thankful for you + the food.

alright, thanksgiving with my family was... quite tasty + hirlarious to say the least. i spent the evening (yeah, we all get together at night + eat. thats how the vaughn clan does it.) at my grandma's house. me, my mom + sis, grandma, my aunties, uncle, + cousins were there bomb rushing a hot small spaced kitchen trying to dig out collard greens, trunip greens (which were off the meter good... thank you mom), dressing, string beans, squash, mac+cheese, chitlins (ugh... lol), corn on the cob, cornish hen, baked turkey wings, ham (we couldnt get a Honey Baked Ham, so my auntie made a "Connie Baked Ham". dont act like you dont know, the resession is still in session...), + much food out of different pots, tin pans, + dishes.

as we ate, everyone was wilding out. all my folks were gettting on my mom because she made the mac+cheese this year + it was a lil bit on the dry side. my auntie decided to snatch my mom's wig + parade around the house with it sitting on her head. my other auntie was sneaking me glasses of wine while my uncle is taking crazy pictures of my grandma trying hard not to swear the mess out of him. i was teaching my cousins + sis how to play spoons (spades made be whats up to a lot of people, but it takes some real fye people to throwdown a game of spoons). it was quite fun wrestling + tossing my lil 11 yr old cousin across the room just to grab a dining untensil.

i see alot of myself from my relatives, especially from my mom's side of the family. my lighthearted nature, the looneyness. my compassionate + caring nature. its because of these beautiful people that i was blessed to grow around that i am the young man i am today. God knows i am so thankful for these people in my life beacuse without them, i just dont know who i would be....

+ its not only them. there are more that shaped the core of my attitude, my outlooks on life, + even guided me to achieve the dreams i hold close. my dad... hmmm. he gave me strength + intregity, + a nice pair of tea brown eyes. even though we dont speak to each other nowadays + our views are two different sights, i cant never say that im not glad that he was a part of my life. his presense in my younger years were felt + i had taking so much wisdom from him. thank you dad. i respect + love you unconditionally.

i hope that people spent yesterday with loved ones. people that care + cherish them for being in their lives. oh + also got to get some good take home plates for the next couple of days. lol happy belated thankgiving yall.

-soulfully yours, peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin

hopeless dreaming replay.

i was going through my old blog on msn spaces (may it rest in gigabyte pieces) + i saw something i wrote a lil while ago. as i re-read what i wrote almost a month ago i notice that it still rings kinda true about how i feel on some goals + aspirations that i wanted to obtain. here is what i wrote:

"there are times when i think about my life + the things that i would love to happen to me. its a long list of things, believe me. lol some are things that would just be a nice lil pleasure if i actually experienced it, such as getting to talk to jill scott or visiting tibet (reminder: must update my "places to go to" list). others are just on-a-whim-of-a-care kinda thing, jumping in a pool of lemon jello, streaking, those kinds of things. but then there are some that are like a "must do, must see, must be" kind of thing. i got to make this happen for me because i desire it so much. it feels as if i was meant to go down that certain route + experience it. but of course, actuality drops its reality check + turn my goals into far off fairy tale dreams that i can only sigh under. some i had to put away for a while. some, i dont even have control over. + other just fade into the back of my head. i dont know. i wonder if some things are really meant to happen to me. am i suppose to have this? is this a goal for ME? or should i just continue to hold on to my blindly optimistic hopes. sometimes i think i should give it up. hoping, i mean. but i know i couldnt. its like just knowin- feeling that something is so right, so perfect, so in tune + in accordance with you... perfect fit of a dream. but sometimes i realize that there is a big problem. thats all i do... dream... God help a brotha with this one. til the next time..."

-"hopeless dreaming" 102-42-008 dWjb

nowadays im more sure that certain things happen for a reason. sometimes doors are closed on opportunities for the better + windows are opened. with some things i have to take charge + seek it full heartedly. others i have to wait til the time is right for me. there is reasons for everything i believe. i know God has a plan. it might not be as i thought it would be + it might not be like everyone elses, but it will be in my favor in the end. i know it. i feel it.

peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin

i been poked- wait, wrong website. tagged!

a little while ago, i was "tagged" by BrothersBlog. i was going to type the rules but... well, jeez. i didnt feel like it. call me lazy, its just being resourceful i think. lol basically i got to tell you 7 random +/or weird things about myself + froward the tag to 7 people. ohjoy... lol

1. im from decatur, born + raised. not a grady baby, not a piedmont child, no dekalb med kid. i was born in decatur, in my house, in the bathroom. + naw, i am not a "toilet" or "sh!t" baby. lol

2. im a performing arts freak. dance is a deep passion of mine that i love to do. hip hop is the style i know best, but im aiming towards learning others such as contemporary, african, b-boy, latin, ballet... about all of them. i love theatre. i have been a part of a few skits, plays, + improv. oh + physical comedy... classic. last but never least, music... life reflects music indeed to me. my taste in music is real ecletric, but my favorite is soul music from the past + now.

3. in the back of my mind, i would like to have a siberian husky, a ferret, a spider monkey, + a lil family of squirrels. sadly, my luck with pets, + some plants, have been... kinda slightly fatal... WHY DOES EVERYTHING I TOUCH WITHERS + DIES?!?!?!

4. im in school to become an educator, wishfully at my old high school alma mater. why do i want to deal with these so-called "smart mouth, bad-ass, think-they-grown kids"? well, i believe these young men + ladies are the next generation of lawyers, teachers, atheles, activists, musicians, + other pillars of our communities. i want to help bring knowledge + hope to them, keep them striving to achieve + reach their highest potential in their passions in life.

5. my mind goes "phhhwwssssss..." at times. yeah, i have my spaz-out periods, who doesnt? maybe its the a.d.d. kid in me but i do go into my own lil world at times. its nice there. they have an everflowing fountain of cranberry juice + gummi bears... quite nice.

6. lately i have been obsessed with "high school musical 3". i took my sis to see it a while back + i ended up loving it. like i said earlier, i love theatre, including musical theater, + i just got caught up in all the choreography + music. its the fyeness... well, to me, at least... i must work with kenny ortega (the director) one day. i will be on "high school musical 5"!!!

7. i got a plan for an escape... "i'll go break his neck..." lol i love my sis.

now that thats out the way, i choose...

Nik - http://thehustlesofnik.blogspot.com/

Malika - http://accordingtomalika.blogspot.com/

Ms. Cali Brwn - http://amberileene.blogspot.com/

Ms.Hopeful - http://mzhopeful.blogspot.com/

BronxStateOfMind - http://bronxstateofmind.blogspot.com/

well im done. now time to lie down. lada everyone! peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin

hunt for an income, part II, + more...

i hate group interviews, passionately right now. i have had 2 interviews in this format in the past 2 weeks for 2 clothing stores for a seasonal position. i would find myself surrounded with other job hungry folks, about 6-9 people, as a hiring manager would try to get to know ALL of us + our skills + work ethics in a matter of 60 minutes. im not comfortable in this kind of environment. feels like all of the applicants are forced to play the "outshine everyone else by anymeans neccessary" game, which is understandable because companies want the best people. but i start feeling the pressure when we all got to race to belt out the best anwser to questions. it puts a serious competitive vibe to the interview process. then let there be 2 or 3 folks that seems waaay more quailified than anyone else... i wasnt shaken by them easily, but after showing all of my best assets + stating how i can benefit the company, i still felt like i was fighting a battle i already lost. i already didnt like one of the stores to begin with... the things i would do for an income right now... DAMN YA MONEY!!

i hope that my best friend/sister chrissy is doing well. she is stuck that home on bedrest for a while. i went + visited her with some friends yesterday since i havent seen her in a good minute. we watched the unneccessay dramatics of "the real housewives of atlanta"... jeez, the only powerhouse person on there is lisa. i got to give her props because she is married to a very weathly guy but not living on his money. she got her own successful + thriving business + is not moved by the glitz + fame of elite socialism. seem like a real cool lady. quite nice. anyway, i had a blast with all my friends last night. just straight ridiculious. we got to do it again. must plan the excape... *smiles*

im about to hit up this open mic at this corner coffeeshop called javamonkey tonight. its been a while since i been to an open mic. im not going to read today, just taking in the creativity + let my mind soak it all in. i need to get back to writing my writins soon. the last writin i did was last month + i know i got a lot more to say about a couple more things. its just not flowing out of me right at the moment. it will come soon. i'll let you know... lol lada days. peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin

"will work WELL for money, so hire me damnit!"

i need a job- wait. change that. i been needing a job. i am quite tired of my income depending on my family. quite very tired indeed. i want to be able provide for myself again like i used to + be able to help out my mom. not my sis though. she too busy buying sugar crap + egging me on to get her a blackberry phone. this 11 year old wants a smartphone. i told her she needs to phone herself to school + learn. ohjeez. i am my mother's child.

so lately i done resumed my job hunt full force since my fall semester in school is almost done. i got my resumes printed out (at least 10 copies on deck wherever i go. this is serious!), traveling around in shirt, slacks, + tie (all starched + pressed... serious!!), popping my head in anywhere i see a decent place of labor (now i aint gon just work any flimsy dark-hole-in-the-wall where... hah! it aint that serious.). i will be working my bum off somewhere!

but you know what? its a hard knock life for us job hunters that are just looking for a good seasonal or long term part-time job. well, at least for me. heres a few things that making the employment hunt depressing:

1. asking for an application + hearing them say that we just finished hiring for this year YESTERDAY.
2. asking for an application + seeing that this woman is clearly tired of folks asking her that same qeustion over again.
3. calling your former supervisor about working seasonal + they WONT answer the phone for nothing + decides to go ghost for a MONTH.
4. filling out the same information on an application over + over... + over... + over... + ov- ugh, you get my gist.
5. GOIN' ALL THE WAY OUT CROSS THE OTHA SIDE OF TOWN TO A FREAKIN' JOB FAIR THAT ONLY HAD 2 BUSINESSES THERE THAT YOU CANT DO ANYTHING WITH!!! DAMN YA, COBB GALLERIA + DIVERSITYJOBFAIR!!
6. writing down on my work experience the job that i stayed at for only two months... it was time conflicts... dont even laugh chrissy...
7. not knowing why i dont get a job.

im grudging on though. i feel like i am a hard worker + could be a valuble employee anywhere i am placed at. im trying to show these employers how dedicated + useful i can be but it feels like its not shining through because im not getting hired or any response. is it my resume? is my experience not enough? was i talking too little or too much? was it the color of my shirt?

i have a lot of things that i want to get accomplished + its going to take a lil more than will, time, + determination. yeah, ima need some dough... so i got to get a job + soon. oh + while we on the subject, i would like to announce the start of my new foundation:

H.A.B.A.D.O., Inc.
Help A Broke Ass Dude Out, Incorporated

*flim plays sad music in the background + show me standing outside of a wendys, looking sad. * "for just 107cents a day, this man can be able to walk into this resturant + purchase a 5pc chicken nugget (no frosty included, sause 34cents extra)..."

-ohjeez, let me stop. hah! yall hope for a brotha. peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin