EWF.

Earth, Wind and Fire concert next Wednesday night in Dallas.

Living in the country = having to return to D-town after work and then having to be back in the country by 6 to be in the gym to start my day off right.

I have some plotting to do, but according to my old-school mentor, EWF is a must-see show, especially since I've never seen them live.

Is it date material? Sure. Do I wanna go on a date to this, though? Iono. That's the kicker.

We shall see.

2/28/12 @ 9:30 P.M.

Six Months.

It's been six months since I came to the country (East Texas) and started something new. In that time, it's really allowed life to slow down quite a bit. Sure, it's not too far away from home, not too far away from familiarity, but as long as familiarity is a phone call away, which it is, I'm cool with being at a distance.

In the time that's been spent in this place, I haven't made one single friend. Sure, there are people I work with, but that's not the same thing, and as far as I'm concerned, it's perfect with me. Whenever I head back to familiarity, more often than not, it's a reminder of why I was ready to go in the first place, and if the trade-off is not having friends out here, then it's a trade-off I'll gladly take.

So many things have changed since then. I'm in the bed around 8 every night; not quite asleep, but just the fact that I'm in the bed that early is a far cry from the previous life when staying up 'til 3, 4, 5 in the morning was the norm.

I don't live in the town where I work, which is a challenge in itself, and hotel rooms are a "home away from home" now, since there are times I'd rather just stay where I'm at as opposed to getting on the road again. Speaking of which, I think I left my Johnnie Cochran autobiography in the room I stayed in a couple of nights ago, which really pisses me off. Anyway, all of this is a challenge, that's for damn sure, but challenges are what part of living life is all about.

The only writing I feel like doing these days is in a journal, or on here. These days, life is very routine, with some things that happen out of the norm that make it interesting, which is fine by me.

Six months....slow as can be in a place that isn't too far from where I've been, but still feels like a world away. It's just what was needed and even more proof that God is in control of all.

Time.

Photo courtesy of Ashley Lynn.

Gone.

The more I hear her songs, the sadder I get. More than that, though, one word sums her up...

...love.

Just.....LIVE.

Photo by yellanerd

The Single Life

I've been a single man for *goes back in time* close to nine years now. Pretty much, when Jordan came in the League in '84 and retired (the first time) in '93, I've been single that long. When Bad Boys came out in '94 and Bad Boys II came out in '03 (I think it was nine years between the two but, if not, whatever; you get the idea), I've been single that long. When a kid was in the third grade and that same kid graduated from high school nine years later, I've been single that long.

In those three examples, it was the same man, same movie and the same kid, but things took place in those years to make them what they became. Same with me; I was single at 21, but I'd be lying if I said that, just because I'm single now, I'm the same man at 29 (saying the next number that I'll be later this year is a no-no for now) that I was then.

A theory about The Single Life is that when you're single, you can pretty much do whatever you want, with whoever you want, damn near however you want, because you're single. That's the theory; a theory can be written on a sheet of paper, in a book, magazine, journal, online or whatever.

However, life doesn't work that way. Just because you're a single person, it doesn't mean you can truly do whatever, because another person, or people if you're dating freely, are in the equation. Sure, single people can act like it's all good, but feelings are bound to come, and saying "Well, I'm single" or "Well, I said this is how it's going to be" isn't good enough. It discounts human emotion, feeling, the ability people have to change their minds, outlook, what they want, what they deserve.

So while there are some things that are great about being single, it's not necessarily the greatest thing in the world, and this is coming from someone who used to look at relationships like the plague and stayed single, guarded their heart and wouldn't open up for a long time. I look at them totally different now and have for quite a while now. So while it's currently The Single Life, to look at this as it was nine years ago would not be wise. It negates plenty of life experiences that have transpired since then.

Forever is a long time, and that, as uncertain as it is, isn't necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it will be great....when the time is right.

1/6/12 @ 9:34 P.M.

Photo by Mike Hudson

12:32

2011 ended on a decent enough note. In regards to some folks who are in my life, as well as the space they occupy, there was plenty of clarity provided which will make today, as well as the other 365 following, a smooth one.

Don't get it twisted; there have been times where things have been charged to the game in the past, but this time it seemed like God pretty much said, "Look, man; decide what to do and do it now." Well, that's exactly what's happened and because of that, I can go into the new year and leave certain events and certain people in the rear view.

I can also say there are people who were around who will be around in the future and, for that, I thank God for providing clarity for that as well, as opposed to not knowing. That's never been the case before. Stuff would tend to carry over, but this time, it won't happen...and that feels good.

As for the first 30 minutes and change into the new year, it's being spent in solitude, with The Godfather Part II on the Hoshitoshi, SOS Band playing on the computer and with Teddy P's autobiography just underway; literally, I'm on page five.

1/1/12 @ 12:36 A.M.