Saving for later....

I have a bad habit.I have packrat tendancies.It takes me forever to dump things or replace them.Once my brother made fun of me that I make sure I kill my clothes so as to get my money's worth.That is kind of true as my mom used to have compel me to part with clothes.I once had some courdroys that I got in 1997.They were so nice and comfy that I kept on wearing them till in many places the grooves had been worn smooth.I finally did give them away.Like many men I often have this bad habit of getting a fashion that I am comfy in and sticking to it, so you know what I did next?
I got a new pair of the same design!Not to say that I dont buy new clothes.That I used to do but when I was alone in the privacy of my own home I would put on the golden oldies.I have a nike polo shirt that is about to hit the decade mark in Feb 2007.But when things pile up I always pass them onto the poorer relatives,our watchmen,make beds for the dog etc.
Same thing goes with paperwork before I throw away anything I have to make sure that it isnt anything that I may need later.Trust me this has come in handy in the case of receipts,deposit slips etc.So I often have a shoe box or a pile of papers somewhere always pending.But I usually have a clear out before the next pile comes in.But come moving time everything that isnt important must go!
I also have this bad habit of at times taking forever to open things esp when I have overshopped.I have a pair of shorts that I first wore after 4 months, I have a t-shirt that I bought last year that I have never worn!
But here is the clincher, I had my mum bring me some Tusker cans, I put them away only to discover that they had expired 2 months ago.I drank one yesterday hoping that I wouldnt have a milo-esque encounter with the porcelain thrown.The beer just tasted more potent and I'm fine, I just guess that is as a result of having imbibed things like cham,kenyan cane and safari cane in the past.I know some of you are shaking your heads but it was Tusker!Thous shalt not waste Tusker!
ps:My boasts of consistency aside.Blogging is becoming real hard!I think I am going to go MIA ala Guess,Nick,Milo (OK he came back),Mocha and the rest who are on the subs bench.I may be on my way.What should I bring you?

Now I know how you feel!

Today I got a slight respite from the summer heat, it has been drizzling today.In the morning I had the impression that I should be wearing a cap but I banished the thought and left anyway.All was good until I left the gym later on during the day and it started drizzling.For the everyday man this wouldn't be anything to worry about but since I got my locks and they were not water proof there was cause to worry.Locks aren't cheap and there was no way I was going to get them redone! So what Aco did was to take a magazine out of his back pack and cover his head with it as he walked.
As I did this it just hit me that I was doing the same thing I had seen my mum,sisters, girlfriends etc do whenever it started raining!
To make things more interesting the Derailer was at work and remembered that she had to get her braids redone.So she was talking to a friend about it and told her friend that she was calling me to get the number.So her friend is like, "You and your boyfriend go to the same hairdresser?That sounds so gay!"
I can see it now!Aco sitting down under a drier with the girls gossiping and talking about the new fashion trends.I would have the appropriate eye lash batting skills,be able to hold my right arm up palm out most of the time and walk with a killer swing!A long time ago that's what people used to think about men who went to the salon but now not so much thanks to the metrosexual craze.Moving on...
Yes yes I know that I owe ya'll a picture of the locks but since I cant find the one I last took here is one of the afro that came before it!
ps:I passed by where Nick's old blog used to be, you should see what's on that url now!I think God is sending Nick a divine sign!

You wonder why they call you bitch.....

No this is not a rant, title aside.But some experiences I have had lately, in the past and talking to my sister got me to thinking about this.Why are some women bitches?
I am not talking about the once in a while bitch fits most women have because of stress,something going on and no I am not going to touch the one about Aunt Flow being in town.What I am talking about are those women who seem to get some sort of thrill from making everyone's life miserable.The ones who have a constant sneer on their face and a tongue lashing just pending on their tongue.The kind of woman who looks down on everything that has breath that is not her.The kind of person who does everything to tear down your dreams if you share them.The kind of person who will stab you in the back the first chance they get.
I am sure we have all ran into this kind of woman be it as a teacher,boss,work mate,relative or God forbid...mother!I am not saying that all men are good, au contraire there are bad men too but in some women it just seems to be more consistent and visceral.In my experience, I have an aunt who is like the person I described up there.I got an e-mail from my mum (with whom they do not see eye to eye) about how one of my other aunt's being in a bad state (people think she is HIV+ as when she was married she left her husband and went to live with a man whose wife had died of AIDS and who later on passed on - yes I know TMI!).So since my aunt has been paying for her meds she demands that she shows herself for one of the major family gatherings so that the rest of the extended family can take a good look at her; I mean this is your own sister!
Then my own sister was telling me how her and a friend went to a youth service at a new church. The guys there were pretty welcoming and didnt mind new people joining them but there were these two chics who made it so uncomfortable for them and by their attitude made it plain that they didn't want them there.She then went on to tell me that back home she always remembered fat/chubby people as nice and happy (yes, a stereotype!) but when she came to the states she told me that you don't want to be under the mercy of a big girl ie if you have gone to a night club with the proper dress code but maybe your shirt doesnt have a collar, she will make sure you don't get in and will have a good time doing it.
Then there is this chic who is in my uni.She seems chilled out if you first meet her but wait till you get to know her.I used to hear people talking about her and I thought that maybe it was them talking smack until I experienced her first had.Anyway this is what happened, you see we do have a bookstore over here and over summer their regular employees take time off so there are more openings.So during the summer I session my room mate was working there but quit over the weekend to take another job.So he tells me that they need several people in the book store esp men to do the heavy lifting.So I went there yesterday to pick up an application.That chic works as the cashier and she is the one who has the forms.So she starts grilling me about the fact that I have an assistantship insinuating that one job is enough.She then goes on to add that the manageress is not looking for any new help when I know that that isn't the case.I took an application but decided that I would only hand it in personally to the manageress as I had a felling that chick would shred it if she could.
So ladies please tell me, why do some chics act like this?

Opinions and stereotypes

Now that I am back I can recount some of my adventures.On the 3rd a friend invited me to hang out with her and her other pals.This pal aka J was one of the first people I got to know when I got here and even though she has a lot of drama, she can be nice and know lots of people.But there is one thing about her way of thinking that irritates me and is prevalant in many people, Kenyan and otherwise.The Stereotype Disease!Here are some of her jewels:
1. All African American Men (akataas) are lazy, good for nothings who want to get women to take care of them.We once passed through an area of Atlanta downtown and in one area the homeless were being fed, they all happened to be black and male; so she used that to punctuate her point.I wanted to counter that yes some of those men there are lazy good for nothings but that is a minority, there are some of them who had the bad luck of committing felonies so they can't get steady paying work as a felony is a kiss of death to most careers here, the death of manufacturing in the states is slowly killing employment opportunities for the uneducated who are mostly members of minorities,immigrants from South America are willing to work for less pay then Americans; and the list goes on.It is tempting to come up with quick conclusions but there is a reason for everything!
2.White European men are more generous then White American men - Well you see when this mama was in Kenya, she used to date middle aged European men ie Germans,Swiss etc.And with the good exchange rate for their currencies they used to shower her with money, pay her bills etc.So when she came to the States she thought she had hit the jackpot.All the white men she could have.But alas it was not to be!She was no longer the cream of the crop.So now she attributes it to American men being cheap skates.Let's look at it from another point of view.Could it be that American men have less discretionary income due to the economy?Could it be that she has been dating the wrong white men?Could it be that there is no exchange to boost the dollar power as there was back home when it was the franc or pound vs the shilling?Could it be that the tastes in women of American men and European men differ as black women are all over in the states while in Europe they are somewhat harder to come by?I am not even
3.When it comes to hiring White people are racist - She believes that when it comes to office jobs that more often then not white folk look after their own and won't hire a black person unless it is completely neccesary.Well I do agree that there are some companies that are racist in terms of hiring and retention but I also do know that there are a whole lot of companies that are more willing to give you a chance if you are well qualified.So this doesn't apply to all companies here.
4.Tribal Stereotypes - There are so many of these and I am sure you all know some of them.Let's just say if someone is related in a money related issue and they happen to be Kikuyu she wont fail to point out the connection or if someone is busted lying and they happen to be from the coastal area she will point that out.I do admit that I found it rather shocking the tribal division present here but I won't say that I am free from the stereotyping.I often attribute my room mates bullish manner to the fact that he comes from Meru and not his youth, I also have a major distrust of West Africans esp Nigerians but I dont take it to the levels of preventing me from interacting with my roomie and other merus or hanging out and chatting with the Nigerian students here.
Fact is, that it's tempting to tar people with one brush as the human mind loves to categorise people into groups but let's not let it obscure reality and the truth.I can admit that I am trying my best, but are you?

Hot,hot,hot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I have been missing in the blogosphere but I had intermitent internet access and not bloggers block.So anyway I'm back!
Anyway the summer heat here is killing me!To make things worse I was at my sister's house and to save on cash they don't turn on the aircon.Some of the rooms have fans but not the whole house, so in addition to sweating outside I was sweating in the house!Eeeeeeeew!!!!!And it's not only my sis, we went to a couple's pre-wedding gathering and it was the same thing!Even though we were packed in the sitting room they didn't turn on the air-con.I know it is expensive to cool a $250k mansion but can't you just do it when guests are over so they can feel comfy?Then turn it off when we're gone?I promise I'll do the same when you come to my house!Really I do!
ps:Did anyone watch the Italy v Germany match?Germany didn't really lose, they just didn't win.But at least they went out giving their all!Can't wait for today's match!

world cup,visiting,kenyan-ness and some free goodies

I know you know this already so I won't dwell on it.....big names have crashed out of the World Cup!In one way it's sad, like in the case of England.In the case of Brazil much as I love watching them play, I also admit that it is time for new blood as Brazil have been in the last 2 finals.Much as people do love France, I think the winner will come from the Germany-Italy match, in fact that would have been a great final.Anyway enough about soccer/football.
I am at my sister's place now and it has been so long since I have been here that I can see quite a few changes.To help reduce the wear and tear on my sister's jalopy, she has decided to move to the 'ville (deviousone 2006) next semester.She has already expressed fears about the way her social life will wither away, from being the aspiring socialite present at many downtown Atlanta bar and clubs she will have to get accustomed to hole in the wall bars and the occasional bash to wile away the boredom and monotony of small time life.But on the other hand she will save a whole lot of cash in terms of rent and utilities.I went to see Superman Returns with my brother on Friday and I must admit that it was worth every bit of my money and time (even though their could have been more action!).It warmed my heart to hear the superman theme song again after such a long absence.Frankly, I think few people will have anything negative to say about this movie.
Anyway we went for a Kenyan bash/bridal shower for this Kenyan chic who was marrying an African American dude.The couple who were hosting the bash lived in a remote area.At one point when we were driving and all we were seeing were trees and upcoming developments we thought that we were lost and called them only to be told to keep on driving.They live in a wonderful subdivision (what we would call an estate in Kenya), the houses are beatiful, well priced and the sellers offer free appliances and other incentives for the buyers.Most of the Kenyans who were there were doing rather well for themselves and that for me was a form of motivation because I guess I hear too many stories of Kenyans living the hard knock life.Although the result was that some of these people felt better then the rest of us.The husband to be was impressed with the fact that Kenyans had a pre-wedding and raised $9,000 for the wedding.The unity and support by the Kenyan community really touched him.I also noticed that there were quite a few people with young children there, I guess this is another side of Kenyans here that I don't see much of.But that still didn't make me feel that I need to settle down, I still feel that there is so much that I have to do and so little time.In fact one of my profs in Kenya told me to enjoy being in school as that is the only time I can take things slow but after that things come at you 1000 mph.
It is at that point when the rest of the people were doing there own thing we got to chatting with my sister and aunt that they told me one thing they thought about me.They said that they don't think that I could marry a non Kenyan.I asked why?And I was told it's because I tend to be very ethnic (no not tribal!) but ethnic, meaning that I tend to be very aware of my roots and culture.Not to say that I am culturally insensitive but I do tend to enjoy my Kenyan-ness, it's culture and history.It is with that view point that I do understand what the Derailer meant when one night she told me that at times she doesn't feel that she is Kenyan enough for me.At that point I was wondering..."has this woman finally lost it?!" But with the way I can be nationalistic at times I do understand where she is coming from, after all I am the only one in my family here who goes out of their way to keep in touch with Kenyan news, trends, national holidays etc.Although my devotion does pale when compared to some of the accomplishments and devotion some KBW members show.Anyway could I marry someone from another culture?Most probably yes, but I do admit that it would be a bit of an uphill climb due to differing cultural values.And yes if I did have children, I would rather raise them in Kenya and not the West; so that reduces the chances of me ever marrying a non-Kenyan.But anyway I guess only time will tell.
Ah now for free goodies from me!First of all I got two good file uploading sites where you can store all your good stuff when you have no space on your pc.The sites are www.4shared.com and www.streamload.com. Streamload give you a whole 25gbs free!The other is much smaller but I like 4shared as you can mail a link to the contents direct to someone's email adress, with streamload you can send goodies but you have to open a free account to get those goodies.I plan on stowing most of my sounds there and sharing them like this!So if you are interested and want to share...nione kando!