Loooonnggggg Time, No See!

Damn! How long has it been since we've last spoken? 3 weeks?! Well, Mr. bIdEuX solemnly apologizes for any soul damaging disappointment you may have endured over the past 3-4 Sundays. Originally, the plan was to test my patience and skill by creating a completely self-inspired layout for the blog. I accomplished that feat, although mostly haphazardly, but decided in the end that I enjoyed the simple layout that I've had all along. I've made some mild progress during my absence, but not in the areas I've liked to the most.

Thanksgiving:
Leaves bursting with reds, golds, and browns; for many, this natural yet colorful miracle signifies the agony of being surrounded by obnoxious, overly aggressive in-laws and shoveling pounds of turkey down the esophagus. For me, it meant babysitting my 3 cute little imps, and listening to the sound of leather meeting flesh and cries echoing throughout the house. My solution? Video games! Oh, a couple of cousins and Starbucks frappuccino made an appearance:

#69 Sponsor a child from a 3rd world country


This beautiful little girl is Esther Mwelu Musyoki from Nairobi, Kenya. She and her family are practically destitute with probably $150-$200 annual income. Hopefully, my contributions (which doubles her family's annual earnings) will provide her with a better life. Soon, I plan to increase the amount of charity to $50 a month which would triple her income. Really, everyone should participate in this...what's $24 f*ckin' dollars a month? Seriously, people probably spend much more than that on junk food alone.

#5 Get 360 waves
Okay, let's ignore the vain nature of the pictures to follow. With that being said, I've made some progress in this area. I have to allow my hair to grow for another 3-4 weeks starting today. It's hell walking around with a damn bush on my head, but it'll be worth it in the end (forgive the greasy forehead shot):

#63 Own the "Top 100 Grossing Movies of All Time"
I've added a bulk sized addition to the collection (oh God, thank you for the 'After Thanksgivings Sale")! The happy orphans were:

Spiderman
Spiderman 2
Casino Royale
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible II
Ocean's Twelve
Rain Man
Superman Returns
X-Men
X2
X-Men: The Last Stand

#108 Find that damn game from Gamefly & send it back
I completed this task sometime last week...well, not exactly. After lazily searching throughout the house for the game (which has caused much more trouble than it's worth...the game was hot, steaming garbage), I accepted the fact that it's not going to be found (most likely the imps somehow got their hands on it). So, I just bought the game from them to clear my account, which was the main purpose of finding the video game anyway. I'm going to count this as done.

#66 Make 3 new unique & true friends
Latinas! I've known these girls for about 2 months (I only count one as a friend) and they've acted more like friends in this short amount of time than others I know. We had a pretty fun day Friday...the aquarium, ice skating, horse carriage around downtown Atlanta...just laid back fun:

That's it for now, hopefully more progress will be made in the next couple of weeks. Mr. bIdEuX out!

I Feel Horrible...

#70 Hosea's Feed the Hungry...I missed it. Argh! I was extremely excited about participating and helping the needy, but the damn alarm clock strikes again! 6:00 p.m. (but they wanted you to be present at 5:30) is when it started, so to allow enough time I set the clock for 3:30. Well, I awake thinking I've plenty of time because the awkward, heart pounding noise has yet to fill the room. When I glanced at the clock my veins were instantly flooded with adrenaline. State of Emergency! The clock read 5:15...so, I had 15 minutes to get ready and make a 35-45 minute drive. I rushed to the restroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, but then the realization hit me: I was not gonna make it in time. I don't believe that you're allowed to be late, so I reluctantly decided I'll give this another shot for the Christmas season. Oh, and to make matters worse I couldn't even get a haircut today for Thanksgiving...*sigh*

Early Week Announcement...

The idea of an additional blog...has been scratched. I've come to the realization that this blog could be used to couple both the posts of my grueling ascension to a heavenly being and the posts that will hold my random thoughts, opinions, and prejudices! I mean, why go through all the trouble of choosing layouts and creating new lists when I could just simply add to this one. Anyway, I'm adding task #115! Affording dance classes is not going to happen until another month or so...and I've been itchin' to get back into it. So, I'll take the poor man's route and compile a collection of dance tutorials from the internet and use them as practicing tools. It's better than simply sitting idle and ignoring this urge to pop-lock and krump. So, that's that...you can continue with your formerly scheduled engagements, such as allowing your brain to die a little while watching ridiculous reality television (don't worry, I do it too).

Disappointing Results...

A week! A week is how long it's been since I've restarted my goals. Well, guess what! I have to restart AGAIN! "Huh? You were so enthused the last time we spoke! Why Mr. Bideux, the zeal practically dripped from all of your known orifices! How could you have possibly allowed for this treachery upon your renowned dedication stand?!" I know, I know...and I do apologize to you my patient and ever-loving audience. I pray that you forgive my shortcomings and allow for this battered hero to arise from the heavy fragments of a shattered dream! A bit over the top? Yeah, I think so too....

#1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 103, & 107...
The shame is unbearable! I was doing great! MAGNIFICENT (except for #1)! And then the storm came (which will be explained under #54). I'm going to hold true to my rules for this project, which is: the project must be restarted even if one session is missed. Nothing much more to say here, well...except that those damn Listerine dissolving whitening strips DO NOT dissolve within 10-15 minutes! Lies! It takes at least 30 minutes to disappear and even then you still need to break out the toothbrush to brush away any remaining residue. F*ckin' false advertisement! The bastards!

#43 Read 100 African American classic/contemporary novels
The Color Purple
I've finally finished The Color Purple. In it Walker weaves a tale of personal strength, growth, and unexpected triumph. I'm not going to get into a full blown synopsis of the story here...I think it'll suffice to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the novel's touch on the importance and power of love, which I believe to be the novel's focal point (that's not to say that there weren't any other issues, such as racism, homosexuality, temptation, fragility of the male ego, etc., that Walker felt compelled to delve into).

The next novel I'm starting is Richard Wright's Native Son. This book was a required reading in my 11th grade honors literature class, so I've read this story before. However, as is the usual outcome of required reading, I glanced through the novel and retained only the information that'd get me an A in the class. So, this time will be a very different experience.


#54 Fix the CIVIC and supe it up...catalytic converter
ARGH!!!!! Oh the plot twists I experienced with repairing this SMALL piece of equipment! So, about a week ago I visited my friendly neighborhood MIDAS to get an estimate on parts and labor. They quoted me $575. I was cool with that and asked for them to go ahead and order the part. $200 up front...which leaves a cool $375 to pay, right? WrOnG!!!!! They get the part in on Friday and I drop the CIVIC off to the ole' OB/GYN. Well, I get a call from the mechanic about an hour later:

Mechanic: "May I speak to Mr. Bideux?"
Semaj: "This is he"
Mechanic: "Hey man, ummm...well, I noticed after removing the catalytic converter that you also need an O2 Sensor."
Semaj: "Yeah? Well, how much is it?"
Mechanic: "$229"
Semaj: (GODDAMN!!! That sounds a bit steep!) Well, do I have to get it now?
Mechanic: "Pretty much...or your car will sound like a truck. You can come take a look at the part before I install it if you want. I could show you the crack in it."
Semaj: (Sigh) "Na, just go ahead and throw it on and show me when I come to pick it up"
Mechanic: "Okay, sure thing"

I've no idea what it was that he put on, but he showed me the part that was in my car. It was rusted and cracked from the heat and emissions of the engine that the catalytic converter is supposed to reduce. Well, the converter, O2 sensor, and labor added up to be $912 (with tax)! And yes, I know I could have found someone and gotten the hook-up. I know this, BUT the converter requires welding and if this were to take a wrong turn I'd be sh*t outta luck! With hook-ups you get no receipts and no real accountability on the part of the mechanic. But if something goes wrong in a real shop I could always make them pay for the damages. Sigh, that was some of my tuition money too...ah well, back to the overtime we go! Oh, and to add insult to injury, I spent all day waiting for my car, which caused me to miss a couple of tasks. I was kidnapped by momdukez and taken to a MetroPCS store, which killed some of my time. Only had 4 hours of sleep that day....

#18 Take a cruise to the Bahamas
I'll have to reevaluate this cruise to the Bahamas. Or maybe I just need to look at different cruise options. I took a look at the Carnival site, but for some reason their cruise wasn't running during the time I wanted to jump aboard. If I have a difficult time finding a cruise here I'll just have to change this to the Caribbean.

#4 Construct 15 new ideas for wardrobe not influenced by hip hop
Okay, you're going to have to bear with me on these ideas...I'm trying to experiment with things I normally wouldn't. I think the outcomes would be pretty nice though:



Okay, the theme behind this outfit is Preppy/Rock. Now, you see the V-neck sweater, dress shirt (which obviously will be worn underneath the sweater), and watch. Those three items go in the preppy category. Then you see the claw ring, pants chain, bootleg jeans (I'm going to distress them myself), and skull wing belt buckle which is rock. The shoes are extremely 'safe' and they act as my last resort. The shoes that I want to get are here. It feels good to break from the terrible mundane that is hip hop....

On a side note, I surprised momdukez with a bag (cannot wait till I can get her a real one):








And this great smelling perfume:










She squealed with surprise! It was a great feeling and I think I'll do these type things more frequently...now to think of something for my popz!

Task Progression...

Ya know, I really didn't expect this to be all that difficult...but it's turning out to be a hell of a chore. The cause of the added frustration and distress? Laziness! That or fatigue (65-70 hour work weeks are detrimental to not only your physical health but your mental stability as well). I've started to tackle some tasks though:

#103 Keep room, bathroom, & car interior clean & organized for a month
Okay, in order to keep it clean I must first clean it, yes? How hard is that you ask? Well, see for yourself...

here is the before picture:


And here are the after pictures:


See those bags? They're full of the crap that's been piling up in my room! It feels so much better to be in an organized, human friendly environment. To walk freely around my room with my head held high is a breath of fresh, non-polluted air. I almost suffocated while dusting off my ceiling fan and dressers. Clouds of dust violently arose as I slid the damp rag across the damaged surfaces...so disgusting! Two words describe my thoughts after the monumental task was complete: shame and satisfaction. Ashamed that I allowed for the trash, grime, and un-organization to occur to begin with; and satisfied that my room was finally a place where the living could reside. Oh, and another thing, my popz was given a T.V. from one of his customers. Know what happened with that device? You guessed it! I politely confiscated it and placed it in my room...better than what I had:


Before you ask, the answer is yes. Yes, that is the 1960's version of "Astro Boy" on the television...hey, Cartoon Network is running it and I just happened to be on the channel. Got a problem? If so, then I insist that you introduce your lips to my ass!




#70 Particpate in "Hosea's Feed the Hungry"
I finally signed up for Hosea's Feed the Hungry. I'm excited about the whole experience...the sensation of cutting fat off of chicken and turkey, the joy of digging arm length into a bowl of collards, and the glory of baking pounds upon pounds of cornbread. This is my first time participating, and MomDukez says, "you'd better be ready to work cuz they do put you to work." It'll be okay though, I'm coming equipped with my lucky boxers!

#1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 107....Still In Progress (starting over tomorrow 11/12/07)
*Shakes Head* Argh...tsk tsk tsk. I tell ya these tasks are giving me the most trouble, which is a good thing methinks. In order for me to finish these goals I'll need to develop an acute type of determination because the tasks have to be done in constant succession, which means one miss and I have to start all over. I've seen that, for the majority of the tasks, if I make it a habit to complete them in the a.m. I'll have a better chance of completing them. Sigh....guess I'll reaffirm and give it my best shot.

#10 Get out of Debt...
I cannot WAIT till I get this done. I've paid off debt #1 already, and I'm almost done with debt #2 (probably about a payment or two left). I haven't decided if I'll pay off debt #3 or #4 first...#4 has the greater balance, but affects my credit score more directly. I was thinking of the method of paying down #4 a little then switching gears to pay off #3. Still deciding...

#43 Read 100 "African American great classic novels"
I'm currently in the middle of finishing The Color Purple. The format of the novel was unexpected. Chapters are nonexistent within this novel, instead Walker develops the novel as if it were a diary. So far, each new entry begins with 'Dear God". With that aside I must say that I'm actually enjoying the novel. I'm not deep enough to give a full analysis on the plot and subplots, however I will say that Walker's method of developing characters in a indirect manner is interesting.

Well, that's it for now...till next Sunday...