Unfinished Works

Bills owed 2016-2019 September 2016 Food $50 - You just moved into your auntie's house in 2016 with an unfair day's notice to her and your uncle. You need to pay for your own food cause the rent is free so go out and get a job so you can afford to feed yourself. October 2016 Medical insurance $150 - You finally got a job, congrats. Now use that money to set up a $40 doctor's appointment (which is 4 hours worth of pay) for all the aches and pains you experience in your back. The doctor tells you nothing is wrong and seems to rush you out of his doctor's office so he can finally take his lunch break. Note to self, don't schedule future appointments near a doctor's lunch time.  Travel $20 - You moved to the Bay Area from SoCal to help out with a startup church in San Francisco. You are currently living in Hercules and the BART doesn't start until later in the day on Sunday's. What could be a 30 minute car ride turns into a weekly 2 hour public transportatio...

His words shattered the windshield of everything I thought I knew to be real and time ceased to exist. The truth formed a sentence in my head's terminal as the damage was being repaired but another sentence low on fuel with no thoughts of an end goal, just to leave ASAP, sped out the runway and out of my mouth within record time. "Sure I've got nothing else going on at the moment." But I did, why did I lie? Let's backup and see how I got here. I lived in Oceanside, California for the first 10 years of my life proceeded by another 10 years in Vista, California. Hardly anyone knows about these cities in SoCal so anytime people would ask where I’m from I’d always say San Diego. Not cause I’m ashamed of where I came from, I just didn’t like having to create a map in folks’ minds then to have to pinpoint exactly on the grid of Califronia just to show where I’m from. San Diego will do. The world seemed so big probably because I had never explored it, local w...

She was pretty, but not just any pretty, the most beautiful girl I knew. Her smile could stop a storm dead in its tracks, her gentleness could calm a rabid dog into a house pet, and her beauty was so great that it intimidated the strongest of men to their core. Yet I couldn't resist her. I did everything I could to try to get closer to her. Have a conversation, assist her with her work, all the while trying to maintain an authentic relationship. There's no perfect time to ask out someone but when I tried the only words I could muster up were, "Have a great day." I immediately regretted my cowardice. I can't go on my whole life being afraid of what I've never experienced. I'm 26 years old and still have never been in a long term relationship. I've been on dates, liked girls before in the past, and even have gotten phone numbers without asking. I was too afraid to call them though. Always dealing with this deep fear that I would disappoint whoever I star...

  On my way home from summer school blinded by the sunlight I don't see that I'm being followed. I continue to ride my bike slowly on the sidewalk before a car pulls up to me and tells me to pull over. The figure reveals itself. Its a lone white cop and I realize I'm on a deserted street. I have nowhere to go. "What's in your backpack he asks?" I've been taught to not disobey authorities so I hand it over. Almost to his dismay the cop looks disappointed as he searches through my backpack to find only school supplies. "Do you have any drugs on you?" "No." I reply almost silently. Embarrassed, disempowered, and unsure of where this encounter will take me I fall into my thoughts.   Has it been hours? I need to get home, my parents will be wondering where I am. I don't have a cell phone just a map in my head of where I need to go and how long it will take me to get there. To my surprise as these thoughts ran through my head, I see a han...

Y’all notice not much is sticking anymore? I can’t remember too many hit songs, movies, or memorable performances from the past two years that have really stuck & made a mark. Funny thing is movies & music are still being released at a rapid rate, perhaps too rapid.  Netflix at the beginning of the year said they were committed to releasing one new movie every week for 2021, there’s a new blockbuster movie to stream on HBO Max & Disney Plus Premier (their $30 deal) almost every month as opposed to going to the theaters, & popular artists from pre-COVID are releasing new music almost every week.  Looking at the numbers you begin to notice something is wrong though. Let’s start with the music industry.  Billie Eillish one of the biggest pop stars at the moment released her second studio album this year & according to RIAA certification her previous album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” was number one in the US & went 4x Platinum. Around 4,...

Can you believe that just 11 years ago we lived in a world filled with living legends such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Robin Williams, and Kobe Bryant? To me icons seem invincible it feels like they’re gonna live forever & we will get to see each one of them grow old, share stories of themselves of when they were in their prime, & leave a legacy that’ll last generations.  With achievements & accomplishments as great as these, not even our greatest works can stop death. Rest In Peace Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, & everyone else who was on that fatal helicopter ride.  Just last month my brother & I were talking in his room around his many Kobe Bryant posters & even a self portrait drawing of him & Kobe together. “Still a Kobe fan, huh?” I said. “He’s the best,” my brother replied. My bro was a sold out fan for Kobe for the longest & it hurts me to know   how much it hurts him that he lost someone he really looked up to, even if ...

What can I say about the new Star Wars? Is it a stinker? Not necessarily. Is it great? Not really. It’s sort of right down the middle which actually can be more frustrating than the other    presented examples. “In the middle” movies tend to come with indecision, mixed emotions from those watching, loose ends, & an all around inconsistent tone. This basically describes “The Rise of Skywalker.” When “The Force Awakens” came out in December 2015 there seemed to be so much promise for the future of the Star Wars franchise in Disney’s hands. New exciting characters, some possible intriguing back stories, & just humongous possibilities for the seemingly endless sci-fi universe. Then came “The Last Jedi” & Star Wars fans were split. Some people fully supported the movie & called it one of the best Star Wars movies of all time, while others actually signed a petition to revoke it from the official Star Wars canon. A 50/50 response but even with all of that drama ...