Open a Can

The day after the election was very interesting. I followed the typical protocol as dictated by the Black in America Newsletter (what you didn’t know about that) and avoided fist pounding, randomly breaking out into song and dance…and wearing my “Yes We Did” Shirt. I’m kidding about the newsletter (its more of a digital mailing list), but is it so wrong to be excited about this. It’s not rubbing anything in….its not Lakers vs. Celtics…this is a majority of the US looking past race and voting the first African American into the White House. If my excitement and overall euphoric feeling offends I apologize.

So on Wednesday I leave work and stop by Ruby Tuesday to pick up some food for the wife and I. I decide to go in and pick up the food at the bar. Well at the bar is Mr. Steamfitter, why do I call him Mr. Steamfitter well because he’s shouting it at the top of his lungs to everyone around. Yes, Mr. Steamfitter is drunk off his ass….which I can relate too. My food comes at an inopportune time….they’ve decided to cut off Mr. Steamfitter and he is on the way out. Here’s how it played out

Mr Steamfitter: “I’m a steamfitter back the #$@#$ up”

Me <should have backed up but didn’t…mainly because I wasn’t in his way>

Mr. Steamfitter: “Hey you, what do you do?”

Me: “Sheetmetal”

Why did I say this well he’s drunk and a steamfitter and my brother always told me “Beanz if your skinny ass gets in trouble with a real worker (my brother doesnt believe any job at a desk is “real work”) then tell them you work with Sheetmetal because

A) thats a real job and B) We always have a blade.

Mr. Steamfitter: “Whats up man I’m a steamfitter ….Union # …incoherent babble. Hey what do you think about Obama winning”

Me <thinking> uh oh…abort…abort

What came out

Me: “I’m happy”

Me <thinking> shit

Mr. Steamfitter: “Thats great that great (the look on his face was the opposite of that)…you know I’ve heard some racist stuff at work today…about him putting pinks windows on the White House and serving watermelon and chicken. Do you think he’ll do that?” *

Me: “Well that happened when Tiger won the Masters…and you know everyone likes chicken. As for the other stuff, I tend to avoid idiots”.

Mr. Steamfitter: “What did you say”

Me : “I was just repeating what you said …you know idiots saying racist stuff”

At this point I realize that what I am about to say in most situations will push a drunk to his limit. No body likes a sober guy messing with a drunk…especially when they are looking for a fight. So I shut up. But just in case i’m in a relaxed fighting stance with my sights set on his leading knee.

Mr. Steamfitter: changes his tactics since the first attempt didn’t work and says “You know this is good…you guys can’t use the race card for nothing anymore. That race card lost a lot of weight”

Me: “Everyones got their opinion”

Yeah that’s what I said….the sound I heard in my head was the death of multiple funny comebacks, and a yo mama joke.

Mr. Steamfitter: “Yeah I thought so.. You ” It was cut off because at this point they were dragging him out of the bar.

Three years ago….two years ago I would have said a few things to this person, and probably had to have had our conversation broken up. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a violent person it’s just that I always seem to talk too much. Some would call me a smart ass, a consistent one at that. This is more so when I’m being challenged, I’m not sure why this is the case…a modified Napoleonic complex for skinny guys comes to mind. When I get home and deliver the food (which Ruby Tuesdays got wrong btw) to my better half, I told her about what happened to me. At this point the adrenaline formed up from the experience had hit its peak and I was regretting the missed opportunity for at least some good insults and anything that followed. In the end I calmed done and moved on, feeling a little bit more grown up. I guess in the end Mr. Steamfitter wanted to knock me down a peg, and in the end helped me learn how to be the better man.

So on Wednesday was definitely a day of highs and lows, but I know I’ll be remembering what I was doing when we elected our 44th President and I’ll Mr. Steamfitter will be a distant memory, one that has been reduced to a nicknamed person in a blog entry.

*Drunken comments were edited to not piss off or offend anyone else.

Finished taking all of the tile from the kitchen back splash today.  I’m hoping that small chunks of wall missing is part of the demo process.  Regardless nothings more enjoyable than taking a hammer and a putty knife to a wall….pictures are on the way.

On a side note…  Frisky Dingo is HILARIOUS!!

For the past few months I’ve been able to experience the wonderful thing that is VH1 Soul. When they aren’t playing old school Tony Terry, Hi Five, or Blackstreet they are playing Amel Larireux, and India Arie…….its what BET used to be. Ready for the World’s video Love you down is on….musicians with jerri curls! CLASSIC!!!! Thankfully I was able to avoid going through the horror that was known as the jerri curl, however I did have a box.

I hate cooking for one.  Friday can’t come soon enough.

I wonder how long it will be before the art of penmanship will become specialized. I ended up having to write today when I was away from my desk, my PDA, and my cell phone. The only time I really use pen and paper is when i’m signing my name to something. Phone numbers that’s the cell phone, grocery list that’s the PDA, and now the journal has been replaced by the computer keyboard. I found crossing out less elegant than backspace…I frowned upon the random distances between my spaces…and then I snapped out of it and started doodling. I find it interesting that I have so many other options to actually writing on paper, and how I usually chose that other option. Maybe its because i’m a lefty with a mutant like pen grip that always leaves ink on the side of my hand.

I ran out of books to read and TV to watch…although I was tempted to actually watch Smallville. So instead of going into that dark alley…I surfed my usual sites newsarama, joystiq, borders, and finally I ended up at Myspace. Then I came to the conclusion that I may be getting too old for that site, but it still serves as a great means of getting in touch with those who have lost touch. While going through the alumni sections for College and High School I saw multiple people with wordpress urls. What the hell, I decided to check them out and 1 hour later I found the perfect time waster. My brain doesn’t feel dirty (like watching Flava of Love, or I Love NY on VH1)…so after reminiscing with a former friend through her blog, or just seeing how former friends/acquaintances are through their blogs…I decided to make one myself. I go through the process and then realize this….all of the blogs I read were written by people who in high school and college had a thing for writing, and intellectual conversations/debates. I was the goofy smart ass who played video games and read comic books (regretfully I still do). The dread of this being another one of my random joins like Friendster and 1up came over me. Is this a shot in the pan…will this be my only post? I’m not sure but we shall see. To sum it up i’m not a philosophizing late 20 something….nor someone looking to become a full time blogger, i’m just a guy who at times will be subject to posting rants, random thoughts, and possible reviews that will probably be juvenile or worthless…or maybe i’ll surprise myself…nahhh. All have been warned.