Northern Lights, Literally.

Feelin': Normal :)

So I haven't updated in a little while, and with good reason. I have been having quite the time here in New England, and it has given me a lot of perspective on my situation. I've found friends, new and old, and rooted myself in the city. New Yawk, New Yawk!

I love this city so much. It's really something that I would never have expected, going to school there an all. I honestly expected to be somewhere in Boston, whether that be at Harvard or BU, MIT or BC. But on this trip, I've seen an entirely different side of the city with Jeremy, and now I'm even more excited to be here for school. Also, I got to spend a lot of time with someone I have dearly missed for over two years. This is the story of the last week of June 2009.


DC: After a few days of staying in D.C. I realized that I honestly felt at home in Maryland. I was born there; I have heritage there. Even my experiences in Memphis were in a way shaped by my upbringing in MD. Only in the first and last years of my time in Memphis did I realize how different I had become in Memphis. I understand that it's quite normal to have grown and changed in this way, but it's interesting to take a step back and look at my own story.

It's was uncanny how the type of child I always strove to be was exactly the same children that I left in Maryland. I wanted to maintain the attitude that I grew up with, and I rediscovered it in so many of the people my age in DC today. Keeping that in mind though, I am forever grateful for what Memphis has given me. It has given me comfort in almost all conditions, it has given me patience, it has given me an etiquette and candor with which I have definitely impressed the right people, and most importantly it has given me piece of mind and perspective. The former is only just now being solidified-- only now am I content with my situation and happy for the future. The latter came with age and exposure. While I feel that it took much longer to gain this in Memphis, I am happy with this delay. Had it not happened the way it did, I fear that I may have been doomed from the start. Now I can look back and count my blessings.


As a side note: Thanks P and Em. You guys deserve everything for the way you've raised me and my brothers. Hopefully I will stay on track and show you the fruit of the tree you've sown.


NYC: So New York. Silly place really. Business Ops, Art Ops, College. That's exciting, right? And I experienced it all with two of my best friends in the world. The first night was fun. Charlene and I took the bus up from DC, and the whole trip lasted about six hours, so you can probably imagine how tiring it was. It was the night that we were supposed to go to Brooklyn for a 700 to 800 person “The Hangover”-themed party, but Charlene was too tired, so we just stayed home, sat, and chatted until we fell asleep. The next morning JerBear, me, Charlene and her friend Steph all went to SoHo and the Village to hang out and see the sights. We bought silly things including hats, glasses, trinkets and more in the small open markets that lined the streets. Oh, and I bought some pretty slick kicks. Pictures later.

That night, Jeremy and I went to my roommate Dylan's house and spent the night in Ardsley. Fun stuff. Reminds me of small town fun in Memphis.

The next day I went to Dylan's graduation party and oh, was that an experience. It was interesting watching the dynamic of a Northern high school, not that it's all that different from the South, but nonetheless, it was interesting. The kids were nice, albeit a bit rough around the edges, but how else would I expect them to act with a complete stranger. I'd be a tad worried if it were any other way. They were relatively welcoming at first, then warmed to be quite hospitable. They reminded me a lot of some of the extremely close-knit societies in the smaller schools in Shelby County. I guess people tend to act similarly when we're put in situations like High School. Where else are you expected to interact intimately with people your same age for 7+ hours a day (Oh yeah... College.). They had a plethora of inside jokes, too many nicknames to count (mine is SC: stands for Sexual Chocolate), and the distinct air that everyone knows not only everyone else, but everyone else's business. In full high school fashion, everyone wanted to know “What's going on tonight?” and “Who's going to be there?” The nightlife was equally as exciting, with veils of shyness being lifted and walls of animosity being torn down over a good games of 'ruit and flip cup. This is it folks! Do WORK!

Updates on Boston soon, but for now, peace(maker) out!

Listening to: Passion Pit: Sleepyhead

Finding Memphis.

Current mood: Exploratory?

I finally found a decent diner in Memphis. Actually, it's in Germantown, so we're still in the 'burbs, but I like it. Feels nice. Not crowded, good service-- Natural. I'm going to work today at 5, but I've been pretty productive. I took my brother's car to the shop, picked up my own; I went on a long bike ride (where I found really awesome places to hang out); I thought about the direction of my life and how I'll use Columbia to reach that goal (I'm leaning towards following an Applied Math major and becoming an activist of some sort. Applied Math: Gov't maybe); Went home; Did some crunches and took an awesome shower; Ate cheerios; Watched Obama's speech on healthcare/edu, Played games with my little brother; and Now I'm about to meet up with John and hang out before work. My burger just came, so I'll update later. Peace (Rhythms).

Listening to: Diner Music

Ethiopian Family Dynamic.

Current Mood: Anxious.

Saturday evening will be a big day in my life. It is my senior graduation party, and it's kind of a milestone, I think. People have come from all around the world, just to see me? It's interestingly curious why they came to see me in particular. I'm an Ivy League boy? I'm a funny person? I'm family? Whatever the reason, I like it.

There is nothing quite as curious as an Ethiopian family eating food together. Family at the table have traveled all over the world: India (most recently), Berlin and all of Europe, China, Mexico, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Dubai, Canada, France, Italy, etc. Crazy culture lies deep within the bones of these folks, and they're all crowded around me, waiting to hear me speak, watching my every move, looking to me for guidance. That's a lot of weight if you ask me. I love making them happy, and I guess this is their payment for that. I'm excited for the graduation party. It will signify my separation from my family and moving into my new existence, essentially, becoming independent, and becoming a man. This ceremony trumps the graduation ceremony that has been trivialized by tickets, odd speeches, and black folks hootin' and hollerin' to get everyone to notice their baby. I'm glad to hear from Nelson though. His speech is gonna bring people to tears, promise. I'll document! That's why I made this thing. Not only to inform my readers of my progression through life, but to remind myself that I am changing quickly, and that I need to simmer down sometimes. I hope I don't bore anyone.

I'm working on a few projects at the moment. I changed my cross stitch from a gift to a postcard. I'm gonna send it to a girl I hope to visit in the near future that isn't having such a good time right now it seems. I did get the chance to talk to Wendi Thomas from the Commercial Appeal today. She killed me on Twitter. Also I have to remind myself to e-mail Stan Bell back.

Today I went to work @ 12:14. I was very late, but Mrs. Chang kind of pardoned me. She was mad though, because she had to go somewhere. I went inside and rushed to make the many drinks that I was needed for. I worked really hard today, and none of the people in the kitchen had to stop cooking because I was on the dishes like clean on dem forks, heck yeah. I love working @ Changs.

The bubble tea of the day:

Green Mango!

I love it. I love it. I love it. It's so sour, yet so good for the summer. Hazelnut is out :'( Sanket will be very angry.

Well, it's late, and I'm reading this C++ book for another project. I'm gonna buy a microprocessor and make this robot that I've been meaning to make. Either the robot will display tweets somewhere large in my room, or it'll tweet by itself every 12 hours and I'll get people to send it around the country. Schematics, Source Code, Pictures, and Videos coming mad soon.

Also, I need to work on playing the ukulele often, play WoW/D2, go to work, run, work out, get my license, continue blogging/facebooking/twittering, start praying often, eat more at home and spend more time here. I think I've got this. Now let's wrap this up with some music.

Listening to: Henrietta - The Fratellis