Smokkee's World Prime

Embracing Imperfections: Will My Biggest Flaw Be My Downfall?

2012-01-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

Hello, WORLD!! Smokkee Singleton here. Yall know who I am right? A blogger who's just now getting in the groove with his blogs as well as an author who's first book will be out somewhere between the summers of 2012-2013. In the meantime, with the blog money coming in but not enough to support my family, how do I earn a living? I got a job. Well, I got a job for now. I just signed some this notice that went around to all of my coworkers & me regarding being absence. I signed it & moved on. I'm like an iron man; unless I'm not able to move period, I don't miss work. Then I find out it wasn't just about absences... it also was refering to tardiness. Now I know I'm not a perfect person. I don't pretend to be even if I strive for it. You'll never be perfect but why not aim for perfection, right? I even know what most of my flaws are. My biggest flaw is I am not an on time person. Right now, I don't have a car & depending on the CTA here in Chicago is hit or miss. Anyway, the noticed says that 4 "absences" (read: absences or tardies) equal 1 occurance and 4 occurances... well, yada yada yada. I won't not try to get to work on time. I've never tried to be late on purpose (who do that stupid shit?) but to say that I'll not get an occurance, probably before 1-2 weeks past would be overly optimistic. My point: if you know what you're flaws are, try to polish them a lil bit. It doesn't hurt anybody none trying to better themselves. If I can't polish this flaw of mine, I'll only be self employed way before I'm able to support myself like that. That's it for now WORLD. I'll definitely keep you posted on this.

DISCONNECTED AGAIN

2012-01-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hello, WORLD!! Smokkee here. Still a little geeked over the increased readership of my blogs, thanks to the building interest in my SMOKKEE'S WORLD 101 blog and I'd like to use this opportunity to thank all of y'all that's tuned in so far & welcome all the new readers. Hopefully, y'all also tune in to my SMOKKEE'S WORLD FAVORITES blog for reviews on just about everything as well. With that out of the way, let me get on with this present post. I'm disconnected again, cell phone wise. I added my BM & her son to my plan with US Cellular & my bill has been ridiculously high. Like $751 ridiculous. Well, what can you do? I hate not having my main line on but it'll be back on in no time. It was more I wanted to say here but I just got totally distracted by some bad news. That post will be coming up immediately after this one.

COMING SOON by Smokkee Singleton (A Preview)

2012-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, WORLD! Smokkee here, naturally. This year, my main concern has been posting my 101 Goals on my other blog, SMOKKEE'S WORLD 101. One of my goals is to write a book of short stories. It dawned on me that maybe you can help motivate me, or maybe you can help my writing by offering honest criticism. Either or is cool with me. I love to write human nature stories. Here's a preview of my first attempt at horror, though it does stick to my MO of human nature writing. Let me know what you guys think, OK? Thanks WORLD!! I knew I could count on you.**************************************************************************************************************** COMING SOON by Smokkee Singleton "The following preview is rated PG-13" "Angel, they're showing another preview to that movie you're stuck on again. Probably still not gonna get any actual preview." Greg bellowed. Stacy came gliding into the room even though she was sure Greg was right; she wouldn't be getting any better an idea what NO ONE KNOWS was about. The highly touted horror movie that was shrouded in such secrecy that ironically, or maybe not, no one besides probably the people who made this movie knows exactly what this movie is about. The previews so far have only had the director, Quincy Reyes, talking about this movie. Not one preview had shown any clips from this movie. It didn't matter anyway. Stacy had her mind set on seeing this movie anyway. Maybe this one would be different but Stacy wasn't holding her breath. So far, not so much. This commercial started with the director wearing the exact same suit as he had previously wore in the commercials. In the same room and he was sitting on the same desk, more than likely a library based on all the books on the shelves in the background. "Hello, horror fans," the preview began, "I'm Quincy Reyes, but you'll come to call me the director that scared the crap out of you. I bet you're wondering why I chose not to fill you guys in on my newest film, NO ONE KNOWS. The absolute truth is if you DID have a clue, you'd avoid this movie like it was the grim reaper himself." "Man, get the fu.." Greg started to mumble incredulously before Stacy hushed him quite. She had a feeling this preview would be different. "For some of you, it just might be" the seated man continued on TV. "Vincent Price imitating ass..."Greg added before getting shushed again. Quincy rose from the desk he had been sitting on in the commercial as he continued to speaking. "IF, and I can not stress enough that you DO have a choice in whether or not you watch this movie, IF you do decide to watch this film, I am not responsible for the consequences." "Fuck!! It's just like the other commercials!" Stacy chimed, looking at Greg in such a way that he very wisely didn't return her "Shush" like he had intended. "Consequences may include the following" Quincy said as he waved his hand like a seasoned magician toward a blank screen that sudden didn't look so blank. Almost in unison, Stacy and Greg said "Aw, shit!!!!!" The images that flashed across the screen were of pure mayhem but only a little was discernible. Of the clear images, people scattering all over the place was one of the only images that lasted longer than 2 seconds. There was also a woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs with a man mere seconds away from silencing that, and her, with what appears to be a some kind of metal rod. The rest of the scenes just showed flashes of bloodied people. The scene went back to Reyes, a full shot showing off his tailor made tuxedo. The impeccably dressed man simple added "See you soon, right?" Greg already knew what his wife was about to do, but he wasn't expecting the scream that came before she reached across him to grab her cell phone and call up her buddy Anna to chat about the new movie.

Smokkee's WORLD - Reboot

2011-12-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hello, WORLD!! I hope everybody had a great Christmas. Mine was great; I let the kids wear me out before watching the Chicago BULLS win their season opener followed by watching the BEARS playoff hopes just evaporate into thin air. I wish I could say the same for the year 2011 as a whole. I can but I won't. Nothing really bad happened this year but nothing great happened this year either. Nothing happened, period. Why? I got distracted. I moved in with the mother of my 3 youngest kids & got to spend the majority of the year with them. That right there is the main thing that took me out of my rhythm but I won't complain about that. I love their little bad asses & I appreciate every moment I get to spend with them. Now, I have to push myself back into an *I GOTTA DO THIS!!* mindset that got me to where I am now. I felt like a computer with a virus in 2011; I still worked but not as good as I usually do. So, that's why I had to reboot myself. Not for 2012 though. My reboot starts now. Why wait, right WORLD? That's what I thought too.

A Very Special Belated Happy Birthday

2011-11-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hello WORLD!!! Smokke here. I'm bogus as hell, WORLD. I changed my Facebook profile pic to this dude right here & didn't even acknowledge why. This man is Anthony Edward Hardy & yesterday he would have made 63 years old. He died January 8th of 2008 but still I gotta wish him a Happy Birthday, whereever he is. Happy Birthday, Pops. Know that you're missed.

Anthony Edward Hardy 11/29/48 - 01/07/08

Let's Say 9AM Cause Im Regular

2011-11-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

IHello, WORLD!! Smokkee here, of course. I would be here a lot more often but life gets in the way. Gotta eat. Gotta make sure my kids got what they need. Gotta have money to do anything so I gotta go get it, point blank. When my writing takes off I might not have to work as hard anymore but I doubt I'll slouch off. That's not what I do. Plus I like my job doing customer service for a messenger company. It's the little things that can make you smile that make up for the brutality of the job, like most jobs. Yesterday, my smile moment turned into a LMAO moment. I took a call from this much older guy placing a pick up going to a lab. He had ta be about 65-80 years old but still had his wits about him, dig. Anyway, he wasn't a regular client so he wasn't familiar with placing the order. He wanted his package, which he kept calling a sample, picked up the next morning. Cool, we can do that. So my next question has to be what time is the package gonna be ready. That's when he guestimated sometime between 8-10am. Usually that annoys the fuck outta me but this old man had me chuckling the whole time. I gently told him I needed him to be more specific. He says "I wish I knew exactly when I'll produce my spool but I'm regular so it should be early." It took me about two minutes to stop laughing & maybe one whole minute to catch my breath after that case of TMI. He took my laughing loud as fuck in his ear in stride. Honestly, I'd think the whole thing was a joke if I didn't know any better. But as soon as I finished his order I got the rest of the laughter outta my system for another 5 minutes.Well that's it that's all for now, WORLD, but that was damn sho enough.

Why Did You Unfriend Me?

2011-07-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD! Smokkee Singleton here. As y'all know, I was a big fan of Facebook last year but I am now more of a devoted Tweeter than anything these days. That doesn't mean I don't do Facebook anymore; it just means I do it a lot less. What's the worse thing that can happen to you on Facebook? Besides having someone expose you (for cheating on your spouse, stealing from your company, etc), the worse thing that can happen is your real life friends decide not to be FB friends with you anymore. Normally, I don't pay attention to my friend count. It fluctuates anyway because some of my friends deactivate their accounts anytime they get fed up with FB (to each their own, I guess). I'm not the only person who isn't as stuck on FB these days but I won't go to that extreme because I have friends & family I haven't seen in YEARS and I'll be damn if we lose contact with each other this time.
Recently, a former coworker of mine named Grant just lost his moms. I found out from another coworker. It kinda shocked me because I couldn't believe that I didn't hear nothing about it through FB. That's usually the kinda thing that would be (rather SHOULD be) all over people's pages instead of the dumb shit they post anyway (SN: WTF up with the shoes?). So I try to post my condolences on his page right? I get there & I don't see anything but ADD AS FRIEND on there. WTF?!?! Is he serious? Then I here from another coworker that he's mad at me because HE got fired & SMOKKEE (me) didn't. Again, I ask WTF?!?!? How can he get mad at me because our job let you go & didn't let me go when I work my ass off, doing all I can, and most of the time he was unavailable for customers to talk to? How can he get mad at me to the point he says "We're no longer friends!" over some stuff that I have no control over? I didn't fire him; in fact, I gave him a job on one of my blogs! But we're not friends, huh? Our daughters graduated from the same high school just 2 years ago & now we're not on speaking terms. I never, ever tripped on being dropped as a FB friend before this. More than likely, I won't ever trip about it. I'm actually not even tripping now. If I was, even just a little bit, I probably would've came to my senses with 1 or 2 thoughts. Either thought A: If we were really friends, why woulda came and talked to me about any beef like a man? Or thought B: If we never worked together, would he have been my friend in the 1st place? I can answer both of them with the same answer & that answer is the main reason why I'm disenchanted with FB right now: Because some FB friends are only your friends to be nosy, then when they don't want to be nosy no more, they unfriend you or or get themselves fired. I don't drop friends or fire people, but maybe I should. Besides, he was just my public FB page friend. he didn't even know he wasn't part of my real page. But he wasn't a real friend so of course he wouldn't know that, right? #SadButTrue... Anyway, if you know the Grant that I'm talking about & he's still you're real life or FB friend, send him my condolences. Peace, WORLD!!!

The Next Level

2011-04-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD! I guess you wondering where I been... I always think of that line from that Bobby Caldwell song WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE when I haven't done any posting to Twitter, Facebook or the SMOKKEE's WORLD blogs. I feel like I've been neglecting my duties too long. I'm back now and I can't say I'll never stay away this long again but I can say that I'll always come back to you. Anyway, WHATS GOOD: I've been looking into hosting my own blog talk radio show / podcast with a couple of friends & family members. My topics? Sports, of course. Music & movies maybe. Relationships, only if I feel like the topic is one worth discussion. To be honest, aside from sports, I'm not sure what we'll be doing but I know it will be entertaining if anything. About my other endeavors, I'm still trying to get my first book of short stories completed but I had a set back when half of the stories I wrote was lost on a damaged flash drive. No worries; set backs are the best reason to start over again so I have. Anyway, I just wanted to update y'all on everythang I been contemplating but I guarantee I won't be gone for long. Well not as long as I was this last time. Feel me, WORLD? I figured you would.

Application To Be A Green Bay Packer Fan

2011-01-21T07:15:00.001-08:00

Seriously, if you’re REALLY a Green Bay PACKER fan, or if you just happen to know one, give ‘em this application to fill out. Don’t stand too close to him or her though. It’s a surefire way to get hit in the mouth! http://www.bearshistory.com/multimedia/bearshistory_dot_com_pfa.pdf

What Would Martin Luther King Say If He Were Alive Today? Here's a Sample.

2011-01-17T05:25:00.001-08:00

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NowPlaying: BYOB Entertainment

2011-01-06T19:51:00.001-08:00

I know we past Christmas but this shit still funny!

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Hitman Holla Vs Big T, Round 3

2011-01-06T18:22:00.001-08:00

The last round.

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Big T / Hitman Holla, Round 2

2011-01-06T18:15:00.001-08:00

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Big T MURDERING Hitman Holla

2011-01-06T18:00:00.001-08:00

Look at Hitman face while T rapping. He know he lost this one!

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Chris Brown featuring Busta Rhymes & Lil Wanye

2011-01-05T17:38:00.001-08:00

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Smokkee At Slower, I Mean Stroger's, Hospital

2011-01-04T15:34:00.001-08:00

Hello, WORLD. WORLD, this has been the longest day of this very long year already. I wont go into details about work; you already know how I feel about lazy co-workers. But my supervisor couldnt make it through the day because of a medical problem which reminded me of my own medical situation. I've been having surgeries on my eyes since '08. I forgot about it because it was scheduled for a January 2011 date in September of '10. My supervisor left at 1:15pm & as soon as she did, I called Stroger's. I found out, at 2:15 PM, that I had an appointment for today at 2:00 PM. Then I was told that if I missed this appointment, I could have it rescheduled for May '11. Nuts! I had to make this one. I made it here (yeah, still here) at 2:50pm. I am just now seeing a eye doctor at 5:28pm. Ok, here she comes now. Hopefully, I wont be here all night. More to come. I'll keep yall posted. I aint got nothing else to do here.

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A Christmas Assembly, 2010

2011-01-04T12:44:00.001-08:00

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A Christmas Assembly 2010

2011-01-04T12:43:00.001-08:00

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JEANETTE’s SONG

2010-12-01T15:07:00.001-08:00

Hello, WORLD!! Its been a lot of ups & downs in my life, but through them all I maintained. I might have mentioned this before but I don't do the emotional thing. Not because I don't have feelings but because being emotional can cloud your judgment worse than alcohol. This past Monday, my dad would have been 63 years old had he not passed away in '08. I loved that dude but while I certainly picked up a lot of his traits, he isn't the reason my mentality is what it is today. That honor goes to Jeanette Singleton-Thomas. My moms. She died 7 years ago today. I usually don't think about either of them a lot on a conscience level. This week they've been almost all I've thought about, especially her. I was there when Anthony Hardy 1st was diagnosed with cancer until he died. Honestly I don't even know what my Moms died from.

I'll tell you what I know. I'ma try not to be long winded but I can't guarantee anything. I know that most of the WORLD who knows my real name thinks I was named after a certain horror movie child but in actuality, I was named after a hero priest from another horror movie. I only mention this because this same movie caused a lot tension between me & Moms, even if I wasn't the intended victim. My parents were at that same movie back in '74 when Jeanette told Anthony about a certain bundle of joy that would eventually become me. Right during the middle of the movie. Dirt, the man that he is, replied "Mm, mm, mm.", which caused my Moms to promptly walk to another seat in the theatre and continue watching that movie alone.

Naw, it wasn't my fault exactly, but I would feel the brunt of her anger over that nonsensical comment for the rest of my life. It didn't help that I looked like Dirt, either. I was her only child. She got her first real job in the summer of '74 with a data processing company called Machine Systems when she found out I was coming. Then I became her other full time job. She would say I was like 10 kids in 1 so she didn't need anymore.

I know I made her proud, but I still fucked up enough for her to be constantly angry with me. When I graduated from Paul Revere Elementary school she was the happiest with me ever. Then I fucked up @ Hyde Park Career Academy enough to be outta school by age 16. I don't think I've ever disappointed anybody more a day in my life, even though I would continue my education at Olive Harvey Probation Challenge and, from there, Earl C Clements Job Corps in Morganfield, KY. I did receive my GED before I turned 18 & I was in Devry by 18, but I don't think that mattered as much as a high school diploma did.

After I had to come home from my job in Anaheim, CA for a problem at the home front (a future post, probably ROCHELLE'S SONG, will tell that tale), she offered me a job at Machine Systems. Yes, this was the job that she got when she found out she was pregnant with me & she still had it. I took it. I wasn't liked because my Moms wasn't liked (she was a supervisor) but they didn't know that, shit, I wasn't on her OK list either. 7 years I worked there. I left in '02, after starting in '96 making $5.50 an hour, making $7.45 an hour. I had to or I would not survive. It was during that time when I really understood who she was. She was me, just a female version (& older, LOL). My love for books, movies, music, all her. We actually got along better at work & off work because of working together. She realized I wasn't like Pop, I guess. & I realized it was him she was mad at, not me. She also found a real love when I was either in Cali or Kentucky (I can't remember, honestly), my stepfather Dennis Thomas, whom she would make her first & only husband. He is a nice guy and I use to act like shit toward him. We're cool now; which reminds me I need to call him like I do every year on the 1st of December. My 3rd biggest regret (2nd biggest coming soon) was I didn't even bother to go to their wedding.

Anyway, a year after I left the company, I found out she was in a coma. My family had tried to reach me, but that's always hard when a person doesn't want to be reached. I happened to visit a lady about Moms age I was fooling with at the building where we worked & she told me. I rushed there and it was too late. She was in a coma & essentially gone. To this day I still don't know what it was that caused all of that; that may be my 4th biggest regret. My aunt Darlene wanted me to pull the plug & I consented...and left. It's my second biggest regret besides not graduating from high school. I should have stayed. Incidentally, Machine Systems died 6 months after she did. I feel like Moms was the company's life support. At least that's what I think.

I'm through singing for now. That's all anyway, WORLD. There's a lot I left out but those are blanks I can fill in later. I wish all blanks was like that. Love ya, Jeanette, wherever you are. Outta..

My Old Man (When he wasn't old)

2010-11-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIRT!!!!

2010-11-29T14:09:00.001-08:00

Hello, WORLD!!! If you truly know me, then you know I pride myself on being a lot less emotional than other people. It’s true; I can’t remember the last time I cried over anything. This week, I don’t expect that to change, but it may still be a rough week for me. I don’t know how I didn’t realize this til this year but two of my parent’s anniversaries occur this week so both of my parents will be on my mind for different reasons. Both have passed away over the past 10 years, my moms in 2003 followed by my father at the beginning of 2008. But this post is about my Pa, celebrating him. Moms will have to take a back seat to him for a change (if she was here, she’d a read this and swiftly popped me upside the head!).

Anyway, I feel like the man I am today is definitely due more to my Moms than my father but his influence is felt regardless. Anthony Hardy has been part of my life every since I was young but I can’t say he was a father in that Heathcliff Huxtable sense because he wasn’t around like that. It wasn’t a nuclear family environment I was raised in, know what I mean? But he was very much a part of my life. I seen him at least once a month, which is more than a lot of kids these days or those days, for that matter, so I don’t feel bad. He was more of a father in a sense that he showed up right when I need him most. He was more of a father in the sense that he always told me the truth no matter what. He was more of a father in a sense that the things he did, like never forget my birthday or Christmas regardless if he had money or not, is what drives me to be a better father to my own children. He did a great job, considering I don’t think I’m a bad person, but he could have definitely done better, which is what I want to show him (whereever he is, I know he’s watching The Smokke Bizzee Show, LOL!). But I also know that while I never forgot he was my father, I always knew he was my friend. #Truth.

Anthony Hardy, or Red, because of his reddish-brown hair, as the people on Chicago’s Low End would call him, or Burger, for his love of a great burger (that I know is something I definitely inherited from him) as his family would call him, or Dirt, for his love of marijuana which was also inherited by… No,I can’t say that I inherited that from him. I can say I smoked my first joint ever with him at age 10 so that’s not inherited, that’s a 2 handed shove into the open arms of Mary Jane. I haven’t left her grip since. But, in his defense, it was my fault! I use to always smell that smell on him and I wanted to smell just like that and he finally got tired of me asking him what it was. “here, D, taste this and calm your ass down!”, lol! Shit, if I knew it made you feel as good as it smelled, I would have pushed this issue with him a lot harder.

There wasn’t nothing I couldn’t talk to him about. In fact, I never really knew what kinda of nut he was until I got older and actually let him talk instead of asking a million questions. I probably didn’t need to ask one and would probably still have everything I wanted to know answered. He never had to discipline me, although I am ashamed to admit we did have an altercation when I was grown. We quickly went back to being best friends after that. All of my friends loved him though. His wild stories would have everybody in stitches. The one area that usually turned him into something less than his jolly, normal self was my moms. He never got over how she broke up with him. That story I’ll probably save for 12/01, the anniversary of my mom’s passing back in ‘03.

I do feel guilty though. When my mom passed, I was barely there for her. I hadn’t even known she was in the hospital until I visited a girl who worked in the same building I worked in with my mom. At the time, I had just quit working there a year… I’ll finish this story on 12/01 too. But the thing is, when she passed I wasn’t there for her as much as I could have been and this woman had me from birth to 16. Dirt wasn’t exactly the best father in the WORLD, WORLD, but he was my father and I guess when he got diagnosed with cancer back in November 07, I was spending time with him to make up for both of my parents. And I still wasn’t there as much as I could have been. But I know he knows how I felt, how I feel. Love ya, Dirt, wherever you are now. Happy Birthday, Old Man. That’s what I started calling him when I was old enough to get away with it. That’s it for now WORLD. Be sure to catch my post Jeanette’s Song on 12/01/10 for more on both of them.

The Reason

2010-11-21T05:17:00.001-08:00

Hello, WORLD!!!! I guess you wondering where I been, right? I been here in sense. I haven't done much writing because, truthly, I don't know. I have plenty to write and plenty of stuff to catch up on. This blog is about my life and my life is just crazy right now; I certainly can write about that. I also got a movie blog, Smokkee's WORLD Favorite's, and I've seen about a few dozen or more new movies since my last post. I've been going to the movies more this year than any other year except maybe 1987 & 2001 when i went at least once a week. I also got a blog aout my 101 goal's (Smokkee's WORLD 101) and while I do have all 101 goals written down, I have not explained them in detail yet. Procrastinating will get you nowhere, I once was told. Now, the real reason I haven't been blogging...well, I'll tell you later. LOL! I'm back, WORLD!!! You've been warned.

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How To Butcher the Isley Brothers

2010-10-28T05:43:00.001-07:00

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A WORLD Exclusive, LOL!

2010-10-16T19:13:00.001-07:00

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My Fridays

2010-10-15T23:03:00.001-07:00

Hello, WORLD!! If you lived in Chicago a few years back, you knew where you were going every Friday night. If you were like me and my people, that was probably everywhere. To be fair, when I was just turning 21, I was just getting back to Chicago after selling USAdvantage, an all purpose cleaner, door to door in Anaheim, California but before then, I was doing the stay at home dad thing since 16. So when I did actually start going out I might have been over doing it a bit, with regular nightspots like the 24 Hour Club and "gentlemen clubs" like Cowboys. Friday nights were the shit!!!! A lot of clubs extending there hours; some nights, we wouldnt hear the last Last Call till 4am. Plus people just getting paid, feeling themselves more than usual. Almost every night was decent but it was just something bout Fridays. I was out at least 4 nights of the week in those days...but that was then. These days I still have hot dates on Friday, but they wanna ignore me for my own phone, listening to my music stunting and shit. Its good though; I still get the urge to go out but I wouldn't change this "boring" Friday nights for nothing in the WORLD! Well, since the kids are sleep it's time to get drunk like those Fridays. At least I still got that!

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The Future

2010-09-09T17:08:00.001-07:00

Hello, WORLD!! It was said once that no one knows what the future holds. Yeah, aight. Nobody knows what the future holds for those who dont see what direction the present is pointing! I'm looking forward in the direction my present is guiding me to look. If you been reading my Blog, then you know about my view toward a few coworkers I had. Had. As of this writing, three of the laziest people I ever worked with are no longer with the company I've come to think of as my 5th family (Yeah, I got that many!). In the end, what was there downfall? Lack. Of. Wanting to work. LOW, if you will, and lo & behold what it got them. Unemployment for at least 2 years. Thats the future they were headed when I first met them & thats exactly where they are now. Mind you, I didnt dislike any of them; 1 of them,Grant, was almost like an older brother to me & he even writes sports post on my SMOKKEE'S WORLD OF SPORTS blog for extra money. Since I gave him that option, he's made my blog $3.00 off of 2 posts about something that he usually writes about for free. SMH. I tried to warn him that the end was nigh; jump aboard with me in this endeavor and let's write our own future. "Sure", he said, apparently half heartedly based on his output. I see some people are content let the future take whatever shape it would on its on. I on the other hand, would like nothing better to tell you I'm gonna be a success in a certain field but I have no way of knowing that field right now. What I do know is if I plant enough seeds in all kinda fields, I'm bound to get some kinda growth from a few of them seeds that were planted. Know that! Know this too: as hard as it is to get a job (this too is arguable, my girl Tara keeps multiple jobs and keeps getting better ones when she feels like it; also, the Chicago Red Eye ran a story a few months back about people who flip jobs like pancakes.), if you got one and you're not a hustler, AT LEAST show some hustle skills to keep your job. In this down economy, why would you want to wait on a government check to pay your bills when 9 outta 9, it isnt even half of what you are worth a week, much less a month? #JustSaying. That's it for now WORLD but its never enough so I keep at it! #Truth

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2010-09-09T05:37:00.001-07:00

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Gang members: Top cop's threats are harassment :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mary Mitchell

2010-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Gang members: Top cop's threats are harassment :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mary Mitchell

YOU’RE IT!!!

2010-08-25T08:29:00.001-07:00

Hello WORLD! I been kinda quiet again lately but not without merit. I’ve been writing still, I’m almost finished with my next story, a tale about a pair of insightful vampires. Also, I’ve just got my Android phone and I’ve been on the Android Market finding some great apps I’m already loving. Besides that, I just joined a few websites that might better help me establish myself as a brand name, Digg and Readers In Motion.

Now, as why I titled this post YOU’RE IT!!!!!, I really, REALLY want to clarify but alas I can’t. It’s not that I’m being secretive about it but I just found out that I am being read by co-workers and supervisors and yes, this was a update post as well as a job related post until I heard that little bit of info. Then it became just an update post. I love my job, but I do feel there’s some strange machinations at work here. I can say that much without repercussions. Fuck it! You’re updated now on to the next post!!

IS THERE A THIRD OPTION? By Smokkee Singleton

2010-08-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

Hello, WORLD!!!!!! It’s been a long time coming but I’m halfway through with writing my first book, a collection of short stories called IS THERE A THIRD OPTION? and I feel I can be through writing the other 6 or 7 stories needed for completion by the end of October. The book is part of the reason why I haven’t been blogging too much lately but I’m trying to focus more on it now because in a few months, both the NFL & the NBA seasons will be in full swing and will be getting a lot of my attention as well.

I never wanted to stick to one genre when I write; I try to be as diverse as possible. It becomes too easy to do that after a while because of repetition and on the other hand, it makes itself difficult to do because how can you continue to write about something repeatedly and constantly keep the material fresh? I do tend to write mostly dark tales that I can’t quite call horror. I do have one flat out horror tale complete though and I figure there will be more before I’m through with this book.

As it turns out, I didn’t have to worry about coming up with ideas. After the first story I wrote, which is where I got the book’s title from, ideas came from everywhere! I’ve got six stories already finished, at least 10 more ready to be written mentally and an abundance of ideas that I can tap at anytime. So, before I get back to writing them, let me give you a list and a brief description of what I have written so far:

IS THERE A THIRD OPTION?: A deceased man, who had no faith of any kind but still lived his life exhibiting selflessness and a genuine compassion towards other people while he was alive, finds himself in a place that he didn’t even believe in, much to his chagrin. (Sidenote: This is the first story I wrote for this book. The idea had been bouncing around my head before I knew I would write it. It took almost 2 days to write, one of the easiest times I ever had writing a story.)

COMING SOON: A double date at a movie theatre turns deadly for two couples. (Sidenote: While a lot of what I write tends to be dark, this was my first stab at flat out horror.)

THE WAGER: The story of two brothers who constantly make bets and the bet that changed their lives forever. (Sidenote: This one is probably not going to make this book. Although I wrote it as a short story and I love the ending, I think there is a lot more I can get out of this story and it may turn into a full length novel.)

HAPPINESS: In Chicago, at the intersection on Division and Ashland, a homeless man holding the secret to true happiness lives peacefully on a bench and spends his days watching all the unhappiness that happens around him. (Sidenote: At 3 hours, this is clearly the quickest I ever took to write a story. Also the first story I ever wrote based on an actually location at the location.)

A TEST OF THE HARTS: A couple is struggling with trying to stay together after being the victims of a viscous crime.

REHABILIATION, ROUND ONE: An ambitious warden has a plan for making room for more inmates of an overcrowded prison and make a few dollars along the way. (Sidenote: I wrote this as fiction but I do believe that this could one day be a reality, #SadButTrue…)

More to come. Much more. That’s it for now, WORLD, but isn’t that enough for right now?

Twitter users have big consumer influence

2010-08-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

Twitter users have big consumer influence

Avoiding The Hazards of Facebook Hookups

2010-07-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

WORLD, I'm fed up! For the past few days, I've been listening to some people complain about straight up BULLSHIT! Seriously, get over yourselves! I'm not sitting here telling yall that I'm perfect. I know I'm far from that. BUT I do know that the only way to truly be happy is you gotta be happy with yourself, which I am. To bad a lot of people can't say the same. I'm ranting n raving now, but not without reason. I'm not one to complain with out reason, but I see a lot of complaints coming from people over stupid avoidable stuff. I believe the problem is rooted in lack of attention, so they cry out for some on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. One "friend" (I gotta use this phrase loosely) of mine, has a note on her page: "Not here for cyber sex, perverts not wanted.". OK, absolutely nothing wrong with that; in fact, I too have a similar mantra (although I don't feel the need to broadcast it). Now if I WERE to have it like a warning on my page, I think it would bear a lot more credibility if it wasn't under a half naked picture!! In review, you telling perverts to stay away, and you're dressing for them = Stupid! Now, I'm not judging her as far as what she posts; it's her perogative wheter she showing her body off or not. What I'm tripping on is the lack of common sense that the whole thing makes; you say one thing and dress as if you're lying about what you just said!! I'm sure she could have found a more appropriate picture than the one of her all wet and glistening in the water at the beach to make as her profile pic. I'm more than sure she has clothes that reveal less and in them, she would still be attractive, so I gotta chalk this off to just plain stupid (or in need of attention but well, that's obvisous too right?) Then I got a friend who is an actual friend but I might have to re-evaluate that, who keeps putting her willingness to date online, meets somebody who usually winds up hurting her, only for her not to learn her lesson and go the same thing all over again. Then she tries telling me hat happened and by me being who I am I give her my take on the matter, which is don't date nobody you didn't meet in real life first, a motto that some people don't get and some people read too much into (the next girl I'mma talk about does exactly that!!). Anyway, what does this nut go and do? The very next day, she got a description of herself that would shame some porn actresses! Any, my take is that Erica Jong said it best "Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't." I know what she means. Now the last girl is even more of a friend then the second one; in fact, I've known this one for as long as I can remember (with my alcohlic ass, that aint a long time at all!). I haven't seen her in years but we reacqainted on FB and now, all of a sudden, I suppose to be tagging that ass. No problem there! The problem is HOW she going about it, trying to ruch me into it! Ruching yourself is one thing, rushing me is not happening or you'll not like the results. She aint liking the results now; I just got a inbox from her that I didn't answer yet. I gotta show her that I like taking my time with everything, especially important like that, feel me? You probably don't but hell I'm better off for not moving to nobodies speed but my own and I know you're feeling that, WORLD!!!

WHEN YOU LEAVE A JOB (AND AREA) THAT LOVES YOU

2010-07-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hello WORLD!! Today is a good day like most of them are, but it is still a sad one for me. After today, tomorrow and next week, I will no longer be working out of Comet Messenger Service's office on 13th and Michigan. I have been at this one location since early 2003 and it didn't really hit me that I'm being relocated til just now. I met so many cool people around here, like the good people at Jewels, mainly in the liquor dept, and this 1 light-skinned cutie at the AM/PM on Roosevelt (Note to self: I gotta make sure I get up with her before I dip). But alas, all good things, right? The fact is change is a good thing, especially since the change is for more money and better benefits. And although I don't work for Comet or Comet's owner Mr Jim Sailer anymore, I still work with Comet in the same fashion I've always worked for Comet, so it's not like the change is gonna affect the regular day to day things I do. It's just crazy that I've made this area such a big part of my life and now I have to let it go. Oh well, CE LA VI! That's enough for now WORLD!!!

Tragic Updates For 2 of the Most Infamous Crimes Involving Children in Chicago

2010-07-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

WORLD, I don't know what to say. For people who live in Chicago, the names of Eric Morse and Ryan Harris will always be in our minds as some of the most tragic news to ever hit Chicago regarding Chicago. Now both are in the current news again; an unbelievable chain of events stemming from some of the most unthinkable crimes in Chicago's history.

For those who don't know about Eric Morse, this excerpt was taking from the blogsite THE VIEW FROM THE GROUND (http://www.viewfromtheground.com/archive/2001/06/in-memory-of-eric-morse-part-i.html): "On October 13, 1994, two boys, ages 10 and 11, dropped Eric Morse, age 5, from the window of a vacant apartment on the 14th floor of 3833 S. Langley, a CHA high-rise at the Darrow Homes. Tried as juveniles, the boys were found delinquent in the killing of Morse and given the maximum sentence of five years."

Here's the update, taken from a July 2nd 2010 Chicago Sun Times story by RUMMANA HUSSAIN (Criminal Courts Reporter)(http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/2456852,CST-NWS-lemon02.article):
"When he was 9, Derrick Lemon took the stand to testify how he tried to save his younger brother before he was tossed out of the 14th-floor window of an abandoned Ida B. Wells high-rise. The case received national attention in 1994 because of the age of his 5-year-old brother's killers: 10 and 11. Lemon, now 23, was back in court this week. This time, however, it was Lemon who was convicted of taking the life of someone trying to protect another. A Cook County jury found Lemon guilty Thursday of murdering his aunt's 40-year-old boyfriend, Illya Glover, on March 1, 2006, after Glover tried to stop Lemon from choking her at a family barbecue.
Lemon started attacking his aunt when she asked him to leave the residence in the 400 block of West 57th during a heated argument, prosecutors said. When Glover attempted to intervene, Lemon shot him several times.

Earlier this year, Lemon was also charged with home invasion and intimidating a witness to the murder after he allegedly broke into the home of a witness, prosecutors said. Lemon, who had been free on $750,000 bond, had a gun with him when he sneaked into the residence at 3 a.m. on Feb. 18, prosecutors said.
Lemon's brother Eric Morse was thrown out of the Chicago Housing Authority building by two boys who were apparently angry at Eric because he wouldn't steal candy for them. Lemon suffered from nightmares and extreme feelings of insecurity after watching his inseparable brother die, fellow CHA residents said at the time. A fund was established to pay for his long-term counseling needs, and officials at the Doolittle School gave him a plaque declaring him "the Little Hero."
During the trial of Eric's killers, Lemon said he couldn't save Eric because one of the boys bit him when he tried to grab his sibling's dangling body. "I let him go, and [the older boy] still had him, and he let him go, and he fell," Lemon had testified."

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Now, for those of you who don't know the story of Ryan Harris and one of the stupidest arrest in Chicago history and an update,courtesy of a July 6th CHICAGO BREAKING NEWS article (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/07/boy-held-in-1998-ryan-harris-slaying-convicted-of-attempted-murder.html):"

"When Romarr Gipson was just 7 years old he and another boy were the youngest people in the country to be charged with murder.
While he and the other boy were later exonerated of the 1998 murder of Ryan Harris and he was awarded $2 million in a settlement with Chicago officials, Gipson was convicted today by a judge for attempted murder in a separate case.
Gipson, now 19, along with attempted murder, was also convicted of aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm into a vehicle following a bench trial at the Markham courthouse, said Andrew Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Cook County Judge Brian K. Flaherty convicted Gipson in a bench trial. Gipson is expected to be sentenced on Aug. 18, Conklin said. Gipson faces six to 30 years in state prison.
Gipson's conviction stems from a 2006 double shooting in south suburban Calumet Park where he was charged as an adult along with his stepbrother, Roman Foreman.
Gipson and Foreman were caught on video surveillance as they approached a parked car at a gas station, then opened fire with handguns, police said. Both men had guns, but Gipson's gun jammed. One of the victims was on a breathing machine as a result of the shooting.
The shooting stemmed from an incident that occurred involving a female in Chicago, officials said.
In 2008 Gipson was arrested on charges of drug possession, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest, according to court records. He was also charged in June with aggravated battery to an officer, according to court records. Those cases are pending, according to court records.
In 1998, Gipson, then 7, and another boy, then 8, were accused in the murder of 11-year-old Ryan Harris, making them the youngest murder suspects in the nation at the time.
The girl's body was found in a vacant lot on the South Side. It took almost a month before they were cleared in the killing after tests showed semen on the girl's clothing that could not have come from the children.
DNA tests later led prosecutors to charge Floyd Durr, a convicted sex offender, who pleaded guilty to the girl's murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
A lawsuit filed by Gipson's family against the city of Chicago was settled for $2 million. The other boy received a $6.2 million settlement."

WORLD for a change, I have nothing left to say except we simply MUST do better than this!!!!!

6 MONTHS of TWITTER & FACEBOOK (10 Things I've Seen & What I've learned on them.)

2010-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!! Last December, while working on a job for Amazon Mechanical Turck (look this up if you're unemployed or if you are looking for a way to supplement your income), one of the tasks had me start a Facebook page if I hadn't already done so, which at that point I hadn't, and "Like" a status. I dont really remember which status but I know for that $0.75 it wasn't too much trouble to do. Little did I know that that one act would limit my A.M.T. production. I haven't went back on there that much since. One of the last times I did return, however, had me do almost the exact same thing except I had to "ReTweet" something via Twitter. I figured why not? I did both jobs and thought nothing about them until a week later when I checked my eMail. By that time I had maybe 100 request from names I hadn't seen in years. Just what was this Facebook thing I had gotten into? I had no idea at that time, although I remembered a few of my friends had wanted me to check it out on various occasions. I was skeptical, but for the life of me I can't remember why I felt that way. Anyway, I decided to see what was to it and lo and behold, I had fun. Enough fun to make me regret all the time I wasted not being on Facebook. This feeling of fun lasted on Facebook until maybe March or April when I started noticing how fake some of the people on here was. Not my friends from real life; out of all of those friends that I also had as Facebook friends, I only know of one that was being phony and she has since deleted herself from my page and my life to which I say "Good riddance, with your phony ass!" Nuff said on that, for now. Anyway, around that time I decided to give Twitter a try. And lo and behold, THAT was fun. I can't believe I had so much fun on just thinking out loud (which is all Twitter is, IMO). As much fun as I had on Facebook, it seems I'm having more fun on Twitter because the Followers on Twitter (as opposed to "friends" on Facebook) are not obligated to follow me; instead they follow because they want to follow. I figure you gotta be saying some good shit in order to get a few 1000 or so followers and over the course of these 6 months I believe I have had at least that many followers total but never at one time. On Facebook, at one point I had 1000 friends until I realized I didn't need that many people in my life that's not worth knowing period and started cutting the loose ends loose. I am now @ 600 plus friends and almost 300 followers. As far as followers go, it's modest but the people who follow me are more than likely worth following in return. There's that at least. As far as my Facebook friends go, I know each and every last one of them. Admittedly, some I met through FB, but these people's insights are as valued as the insights from my real life friends, some I look at as true friends in every sense of the words, feel me.
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What have I learned in these 6 plus months?: I've learned a few details about social networks in general and Facebook & Twitter in particular:

1.)Not everybody on these pages keep things 100: A no brainer. Remember I mentioned an ex-friend? She was always posting stories of her traveling and such when she did not go anywhere. I found this out when I told her to "Enjoy a trip" she had been discussing earlier on her page. She responded "I'm not taking a trip. I did that so I could make the nosy people more jealous of me." My thinking is why would you do this unless them same nosy people were only being nosy because you lied in the first place? Whatever.

2.)Even if you had been friends with a person in the past, that doesn't mean yall still cool just because you befriended each other on Facebook: Time changes outlooks, you know. A person whom was ya closest friend might not recognize the new you, even if you aren't the one who has changed. #SadButTrue....

3.)Twitter is more "adult" than Facebook: Another no brainer. My major pet peeve with Facebook is the fact that I have a gang of inboxed things that have absolutely no beneficial properties for me at all, like invites to fan pages such as "I like Doing Hand-Stands" or "Vote for Banana the Chimp as Facebook's Sexiest Animal". I made them up, but look through some of the pages you guys are part of and you'll see I ain't that far off the margin. Twitter, however, doesn't have these annoying messages or games and game request ("Send my a Bulletproof Shield" ala Mafia Wars and the like) for that matter, or maybe it does and I don't get the junk mail for it. IDK but as long as I am not receiving it, hey...

4.)Make sure you dont embarrass anybody that has old pics of you you dont want to see online: Nuff said on this but then again...Nah, this one is self explaining. BUT I do want to add a note or two about sexting here. It's a couple of guys that be on Twitter that admit they save pics people tweet and sometimes save profile pics. But if that pic you saved is of a half nude minor, that could cause a small problem. Another small problem could be sexting on your behalf. You meet somebody, feeling 'em, and soon you're sending 'em pics of ya naked ass. The problem arises if yall have a falling out and that person still has them pics. You already know whats next, right? Right. You know. Watch what you send people in regards to yourself and how you want to be viewed.

5.)Engaging in Twitter Wars/Facebook Beefs is worthless: Instead of wasting your time trying to put down somebody that you probably don't know in real life anyway (what's the sense in that?), why not use your energy wisely and try to help others you don't know? #ImJustSaying... And with that said

6.)Stay out of your Friends/Followers beefs: Nine times outta ten, if it involves real friends you'd do your best to stay out of it unless you're a drama king or queen. Try to remember that next time there's an Internet war of words between people you are cool with. You find yourself in the middle of some stuff you really ain't got nothing to do with and it might wind up costing you not one friend but several after all the smoke clears, feel me.

7.)You don't have to accept every friend request/Screen who sends you a friend request before you accept: I just got a friend request from a JASMINE YOUNG (she's looking for friends so feel free to look her up). The first thing I do is check her page. I see she has just become friends with 9 people by one line on her page, another line says 10 and then it says 4 more similar stories. The thing is she only has 113 friends. She just got started on her page, I assume. What does she post? Her only posts reads "hi guys come view my webcam". The WORST kinda people get you to leave a relatively safe website like Twitter or Facebook to come to a Webcam site which is usually the home of dozens of viruses and spyware, just waiting on a sap to come and check it out so they can infect the user's computer. Avoid these like the plague! Also be weary of any friend request you get and yall have no mutual friends in common. It's strange how a person in San Jose can request your friendship and you dont even know how they came across your page. Sometimes it's nothing; sometimes it's a person trying to spread more of the viruses that you see on other websites. #SadButTrue...

8.)Being thirsty gets you nowhere!!: Take this advice on EVERY level you can! First, I'm not a fan of dating anybody I didn't meet in person first, but that's just me. If you are into that kinda thing, be careful. If you try to talk to a person based on the picture you see as their profile pic, you're setting yourself up for an epic #Fail. See Lesson #1 again in case I need to elaborate. Then if you're satisfied that that pic is the person ya feeling, you STILL should be weary. I mean, after all, that person chatting with you over the computer isn't just chatting with you over the computer no matter what you think. Again, #ImJustSaying...

9.)Maybe you're not right after all...: We, as people, have a tendency to think that whatever we say or do is the end all be all of whatever. This is not the case. Say you share an idea and your brainchild gets heavily criticized. Does this mean your idea is a bad one? No, nor does it mean that your friends/followers are idiots. It could be exactly what you needed to hear in order to take your brainchild to the next level. Then again, it could be total shit just like your people tried to tell you. Learn to accept criticism for what it's worth. Conversely, if you're the one giving criticism, do so in the manner that the critized person can learn and build from instead of tearing down his or her hard work and not so much as leave a 'what's needed for improvement' note.

10.)These are websites, not your life!!:Typically, I dont do websites after I get off work. Main reason: After work, I live my life! Secondary reason:I got things to do. Even if there is nothing I have to do, the main reason is good enough to warrant me a break from posting/tweeting. I know for a fact that there is a few people who surprisingly are on this sites all day long. How can that be possible, especially if these people: have children?, have real friends?, are human (24 hours without sleep?!?!)?,etc. I understand some people are not really social and yes I will admit that this site can help a person in this regard. But the fact remains that having a cyber life doesn't constitute having a life. It's just one aspect of life and just like the rest of them, it does not complete a person. Get off the website for a minute; see what the real world is doing once in a while.

Of course, I've learned more than just these things but these are the main points that stand out to me as "Why doesn't everybody know this shit?" department. That's all for now, WORLD, but isn't this enough?

A Funny Thing Happened At (and Leaving) The Taste of Chicago Yesterday...

2010-07-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!! Yesterday, as I had everyday since it opened last Friday except Saturday, Sunday, & Monday, I went to the Taste of Chicago once I got off work and except for last Friday, I had not seen such a crowd as large all week. I'm more than sure it had something to do with the featured Petrillo Band Shell for this particular evening, the R & B sensation known as Trey Songz, of whom I definitely have been a fan of since his remix of The Game's DREAMS & his first albums biggest hit, GOTTA GO. Anyway I left work about 6:15 PM and walked the 8 blocks north on Michigan that separates the Taste from my current job location, which won't be for too much longer (See my future post:WHEN YOU LEAVE A JOB THAT LOVES YOU for more on this). Once I get there, as much as I like Trey Songz and all, I decided to get something to eat first. Luckily, I buy all the tickets I need during the first few days anyway to avoid the inevitable long ticket lines on later dates. Lucky for me because evidently, every young lady that's a fan of Trey Songz (along w/ every young man who's chasing them) in Chicago was at the Taste just for Trey Songz. This is a usually occurance; actually, it seems like every year when R & B artist of any era perform, it makes for a crowded taste. So, after grabbing some under-seasoned but still good mustard catfish from BJ's Market and a red beans/rice/jerk chicken combo from VeeVee's African Restaurant (which wasn't as good as it's been in the past) I made my way to my usually spot for Taste concerts, outside of the Taste right in the park by Columbus & Monroe. For some strange reason, I can hear it better here than if I got closer within the Taste. If you know me or my people, this has been a tradition of ours since 1996. Yesterday, it was just me & my brother Shakkee, some Budweiser & a couple of Kush buds; since the police's main concern is the safety of the crowd at all times, they never sweat us over no green. (Sidenote: Trey did all of his major hits, but then rather abruptly ended the set. Maybe he found out R Kells was around, IDK). After the concert, we finished up the last cigarillo while we waited for the crowd to die down, which it usually does when the concert part is over. True to form, the crowd leaving was bigger than the crowd going in. That's when we started to gather our beer cans and stuff, when we heard a lot of screaming coming from the Monroe/Columbus entrance. This in itself is normal too as the fans of whomever performed follow the exiting star's vehicle as he is escorted from the Taste by the CPD. This wasn't the case yesterday though. The crowd at the gate started to scatter in every direction possible. Being on the outside, I thought somebody was inside shooting. I actually didn't find out til this morning what really occured. Since, we didn't know, and I was getting hungry again, we tried to make our way back into the Taste but was turned around at the gate by officers saying it was closed for the evening. After that, Shakke made his way to Clark to catch a bus and I made mine to the southbound Red Line and was thisclose to catching it before I got the brilliant idea of walking further north to catch the south bound State street bus. I figured I'd get a better chance to catch a seat since I sure as hell didn't feel like standing up. It worked perfectly by the way. Then we got to Monroe and the bus got PACKED!! It was wall-to-wall people on the bus within 2 minutes after previously being half empty since it left State & Lake. It was pretty normal affair; teen aged girls chattering away, teen aged guys trying to get a bid in with them, the lady net to me playing an app on her phone, me myself caught up in that hard ass sudoku puzzle from yesterday's Chicago Red Eye, etc. Then we get to 43rd & State and that's when the drama really started. There was an argument that got started when a handful of the teen aged girls decided they wanted to get off the bus. Now, from what I read, the incident that happened at the Taste involved teenagers which, #SadButTrue here in Chicago, is usually the case and can easily be attributed to lack of proper parenting. Generally it does get attributed to just that. The incident on the bus was different; the main culprit here, doing all the hollering & screaming AT some teenagers and other passengers, was a "Grown Ass Woman with teenaged children herself" to quote her. The argument part occured because the back door of the bus wouldn't close which isn't an isolated incident with the CTA or unfixable to the point where everybody still can't get home. So from 43rd & State to the 69th street Red Line station, she was going off, first on the group of young guys who wrongfully told her to shut up (a sentiment that I would be willing to bet that everybody on the bus had at one point during the whole ordeal) to an older than her 32 years gentleman who also shared the same sentiment, then disgustingly to a teen aged girl who was by herself and was only guilty of laughing at this woman's rants until they both exited the bus on 69th street. For her sake, I hope she didn't puNow, here's my take on everything I just told you: As for the bus ride, it was peaceful even though teenage chatter is rarely that, until the alleged adult, a "parent" herself, got on the bus. If she was drunk, I still wouldn't excuse her for that shit but as far as I can tell she was sober while she was claiming "State to the Lake". Gang banging, for what it's worth, is dead. For her over grown ass to still be on that level shows the craziness of simple blaming anyone for yesterday's madness. It's most of our faults for not heeding to the old adage "It takes a village..." WORLD, we simply must do better. That's all for now but WORLD this is damn sure enough!!!

A Month Without a Cellphone (& Why This Has Been A Good Thing)

2010-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!!! WORLD before I go into this post, I just like to make an announcement of sorts that the S'sWP Blog will now be the exclusive website for all updates about my life. I will keep Blog updates flowing to both Facebook (which I mainly use for more exposure) & Twitter (where I mainly rift off of current events)but will very rarely update any personal info about me and my personal life on either one of them. Too much drama on Facebook lately and no place for getting personal on Twitter (which I would LOVE to keep that way!). Anywho... On with today's update********************************************************************************
WORLD, if you know anything about me, you know I am not a big fan of phone conversations. Why? Because I work on a phone all day long. Even as I type this, a client has me on hold. I do customer service for Comet Messenger Service from 8a-6p, 5 days a week. This is 50 hours of work a week which consist of at least 35 hours of the workweek on the phone. Not that I have a problem doing that or my job; I'm good at what I do and I have no problem working hard at all. The thing is when I get off work I am in no mood to talk to anybody unless we're talking about my kids. Most of my female friends know this as well as my address & the fact that after work, I usually head straight home tired until I need, *ahem*, "energy". I mentioned I do customer service for Comet, which I had done as a biker from 2003 to 2005, as a biker/office assistant for mid 2005 to early 2006, and as a full fledged office administration from that time in early 2006 to May, 2010, when I switched jobs (Actually I covered the change in earlier posts All GOOD THINGS & in detail w/ Goode N BIZZEE!!), I still in effect work for Comet but at least 35 other Courier companies as well. Anyway, I had my same cell phone number since 2004 because my working for Comet entitled me to my own phone for necessary communications w/drivers and bikers. Since I no longer work for Comet, I am no longer entitled to a phone. No problem here. The problem lies in the fact that I DO need a phone, so that my children can call me anytime they want to and my family can check up on me. Of course, getting a phone these days is as easy as getting a credit card in every sense of the analogy. If you got good credit, you can get one on credit. If not, your best option is pay as you go, but it's not your only option. With some companies that offer contracts, you can put a deposit (which you get back after a grace period) down and still get the contract plan instead of a PAYG plan, which will save you money in the long run. I could go the PAYG route except for one small problem: I want the iPhone 4! Why the iPhone 4 when so many other phones are available without the deposit? Because it is the phone I want. If you know anything about me, you should know I gets what I want instead of settling for less and I will go without whatever until I get the one I want. Anyway,as you might already know, my credit is fucked up due to student loans, various credit cards, medical bills, etc (and my lack of paying these bills back in a timely fashion), & among the etc is a $500 debt to AT&T, the only carrier that offers any type of iPhone. (BTW: All of my debts, and the efforts to pay them back, will be exposed to the WORLD in a brand new blog, SMOKKEE's BIG PAYBACK). So with that said, I must pay a $750 deposit plus the price of the phone, which will cost me $1100 total. WORLD, I am in position to get this phone if not this week or next then definitely in 2 weeks from this coming Friday, after I take care of rent.
***What's good in the meantime? The fact that I've went a month without a phone has reprogrammed my thinking. Before cellphones were the norm, I remembered every phone number I needed I needed to. Now, the only numbers I remember by heart are my BM's, my eldest daughter's, and 1 of my closest buddies, who sells weed. This are the only numbers I need for now but it makes one wonder why I dont know more. I think it's because we are spoiled by the fact that cellphones remember numbers for us and even if we lose the cellphone, most update info to an online site where you can retrieve every little nugget of information stored on the cellphone that was lost for easy replacement. WORLD, that makes us lazy and I would still be in that mode if not for the situation I found myself in. Whatever, WORLD. I know alot of yall like "that's TOO much for a phone" or "you're stupid! Just pay ya damn bills on time and get credit later for it!" and I know to a certain extent yall right. But when have I ever listened to any drumbeat besides that of my own heart? Answer that one and I might remember YOUR phone number as well. Until then, I'll be vocal in less than 4 weeks, so you won't be missing my voice much longer.

Testing Smokkee's WORLD Twitter Page!

2010-06-21T16:03:00.001-07:00

Hello WORLD! No update here; move along to the next post if that's what ya here for (of course, that's what you're here for!) Actually this is a MAJOR annoucement of sorts: Most of yall already know ya can find me on Twitter & Facebook (Twitter as @SmokkeBizzee, Facebook as Smokkee Singleton), but now you can find my Blog updates to on Twitter!! Follow @SmokkeeWORLD for all my latest Blog posts. That's it fa now WORLD, but aint that enough?

The Next Phase Of Smokkee's WORLD

2010-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Hello WORLD!! As you know, there are already 3 Planets (Read: Blogs) in my WORLD all ready. I'm pleased to announce the next Planets are on the way! Smokkee's BIG PAYBACK is probably going to be up and running by the end of June. SBP is the main one that I wont have to write; it will write itself! It's all about my efforts to get out of debt, some of which goes back some YEARS. I'm not really excited about it because it means having to collect all of my bills, contact creditors, etc, but if me doing it can help anybody else do it, it helps me get one step closer to crossing off one of my 101 goals: helping 10 people get out of debt/better credit score. I don't even think I posted that goal yet, but it's definitely on there. Besides that, I'll also offer advice and tips on everything financial and how to be more frugal or more wiser with your money. The next Planet on the horizon is Smokkee's WORLD Sports. This was a no-brainer: I'm a sports nut that hangs with nothing but sports nuts and we talk sports all day long. I figured why not let you in on our conversations. The beautiful part of sports is everybody has an opinion and most sports fans listen to everybody's opinion before ripping into it!! I can't wait!! Should be up by the middle of July. Finally, the last Planet in my WORLD will be Smokkee's World News, and it is exactly what it sounds like: me and my teams takes and views on the news of that day. Once that last Planet is revolving then the next phase after that is to move all of them from under Blogger (which has been nothing but nice, no problems at all)to my own domain (another 101 goal). I have no time frame on that, WORLD but I will keep you posted, as always. Side-note: Smokkee's World Prime & Smokkee's WORLD 101 are all SMOKKEE all the time and will stay that way until I am no more. Smokkee's BIG PAYBACK will be mostly me but I figure to have a couple of people that are in debt as well post there efforts to get out of debt right along with me so I have no idea on how much they will be posting. Smokkee's WORLD Favorites (currently up & running & ran by yours truly alone) & Smokkee's World of Sports will have other writers posting, some probably more than me. That's all for now WORLD, but for reasons I don't think I touched on yet, like my upcoming book releases, we got WAAAAAYY more stuff to cover. I'll keep ya posted,WORLD like always.

A Smokkee's WORLD 101 Update

2010-06-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello WORLD!! It feels good ta blog in capitol letters again this week; I almost wanted to type in ALL CAPS ALL WEEK but nixed the idea. Anyway, I only did it for a week to honor Gary Coleman, who died to Friday's ago from a brain hemorrhage. Now back to normal. NOW back to BIZZness. WHATs GOOD WORLD: I've been slacking on my blogs lately,none more so than WORLD 101, the blog that covers all of the things I want accomplished before I pass. What's the hold up, you ask? Trying to figure out what's most important to what I'm trying to do is harder than I thought. I honestly got more than 101 goals but picking the ones I'm ready to put on this blog is damn near impossible. But I'm almost through though and I figure to have the finally 101 goals that's most important to me posted by the end of July. At least that's the plan for now, WORLD. Wish me luck!

status update, facebook style.

2010-06-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

evening, world!! nothing new to report her. i just wanted to say that i'm outta here. finna go treat my favorite 3 year old like the princess she is til sunday when my baby girl makes 4! DAD LOVES YOU ADRIA!! world, you aight too!

nom myoyo renge keyhoe

2010-06-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

what it do world! once again this week all posts and blog updates are in small letters ta honor gary coleman, who died at the age of 42 last week. feel this, though world. i got one thing ta say before i get bizzee tamorrow: idk what is going through a lot of people heads, whether it's personal or financial or whatever, but trying to get mad at me over some shit i aint got shit to do with is fucking stupid and very unsafe! i'm trying to be nice, but it's real hard doing so when a mutha fucka think it's sweet when it really aint. especially at work! and if i got to, i'm about to crack one of the drivers right up side his damn head and i'll be unable to finish this blog, which aint even the origianl post i had in mine, but because this punk ass, fat ass driver think i gotta stop doing what i'm doing so i can make his job easier while i'm doing my jobs (note jobs is plural). is fucking nuts and even more nuts because i can get up and crack this brahs dome wide open right now and not give a fuck! i got mine, even if i lose my job. i still got my own. and my supervisor/youngest child's grandmother, who use to cause me all kind of problems up here, can't cause me no pain or stress right now; that doesn't mean that my job has become stress free because this bitch ass dude wanna still make shit rough for me. whatever, world. i done calmed down now, thanks for listening. i promise i'll have a better fucking attitude tomorrow.

who am i?

2010-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

hello, world!! in case you're wondering why all of a sudden i'm not using capitol letters this week, it's to honor the memory of another fallen tv land icon, gary coleman of different strokes fame, who died last week at the age of 42. i grew up watching that show, of course, then watching the problems, the breakdowns and ongoing legal problems of the former child star. what's sad is that he probably gets remembered more for the drama of his life then his career as an actor. sad but true. which got me to thinking about my own demise. what? like yall haven't thought about your own. how you are remembered is based on how you lived and i'd like to think that for all the dirt i've done as a young adult, i've almost paid back society with a lot of good i've done since the age of 25. i'm more than certain that it's an alomst as of now but check back with me in a few years. with that said, i know what needs to be done and lord willing, i will try to make up for all the other bad stuff i've done with good deeds throughout the rest of my life.
while this is all well and good, it has brought up a dilemma. how exactly do i want to be remembered? do i want to be remembered as the geek from grammar school i once was, as a teenage delinquent i grew to be, the 20 year old dreamer i was until 5 years ago or my current incarnation, a 35 year old man that has just realized one of his life long goals (journalism) and has prioritized his life's other goals and dreams with the thought that just maybe somebody could learn from my experience, my travels, etc? and even more important than that, what about the legacy of the man of which i still haven't became yet? how will he leave his mark on a world that is already mark-filled? only time will tell, but that's the good thing about time: as long as you have a little you can do a lot. we'll see world. we'll see.

The Wide World Of Bloggers!!

2010-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD! Note to self: I MUST update my Blogs on a regular basis. I haven't been posting today because I've been enjoying other people's blogs since I started work this morning. I had no idea that there was so many of them out there!! Some of which I'm surprised they are still online. Others I can't believe I had never heard of before!! Thanks to Twitter, Facebook, and Networked Blogs, I've come across some great ones that I'm now following. I'm pretty sure now that no matter what you need info on, there is a blog dedicated to that very same info. So do yourself a favor: find a nice blog and follow it! Outta....

Goode N BIZZEE!!

2010-05-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Maaaaaaaannnnnnn, WORLD!!!! If I said it hasn't been a long week, that would be a lie with the truth filing charges against me for defamation of character! I went into the details, somewhat, yesterday for those who read my blogs. Check this out though: I was kinda under a gag order to not mention the details of my transition into this new company. The gag has been lifted! Here's the gist of what's been going on:

As of May 7th of the year 2010, I am no longer an employee of COMET MESSENGER SERVICE, a company I have worked for since January 2003 as a bike messenger (yes, the ride in traffic,get hit by cars kinda biker)and from April 2005 as an order taker (for lack of a real job description at that time)until I graduated to an administrative assistant, which is what I was until this May. If you checked-out my blog entry ALL GOOD THINGS..... then you knew I was in for a change. The day before I post that entry, I was called into my boss, Mr James Sailer, office with a co worker of mine, Grant Harmon (all you people on Facebook should recognize that name as much as I was roasting my coworkers!). Anyhoo, once we entered and the door was closed, it felt like a firing was about to take place. It just had that feel of it, even though I've only been fired once in my entire life and I've been working for the past 19 years non-stop. In a sense I DID get fired that day, though. There was no air as Mr Sailor told us the grim news: me and Grant would no longer be part of Comet Messenger Service, at least directly. In an effort to "cut cost", Mr Sailor had decided to let a West Coast based company,TAG (Transportation Agent Grid), run Comet for him. He then gave us the option of either working for TAG or collecting unemployment. I dont think I was too enthused about either option nor do I think Mr Sailor was even suggesting these options to me. Big Jim is/was a great boss to me, allowing me to get my writing career off the ground while I worked! The writing career is of course exactly what I was thinking of when I heard the news. But in the end, he convinced me and Grant to stick around, if only just to see some of the upsides to this new company and I'm glad I took his advice, even though I had made a mental note that Big Jim would be my last boss EVER. Technically, he still will be if ya pay attention, because I am now a full time employee of a company that works for Comet. As far as my duties go, TAG has took some of the hassle jobs I had to do as part of Comet and just left me with my basic duties (order taking,customer service,etc). AND not to mention the fact that with this software I'm dealing with, the job has gotten SOOOOOOOO much more easier! And I got just as much time to push my creative energy into great articles and reviews as I had as an employee of Comet. Not to mention the benefits. Yo, I GOT A 401K AND MEDICAL INSURANCE!!! About to get off now and I'm tired. TAG already witnessed how good I am at what I do so I work from 8a-6P. 50 hour work weeks, and I can't be happier!! Until later WORLD,OUTTA.....

Adding Another Title To My Resume

2010-05-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

WHAT IT DO,WORLD!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I've had a rough day? I guess not, huh? The all caps intro might have through yall off. But believe me, it's been rough! Phone got cut off today for the first time in YEARS. I haven't been paid in about a week ( I just started with a new company a few weeks ago and I am still waiting for my first check from them) and my checking account is running at a low for this year. All that is enought to break a weak minded man down. Soooooo, what did I do today? I just got a confirmation that by the end of the year, I will have AT LEAST 3 BOOKS PUBLISHED!!!!! Ya heard me WORLD! I just added another title to my resume: AUTHOR! NEVER GIVE UP, WORLD, AND YOU'LL NEVER TAKE A LOSS!! Outta........

Fully G Bizzee Update!!!

2010-05-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

What It DO, WORLD!!!!!! I know I've been gone TOO long and when I have updated Smokkee's World Prime blog, I haven't been doing as much updating as I should. let me fix that today! What's GOOD?!: ME!! Well at least today. Ya see, oh well not enough time to finish...I gotta go see just MY FAVORITE R&B GROUP, MINT CONDITION @ The HOUSE OF BLUES TODAY so I'm outta...... BTW: I SWEAR I'll be give more updates next week.

Work: A New Begining

2010-05-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!!!!! I know I been kinda quiet on the Blogs lately, but that's about ta change I think. I may have more time than ever to do this now. IDK yet. I'll figure it out as I go along. Anyway, WHATS GOOD? I'll let ya know in a minute,WORLD!! Ya got my word on that. Outta....

All Good Things.....

2010-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

WORLD, Sam Cooke aint never lied. Change gone come, well for me, change has came. I'm in the middle of my job's transitional period, of which I've been asked not to go into detail about yet, that is gonna change a lot of what goes on here on the job. I know it sounds vague but if I choose to stick around it should prove pretty exciting. Choosing to stick around is the thing though. I'm not a quitter, I don't quit nothing, but I made myself a promise to(can't go into detail so I can't say what this is and this would be a big clue as to whats going on),so if I do stick around, I'd be breaking a promise to myself. Not technically but then it will feel like it was technically breaking it. Anyway, I'll be ungagged on all these details in about two weeks, so stay tuned....

Getting BIZZEE!!

2010-04-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

What IT DO, WORLD!!!! If today isn't a good day for you, I understand. It's a GREAT day for you and I'm feeling the same way!! WHAT's GOOD: Today I got about 10 reviews to post, as well as a new article to write on why my beloved Chicago Bulls will be decent no matter what the outcome of the next few games are("6 Reasons to Respect the 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls"). What else? Oh yeah, I got about 3-4 more goals I'm ready to add to the Smokkee's WORLD 101 blog but I don't know if I'll get to that today. If not, it will happen soon enough. That's it for now, WORLD. Just thought I'd give all an update. Now that the dates up, I'm up & Outta.....

G Bizzee Mode

2010-04-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Morning, WORLD!! It's gonna be a great Monday. Why? Because I said so!! You been taking my word for everything else; take my word on this as well!! WHAT's GOOD: Well, other than how the Chicago Bulls beat the breaks off Toronto Rapters yesterday, nothing much. No, actually it's great week for NBA fans considering it's the last week before the playoffs. It's a great month for movie fans, with IRON MAN II (if not this month, then next), KICK ASS (due out this Friday), & NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (due 04/30/10) all due out this month. I guess this is the only update I need for now. Gotta run back to the hospital for a follow-up to last Friday's surgery; I should be back soon. I mean hopefully, WORLD!

Time Vs Real Life

2010-04-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, World. Notice no exclamation point this time? Good. I'm not in a very good mood right now. Why? Let's see: I'm still nursing this cold a caught from my daughter Adria, whose mother FINALLY decided to take me to child support today, which reminded me that I had missed a court date regarding a delinquent Capitol One account I had completely forgot about today because I over slept due to the cold medicine I took yesterday. Since I missed that trial, I'll probably be held liable by default so I can expect another wage assignment to kick in. Thankfully my student loan is going to garnish my check; it already over-drafted my account by $200 and might be doing it again this month. Oh, and did I mention I haven't paid rent yet for this month? No worries there; my landlord will let me go til Monday, probably. And I do have my own companies' income coming in to help, but I haven't made anything in the past two weeks due to... You know, WORLD, I could keep this up all day, but it's pointless. I've been down before; I've been out before but NEVER down and out at the same time and I'm still not. WORLD, I'm a soldier. I won't just survive; I CONQUERS! Thanks, WORLD!!!! (btw: notice the exclamation point is back?) I guess I just needed to say this. I won't stop and NOTHING slows me down!

April 04, 2010

2010-04-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

What up with it, WORLD! What a crazy day! First, it was a beautiful day in Chi,Il today but being as sick as i am today, I can't enjoy it. I also missed a service for one of my BM's nephews who was shot & killed last week. I'm sure she understands; not so sure about her sister though. If anybody knows anything about me it this: I hate been around people at their most emotional, even my people and ESPECIALLY anybody I care about. I don't even like dealing with happy emotions, much less.... Moving on. What's good? I still gotta post my review for I.b. Freeman's debut novel MR HIV and I seen a couple of good vids and a few bad ones so I'll post reviews of that as well on the SMOKKEE's WORLD FAVORITES blog sometime this week. And I'll be starting at goal
101 and work my way to at least goal 90 on the SMOKKEE's WORLD 101 blog sometime this week as well. Another update tomorrow. Goodbye fa now World! GO BUTLER!!!!!!!!!

Summer Madness...in April!

2010-04-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!!! Chicago got it's first taste of summer yesterday and if yesterday was in any indication, it's going to be a crazy summer. IDK if that's good or bad yet. At least it won't be boring.... Anyway. WHATS GOOD: Life in general right now. I haven't moved my feet fast enough to make much of a profit in the past two weeks but I've gather enough intel to start writing my first mission statement. That and the fact I quite possibly just met my second investor has me already on cloud 9. I just reconnected with an associate who would always tell me there's a smarter way to make money than what I was doing and of course I didn't listen. Now I wish I did but it's never too late if ya still breathing to correct some mistakes. Well that's it fa now. time to get Bizzee with some reviews. Stay blessed, World!!!

April Madness, WTF!!!!!!!

2010-04-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, WORLD!!! Happy April Fool's Day as well. it's a great day outside in Chicago,Il and I feel sorta miserable. I'm guessing change in the weather. Anyway waht's good today? I wanna wish my Cuzo April Lynn Singleton a Happy Birthday for starters. I also wanna acknowledge this day in music history as the day one of my favorite artist of ALL TIME was shot and killed by his father. MARVIN GAYE is missed!!! Also, putting the finishing touches on the WORLD 101 blog. It's up; it's activated; I just want to make sure I have enough time to do what I need to support myself while trying to achieve these goals. Also, knowing what I know now, I will keep using SMOKKEE's WORLD PRIME for Rantz&Ravez. I just found out all the positive & inspiration stuff I post on Twitter (which then post to Facebook) IS appreciated after all! To think, I was only trying to be inspirational because I need to hear it more so than anybody else!! BUT, as I always say, if I can help the next man/woman then it's done. So from now on, when I need to vent it will be on this blog as a RANTz&RAVEz post. I was just aggravated but for some reason I feel better after this post and that last smoke break! Bye Fa Now, WORLD!!!

Happy Monday, January 22nd 2010

2010-03-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hello, World!!! It's a great day to be alive, isn't it? Well, isn't every day a great day to be alive even if you don't think so? Sometimes I wonder where these phrases originate... Anyway, I'm in a great mood and I know this mood will continue at least til Friday. Why,IDK; I just know that it will, feel me? Well I'm almost ready to launch my 3rd and most personal blog, SMOKKEE's 101 Goals, and I'm ready to take on them goals with you, World. I'm also excited about the fact that I'm almost through coming up with my business overview, mission statement, & various other documentation for potential investors for my dream business.....which I will go into more depth about in the future blog. Also, today I plan on writing at least to articles to be published today. I am a journalist but I just nobody would know that lately; I don't think I've wrote an article all year. time to make up for lost time I guess. AND not to mention I'm another week closer to getting my hands on the latest must have gadget, Apple's iPad! My mouth is already watering!! Bye for now, World. I won't give you a chance to miss me again.

Yesterday's Drama

2010-03-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello, World!! I just saw and reviewed "Brooklyn's Finest" and "The Bounty Hunter". I know you like "where's the review?" but I haven't posted anything yet. The reason being I haven't had a chance all day. As you know, World, I am an employee for Comet Messenger Service as well as being a small business owner myself as well as (TMGDI here), so when I'm trying to do four things at once, it becomes a problem. Today has been easier...But it's NICE in the Chi right now and I gotta soak up the sunshine. I've tried my best to get out of the office all day! Now I'll continue enjoying the best day of the year so far in the Chi!

Smokkee's 101 (or "The Return's delay?"..Updated.)

2010-03-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hello, World!! I'm back, sorta. Remember I announced a third blog from yours truly called Smokkee's World Debt Free? Cancel that name. Yes, I want to be debt free. Yes, this blog will address me getting out of debt. No, it will not just be about my debt which is why the name change. It will now be Smokkee's Agenda - 101 Goals. Getting out of debt is part of the 101 BTW. If you know me, then you know what the 101 is. For those who don't a quick explanation:
Around 1998, I believe, I read a story in the Chicago Sun Times about a millionaire whose name I can't recall at the moment, which doesn't matter anyway but I wanna remember these things. Anyway, he said he got to his goal by coming up with a list of 101 things he either wanted, wanted to do, set right,etc. I took the article to heart and every since, I've had my own 101 goals. Since that time, I've reached 66 goals but every year I'd come up with a new list. Well I've finally gotten my list updated for the last time and I'm ready to share my list with the World while I reach them all. Will I achieve them all? IDK. All I know is as long as I'm breathing they are what I am working toward. Are yall ready for this journey with me? Good because I'm ready to go. Let's get this list accomplished. I knew you'd be down with me on this one, World!!!!

The Return's delay?

2010-03-12T17:46:00.001-08:00

Hello, World!!!! Did you miss me? Yeah? REALLY??! That's too bad for 3 reasons. Reason 1)This was just to let you know that I'm still around this isn't even a full blog update but the next on.... Reason 2)I will be running THREE blogs from here on out, the third and newest will be Smokkee's World Debt-Free. It will chronicle me try to raise my credit score so that I can..... Reason 3)NO!!!! Not yet ready to explain this one...Let's just say miss me now because you won't have a chance to any time soon after these next few months. I TRULY AM WORLD APPROVED NOW!!! Thanks for your approval, World! I will not let you down!

The Return

2010-02-10T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hello, World!! I am excited now! Can you tell? I knew you could, World. Do you know why I'm excited? Well, I just beat a nasty computer virus called "XP ANTIVIRUS PRO into submission; it had been attacking my computer since Friday. Don't know how I got it; I've NEVER caught a computer virus before but I deal with them on a regular basis. I did mention that I rebuild computers as well? Probably didn't. More tomorrow World! BTW: Be ready for a post-fest!

Late Night Thoughts

2010-02-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, World. I usually don't get a chance to write this late, and have access to the 'Net at the same time, but this is one of those rare occasions that I have such a chance and I plan to take advantage. With that said, here's my thoughts for this late Monday night: nothing. I don't have a thing to say. I know I know,"then why am I blogging now?" The answer is why not start blogging now, I haven't been doing much of it at all lately and if I'm finna make this thang work I gotta start putting in more input, feel me. Of course there's things on my mine other than the usually life, bills, and the like, but now aint the time nor the place. I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you, World, and all the beautiful people in it. See World, didn't I tell you I was changing? I didn't call none of your ugly ass people stupid. I wasn't disrespectful in the least. OK, but you do see I'm trying to change, right World? I told you so.

Life after Income Tax Return Offset

2010-01-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hello again, World. I've been thinking about what this blog is really about & I've decided that Smokkee's World Prime is about my life & the people in it and how I do what I can to make me a better person (and in the process, HOPEFULLY some of my readers will do the same, and in general, make you, World, a better place for everybody. That is my mission with this blog.
With that said, I need to get started. The number one area I fill I need improvement on is my debt. I owe almost everybody! I realized that my debt has been out of hand for years & I've paid back various companies I have owed money to but I need to not owe anybody within, say, two to three years. That is my goal. I can't afford to have my dream derailed when I'm thisclose (actually ctlhoisse, if you catch my drift)to achieving it.
My dream: I have been blessed with the talent of communication. I can write & I can flow (lyrically speaking) & I do a little poetry as well. I'm also a good source of information: most of my friends who need to know somethng blow up my phone first. The thing is I'm 35 in less than a month; I can & will bring out a rap album but it is only for my sake. I've dedicated most of my life to this art form; I gotta do something with it, even if only for my sake. I dont care how many albums I sale; I just wanna be heard. Now, I do have reasons why I never fully pursue'd my dream but they are neither here nor there. What I can do is make sure the next MC who is trying to be can have all the opportunities I didn't. Which is why I'm going to open BLOWN BACK Lounges all over the USA, starting in Chicago first of course. By 2011, the first one will be up and running. Yall have my word, World. Be looking out!

Tax Time Blues

2010-01-25T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hello World. I know I was quiet last week, sorta. I actually wasn't considering I finally got my review blog, Smokkee's World Favorites, up and running. Yet I didn't post much on the Prime blog because I was distracted. No not by Facebook this time but by my money. I filed income tax last week w/my youngest babies' mama Tanya & we got a grand total of $7000.00 sumthing back after filing....$7,000.00 which we never saw. Before I had a chance to even figure out what we would do with it, a student loan decided it was time to go into default and derailed any chances of seeing a dime of the refund. It was maddening then it got worse: student loans also ate up Tanya's taxes too! This is enough to push anybody over the edge.....except me of course. True, I was down for about 24 hours due to this bit of information but I was never quite out. I took it in stride; I was mad more for the fact that the things I wanted to do for my children would have to be delayed & the fact that what I happened to have planned for my birthday next month would be canceled, period, for the sake of my children. I can wait; my children can't, bottom line.

Now Hiring In Chicago

2010-01-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hello, World. It's rough out here, World. I'm working a decent paying job AND just starting my own businesses AND I'm still hustling, most of the time I'm doing @ least 2 outta 3 at a time on top of that, & it's still not enough. I aint complaining at all; if you know what I went through.... Anyway, here's an update with links on all the spots that are hiring in Chicago, Il. that I am aware of. Good Luck and i I was instrumental in some way, please leave feedback or comments; it feels good to be appreciated, you know.

What a surprise: Facebook is hiring! Check out:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1222601822#/careers/department.php?dept=chicago (BTW: If anybody gets in here, please get them to add that damn Dislike button for real!)

Sears Holdings: http://www.searsholdings.com/careers/

Everybody needs insurance, in one form or another. Help out your fellow man/woman as an Allstate agent. Check this out:http://www.allstate.com/careers/agent-opportunity.aspx

Pitney Bowes ( I know a LOT of people who work for this powerhouse company! ). Check it here:http://www.pb.com/cgi-bin/pb.dll/jsp/GenericEditorial.do?catOID=-18255

Kraft Foods SAY they are hiring.... IDK about this one, yall. If I remember correctly, I think Kraft is (or was now,meaybe) trying to buy the Cadbury Candy Co.; it might have put a halt to the hiring process. At any rate, check it out: http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/Careers/index.aspx

And finally, I just had to post the first job I ever had up her. UPS. Yeah, I know right, but hey its a job. And they hiring in Chicago. Check it out:http://www.upsjobs-problemsolved.com/chicago

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Young World.

2010-01-18T15:42:00.001-08:00

hello World. Today, if you have been living under a rock, is MLK day. Please use today to educate yourselves on exactly what his legacy represents. Then go a step further; research the rest of the pioneers to African American libration. You'll be surprised how many more contributed besides Dr King.

Posting on my Facebook Page...WTF!??!!?! RanTinGs&ravINgS

2010-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

WTF?!?!?! FILES Update:
Ok, I'm finna catch hell for this.... Stop me if you've heard this...."That was not appropriate for my page." Huh? I'll admit I'm stumped by this statement, World. What's not appropriate to get off your chest on something which is designed for people to get things off their chest? Are we talking about the difference in opinions regarding religion? Or is it politics this time? Could it be for a more personally reason,e.g. he's fucking your ex-wife or she's telling everybody what you did when you were drunk at a party? Whatever, people. If Facebook can get you in trouble, which has been documented already as having some factual basis, then I dont think Facebook is for you.

My thing is this: For the most part, I know about 90% of my friends on Facebook aka these are real friends, people I actually have or had social interactions with besides chat pages. The rest are either business or I'm actually an admirer for either their skills on the mic, their athletism, or honestly, some women because they look good. But EVERYBODY in my friends list is not on the same page. I have Christians, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses friends as far as religions; Democrats & Republician friends as far as politics concerned,etc. I could keep breaking down the differences but why; my point is clear: all parties involved will have differences so try to respect my other friends. If I delete anything off my page it's not because it offended me but it could a offend one of my friends. I could care less personally.

Facebook People make even the simplest shit complicated. If you dont like what I post on MY page, stay off my page! If you still feel what i got on my page is bothering you, unfriend me! That would teach me; causing me to loose sleep over the fact you're not being all up in my business no more. That's why I have business in the first place; just for people like yall to be all up in it. Get the fuck outta here. No, this is why I have this blog, so you dont have to AND I can roast your ass while you not listen! But the World is, aint you World? You feel me. I could explain more, but my stupid ass supervisor with nothing else better to do is rushing me out the dorr. Holla back world!

Goodbye, For 5 Days.

2010-01-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, World. This is probably the last thing I do before I have surgery later today, so I'll get as much of what I'm thinking on this blog as I can. & here we go.
2010 is in high gear and I still got nothing but good feelings about this year despite the happenings. If you've been under a rock for the last week or so, we've heard nuthing but bad news. The worst news is Haiti after getting hit with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, leaving hundreds of thousands feared dead. One of my closest friends is from there & I know other Haitians as well. My prayers go out to all who have been affected by this natural diaster.
This morning, I also found out Teddy Pendergrass had passed away at the age of 59. While this doesn't affect me personally, I mean I didn't know him personally, it does affect me beacuse I grew up with his music; I would hear at least one of his songs a day almost everyday since I was a kid.
Well, with all that said I guess this is goodbye til at the earliest monday. (I know right, like WTF!?!?! Is that all I had to say? Naw. I gotta put another post up anyway. All of a sudden I feel like RantingNRaving & THROWing a couple of people UndaABUS! Next post next.)

The Neverending Story

2010-01-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hello, World! First things first before the topic at hand.
Yeah, World, I'm in a much better mood today than yesterday. Auntie Alberta's passing kinda knocked the wind out of me. When my parents passed, I knew it was coming. I got a chance to spend time with both of 'em before they left this here world for the next one. With Auntie, it was a sudden nosedive in her health that took her; I only found out yesterday morning & was planning to see her once I got off work. I should have just went to go see her when I heard, World. I promise I'm mad at myself for being myself; I chose to continue to work until quitting time & THEN go visit. Best laid plans, etc. I've come to terms now so everything is back to me being Bizzee as usually. Thanks to all for the prayers & support. Now, moving on.

Now... It's the Neverending Story: Everytime you wanna do something, anything, there's always some obstacle with nothing else better to do than stand in your path. It really bothers me when it's other people trying to block your blessings. I know so many people with their hands out right now, I'd swear nobody was hiring. World, you know there's a job out here for everybody who wants one. I met my girl Tara at her job at a major grocery chain about 3 years ago. Since that time she has worked at least 4 other jobs & she is still employed by the grocer. Of course, she's able to pass drug test easy, since she doesn't do anything. Me, hell, I've been on the same job since 2002; before that I worked the same job from 1996 up until 2002. My whole adult life I've had a job even though I've been smoking marijuana since age 10, feel me. Apparently, some jobs pay better than others & I probably could get a higher paying job with the skills that I have, but why would I leave a job were I have security and freedom (to a certain extent) for a job where I couldn't indulge myself in my one bad habit? OK, World, maybe marijuana is MY obstacle, but I'm happy to have this obstacle AND it's not slowing me down from taking care of my business. This is where the problem lies. Anytime you are not taking care of business, then you are doing something wrong and it's probably costing someone else some money. Why I still feel bad for people like that I can't explain. Make no mistake about it: I do feel bad for 'em.... I just can't do nuthing for 'em, man. World, it's called tough love.
MY OPINION: You feed a stray cat, it'll keep coming back. If an eight year old kid can collect cans for some change, you grown ass babies should feel ashamed of yourselves. I'm ashamed of people (myself included) who feed these sorry ass individuals who apparently lack all kind of respect for themselves for not wanting anything for themselves. If you have no wants for nothing, how can you consider yourself alive?

Alberta Thompson, RIP.

2010-01-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

World, I dont know what to tell you. Just when I feel like I got everything under control... Exactly 2 years & 2 days after my father, Anthony Hardy, passed away, I lose another member of my family on my father's side. My aunt Alberta Thompson passed away from complications of old age today. Even though I dont get in touch with my emotions like that, much less speak or put them out there in any form. I'm at a loss for words. For one thing, even though my Aunt was pushing 90 HARD!, she was still one of the healthiest people I knew. So it comes to me as a shock that this is the last time I'll get to see her til it's my time.... Most of the people who know me think I dont believe in God; that's simply not true. I believe... I believe... See, this is the problem. I do believe there is a higher power; I have no idea what else to believe in besides that. There has got to be something out there more than us, but how much more & where does it end, I don't know & care less to think about. I just know that most of the religous crap that comes out people mouth these days is all based on what somebody else told them. Nobody KNOWS & for anybody trying to explain their view or convert people to their view, all that does is turn those people with little faith away & give people with a lot of faith more useless ammunition to aim at the former group, pushing them further away..... I say all of this because my Aunt really did have a way of explaining to me her view on religion & I believe that my view reflects this. She believed, so I believed & still believe right along with her. And I'm still right along with her until I really join her. Feel me, World?

Smokkee's Agenda Revealed!!!!

2010-01-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

World, I'm ready to let everybody in on the haps with me for this year. No I am not leaving journalism. I will admit I haven't been writing articles lately; I'm trying to get into the blog thing, & the Twitter thing, & the Facebook thing, but doing all three has been a chore. It's finally under control, though. Now, I can move on to the other aspects of what do I want out of this year. People, you gotta ask yourself that question. Living life with no ambitions is just wasting breath that somebody else with more than negativity to contribute to this society (or our world, World!) could be using.
So, what is it exactly that I want out of 2010? The main (professional) goals of this year are the following:

1.) Get out of debt.
2.) Put out as many helpful articles as I can.
3.) Start my sports-related talk show,"Sportfellas".
4.) Launch an online website featuring the latest news & other info from Chicago.
5.) Open an all entertainment club.
6.) Promote as many geniunely great things & people as I can (move over Oprah!)

Basically that's it, that's all in a nutshell. If you heard it from me, it's got to be good. World, I won't lead none astray anymore. You got my word on that.

Facebook (Monday Morning, 01/11/10)

2010-01-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Now that my personal announcements are out the way (well, the main announcement anyway), let's get back on business. Facebook is definitely a gift & a curse. I've got in contact with almost everybody I knew from grammar & high school and some of my people from the University of Phoenix. I haven't found any classmates from Devry or Computer Learing Center except for the ones I also went to grammar school with. I probably wont find more from them days, because Smokkee was an alcoholic then; even in class I was slapped! I can't think of not one other classmates name not even the ones I was, uh, well you know. What's so crazy is I still remember what I learned from them days even though I was as drunk as Ned the Wino from Sanford & Son. What can I say: I was a dog that buried my bone alot & forgot where I put them alot. I dont feel like one these days, of course, everybody has their own opinions.
Then, last week on Facebook, there was a lot of weird postings going up. Some people posted a color, others posted a number. Confusing to say the least, when all was over, come to find out that these weird posts (which I wont explain) were all for good causes. That fact that it was a women's only thing doesn't matter; Facebook can do some good things besides reconnect people from your past.
Facebook isn't all gravy. There are Facebook facts popping up all over to back this up. Articles regarding Facebook & relationships, Facebook & divorce, Facebook & infidelity,etc, are all out here to do...what exactly do these articles do? Obvisously, it is not detering anybody from Facebook. It is not slowing down cheating, or divorce, or infidelity, etc because this stuff has been running rampant since before Facebook. Yet, because Facebook makes things so much more easier it will get broadcasted as such. Also, there are various aps that get frowned upon by your Facebook "friends",aps such as Naked Truth (I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE!). Lately, this ap that sends pillows to people's pages has taken a lot of flak as well.
My Opinion: Take Facebook (or Myspace or Twitter or BlackPlanet or any social website like these examples) for what it is worth. We all know who our real friends are...even if we don't have any! Dont make the mistake of misinterpreting anything that goes on as anything else. Facebook is just another website & websites can be addicting, damaging, informative, misleading, cause for celebration or the cause of lot of confusion. In other words, it's just like everything else on this planet, World. Dont let it go to your head.

Aunt Alberta (Monday Morning, January 01/11/10)

2010-01-11T06:57:00.000-08:00

Hello, World! Isnt it a great day to be alive?! Honestly, I'm in a good mood but I shouldn't be. I got surgery this week in the same hospital where my Aunt Alberta Thompson is a patient in a hospice. Alberta is the oldest member of my father's side of my familia; my father, Anthony Hardy, passed 2 years and 3 days ago exactly from today. Without either one of them, I probably will never find my other relatives. OK so I'm being negative & I'm lying a little. As long as I breathe, I have a will & WHERE THERE'S A WILL... yall know the rest anyway. I will admit I am in touch with my other relatives on my dad's side, I'm just not as 'accustomed' to them, feel me? I mean, we're related, but I barely know them. I generally grew up around my mother's people, only visited my dad's fam on a once or three times a year basis, depending on the year we're talking about. I'm pretty sure in some of their eyes, I am still a stranger. For the most part, I agree. But with Auntie Alberta, I've had a chance to spend numerous times with her; I stayed right around the corner from her off & on, mostly on, since 1997. Her son Larry (my cousin) is another person besides my dad & his mom that I really know, that I feel acquanted with, since I been around him just as long as Alberta. I also feel close to my other Thompson cousins, Steve (the minister), Lowell (the author), & Kerry (the painter). They aren't strangers to me either & have embraced me with open arms. The rest I've met during various gatherings. The last gathering I believe was Pop's funeral. I dont think I've seen anybody since & unfortunately, that may be changing soon. I'll be happy if it doesn't, you feel me, but one has to look at everything with a sense of truth; another funeral may be right arouond the corner....

January 05, 2010: Morning

2010-01-05T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hello, World! I'm feeling a lot of different feelings this morning. For one, I'm taking high blood pressure pills & usually I get a little dizzy from that so I'm used to that but I'm also a little tired from staying up late. Why I wanted to watch "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" at 1 in the morning is beyond me. I wound up going to bed about 4, getting back up at 6:30 and I've been down at Comet's base since 8. The weird feeling is I feel like a cheating husband right now. In a sense, I guess I am. I've always wanted to be a journalist or author & I finally am one. The funny thing is since starting a page on MySpace, Twitter, & Facebook, I haven't wrote anything. Now that I've got this blog, I dont know when the next article is going to be wrote. I don't even know what I want to write about either. I'll probably think of something soon and get it published before the end of the day. Trying to find something to give me a jump. Where's the Red Bull & Svedka at? Oh shit, I forgot I was at work & but it's all good. Everybody here knows I don't drink alcohol, um, like that. Regardless, the phones will be off the hook in a minute & I wanna be up for 'em. I will be somehow. Other than that, I feel like ranting but gimme another 20 or 30 minutes before anything else happens.

Job Hunt 2010

2010-01-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

My buddy Bear just posted this on Facebook (BTW: Thanks, Bear! Somebody should benefit from this info.)

The following companies are hiring. Check it out....

At&Twww.connect.att.jobs/illinois-jobsCity of Chicagowww.Chicago.taleo.net/career section/100/jobsearch

Forest Preserve Districtwww.Fpdcc.com/tier3State of Illinoisagency.governmentjob.comUnited States of Americausajobs.gov

YMCA www.ymcachgo.orgUnion Pacficwww.Uni...on Pacfic.jobcareers/apply

Comcast www.comcast.net

CTA www.1recriutment.transitchicago.com

Nicor Gas www.4.ultirecruit.com nic1002/jobboard/list jobs

Metra Rail www.metrarail.comExelonwww.exelon./com/careers/jobserach

Fed Ex www.fedex.hodesig.com/careers/job_search

Facebook, Part 2

2010-01-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

World, sorry for the lie I just posted. There WILL still be sorta negative outbursts on Facebook. I know, after that last blog entry WTF?, but it can't be avoided. See, World, I wouldn't be doing my job making Us better if I allowed certain things to continue, like certain FB friends who do nothing but lie on Facebook! I promise, World, I'd vomit after each of their posts if I had a weak stomach. Make it so bad, those FBers are pretty tame compared to the so-called big people Facebook campus. You know, no social interaction what so ever, except Facebooking. Got the nerve to wanna make it seem like their better than somebody when they aint got their own _________ (feel free to write whatever you want right here; they probably dont have one of whatever it is. AND, how about, naw, I'll save the rest for facebook when I get a chance, World.

Posting On Facebook

2010-01-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

Hello again, World! I hope all is well w/you (or is it on you?). Whatever, World. It doesn't matter, really; we'll make it right or die trying. I'm sorta working on it right now & I'm starting w/ my actions on facebook. Even though I haven't done anything wrong on facebook per se except that Naked Truth incident (Oh BTW: F--k a Naked Truth!), I dont think I've been a good Facebook friend. Why? Well, some of the post I have put up have been EXTREMELY negative. What can I say, World? I get mad really easy. I guess that's why my blood pressure be so high. In my defense, IT DONT BE ME, WORLD! Please believe me. I get phone calls @ work regarding the dumbest shit. Case in point: "Hey, Smokkee. What you doing? Oh, you're at work? Oh. I didn't want nothing just to see what you're doing. Is everybody cool down there at the job?" I reply "Yeah" to a former co-worker who knows EXACTLY how hectic it can get in the office. "That's great to hear. Say, what are you doing right now?" WTF?!?! If that doesn't aggreviate me like scratching a chalkboard, I dont know what does. let me correct that: I do know what aggreviates me and people like that are on the list, along with...well, that's another reason I started this blog, you see. What does this have to do with facebook? IMO, facebook is a positive place. I found lots of friends & family that I haven't talked to in years; why would I want to bore them w/ my grievances after just getting reaquainted? I know, I know, I've been a bad friend but that changes now. From now on, I will only post positive info on facebook (besides the music & other stuff I feel needs attention). All negative outbursts will be posted on my blog and more than likely, WTF File Updates & Throw'EmUndaABus Updates will probably be posted on Twitter. Of course, my blog won't be ALL negative but for all my ranting and raving will be on here, for a better or worse. Sorry, World. That's the way its gotta be if we are going to change anything w/you. Ok, w/me too.

A WTF?!?! File Update: My ME Time! 01/04/10

2010-01-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, World! Yep, I'm back work again, which means I got more things to complain about. Again. You know, somethings I was constantly complaining about wont ever change, so I wont ever stop complaining about 'em. Case in point: my cellphone. People, if I work at McDonalds, do you really think I want anything McDonald-y when I get off work? If I worked in a Music store, even though I LOVE music, do you think I wanna here any once I get off work? I might, but please believe me I would get tried of it quickly. My point is this: I work on the phone all day long, starting in the AM & stopping in the evening, so when I get off work, either I cuts my celly off or (and I know some people wil get mad about this) I will look at my cellphone ringing like I dont understanding what it is it's trying to tell me. ESPECIALLY over the weekend. Whenever I'm off work, that's me time. If you dont know what me time is, try to find some then reread this blog. See, if I know a person is calling & basically doesn't want anything special, then them & whatever it is can wait til Monday's business hours to get in contact w/me. Otherwise, leave a voicemail. OK, OK. So I dont even check my voicemails on a regular basis but leave one anyway; If I think it's an emergency, I'll check it. World, it's 2010 & we dont have time for any nonsense, especially any nonsense during my me time.

Hello World!

2009-12-29T15:57:00.000-08:00

12/29/09

Hello, World! World, as I see ya, I'm really starting not to like you much. I know, I know, I'm part of ya so some of the ugliness that you display is partially my fault. The hatred, the greed, the contempt! My bad, World. I know I let you down but no more. From this point on, I'm taking the Mike Jack approach to a better...er...World? Ok, ok; a better me. My mission is too take all that is not right in my life and make it right for somebody else's life; if I cant go and change my past, maybe I can help somebody have a better future. It's our mess but thankfully you dont have to clean it alone, World. Ok, ok, you wont be alone, Mirror.

Bizzee, outta