2008 MLB Champs

The Phillies just won. Good grief, the Phillies just won.

I just became a baseball fan this year... and I took a leap of faith and rode with the Phillies.

It hurt me to do so, as a Dallas Cowboys fan. The Philadelphia Eagles are BIGTIME rivals and it made me feel like a turncoat. Despite a rough start, the Phillies managed to make it to the playoffs -- and that's where the magic happened.

After a wacky Game 5 (which essentially took 3 days), the Philadelphia Phillies have won it all. Never before have you seen such a great return on a sports investment. NEVER.

I may have no voice for work tomorrow... but that's all the better reason to ignore my constituents.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled coherent blog.

Sky High

If you'll refer to my last post, you'll understand when I tell you that my job isn't terribly engaging. I mean, don't get me wrong -- crunching numbers all day is a much better task than digging graves or being a mortgage broker right now -- but unless I'm talking to one of my many co-workers, I often find myself less than fulfilled.

So how have I kept sane over the last 18 months? Why that's quite elementary, my dear Watson -- I get high as shit... on MUSIC. Rage Against the Machine, The Game, T.I. ("Live Your Life" is audio crack), John Legend (can't stop nodding my head to "Green Light"), Raheem Devaughn ("Try Again" -- been there), Jill Scott, N.E.R.D., Ledisi, Dru Hill (I've lived "One Good Reason"), Gnarls Barkley, Robin Thicke (uhhh... "Magic" anyone?), Usher, Alicia Keys, Chrisette Michele ("Like A Dream" is a great 1st track), Bob Marley and soooo many more artists keep my mind engaged, my lips moving and my facial muscles contorting into a smile all day long.

I love music. I've only reached the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different genres and artists that I've yet to experience. I love reading my buddy Dr. Snob's profile because I always learn about some new artist of whom I'd never previously heard... such a beautiful thing. (Note to Dr. Snob: Please don't stop, because I need my fix -- thanks!)

I believe it when people say that music is the international language. Whether it's the melody, instruments, arrangement and/or lyrics, the great songs always find a way to stand out in the crowd of dull, uninspired drivel that has inundated the airwaves.

Maybe it's Travis Barker on the drums or Luther's smooth, effortless vocals that do it for you. Doesn't matter. At the end of the day, the music must speak to you. To your life, experiences, dreams, failures, successes, fears... good music should speak to you. It should make you sing, dance, cry, smile, frown, reminisce, scrutinize... it should just make you feel something inside. There is nothing like the goosebumps I get when I hear a great song.

Not to mention, I'll be too busy zoning out to realize that I want to choke out the account manager on the other end of my e-mail.

So Tired

I know, I know -- where the hell have I been? I can't tell you how many times I've actually had some semblance of something to say, but just didn't have the energy or desire to sit in front of my PC long enough to express them to you. You see, here's the problem: I have 2 jobs now and I barely have enough time to call my own mama.

My main job is that of an underwriter. Essentially, I spend the entire day analyzing claims, monitoring trends, evaluating risk, running data through formulas and generally being bored to death. It's not the sexiest job in the world, but it certainly pays the bills -- I mean, I've never loved OT so much as I do right now -- and it's a pretty stable gig. The two promotions that I've received in the last 8 months have certainly been a huge morale boost. I got tired of selling insurance, so working this industry in a different capacity has been a fantastic change of pace. Unfortunately, I do not see a great deal of room to grow beyond my current position and will have to re-evaluate my career path if I choose to remain with my current employer. I've always had an EXTREME love affair with linguistics, and that's something that I'd like to revisit in the near future.

My part-time gig finds me at one of those big home improvement places, in the simplest of roles -- as a cashier. I don't have to sell a damn thing, I just have to know how to ring the shit up... and considering I spend the entire day using actuarially-driven factors and formulas to predict risk & estimate future medical and dental insurance costs -- well, ringing up wood & bricks just doesn't feel so hard. Now, I know what you're probably thinking: "Man, that shit is awesome! You probably get a sick discount for all your household needs!" Well to you, I quote the great Charlie Murphy by saying this: "WRONG! WRONG!!"

I get no discount of any sort. While I was initially pissed, I realized that this is a good thing because I will not blow my extra paycheck on storm doors and bathtubs. Instead, I will pay extra on my bills and put extra in my savings account -- which was the reason I got the job in the first place. The only drawback is that I don't know how much longer my mind & body can sustain the 65-hr work weeks. This shit was cool 5 years ago, but now I'm about ready to pull out my own spleen and feed it to myself. Continuing the promotion trend, they seem to want to promote me to head cashier after only 3+ months. We'll see how it goes...

All in all, I'm doing just fine. My bank account is no longer bulimic and I've been able to perform a few home improvement projects on my own (man, I wish you could experience the greatness that is my new shower head). Can't really complain about a little forward progress, now can I?

Now if the Phillies would just hurry up and win this damn championship, everything would just be peachy.

Peek-a-boo!

How on Earth have you all been? I feel like I've been gone for years! I've been busier than a hooker on payday and just haven't had much time to post. Unfortunately, I bit the bullet and picked up a second gig. I know what you're thinking -- "WTF?!?!?" Yeah, so am I. I work many 14-15 hour days, raise my dog for about 15-20 minutes and sleep for about 25 seconds per night (Ed: That's a Dave Chappelle reference, in case you've not had the pleasure of watching "For What It's Worth"). Basically, I just figured it was time to buckle down and attack my opponent (debt) like a political ad.

Speaking of which, have you been keeping up with politics? I don't normally indulge much in it myself, but with the upcoming elections I felt that it would only be right to pay a little attention. I can summarize my experience thus far, as such:

I really hate political ads.

It has been very interesting and I'm looking forward to the elections. I can't wait to see how things turn out in November... but Alicia Keys wants me to vote for Barack Obama -- and who am I to disappoint her?

Exactly.

***Note: I had to stop writing for about 5 minutes because I was entranced by a combination of Alicia Keys, Gabrielle Union, Keri Hilson, Lauren London and Ashanti's delectable frames on 106 & Park... whew.

I mean, that's a lot of sexy for one man to absorb in a short span of time. While I'm at it, how about Paula Patton? I was mesmerized when I saw "Idlewild." Seriously. I could continue on this tangent forever, but I'll end it with this: you know that woman is doing it something serious for her husband to write a song like "Lost Without U" about her...***

I really hate political ads.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty good these days. Making big plans for the future and taking steps toward achieving the brand of professional success that I've been seeking has been gratifying. I still have a way to go, but I'm certainly on the right track. I'm eager to see where...

I really hate political ads.

...things go from here. I mean, I'm no Daunte Culpepper -- I won't quit. I'll ride the bench on a CFL squad before I give up.

I really hate political ads.

So what have you wonderful people been doing (besides avoiding BET like the black plague)?

Maybe It's Not So Bad After All...

I've been having somewhat of a crisis as of late... unable to determine what my lot is in life. Often, I feel as if my double-degree in Marketing & International Business is more useless than R. Kelly in a room full of 40 year-old women. I mean, what exactly am I supposed to be doing? Should I be going door-to-door with Jehovah's witnesses? Should I be the guy that gets your bowling ball un-stuck? Or should I be wiring your next house for you? I really don't know, but I know that I have to learn the difference between what I'm good at and/or have the capacity to learn and what it is that I actually love/want to do.

I love language... particularly those of the romance variety. I've studied French, Spanish and Italian -- and was a semester shy of starting Portuguese. I've also learned the English language pretty darn well over the years. I'm good at math -- but I suppose I'd have to be, otherwise I'd be the worst insurance underwriter in the history of mankind (not to mention my mother is the assistant manager of a bank and my father was an engineer). I'm a passable salesperson (isn't that what all Marketing majors are encouraged to do?) but I hate it more than those GEBCO commercials... which I suppose J.O. can film in abundance, now that he's retired.

Anyway, I'm going to keep working on figuring out this thing they call life. I predict that I'll find my way back to D.C. someday where I will trot the globe doing something fancy for the World Bank, IMF or some other international outfit with a sweet name or sick initials. I mean, I doesn't IMF almost sound bad-ass until you actually find out what it represents? Seriously, just imagine this convo:

Guy: Yo, Abe! What you up to these days?
Abe: I'm working for the IMF, muthafucka!?!
Guy: Oh shit, word? What is that?
Abe: The INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, kid! What you know about that shit?
Guy: Oh. That's... hot. Yeah. So.... nice seeing you, anyway. Later.

Perhaps that's just my imagination, anyway. It runs away from me on occasion. Either way, I'm pretty sure that conversation could've gone better for me.

So how did I choose my majors, you ask? Well, as I stated before I like language... and I like trying to figure out how people's brains work. So I thought I found a decent combination. Perhaps I did, but something tells me that I missed the mark because Marketing figures out the human mind for the sake of circumventing naturally-occurring mental safeguards for the sole purpose of selling something. As for International Business... well, most companies just tend not to care. At least I have articles like this one to soothe my trouble mind & soul. Perhaps I'm not alone...

First thing that came to mind after reading that is: Thank goodness I'm agnostic, can't paint and don't smoke cigarettes. I've been considering a Master's degree, but I'm damn sure not wasting thousands upon thousands of dollars on yet another worthless sheet of engraved paper. I want to truly figure myself out and proceed accordingly. Any advice?

Ode to Old Bay

You've remained in the shadows, rejecting all praise due
You season my crabs, shrimp and of course, my chicken
Too.. I've never taken the proper time to really thank you,
Because my fingers, I'm just too busy lickin'
Off your delicious residue, traces of your loving touch
Who'd have known a simple spice could've made such
A difference? Simple ignorance on my part
To have so long neglected you just breaks my heart.
But I'm here to make things right
In fact, I'm going to start tonight
By sprinkling your salty essence all over everything on my plate
'Til my neighbor has to come by and resuscitate
Me. Your delicious, not-too-much sodium composition
Is competition even for Sweet Potato biscuits, and
Signifies summertime like only Will Smith can
We go back to early childhood like those slap wrist-bands
So I hope you never again experience such neglect when
You so effortlessly season my grub to perfection.

Here's looking at you, "Ol' Bay"
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I hope y'all know I was just fuckin' around.
"It's a celebration, bitches... drink up -- be merry!!"

I don't normally do this...

...but this video was awesome. All you Internet addicts should check it out here, embedded on my buddy Erika2k4's page.

Enjoy.