My Birthday (Part 3)

At 1 AM, I hopped in my car and cruised around. I called a friend and vented and he gave me some really good advice. You see, I'm not an outgoing person and I was concerned The Voice got the wrong impression after the party last weekend. The Voice called me a few times concerned and I returned around 2 AM after everyone was gone. I didn't want to bring up my "baggage" but he was insistent that I tell him what was going on.

I confessed and he reassured me that he likes me the way I am, whether I'm outgoing or not (duh! obviously he does or else he wouldn’t still be chilling with me!) He held my face in his hands and told me that I need to stop worrying about every little thing, stop analyzing everything and simply live in the moment. He emphasized self reliance and plain, simple fun.

"You're not the only one out there with issues and insecurities," he reassured me.

We lay on the bed and as he held me, he recited one of his poems, which assisted in lifting my spirits. Needless to say, he worked his thing too well and this led to other "things." Consequently, I promised him I wouldn't just up and leave like that again.

While I was profoundly disappointed in my actions, I discovered that The Voice is a communicative person, willing to work through an issue. The fact that he's still interested in me after my little stunt says a lot about his character (and patience). Most guys would have said "peace out, yo!" Still, I'm slightly intimidated by his social skills. As I stated in a post back in June (click here), I'm extremely shy, quiet and introverted. I'm not as adaptable as he is with any situation but I can hold my own.

Furthermore, he owes no allegiance to anyone but himself and I'm in awe of his free spirit and independence. Conversely, I've forgotten how to have fun. I used to just roll with the flow but the years have made me bitter, serious and cynical. I find myself overly conservative when it comes to just letting loose. Perhaps The Voice and I are beneficial for each other. His personality is presently affecting me, inducing me to step out of my routine and while I don't want to change him, who knows? Maybe he's getting something from me ...

Well let me wrap this three part series up. I awoke early Sunday morning and put my church suit on. I kissed him goodbye and drove out to Framingham for church. I arrived prematurely so I waited in the parking lot, observing the squirrels and birds in an adjacent field.

Suddenly, I decided to have a chat with God. It had been a quick minute (major religious issues here) however, I felt I needed to thank Him for bringing The Voice into my life. I was fairly ashamed by my actions from the previous night. Essentially, I've moaned and groaned over the past several years about how I wanted a boyfriend. I'm finally dating someone who has most of his s*** together, is in school working on his masters, not afraid to show affection in public, has a real job, likes me the way I am (LOL weird indeed!), has a variety of interests, and has his own place (my checklist was nearly complete) ... and what did I do? I found negative flaws and whined like some unappreciative b****. I checked myself accordingly and thanked Him for listening and watching over me and allowing us to be in each other’s lives.

I returned to The Voice’s apartment and found him watching the movie, Enchanted. He was too cute laying there in bed watching a Disney movie, especially after all the bravado and masculinity he exuded the night before. I love it when a guy can tap into their childhood and yet remain mature. Many people define sexy in relation to the body or sexual acts but I'm a fanatic of the intellectual. In my opinion, sexy is the way he taps into his feminine and childhood sides and is still the man in charge, the way he expresses himself lyrically and socially, the way he sleeps, the way he breathes, the way he lives life with love.

That is sexy to me.

He spent Sunday doing laundry and I brought him back to his place and we chilled for a bit. I apologized to his roommates for bouncing the night before (I didn't want to offend them, especially if I'm going to be coming around often) and then we watched some of the VMA's as he drifted off to sleep.

I can't wait until the next time I see him (UPDATE: we’ve chilled several times this week including dinner at the Cheesecake Factory). This past weekend was one of the best birthdays I've EVER had and I can't thank him enough for coming into my life. Whether we end up as friends or more, I'm glad I met The Voice and he's fast become the rock I need during this unstable time in my life. Consequently, I'm hooked and want to learn more about him. I enjoy our vibe and the way he makes me re-examine my soul, my mind, my heart and my life when I'm around him. I have two left feet when it comes to dating (I know I’m not the only one out there!) so I'm moving as slowly and deliberately as possible ...

"Let's see what's out there ... engage!" - Captain Jean-Luc Picard (ST:TNG)

My Birthday (Part 2)

We dined at Texas Roadhouse and after several drinks, The Voice was feeling positively mellow. He buddied up with the waiter which resulted in a conversation about horror movies and psychics.

Don't ask.

He also ran into a former colleague and her boyfriend and we chatted it up for a few.

As we left the restaurant, it began to rain and we had no umbrella. Not a smart idea when you have the remnants of a tropical storm moving into the area. We dashed for the car and dried off as we drove to the gas station, where he even paid for my gas! Talk about the royal treatment on my special day!

So the big event for the evening was (drum roll please! rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat ... ) Cirque Du Soleil! The Voice bought tickets and this was my birthday surprise! My mind was blown! Once again, no one (no one, no one!, sorry got caught up in the song) had EVER done that for me! I'm usually buying concert tickets or suggesting events to attend among my social circle. It was exceedingly refreshing to be treated for once!

We waited in the concession tent as the rain began to pour. I shopped at the gift stations and he bought popcorn and water of which he excessively grumbled about the expensive prices to the cashier.

"Hmm, Strike One!"

Digress with me.

I was reading an astrological relationship compatibility website the other day which stated that Libras and Virgos (The Voice and me respectively) are a mis-matched pairing. Libras are social and outgoing while Virgos are restrained, conservative and exceptionally observant. Furthermore, the site listed ways to impress and lose points with Virgos. The top way to lose points? "Acting loud, vulgar, or rude in public."

The Voice has a ghetto side to him and while I obviously find it attractive, I sometimes perceive it to be a facade. He can be profoundly proper and corporate such as when he struck up a conversation with the lady next to us at the show or with the waiter. However, he was all up in sistah girl's face at the concession stand and I was sightly embarrassed.

Moreover, I became annoyed when he wanted to talk about "certain topics" while we waited to enter the circus. I was raised to take pride in myself and whenever I walk out the house, I never forget that I'm representing more than just myself. I'm the living legacy of my people. I believe in good first impressions even amongst strangers and I instantly recognized this as the first significant difference between our signs. Consequently, I believe things that occur in the bedroom should remain private and didn't necessarily want strangers who were seated around us in close quarters hearing all our business.

So do you guys think I’m being too prudish?

Digression over ...

The show was very thrilling and our seats were perfect! Some of the performers/clowns were mingling around in the audience prior to the show and they even made examples of late-arrivals! The costumes were dazzling and absolutely fabulous! The choreography was impeccable, even when a few pesky raindrops leaked through the tent onto the stage. The storyline was imaginative and made me feel like a kid again! I gazed in wonder at the jugglers, the contortionists, the trapeze artists, the highwire act, tower of chair balancing act and other acrobatic feats that had me gripping The Voice's leg in terror! No worries, he was doing the same too! The ringmaster was hilarious and even picked a few audience volunteers to keep us entertained between sets.

During intermission, he asked, "Do you like your birthday gift, baby?"

"I love it!" I responded and then we kissed.

Yeah, I'm getting the hang of this public display of affection pretty damn quick!

We ran through the rain to the car and it took nearly a half hour to get out of the parking lot. The wind was howling and the fury of the storm was very evident. As we inched our way out of the lot we held hands and stole kisses. We opted out of heading to a club in Back Bay because of the weather and headed back to his place. I was terribly exhausted but was in for a rude surprise when I walked into his apartment.

"Damn ... Strike Two!"

His roommates had a few friends over and they were completely drunk and trashed. I socialized (if you can call it that) for a while but wasn't really in the mood. I wanted to "cuddle" with my boy and instead I got a mini-frat party. Talk about heated. The Voice took a few shots and blended right in with the crowd. So I did what I always do when I'm ticked.

"Slowly, surely, I walk away from" - Jill Scott

I went out to my car and left.

(Sorry guys, I’m slow with these posts but this semester is really kicking my butt! Trying to find time to write stuff and edit so please just bear with a brotha ...)

My Birthday (Part 1)

My birthday was this past Saturday and even the remnants of a hurricane couldn't ruin the most special b-day I've had in a while! To sum up my day in one word, I'd plainly have to say: "divinely dee-licious!"

I spent most of my weekend with The Voice.

I picked him up Friday evening from a nearby friend's house and then we both chilled at his apartment. I met his roommates and was thoroughly impressed! They are a straight couple and so sweet together; they made me feel incredibly welcome. Truthfully, I preferred having the place to ourselves last weekend but even with them around, they were cool and didn’t bother us.

The next day, The Voice entered the Ollie Road Race in South Boston/The Waterfront, a five-mile run to benefit the South Boston Neighborhood House. I got up extremely early, showered and walked to the subway station. By the way, this was my first time on the Silver Line. Essentially it was just a cheap imitation of a real subway line but whatever, it was pretty nice. I arrived at the Bank of America Pavilion and immediately spotted him warming up. He introduced me to a few of his co-workers who instantly took a liking to me. They were doing the two mile walk and after some friendly prodding, I signed up and joined them on the walk.

The ladies asked the "usual suspect" questions (job, school, fun, etc.) and as I found out later, I was stamped "APPROVED!" and ready for packaging. The walk was a great deal of fun however, I was disappointed that the walkers were on the same track as the runners because as the lead runners returned, they nearly knocked this poor old lady walker over and then proceeded to almost get in a fight with her! Profoundly upsetting! Everyone was out there to raise money for a good cause and have fun and yet s*** like that still happened.

I made it back in 30 minutes and waited for The Voice who timed in at about 43 or 44 minutes! He was sweaty and dripping everywhere but I didn't care. I gave him a hug and told him I was exceedingly proud of him and couldn’t wait to see him do his thing in the half-marathon next month. We split after a while and met up with another friend who gave us a ride back to my neighborhood. I felt a bit awkward because I'm not used to "bumming" rides from anyone. He let us off at my barbershop (The Voice goes to the same barbershop! Pretty surreal, eh?) and I went home to relax.

A few hours later, I picked him up from his place and he was rocking it with his black knit dread cap, slim grey jeans, black dress shoes and tight belt buckle under the black polo shirt. As James Earl Hardy would say, he looked "jood!" We jetted over to Texas Roadhouse and he called ahead while we journeyed.

"He's efficient and makes himself useful!" I thought as we cruised down Route 16.

Now children, pay attention because this was my favorite part of my day! As we stood there, waiting to be seated (only a minute wait), he suddenly spun on his heel and turned to face me. He slipped his hand around the small of my back, his fingers gripping me tight and quickly pulled me toward him and kissed me! And no, not some peck on the cheek. I'm talking tongue action people! My heart swooned and froze.

"What are people thinking?" "Is someone going to say something?" "Oh my God! I can't believe he's really doing this right here, right now!" "Damn, that feels real good!"

A million thoughts raced through my head but after he pulled away, I was thoughtless and breathless.

He asked, "Did you like that?" I simply nodded in response.

That is a memory I will never forget. Why? I have always wanted to date someone who is overwhelmingly comfortable with their sexuality and bold enough to evince public displays of affection (PDA). As Alicia Keys would say, "no one, no one, no one!" has EVER, EVER done that! In the past, I've snuck kisses in public or held hands but usually when no one was around or in a secluded area. If someone happened to pass by, I broke it off. Nevertheless, I had to come back to earth because "Red Bull The Voice gives you wings!" and I was soaring somewhere between the stratospheres of infatuation and sprung.

"I don't care what anyone thinks!" he explained later, "I like you and we should have a right to display our feelings just like everyone else does ... I wish someone would say something ... !"

I've always been comfortable with my orientation but never had the opportunity to explore PDA's with any of my past romantic partners; they merely weren't mature emotionally. However, The Voice, who hasn't ceased to amaze me this past week and a half, is unlike anyone I've encountered or dated before.

But the night wasn't over yet and things were about to get a little more interesting.

I'm Gonna Party Like It's My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday to wonderful, awesome, beautiful, talented, sexy, crazy, happy, sweet, lovable, nice K.C. (whew!)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!

... AND WHAT?! Yeah, I know, I'm conceited but it's 9:51 AM on Sept. 6th and I can do whatever the f*** I want cuz it's MY DAY!!!! :o)

Happy Birthday ... you're under arrest!

Okay, I know I said that Kingston would be the next post but I forgot the file on my home computer (I'm at work) so as soon as it gets e-mailed over to me, I'll post it. In the meantime, today is my brother's birthday and he got one heck of shock last night!

I got all the way over to class (UMB) and found out we didn't have class. Granted I was pissed (and hot)! Our first 5 page paper was due (after an extension) and I had really rushed to read the assignments and get it done only to find that out! I was relieved because I got the rest of the evening to myself but if I had checked my school e-mail, I might have avoided a trip over there on a hot crammed up subway train! So I hopped on the bus to go home when I notice a bright yellow SUV go flying by the bus! Yeah, I saw my brother with a bunch of people in MY car! Needless to say, I was ticked! So I try to call him but he's not picking up. I get home and realize I needed to go out and pick up his birthday card. I change clothes, and head back out. Our parents were away for the night so the only vehicle left was our green van dubbed the Green Monster! It's a deathtrap but it couldn't be any worse than the crazy ass Explorer I used to have. That thing damn near killed me! I know, another post! So I pick up the card, grab a Father's Day card too and head back home after stopping for a coolatta.

As I'm pulling up to the house, I notice a police car behind me. I'm thinking, "hmmm, okay, they're just out patrolling especially since that incident with the music the other night." I pull up to the curb and begin parking and then notice the po-po never passed. I check the rearview mirror and there he is behind me. I was starting to sweat, and I had the AC on. I've been fortunate enough to never have been pulled over by any police and I wasn't about to have that happen now. I get out and the guy comes over to me as my brother comes out. Apparently my brother called the police because he thought the van had been stolen!!! So he told the cop and the guy was fine, that "at least I don't have to do any paperwork!" and drove off. You think I was sweating? My bro took about 15-30 min. just chilling in the kitchen. The van belongs to our dad so I think he was afraid he'd get in huge trouble! He thought I was off at class so he didn't know I had come home. Course, if he hadn't taken my car, I wouldn't have had to use the Green Monster.

Anyway, talk about a way to kick off your 24th birthday! Happy Birthday, Rugrat! :o)