job and is supposedly moving to the same town where Moonlight is moving.

Coincidence?

Normally I would ask Moonlight if she is back with her ex again. But because I quit, it really doesn’t matter. If she did get back with him then I guess that they deserve each other. (I’d hate to be the neighbor though) If she didn’t get back together with him then I am proud of her, but she will never know. Either way, I am good.

See, ultimatums work!

Additionally, my good friend LovelyGirl is now gone. I found out that she apparently still had a crush on me. That alone is not a big deal; everyone wants me (Hehehehe). But I found out that she was secretly sabotaging my past attempts at a relationship with Moonlight so that she could try to steal me away. She was jealous and would feed me bad information and give me advice that was probably better for her than me. We had a HUGE fight, and I asked her never to contact me again.

[Hey, if I can toss the woman of my dreams after two years of trying I guess it’s ok to toss my best friend of 13 years, right?]

Bye, bye!

Banana-Rama, Kat, Martel & HMPOA are all still good. Niki-Cole has started her new life and I admire her and wish her all the best. She’s a super lady.

The good (or bad) news for YOU is that I am back. I have lots to share and plenty of useless advice. I mean we have a HUGE election coming up, many current events that are molding our country, and of course women still need a wee bit of advice about us guys. And let's never forget my ILLOGICAL RAMBLINGS!

So tune in, hang on and I hope you enjoy the ride.

I missed you!

Friday, October 28, 2011

My Journal 200

A long time ago I used to email my thoughts to my friends. One friend, a new friend, suggested that I do a "Blog" page. Thus began this, and over 200 Journals later I am wrapping this page up and starting a new chapter. So, don't forget about me!?!?

Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me
(Theme from “The Breakfast Club”)

Hey, hey, hey ,hey - Ohhh...

Won't you come see about me?
I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby

Tell me your troubles and doubts
Giving me everything inside and out and
Love's strange so real in the dark
Think of the tender things that we were working on

Slow change may pull us apart
When the light gets into your heart, baby

Don't You Forget About Me
Don't, Don't, Don't, Don't
Don't You Forget About Me

Will you stand above me?
Look my way, never love me
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down

Will you recognize me?
Call my name or walk on by
Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling
Down, down, down, down

Hey, hey, hey, hey - Ohhhh.....

Don't you try to pretend
It's my feeling we'll win in the end
I won't harm you or touch your defenses
Vanity and security

Don't you forget about me
I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby
Going to take you apart
I'll put us back together at heart, baby

Don't You Forget About Me
Don't Don't Don't Don't
Don't You Forget About Me

As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
As you walk on by
Will you call my name?
When you walk away

Or will you walk away?
Will you walk on by?
Come on - call my name
Will you call my name?

I say :
La la la...
When you walk on by...
And you call my name...



MY FRIENDS

Lovely Girl (On the right)

Banana-Rama (She's shy)

HMPOA

 Martel

 Niki-Cole


Kat

Sunshine

MY FOLLOWERS!






I think I've told all of you the address of my new blog. If not, email me at illogical69@live.com so we can continue the party.

Monday, October 24, 2011

My Journal 199

I will have a FINAL Journal (#200) this weekend. Thanks to all of you for being a part of this.

 
It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them. Confucius