Asleep at the Wheel???

As the day trickles to an end I figured I'd visit my go to spot for a good laugh. Everybody needs a good chuckle on a Monday right? This is one of my favorite blogs because it confirms that the residents of Boston are indeed one of a kind. The Boston Police Department has a blog that updates visitors on some of the more peculiar offenses that have taken place in the city. At the risk of public embarrassment, I had to share with my readers, the ridiculousness my fellow Bostonians get themselves into.

With this one I found myself at a loss for words (Yes KB, we know, me with nothing to say is nothing short of phenomenal)

Asleep on the Job

This morning around 1:25AM, officers from District A-1 (Downtown) were on patrol in the area of 75 West School St. in Charlestown when they went around the back of the building. There, officers observed a man sleeping in the driver’s seat.

Officers checked the registration of the car and that checked revealed the car was stolen in the South End on 12/13/08. Officers woke up the sleeping suspect and placed him under arrest. During an inventory check of the car, offices recovered jacket with a plastic bag with several pieces of jewelry in a plastic bag with price tags along with a cell phone. When asked about the jacket, the suspect denied ownership of the jacket, however officers found pictures of the suspect in the cell phone. The suspect was arrested and charged with Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle, and Receiving Stolen Property.

Now see, I told you. No words.

Sly Fox

Watch what you watchin'

Fox keeps feeding us toxins

Stop sleeping Start thinking

Outside of the box and

Unplug from The Matrix doctrine

But watch what you say Fox 5 is watchin'

Every now and then Nas fights the urge to be like every other rapper and allows us to be enlightened. We all know he has had his off days (like the day he walked in the studio and recorded "You We Me" with Ginuwine). Those are the instances that tempt us to compartmentalize Nas; put him in the He Was Once a Talented Rapper box. But we have to keep one thing in mind...When Nas speaks the truth we can't help but be informed.

On his current eye opening agenda Nas showed the masses how Fox really feel about Black Americans. I've been shaking me damn head ever since. Sometimes we turn a blind eye to what America considers Black Worth, but Mr. Jones has taken it upon himself to redirect us and make us face it. Yesterday Nas hand delivered a petition of 60,000 signatures to the Fox network's NY offices requesting they end racial propaganda.

What propaganda?

You guys may remember me mentioning the Obama family attacks in a previous post. Fox is also behind the "baby mama" comment, and they are the network airing Bill O'Reilly's show. Need I say more?

I must admit, this one has my full attention. I never realized that a lot of the inappropriate Obama comments were coming from the same place. These are very subtle attacks, not only on his family but black American families as a whole. After all...if being a loving dutiful wife and mother dubs you a "baby mama" because you happen to be brown as well, how many more "baby mamas" are out there?

I will now watch Fox keenly and be mindful of the other media outlets under their umbrella. Usually I am the first to scream "smells like a publicity stunt" when these controversy comes at a time when a start is promoting new work. And, yes, Nas does have a new album (with the Sly Fox single taking direct aim at the network). I still do not believe that he is gunning for publicity as Fox has suggested.

Truth is as truth does...

Keep a watchful eye y'all. That Fox is indeed sly.

The Danger That is Fung Wah

I believe it was my second year of college when the Fung Wah craze started. East Coast students began boarding these Chinatown buses to NY, Philly, Boston, and Maryland in flocks. Everyone fell in love with their cheap fares and record trip timing. New York?..for $15?..in less than 3.5 hours? Who wouldn't?

But alas...all that glitters most certainly ain't gold, readers. Fung Wah became the kind of death defying stunt that even David Blaine would second guess. Horrifying stories of rollovers, accidents, and even high speed chases were more common than not. It had gotten to the point where NOT having a Fung Wah story was odd.

Me: "So you took that Chinatown bus to NY?"
Fung Wah patron: "Yeah, I left Boston 25 minutes ago and we're crossing the BK bridge right now"
Me: "Really? that took you a while, got pulled over or something?"
Fung Wah patron: "yeah and we had to switch buses when the engine fell out. Probably would have been there by now if we didn't"

Years later, it seems old habits die hard. Their service has not gotten better and the risk of injury has gotten higher. Hell, you don't even have to board the bus to be involved in the accidents now! This morning a 57 year old woman was waiting to board the bus in NY when it was sideswiped by a dump truck! I kid you not.

People. I know the cost of gas...we use premium in our tank. I know the economy... I am one mishap away from losing everything my(damn)self. BUT never, NOT NEVER will I get on one of those buses. Good Lawd! Isn't Greyhound only an additional $10?

Please don't do it! Readers, I love y'all like family (and that's because a good majority of you ARE my family). If you need to borrow that extra $10 I got you! Just don't do it to yourself.

The 100 Calorie Snack Pack

In my recent efforts to preserve my sexy, I joined the 100 calorie snack craze. The girls in my office all pull out theirs at about 2:30 in the hopes of re-energizing mid-day. Seeing all the empty foil packages line the common area trash...I thought to myself "surely they know something I don't"


On my next trip to the grocery store, I made it a point to check out the options. As a cruised the snack aisle, I saw all the snacks I'd given up in these new 100 calorie packages. I was beyond elated! I bought the Smartfood, the Lorna Doones, the Hostess muffins, and a couple others. And just about everyday since then... at 3:00 I'm back at my desk munching on a snack pack.

One particular day a light bulb went off. The snack tastes exactly the same as it did before...when they remove the bad stuff it usually tastes different. I flipped the package over and gazed at the ingredients curiously. Same damn shit. To further explore my theory, I grabbed a $0.30 bag of Doritos. 120 Calories! So really they prettied up the package, gave me 4 less chips, charged me a couple extra cents, and led me to believe that I was making a SMARTER choice. I'll be damned!

Once I finish off the ones I have in my cabinet I am resigning from the 100 Calorie Snack Pack bandwagon. I cannot condone these companies ripping off the hungry-with-healthy-ambition-club (I am not just president, I am also a member). This blog entry will serve as my two weeks notice!

Co-Worker vs Friend

Disclaimer; I am extremely reserved and often hesitant about who I will call "friend".

A co-worker's birthday is coming up and it falls on a weekday. Another co-worker suggested we take her out for drinks after work. I said that I'd be willing to come, provided that he check with her first and make sure she doesn't have other plans. Seemed like common sense to me...why just assume someone you work with would rather hang out with you than a close friend, relative, or even her boyfriend? He seemed confused by this notion.

Temp: "Why wouldn't she want to hang out with us?"
Me: "She might have plans with friends"
Temp: "But we are her friends"
Me: "No...we are her co-workers"
Temp: "So you don't consider me a friend?"

My immediate response? NO! I have known you 3 months! The only time even we hang out outside the workplace is grabbing lunch or drinks after work, you know very little about me personally. How the heck is that a friend? If I said my dog died, he'd be remorseful right? Maybe buy me a card? A friend would say "Fool, you don't even have a dog!" Because my friends know ME... they know my likes, dislikes, strong points, and short comings.

But it felt wrong saying that. So instead, I responded by giving him a scenario. He said "but I know very little about her personal life". To which I responded "yet you call yourself her friend?"

A co-worker can be someone who you vent your work-related stress with. Someone you have lunch and maybe dinner with. A co-worker does not necessarily make a friend. I have been in workplaces where we were all a tight knit group but once someone moves on, the dynamic of the relationship is different. Are you now willing to make a sound effort to spend time with this person?

Until that is a mutual desire, you are...WE are..not friends.

Now the irony in the story; He double checked with her and she agreed to go out the day following her birthday for celebration! Que sera sera