Weekend Wrap-Up

i've been wanting to post for a while now, but things have been crazy and when i've had some down time, the wirless connection at my aunt's house was lost. i'm at The Queen Bee's house right now, and using Grain of Salt's computer. it's strange because i'm so used to my laptop and i'm using his desktop. also, i just don't see why more people don't use Firefox!! alas, beggars can't be choosy.

so, like i'd said a few days ago, we had our family reunion this past weekend. as i said in previous post, my mother was one of 11. well, my maternal grandmother, The Queen Bee, is the oldest of 13 who were the overspring of parents who were married for over 60 years. well, my aunts and uncles get together pretty often and since none of them have any children, it's not really realistic for us to have a reunion. also, we all know one another, so most of my out of town aunts and uncles didn't come. however, while i know all of my great aunts and uncles, it's very hard for me to match them with their offspring. anyway, so we had "hospitality night" at a local YMCA. my aunt and i got there late because well, we weren't feeling like going. something about it just wasn't exciting. so, we got there about 15 minutes before it was supposed to be over. why we had the first night at the Y instead of say, a hotel is beyond me. one of my great aunts planned it, and she was rushing us out of the place by 9:00, since that's all the time she'd paid for.

the second day was the picnic. again, i, Brighter Day (my aunt), Rainbow Not So Brite, and Our Shining Prince (my brother) were very late. The Queen Bee thought we weren't coming. lol... we got there just in time to get some bbq (which wasn't bad), some side dishes (5 on a scale of 10) and a few store bought desserts (i'm truly The Queen Bee's grandchild as i noted they were store bought... what can i say?). the best part was seeing my grandmother with her sisters and brothers lined up in front of the family. it's truly a blessing to see them all alive and well.
Sunday morning we attendes service at the church i grew up at it. it made my heart glad to see so many of us together. there's just something about seeing being in the midst of family (regardless of how well i know them) that does my heart good. it's funny, because it was at the church service that i noticed the family as a whole is pretty subdued. we're not a shouty, hootin' and hollerin' kind of people. we sit and observe, taking it all in. i've know that i was that way and that my aunts and uncles, mother, and maternal grandparents are/were that way, but to know that i truly came by it honest is kinda cool.

Sunday night Brighter Day, Our Shining Prince, and i went to the huge fireworks display that her church puts on. though i don't really believe in celebrating the 4th, the display was beautiful. while my aunt helped clean up, my brother and i waited. while we were sitting there, this dude tried to holla at me. but, his game was whack.

Why was his game whack? well, really because he seemed to have no game at all. so, there I was sitting and waiting, and he came by and asked me how I was doing. I told him I was fine, and asked how he was doing. He said he was good, and had come out to see the fireworks. (as if we weren’t all there for that purpose. Lol… but, whatever.) then he said, “what about you?” I started to explain to him, but I have a soft voice that doesn’t carry that well, and he had to come closer to hear me. after I explained to him that I was also there to see the display and that we were waiting on my aunt, who was helping with clean-up. Then dude told me how he was from Broken Arrow (a Tulsa suburb) and had went to schools there and lived there almost all of his life. Then he asked me how long I’d lived in the area. I told him I was from Tulsa but lived in Atlanta. When I told him that he kind of stared at me for a minute, as if he didn’t believe me!! ok, whatever… after that pause, he said, “But you were born and raised, here, right?” uhm, yeah… so, as he was talking to me, he managed to tell me the following: he was originally from Flint, Michigan (and that his mother could tell me about the city), that his birthday was coming soon, that he graduated from high school in 1998, and what high schools his brother’s girlfriend children attended. For some reason he was very interested in what schools I attended because he asked me what elementary school and high school I attended while in Tulsa. (note he never asked about higher education.) What made the experience even stranger is after he would ask me a question or say something about myself, I would respond, and then there would be a long pause. And he kept looking at me as if he wanted me to say or do something else. (i don't what he was expecting. it wasn't as if he had anything interesting to talk about. i mean, i wasn't expecting him to tell me he had discovered the cure for cancer. but to talk about grade and high school when we've been out of high school for at least 6 years is problematic.) Now, I’m not good at making small talk, and I figured that since he approached me, he could make more of an effort. I guess I figured incorrectly. So, after a particularly long pause, he said, “well, I’m gonna go now, I gotta get up and go to work in the morning.” So, I said, “ok, have a good night.” To be honest, the whole situation was confusing, and I’m truly of the mind that just because a man speaks to me does not mean he wants me. also, since this dude never asked me for my name, offered his or asked for my phone number. so, I didn’t want to assume that he was trying to get at me. so, I called Mr. Not Right Now, and asked him what he thought. He confirmed that dude was trying to holla, though he’d failed miserably. not to mention that i think he had a tooth missing... lol... i never fuck with Tulsa dudes when i come home. they never seem to have their shit together...

my luggage was found! i got my bag back today. i was so upset over that because i don't have the money to replace about $500 worth of clothes, shoes, underwear, toiletries, and a lot of other stuff that was in the bag. while i was worrying about the bag i also developed a rash on my neck. where it came from God only knows. my aunt said it's probably stress related due to all the things i've been going through. The Black Martha Stewart, one of my aunts, is supposed to put together some herbal remedies and give me a facial later on tonight.
the issue with my ankle continues. i'm probably going to have to break down and go to see a doctor. it's gotten better, but still not where it should be.

i hope everyone had a good weekend!