My Trip: Family, Fun, and Awkward Moments

Can it be I stayed Away too long?

Did I cross your mind when I was gone…


It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog about my slightly boring yet informative life. As usual life is a rollercoaster filled with ups, downs, twists and turns. I recently took an extended voyage back to New Orleans to attend my friend Jason Turner’s wedding. I really enjoyed it…great food…great fun…great couple. I’ve been going to a lot of weddings lately and I swear…if any of these bastards gets a divorce I’m personally punching them in the stomach. I’ve been in almost every wedding I’ve been invited to which to me is a blessing. It’s great to know that so many people who mean so much to me also feel the same. I love watching marriages bloom because it lets me know that I’m not in this alone. Later on that weekend I met with a bunch of friends at the fly which is a riverfront park-like area where people BBQ and enjoy life. It was so refreshing to be back with my friends…I mean real friends. I don’t have to give a background story…I can truly be myself around these people and it’s great. I appreciate everyone who came out. Plus it was the first time everyone got a chance to see my son under better circumstances. He was healthy and hyper just like any other 1 year old. I think my mother spoiled him a little too much during the strip because afterwards he started throwing temper tantrums when it was time to go to bed…Clearly he’s a product of grandparent spoiling…One thing that got on my damn nerves was the way some of my family members kept commenting on my weight…Ok everyone…I get it! I gained wait! Shit, I had a hard year and my body shows it. I have decided that I will not return to New Orleans unless I’ve lost at least 20 pounds…then everyone can shut the hell up!

Next was our first official family road trip. It started off pretty great until I got stopped by this ornery ass patrol cop right outside of Baton Rouge…Ok I admit I was speeding a little bit but that was partly because I didn’t notice the change in the speeding limit a block back. He had his lights on blast and instructed me to stop the car and step out of the car. I immediately stopped. My mind was racing…I was hyped up on coffee and thinking of Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo…Clearly I was over thinking the situation but you should have seen how angry this guy was. …I mean PISSED! “Why the hell were you speeding?” I just apologized but really, Officer?!…How the hell you expect me to answer that? “Well officer, I frankly like breaking the law…Good thing you stopped me. I was going to continue speeding so I can rob a bunch of banks and commit a bunch of heinous crimes.”..Yeah, you won this time Gadget! Anyway, he gave me my ticket and I was on my way. The trip went off without a hitch. The drive went surprisingly smooth. Brandi and I spent most of the time listening to different radio stations and a UGK mix that I made in preparation for our journey. The highways in Dallas totally pissed me off. Only when we got to Dallas did we get lost countless times throughout the trip mostly due to my “sporadically handy” GPS system that’s connected to my cell phone. I was almost doubting my potential move until I saw our soon to be apartment. The neighborhood was beautiful. The town homes next door to our kick ass apartment complex look like a scene from a Tim Burton movie…I love the Hilltop backdrop that our neighborhood has. It’s comforting…and mostly bourgeois and safe! I enjoyed hanging with my sister and my brother in law Steve…Their son seems a bit on the soft and spoiled side which can be quite agitating but I dealt with it…plus he’s only 10. Why the hell does Dallas radio play the same 10 damn songs on every station…even their soft R&B station plays the same shit! There is no reason why the first four days we were there “We Can’t Be Friends” played every damn day…The Artists aren’t dead…it wasn’t a special event. Hell…that song isn’t special! I have to say that I’m looking forward to warmer weather and having close family and friends around. Real Estate is great and I feel the schools will be a plus for Lil Chris.


There are a few cons to the whole Dallas move. The stigma of Texas looms in my mind as a close-minded Bible belt state that turns their nose at anything different and still has a slight distain for minorities. Also…I’m a hippie at heart. I like folk music and coffee shops, book and movie clubs, Inde films, etc…Shocking I know…but that’s why I enjoy Chicago. I just hope I can find that area out there…I know it’s there I just have to do some searching.

Also I’ve given up on my 13-year dream of uniting all of my siblings. After hearing my sisters bitch and complain about each other and their inner turmoil I have come to the conclusion that they all have personal issues that they have to work out and it’s entirely too tiring for me to dedicate any time to mending wounds that have been around longer than I have been alive. Maybe it’s my inner naïve child surfacing but I once dreamed of a close-knit family environment between all my father’s children. I didn’t expect everyone to be best friends but I wanted everyone to be aware and possibly talk to each other from time to time. I have three sisters in Dallas. We all have the same father…. and you will never see them all together…due to petty bitter bullshit. It’s beyond my control at this point. I have gotten over the disappointment of it all and I’ll concentrate on MY family. Whoever wants to come join in are more than welcome. Plus there’s a shit load of drama that I’d rather not get into…and frankly I don’t want to be apart of it. Like I said before…I’m all about being safe…lol

On another note, my distain for Atlanta (mainly it’s airport) had grown to astronomical proportions. Both ways to and from the trip we were held up for hours in the airport…totally threw off our schedules. Not to mention I just hate Atlanta! I’m just happy my son didn’t wild out and cry the whole time. He was a total trooper. I’m so proud of him. Plus, I had the most awkward flight EVER! So I’m boarding the plane in Dallas headed to ATL. We get to our seats and Here’s the seating arrangements: My wife and lil Chris, Myself, and this chick I had boned back in 2000…AWKWARD!!!! We just sat there and had one of those elevator conversations where things were ultra general. We didn’t ask each other any personal questions. Perhaps the funniest part was when I introduced Brandi to her…I just stated her name and referred to her as “cool peeps from back in the day”…but what was I supposed to say? “Hey honey, this is an old jump off I had in 2000…We banged a couple times but nothing serious…eh…Peanuts, anyone?” The whole trip I was thinking of how much of a whore I was back in the day…most of it was good thoughts…ah yes…The golden days of skirt chasing and liquor consumption. Then I couldn’t stop laughing a the thought of me playing embarrassing games in my mind like “Guess who seen Chris’ Penis”…or “What percentage of this plane has Chris had sex with?” Later on when the coast was clear I told Brandi about me and her and she just laughed and made fun of me for about an hour…I love the fact that my wife can be a loveable asshole! It makes my life so much easier. Well, That was about it for my trip. Tune in next time when I discuss my new music direction and the BIG MOVE!


Until next time, everyone!



Shout out to my youngest brother Alvin who turned 18 today.....Man, I'm getting old!