me on the jet ski...

This morning the mobile chimed and it was gibbs…he said to meet at the mall…by the time I got ready, don’t laugh I’m getting a lot better, he was already back…so I got on the laptop & chatted a bit by the pool…I then text Gibbs to suggest jet skiing…I’ve never done it before…after negotiating a good deal we set out…it was incredible but I seemed to have forgotten how salty the waters can be…but it still felt great…what is it about man that forces him to try & demolish anything he gets on…I tried & tried to sink the jet ski or should I say dip & dive…no luck…I did catch some nice air off of some waves and tried some turns…dele & gibbs were doing all sorts of tricks…we raced a couple of times…I don’t care what anyone says but I had the slowest one…it would just bog down when I gunned it…it even stalled one time as if it was flooded…I was going to get on one but they gave it to dele and I got stuck with the slug bug…but, I still had a great time…I’ve always wanted to jet ski…dele thought I was scared but I told him I’ve cliff jumped and pier jumped…I guess I’m really gung ho when it comes to those kind of things…I got done and dipped into the pool and then made a sandwich & took a nap…

the guys...

I woke up like I normally do while I’m vacation : late…Gibbs hit me and met me at the villas…we walked down one of the malls to do some shopping and get a bit of lunch…I then headed back, put on my running gear and went for a run…I ran the beach back & forth a couple of times…Running in sand is not an easy feat but feels easy on your feet…after the hotel inhabitants kept staring at me probably exclaiming, “Wow, look at that idiot, he’s not from around here so he must be on vacation and is running?” I don’t know what it was but it felt great running in this weather…I didn’t cramp up but sweated at least 42 gallons of salt…I then jumped in the pool and did some laps & water exercises…I then did some grocery shopping & ended the night by watching The Bourne Supremacy…It doesn’t get any better than that in my opinion…one thing I want to metntion in regards to my workouts is that I hydrated after getting keen advice from a great guy named Destah…He’s my in-house Zagat, sports, medical, everyday life situations advisor…Dip is that as well and you can add financial to the list…Gibbs is the one that protects me since he sees me as a younger brother because he’s 6 months & 4 days older than me…We all talk cars and Keith is the go-to-guy on anything BMW…I keep telling him Mercedes has better build-quality now that Chrysler is out of the picture…Dele, well, Dele is the body-guard of the group…Caiphus, he’s the artist of the group amongst other things that I can’t print that have to do with a 3 letter word that starts with “S”…Half of his adventures that he’s had in the company of other RBS members are what legends are made of…Antoine is the computer extraordinaire of the group…we all have culinary skills and Antoine’s succeed in dishes of carribean origins…the majority of us also have our motorcycle licenes, too…See, we are all different yet we’re all the same connected with time and spirituality & genuine values you just can’t find or buy…it just happens…we are true gentlemen with balance and a good sense of the direction of the world…we’re international, as well as, domestic…we can talk about any topic ranging from fashion to cooking to politics to automobiles to music to movies to women and relationships…pure class…that’s something you can’t buy…sound conceited???...it’s the other con word, confident…why???...because we don’t walk around with that certain aire that others do…it’s no act…what you see is what you get…purity…refined every waking moment…you are the company you keep so why keep bad company???...i know I digressed but this trip is what it’s all about…the ability to connect with those arriving and those unable to make it due to schedules…because we all embody eachother in some shape or form physically or mentally…

information is key...

Well, I finally made it to Cancun, Mexico…It sure was an interesting journey just getting here…I walked the airport in Mexico city at least 246 miles total just trying to catch my flight to Cancun…I learned a valuable lesson : learn the language of the country you’re going to visit…I finally made it thru customs…The agent took my Declaration paperwork & stamped my passport…I then tracked down the Mexicana desk and was able to get my boarding pass… Lesson #2, don’t go on a trip where the boarding passes for your flights can’t be printed out…So, after I accomplished that task I boarded the plane & sat down next to the sweetest East Indian woman who spoke to me about everything from her son to her location in Texas to me getting married…Lesson #3, pre-screen the passengers you’re going to sit next to…she didn’t have a phone to use after unsuccessful attempts to connect with the phone system in Mexico…She asked if I had a cell phone that worked and I gladly obliged her to use mine…she walked off the plane without saying anything but I caught up to her and insisted she use it to get in touch with her son…After that was done I retrieved my luggage and proceeded to leave when an agent stopped me and asked for my declaration paperwork…I gave what the gentleman in Mexico City gave me but it wasn’t any good so I had to fill it out once again…I don’t understand why he took the whole thing and gave me nothing in return but the page with the rules on it…maybe, just maybe, he wanted to post it up in the airport for all to see…damn, my cover’s blown…But, back to my Cancun Airport Excursion…So, I walk outside and receive a text from Gibbs to take the Grayline Shuttle…A gentleman approaches and asks me what would I like so I tell him Grayline Shuttle…He then takes my bag and loads it near the van…I assumed he was the driver so I gave him a tip…Lesson #4, make sure the person taking your luggage is the driver and you don’t end up tipping the dolley(person that carries the luggage from one point to the other). I finally load my own stuff into the van and take a ride to the hotel…ahh, finally made it…The bellboy takes my bags and drops it….So, I say I got it…I get to my room after wandering around the grounds since there are no real clear directions as to where each room is…I get to my room only to find out there are no elevators…I’ve been up since 6:15 am so what’s another 2 hrs to hike my luggage up…All in all, it was well worth it because once I stepped into the suite I now know why they call it the Ambiance Villas…

Well, i'm here in Mexico City sitting at an eatery and i can't sit here unless i buy something...unbelievable...it's not like there's a flurry of customers rushing in to get a bite to eat or that exquisite drink they have been waiting for since disembarking off the plane...there's about 60 chairs and only 8 taken including me...welcome to Mexico City Airport...what's even better is i don't even have my boarding pass yet...so, i ask the woman behind the counter and she says Gate B...I think her answer to every question is Gate B...say, can you tell me what's the weather like???...Gate B...How about the night life???...Gate B...nice...i will blog once i land in Cancun...

can't even buy groceries without running into???...

i read my brotha's blog about his recent trip to the grocery store & i wanted to comment...what happened to the days when one could go to the grocery store without having to witness vulgarity to the highest level???...i thought the grocery store was a place to purchase sustenance for your body, not get an earful simply because someone cut in front of you or decided to make the express line of 15 items or less into 150 items or less...oh by the way, according to the supermarket manual & years of extensive service at a grocery store, items ARE counted as individual items...so if you have 14 lemons, please do not step into the line with 14 lemons thinking it will count as 1 item...i digress and now back to the matter at hand...where have the manners gone???...since when does not being "lady-like" so acceptable???...what happened to the gentlemen...oh wait, does it mean you're "soft" because you have the sense to not drop your jeans below your waist and show your bottom???...seems the ones that have to let the world know they're "gangsta" or a "thug" overcompensate their insecurities by letting the world know by their attire that they're soooo tough...hmm, last time i checked gangstas wear 3 piece suits and invade countries and throw the world into turmoil...last time i checked gangstas destroy the very core of the environment and give tax breaks to those that are breaking the world...why not give the earth a break???...still need a hint???...but again, i digress...the behavior at the grocery store is totally inappropriate no matter what the locale...didn't Teddy speak softly and carry a big stick???...now, i'm not advocating one to pick up a blunt object and use it against another...but, why use your vocabulary as the same???...why substitute your vernacular with words such as ***** or *****...does it make you tougher to the world???...does it make you feel so much better???...we all have certain degrees of intelligence and intellect so why not use it for some good???...we are already deemed as heathens and animals by "others" in this society so why prove them right???...when was our glorious past replaced with a unglorious future???...i just don't get how being obnoxious validates your existence???...so, if i use correct english or a lower tone in a similar situation to the grocery scene does it mean i'm less effective or a square because the last time i checked the real ones that are square are housed in 8X11 squares for not thinking of the consequences that accompany irrational behavior...it's called prison...but, if you would still like for your mind to be imprisoned then do me the favor and do it on the day i'm not in line...it's you that's out of line, and i'm not talking about the grocery one...

Dream???...How about nightmare...

i heard from my friends that Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige were in town...the person that opened for them calls himself Dream...I did not see the Dream for he is truly a nightmare...that's what he should call himself...i mean are you serious???..shawty is a 10???...who the heck goes by shawty???...what if the woman was tall???...do you still call her shawty...sad to see that this recycled music is what some deem as "music" when it should be called morsic...what happened to the days of the temptations or james brown...heck, i'd even take some frank sinatra or nat king cole at least they sang "real" lyrics that were their own...give me something to like and i won't hate... :)anyone that promotes or sings about another man's relationship and says things like this is no man...[Chorus:]Lil' mama so hood, (I love your girl)Lil' mama stay fly (I love your girl)Wife beater with the denim (I love your girl)She keeps them heels on high, (I love your girl)Man look at shorty roll, (I love your girl)Man, look at shorty go, (I love your girl)(I'm sorry I gotta be up on your wild girlfriend?)wife beater???...why would someone want to label an article of clothing such as that???...so, hmm, i think i'll put on my child beater today...yeah, that's it...wait, i will also wear my auntie beater on thursday, my uncle beater on friday and oh yeah, my girlfriend beater on saturday...come on, people, get with it...use your intellect, not the one that's programed by Clear Channel...how can something so cloudy be so clear???...

since when???

i was sitting down at Starbucks, starsucks if you're a pete's customer, or even Starphucks if you think the barista's cute and i was observing just simply how people interact even just for a cup of coffee...since when do people not say "please" or "thank you" anymore???...since when does "your" cup of coffee supercede all respectable manners as you make your dash to the barista...could it be the over caffienation of our nation???...researchers suggest no more than 200 milligrams a day...but, i think the majority of us over indulge in that...believe me, i see it driving on my way to work on the no way, i mean the freeway...i'll write later about why i call it the no way...back to my Starbucks observation, i notice that people collectively don't hold doors open any more...they don't even seem to greet you as you walk in...maybe it's just me, but ever go shopping at a retail store and the people just look at you as if you're the brotha from anotha planet???...what happened???...is my money just not good enough???...because, last time i checked it's legal tender and the currency seems to be pretty current...it used to be that people were so excited that you visited their place of business they would greet you with a hello, sir or a hi, mam...they would make you feel at home...and who doesn't want to have a place called home???...home is a great place to be...but, sometimes it's nice to venture out...and when you do, you would want the expectation that you will be treated with the utmost respect, not because you're spending your hard earned green-backs, but because you took the time to make the conscious decision to choose that very place of business to select an item or two...another observation is how demanding people can be...people, it is just coffee...it always has and always will be...i was at an SB today and a woman started speaking in a tongue i had no idea existed...it seemed as if as soon as she opened the doors she entered a portal of abbreviations of the coffee world...she says, yeah, 1 mach wit' creme, one wit' room and a blah blah blah...i just looked at her, looked at the menu, and couldn't for the life of me figure out what the heck she just ordered...i looked for "mach" on the menu and couldn't find it...it's just not there...no it isn't...no it isn't...don't believe me???...pull up the menu...it's macchiato, people...since when is a language turned into something else???...oh wait, there's ebonics...hmm, should have known...a macchiato is as follows:
macchiato: anglicised, is a coffee-based beverage, which literally means marked milk...seems like the only thing that's marked is our command of a language and it doesn't look good...could it be this type of "short" behavior is now transcending into the deldrums of customer service???...as the dollar grows leaner and leaner you would think retailers wouldn't get meaner and meaner...they should be jumping at my beck & call simply because i visited the store...i am neither pompous nor a snob but just an individual who would like at least some polite recognition for visiting...if they would treat you like the character in I Am Legend you would get all types of respect...why???...because they are dependent upon you for a sale since you're the only one coming into the store...i feel as if it should be a mutual agreement between the retailer (starbucks) and the purchaser (me)...is it too much of a demand to just even get a good bye have a nice day or a thank you???...i mean i could have gone somewhere else...heck, i could ban coffee all together (imagine the impact if we all did like the days before)...seems like the only thing they listen to is your wallet and not the owner of the wallet...will there ever be that golden time when you were actually treated like a customer since it used to be "custom" to be valued???...that only depends on one thing, you...