Inquisition: What is your favorite CD?
Aloha!
A couple months ago, when Tamika and I were driving to Rehoboth Beach, we were listening to Eryka Badu’s live CD. It was getting late, but we were still very awake and talking and singing to the music. I asked her if Orange Moon was on this CD, and she said no, but it was on the Mama’s Gun album. She had had two copies of that CD, but both had been lost. It was one of her first R&B Soul CDs, and also one of her most favorite.
It arrived on Saturday.
When I had spent some time with Mr. Pinkney a couple weeks ago practicing Karate in his basement, we had got to talking about music, and he told me how much Tamika had loved that Mama’s Gun CD, and how she used to sing to it. I grinned inside, because I had already ordered it.
Last Sunday I had carried it around all day, keeping it hidden in my camera bag.
Then later, at her house, I motioned her over to the couch where I was reading. She sat down delicately and squinted at me suspiciously. I raised my eyebrow and reached into my bag. I pulled it out and gave it to her and smiled.
Her eyes bugged out of her head. “Is this Mine??” she exclaimed.
I nodded, grinning.
She jumped across the couch, wrapping her arms around me laughing.
She was ecstatic the rest of the night. She put it on, and we listened to it as we ate the spaghetti dinner Vinny cooked for us.
I was going to give her the first drawing lesson that night, but before I got a chance to ask if she wanted to, she had decided to go play X-Box at a friends’ house. She drove me home.
Monday
I had band practice.
I think it went rather well. We hammered out “Believing is Seeing” a lot better, bringing flow to the regular chord progression I had originally thought up. Spam and Mike aren’t too keen on it, but I hope they give it enough effort to let it grow into at least something.
She called me, late.
We talked for a bit; about this and that, some annoying manager at work, my detentions with my kids… then she said she’d have to call me back in a few minutes.
It was late, and I was heading to bed. I was miserably tired, so I decided to doze off, and put the phone next to my pillow.
I woke in precisely and hours time.
It was strange. My heart thumped me awake. Why hadn’t she called? I growled.
I looked at the clock the reassure myself and growled again. I stared at the ceiling.
“Ridiculous.”
The bed was comfortable. The pillow was soft and smooth. The room was cool and dark, and my covers fuzzy and warm. Just perfect.
I tossed.
I picked up the phone.
No, I hadn’t rolled on it. It was still on.
“This is stupid. Go to sleep, you nut. She forgot.”
I slowly wrestled Passion down, and told Joy it was far too late and to go to bed.
The phone rang, and I nearly soared off the bed.
She and Vinny had been writing a song, and they had just been on a roll. We talked for a bit more, and did a Bible Study together; reading Joel and discussing how God could be judgmental and loving at the same time. We talked a bit more, and she said she and Vinny would sing the song for me the next day.
I slept like a baby.
Tuesday
We ran again.
She appeared at my door as I was cleaning my room. She had forgotten her phone, so she just decided to stop by and pick me up. She had said she’d come by at 6ish, but I didn’t expect it.
Jamie* and Min were downstairs. I hadn’t seen Min in a while, and greeted her exuberantly. Tamika was sitting on the love seat. Jamie and Min were heading out the door, and as Min and I were rambling on, Jamie pulled the door open. “Hi Ben!” she called slightly exacerbated, smiling.
I don’t know what it is about her. I found it hard to get annoyed at anyone, but she grates on my nerves sometimes. It’s a pain, because though I like spending time with Jess and Haven (her roommates). She’s just… extremely critical. Of everything. And it bothers me.
I distractedly replied, and said goodbye to Min.
Tamika echoed my sentiments in the car.
We ran for 20 minutes. It hurt worse than the first time and I had to walk for about 20 paces at the beginning, but it gradually went away and I was rather surprised when she announced that we were done.
She cooked pork chops for us, and we watched Queer Eye with Vinny and took me home.
Wednesday
She gave me a Karate lesson. It was awesome.
She’s trained in Shodokan (sp?), and was very competitive internationally. She’s a brown belt. She gave me the beginnings.
It was a lot of fun, but I need to work on my flexibility and balance, and not being so intense. I need to be able relax myself enough to be fluid and not mechanical.
We ordered Chinese and then ate it watching Queer Eye again. I’m learning quite a bit in that show. Well, maybe not so much learning new stuff as reaffirming things I had heard about personal grooming and decorating and such. I’m working on the fine line between pretty boy and scruffy that is the league of handsome.
Vinny and Tamika occasionally ogle of some hot guy on the television set, and I want to be that fit. Not to be ogled over, (though it would be nice 😉 ) but simply because I think it’s healthy.
Thursday
Tonight it my night to rest.
I thought Tamika worked until 10:30 or so, so I did my laundry and cleaned my room a bit. Going to work on some artwork to submit as well. Finally got to reply to Coco the other day. She wrote me this very very good poem to cheer me up when I was feeling down last week. I’m kind of wondering how much more she writes, because she could definitely give some of the poets on here a run for their money… and English is her second language… 😛
Tamika and I were talking one night while she was driving me home.
We talked how, if we really thought about it, neither one of us wanted to get into a relationship. It wouldn’t be healthy, with the things both her and I are learning, to get involved with anyone right now. We’d end up depending on them rather than growing ourselves. She said, 3 or 4 years. She needs to cool down the boy craziness. I said a couple of years for me too, I need to see the world. I want to travel.
She talked about how I need to learn to give out hors d’oeuvre rather than full course meals when it comes to relationships. She said I give too much, and are just to passionate.. and most girls can’t handle it.
Entice them, she said. Give them a little and see if they like it.
I think she’s right… in a way.
You see, the way I feel is that I AM giving out hors d’oeuvre. Compared to what I could give later… how much I give now is nothing. I guess my hors d’oeuvre are really filling…
Turns out Tamika had the day off on Thursday, and decided to go out shopping with Vinny. After my bath, I left her a message hoping her day went well and went to bed. She called me later on.
She had bought a couple things at Aeropostale and gotten some gifts for a Bridal Shower she and Vinny were putting on for a friend. We just talked, discussing what it was that really bugged us about the opposite sex, and what things we found particularly endearing… We talked about what we missed in romantic relationships; and how it was when we were in them…
We talked until 3. Just; enjoying it.
I’m tired, but it was nice. She DOES work until 10:30 today, so she’ll get to sleep in and I’ll get a nap. We’re going to watch Japanese Story later tonight.
Mrs. Cheney had a teacher meeting with me today, and gave me some tips to help my teaching style, like intimate disciplining rather than yelling across the room and stuff like that. I thought it was going to be far worse, but it went very well.