Playing with Fire(Works)

My husband and I watched the fireworks from across the street at the postage stamp-sized tribal property.  The parking lot was filled with those who bought fireworks to light off, and employees of the smoke shop/bar and grill.  There were some lovely displays of colors shot into the cloudy nighttime skies, with an orderly crowd of spectators who reside inside and outside of our neighborhood.

While sitting in our lawns chairs wrapped in blankets and sipping on rum and Cokes, something really odd occurred to me.  The Native Americans can sell and shoot off fireworks, but no one else in our city can.  Because they are a nation separate and apart from the United States, they are allowed to write their own laws which govern their community.  And seeing as though Native Americans were the first oppressed race in America that are now celebrating the way we used to celebrate felt kind of surreal.   We will be cited if we're spotted setting off any type of firework.  With us being only feet from reservation land, it's really, really weird. 

Don't get me wrong as I'm not saying that as a nation the Native Americans shouldn't be able to celebrate July 4th, but it's somewhat disconcerting that no one else in our city can celebrate the way we used to:  With fireworks!  Yes, I know they can be dangerous, but we were perfectly fine losing a finger or two at the cost of a truly spectacular pyrotechnic display.  (LOL)

Sometimes the powers-that-be can over-emphasize safety over tradition.  I remember when my Father would buy the BIGGEST box of fireworks in the neighborhood, and then shoot them off for everyone to see.  Nothing burned down, no one was hurt.  Maybe we were lucky?  Nonetheless, it was an important part of our July 4th celebration.  Our own city didn't put on a fireworks display.  What the hell's going on?  Yet again, another example of the Graying of America.

Hopefully our officials will let up on some of the restrictions which limit our use of fireworks (i.e., reduce the height of aerial displays, allow ground displays, etc.).  We can't lose EVERYTHING which makes us "us."  Our customs are being lost to practicality.  Can you be reasonable and still enjoy life to its fullest?

I shouldn't have to be live vicariously from my lawn chair.

rainwriter jones

Urban M.I.A.s (where are the bongo boys)...

As of late, it's been awfully quiet.  No migraine-inducing ultra-bass-playing mofos to be found ANYWHERE!  I wonder where they all went? 

I think that funds have ran low; baby's mamas have finally decided not to finance the foolery; their own moms have put them out of the basement; they're incarcerated; aliens took them?  (LOL)  It's been bliss to not be awakened whenever one of these idiots think it's time for the slumbering neighborhood to be startled awake to a barrage of n____ this or n_____ that.

My husband and I had a chuckle at some young lad that thought he was jammin'.  We pulled up to the stoplight next to this dude, and then what he construed as music started.  Huh???  No bass???  Well, I glanced over to my left to see he had a laptop riding shotgun in the passenger seat.  The fool was playing rap music from a laptop!  N_____ this and n_____ that all muted and sh*t!  He's just bobbin' his head in time like:  "I'm bad...I'm bad!!!"  (LMBAOOO)  At least he spared us all from that hideous noise which he calls music.

I haven't even heard The Bongo Boys roll past my building.  Summer usually brings out the worst in these young wannabe gangstas, but...nothing.  Hmmmm...where did they all go?  Not missing them:  Just asking.


rainwriter jones

80s Club Kids

ROCK, ROCK, PLANET ROCK!!!



First thing this morning, I thought about my clubbing days, and where my ex-club buddies were.  I don't know why at this particular point in my life I would think about them besides the fact I'm 51 years old, and they've got to be close to my age (or older, in some cases).  I'm married, have children, AND grandchildren.  Do they?

I worked with one of my clubbers in dietary at the local university hospital.  I distinctly remember her fair skinned self trying to tan herself into looking darker.  It was obvious she had a lack of confidence in her mixed heritage as she would only date dark skinned Black men, and wouldn't even consider dating White men (even though she was half white).  She was in school to become an x-ray technician, and I doubt if she made it through the program.  She partied WAY too much, and continually failed her exams.

Another partier was quite tall.  She towered over me, and was somewhat intimidating with her size.  She was younger than I, and had fake identification.  Funny as hell as one night we tried to enter the club, and the dummy had a dark-skinned woman's ID.  With her being extremely fair-skinned, I seriously doubted she would gain entrance.  The doorman laughed in her face AND took her ID, too!  She was man hungry, and wanted to go to the NCO Club that was on the military base.  I didn't want to go because these dudes were thirsty and starved.  I wasn't given up my stuff to just anyone!  (LMBAOOO)

Then there was another dude-ish looking chick I partied with very briefly.  I didn't hang out with her that long because she enjoyed being high.  She'd drop pills and drink alcohol.  I wasn't into the "high" thing.  That's a very dumb practice when you're out clubbing.  You'll wake up in a back alley with no clothes nor wallet.

And then there was John.  He started partying with the aforementioned chick until they had a falling out.  Strange thing being is that I don't remember his last night, but I do recall it was German.  He, too, enjoyed a variety of inebriates which included pills and alcohol.  Often times, he licked postage stamps of speed, and would go off on a tangent all willy-nilly like.  Though he was fun when we partied, he was a real bitch when we weren't.  I think he was mentally unstable, and I never felt comfortable outside of the club with him.

I stopped clubbing when I met my husband.  He wasn't into partying at clubs, and I guess that was all well and good.  I pulled it together, got my nurses' degree, created a business, married, had children, grandchildren, blah, blah, blah.  I wonder if my buddies had the same successes?  Good question.  They were hot messes that didn't seem to fit in any other environment other than the club scene.  Maybe I should look them up?

And maybe not.  Some things are better left alone!

rainwriter jones

Availability: Make Yourself...

With 2012 coming to a quick close, I've had time to reflect upon relationships.  They can be friendly, loving, weird, crazy, but a relationship all the same.  I've "met" wonderful people in my online communications.  Some I've actually met and befriended offline.  For example, the terrific friends I've had the honor of meeting from The Flat Earth Society.  Creative, funny, adventurous.  Brings all the good out of me. 

And then there's all of you from Facebook and Twitter.  Getting to know some of you through your discussions and images have been very rewarding.  I've learned a great deal from you, and when you pop onto my page just to leave a smile or wave hello?  Makes me happy!

Family and friend interactions in real-time are to be cherished.  You never know what the future has to hold, and like I mentioned from the Spittin' Kitten, tomorrow is promised to no one.  I say this because of a few interactions (or non-interactions, so to speak) from the winter of 2011 to 2012.  We make ourselves available for people or things we find important.  There are those that choose to be "elsewhere;" checking out from interacting with a particular person or not attending a certain gathering for whatever reason they have.   

I say, "Let it go!"  No need to analyze why you don't want to be available; just move on.  Clear your mind of any real or perceived encumbrances which keep you from being there with that certain person.  Negative emotions are very destructive to not only your mental state, but your spiritual one, too.  Breath and let go.

Always remember, tomorrow is not promised to anyone.  My hope for everyone is that they are true to themselves, be where you want to be, and gently bless those you choose to leave behind. 

Simple.

rainwriter jones

Not-So-Intimate Apparel (Pajama-Jammas)

A few days ago, I sat in my truck just before lunch time.  To my chagrin, I see yet another pajama'd individual strutting into a grocery store like nothing was wrong.  PAJAMAS!!!  Outside the home AND in the middle of the day, mind you!  You might think me strange, but it makes me sad to see this trend of wearing intimate apparel outside the home.  There's a reason why it's called "intimate."  No one's supposed to see you wearing these items unless they are familiars.

But to me, it goes beyond a poor clothing choice.  It denotes a laziness; a devil-may-care attitude towards the world.  I liken it to the horrible trend of people wearing drooping pants and thongs (both men and women bearing their bottoms).  I'm sure these pajama-jammas fall straight out of bed, unshowered, and head out into the community at large. Yes, indeed.  The very fabric of society is becoming threadbare. 

To me, this lack of grooming signifies a great decline in sensibilities.  Every time I see nightclothes in public, I shudder.  By far, I certainly am not a prude.  My concern is that this is a reflection of where we are headed:  People who don't give a damn about anything.  A lack of seriousness regarding life in general.  We're headed down a road to which the end is dismal.  This kiss-my-ass-ness must end!

Put on some PROPER clothes...

rainwriter jones

The Benji Affects -- Revisited (Again)

When It Rains:  It Rains Bullets

I tell you, wonders never end!  In previous posts I've made mention of the North Point Bar and Grill and all the violence that goes with it.  I felt pretty good when there seemed to be a concerted effort to end the gun violence by closing at 10 p.m. (just before the REAL knuckleheads come out). 

With disdain, I watched as the closing time became later and later.  I knew they were tempting the fates with this idiotic effort to make a few more bucks at the expense of sleeping children and working adults alike.  A few hours again it happened.  Yet another shooting across the street.  I was stirred by the sound of yelling at 1 p.m.  What the f*ck, what are they still doing open?" was my thought.  Shades of months prior, the arguing could result in gunfire, so I fully awakened to listen for shots.

Peeking out the blinds (to the side of the glass, mind you).  With the "Open" sign dark, the parking lot still has cars.  I see a male enter, exiting his car over and over again.  Finally with the last exiting, there it was.

POP, POP, POP, POP!!!!

Here we go again.  These folks don't ever learn.  The later they close, the more likely gun violence will occur.  Homedude shot out the front door glass of the bar.  Who knows why, but does that make a difference?  He could have hit anyone in the vicinity.  I'm not so much concerned about the patrons of the bar because the know the risks associated with going into this particular establishment.  It's the innocent bystanders which get caught up in this nonsense.  Those who are not involved in the mindset of those who carry weapons for "protection" that eventually fire them because they were available when they snapped.

Come on, Puyallup Tribe!  Stick to an earlier closing time so that those would commit crimes in our community will be elsewhere.  Making your establishment a choice location for these criminals is in itself criminal!


rainwriter jones

The Benji Effects: Revisited

Do you remember a few posts back wherein I used the term "Benji Effects" to refer to any activity in which people engage that is meant to have a positive result even though the person/people performing such an activity know damn well that it AIN'T gonna work?  Well, as predicted, The North Shore Bar and Grill are back up to their old antics! 

A few coats of paint and a new closing time of 10 p.m. change nothing when the same tomfoolery that prompted these changes re-occur.  The "business as usual" mentality and "private" parties that appear to have extended closing hours have resulted in the first tribal police intervention in weeks.  Though whatever happened was dealt with quickly, the troubling fact that there are times when there are patrons in the bar WAY past 10 p.m. (i.e., 10:45 p.m. - 12 a.m. or even later) is definitely a recipe for another shooting. 

The idiots which frequented this spot had moved to a BBQ place about a mile from here and within a few weeks of their presence, one man was dead and several shot.  Don't know who took over the place, but it is now a Bavarian beer joint.  They've made a definitive decision not to have violence in their establishment by not encouraging the type of gun-totting fools to patronize their business.  Sorry, but lets face it.  Businesses which serve alcohol and play rap/hip-hop music tend to bring out the worse in folks.  It's quite unfortunate as these genres of music are not really the culprit:  It's the people that seem to think it's a cultural thing to listen to it AND carry guns that are the problem.  But I can't change their attitude; just try to protect myself, my family, and my neighbors from the deadly end result. 

Wake up, bar keeps!  As long as you continue to entertain the Bongo Boys, you'll always have the possibility of trouble.  But I don't think it matters much to them as they don't live directly across the street from the front line. 

rainwriter jones