Archive for October, 2006

my friends

Monday, October 30th, 2006

most of them, they make more money than i do. that may change in the future. but for now, it’s strange. because, at school, we were more or less even. and then i look ahead three weeks or so, and i think i might notice it then.

luckily, our lives haven’t taken off, because in this country, average income disparities only get wider over time.

then it will be the elephant in the room. no, our lives. am i the only one who even sees the elephant? i am able to slay elephants, right?

gamestop

Monday, October 30th, 2006

yesterday i went to gamestop with my friends arick and jelani. there was a man (we’ll call him fedoraman) who had a problem, he purchased age of empires III and got the display copy by accident, which has no cds.

he came to exchange it, and wanted to check if the game was actually inside, but some corporate policy prevented that. and in the process, he kept saying to the clerks, i know it’s not your fault, it’s corporate. he kept repeating it. so he asked for the corporate number, complaining that it’s not how he would run his business. and then he asked for it to be written down, because “i’m not your secretary,” before the clerk even had a chance to find the number.

what a fucking hypocrite.

the clerk paused, gave me this “what the deuce” look. right in front of me as he was looking for a pen. you know, you’re at work. there is a good chance you will be fired if you stand up to him. he thinks about whether it is worth it. i say it was, the scene was pretty big, and i think every customer in the store knew what kind of ass fedoraman was.

in the end, our clerk friend let it go. maybe i should have followed fedoraman and said something. he had his young grandson with him. i should have shamed him in front of the kid so he doesn’t end up the same way. or maybe not, because sooner or later, he will just grow older. and die. but who stands up? who would be the bigger ass?

the customer is not always right.

windsor street

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

on harvard street between windsor and portland i was the target of some racist remarks.

ironically, it was by someone of a race usually subject to similar racism.

i found it funny more than anything, because if i find it anything else, it just perpetuates the problem