“I Know” (No… You Don’t)

File under: Pet Peeves; conversation overheard.

Her Dad is 95, living alone in New Jersey and has appointment to see a specialist about a serious medical diagnosis and his Home Attendant, who is from Senegal, is to accompany him.

From Utah, Pam, the daughter, one of four siblings who rotate in regularly and is charged as his health proxy, calls the morning of the appointment to find out that their main Home Attendant has taken an unscheduled vacation which the agency did not notify her of and with an hour to go, her dad is with this newcomer and still not up, dressed and fed. Livid but trying to remain cordial, she asks to speak to the replacement Attendant, Temish – who is from Ghana. She wonders to herself why the Agency sends no candidates from The States who can speak better English and are assimilated into American culture these days. A fight with them is for a future day. For now, the appointment is crucial.

When she tells the new Attendant of the magnitude of the appointment and how they have to be picked up in an hour, all the replacement says is, “
I know. I know…” This is one of Pam’s pet peeves and the following conversation ensues:

“This is an important appointment.
I know.
You guys are getting picked-up in an hour.
I know.
The sky is blue gaga today.
I kn-n-n… (stuttering ensues)”

“Stop saying ‘I know’! If you knew, then you’d be up and Dad would ‘know’ he has an appointment. He is still not up, has not eaten breakfast and doesn’t remember this.
Never say to me, ‘I know’ – better to say “I understand” and then do not fear asking questions for further guidance.
Nobody “know” all, especially since you’re not from here in The States. Nobody “know” all who cannot be educated – not even me. With my Dad I can help you with and I must help you hear me – to know him and our customs better. Do you understand?”
[silence]

“I don’t know you, Temish
So to me, your mind is like and bread box with half of a loaf inside.
To me you know nothing of our ways.”
[more silence]

“I used to say, “I know…” to the elders who tried to teach me when I was growing up right there where you are right now. It is like a mental block by a stubborn child who does not want to hear nor be taught.
Except that now, adult-looking people use it as a crutch when they come to our country, trying to hold onto their own culture and not assimilate into the western lifestyle, while not admitting it. In your case, it is dismissive of me trying to help.
So, Never say, ‘I know’ because you likely don’t know. Instead, think of something to ask or add as a reply to the conversation – and with that, you will complete the communication.”
“Okay.” (progress?)

Deja Vu Again: Have To Blog Myself To Stop Unjust Eviction-to-Homeless Pressure

Why does this keep happening to me?
Twice in two years in South Carolina? Coincidence? I think NOT.

Minding my own business and trying to leverage my newfound senior citizen status by writing letters, asking for interstate relocation assistance since the begging of this year, I am suddenly blindsided by the heretofore friendly apartment Manager/Landlord, three weeks ago, who apparently wants to kick me out! No reason given and apparently, they can DO this here in South Carolina?? My rent is up-to-date and never late; I’ve been a concerned citizen tenant and the guy spoke to liking me to give him a “heads-up” on anything that needed to be addressed (and boy, there were many in the past 22 months, including a deranged young man who tried to Bogart himself into my crib one Sunday night back in July of 2017!). It is a dysfunctional “community”, to my worldly, educated eyes and I will not miss it. However, to be given the bum’s rush before I have a security deposit in hand and a place to land?…

Hmmm, to me, a black American man, it seems like a remnant from the Jim Crow era is afoot; one that needs to be updated by eradication in South Carolina!
Some slow state; resistant to eradicate,
while latent lost labor legacy percolates
To this very day.
Therefore, I can’t delay

Any longer, when the current landlord is unreasonable and done a “180” on me.
I did nothing wrong to invite this. Time is of the essence with kick-out deadline looming on April 1, 2019. Too old, seasoned and good of a man to have to go out like this. Too bad I always seem to never have received the compensation my talents deserved, because if I had, nobody would be able to try and “handle” me like this now. No amount is too small.
Thank you.

**PickHit: Thanks to the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, two local Councilmen and their Admin Assistants and The Urban League of Charleston I was able to buy additional time to move more comfortably. The new state I am in new is very strange and substandard in many ways, so South Carolina may see me again – permanently – if my First Time Home Buyer campaign at www.HomeFundIt.com is successful. [October, 2019]

Secure Me From Living In A Car – Never Thought I’d Blog Myself…

SINCE November of 2009, when I began this literary exercise at the behest of a college buddy, I have been able to opine in relative obscurity, save when one would search the “About” page and as “obscure” as one can be on the worldwide web. That is about to change with this post. Life is a race against time and “time” always wins in the end.

Six months ago, in the late summer of 2016, as I was being “downsized” or forced out of the latest copier sales “telemarketing” gig by one small partner at NY Digital Products, I accepted an offer to work for what I thought was the company who helped me self publish my three books since 2010, CreateSpace in Charleston, South Carolina. By the time I arrived in Charleston, they switched me to the Kindle “ebook” training platform – that was the first bad omen.Fast-forward to Thanksgiving, 2016 when I was still living “Airbnb-style”, from host-to host, unable to find suitable and affordable housing in a nice, diverse neighborhood as I had in Nashville, Tennessee in the 2000s, I ended-up in a trailer park in Goose Creek, South Carolina and almost had a “Deliverance” (classic movie starring Burt Reynolds) experience until Airbnb saved the day and suggested several potential hosts, one of whom became the lady who felt my frustration and pain at having to move from place-to-place for many months and took me in. I paid her $600/month through the winter since November 25, 2016 for the room (shown on this profile). In February, 2017, her estranged husband returned to the house and the vibe changed gradually until he made it clear recently that the lady was not the owner of the house, HE is and he wanted to throw me out as I had finally been offered two jobs to get away from the Amazon Kindle gig which, unfortunately for me, did not work out, but left me behind on the money I was paying to his wife by five hundred, which he wanted immediately or I had to leave by force. The lady worked with me and I was giving her partial payments to catch up. He wanted “all or nothing” and it came to a head on Sunday, April 3, 2017 when he threatened to “remove [me]” and upon the advice of my Attorney, I called the police, who came and told him that “it doesn’t work like that”, he’d have to begin eviction proceedings. I do not want that outcome nor this drama and yet, nobody seems to be able to help me with a stable and consistent salaried job nor loan yet!! This is why I turn to my tried and true crowdfinding. I want to get out by April 30 so I can establish a base from which I can grow income from my creative callings and eventually apply for Social Security retirement. However, I cannot be forced into the streets and I want to give the lady who had stood by my side despite her husband, some money on my way to better days.
“Just last night she said about her husband, “Soon he’s going to put his foot down and you have to go…” I have no place to “GO”… [I remember that moment with hidden horror – 11.22.2017]
I need your donation today and no amount is too small. I can reward you with complimentary copies of my three books or an autographed DJ picture from my radio days. Maybe you can conjure a “perk” from me that would inspire you to donate massively? Just let me know. THIS…is an emergency. These are VERY nervous times for me. Please help.
Donate here Please Help Secure Me From Having to Try To Live In My Car

May all of your trails be smooth and full of the music you love,
“Cheetah” Naphtali Jimi B

PickkHiTT: I never thought that I would have to blog myself to stay solvent and off of the streets. Life’s a Bitch…

check out my musik-only blog at https://achilliadsmyvinylrecordshoppe.wordpress.com/

My Vinyl Tune Wedgie: Al Green’s “Your Love Is Like The Morning Sun”

In my insanely contemporary musical Disc jockey mind, this “tune wedgie” appears most mornings while I try to make breakfast, wake-up and convince myself that I have a purpose in life to move on towards. Yes, it is lonely like that unless I am strengthened via prayer.

The lyric, “Its me that’s missing your love, and I….” repeats most often.

You are listening to vintage Al Green from 1973 “Call Me” album, with a song of unrequited yet reciprocal love that endures because every day the dawn will happen with a renewed chance for healing romance. I always appreciated how during his vamp-to-fade, he listed his previous, at that time, hit song’s names, lol.

This light-listen and “B-side” selection garnered major market airplay and herein is dedicated sometimes to the Ukrainian lady I thought I’d be married to by now, Inna-Nina. I blame myself for not being able to raise enough money to import her to the USA ahead of the Russian intervention and her mother’s cancer diagnosis in the spring of 2014.
This is likely the sad climax conclusion for “Cafe` Skype” because something is amiss. I will put it point-blank: If you are my girlfriend or fiancee` and my elderly mother or father becomes ill, I will not push you away or go to a mental clinic for a “breakdown”. To the contrary, I would need you more to lean upon through troubled times – even if five thousand kilometers away via a five year relationship as difficult as that may be – or if it honestly will not work anymore and I have a person in the same area of the opposite sex (maybe a past schoolmate) who fulfills that role, I would tell you. Or maybe that’s just me.
Here is when needs begin to challenge that I am a loyal, faithful man.
Murphy’s law seems to stalk my female companionship quest…

Tell me what should I do in your comments, please

When Old Ladies Ask You To Help Them Across The Street YOU must Do It!

Ahh, baby, look what ya done for me as we lovingly transition into 2014…

 

 

Dateline, Christmas Eve, 2013…I am not sure why in the past two days two  elderly  ladies who remind me of my mum, “old ladies” , have asked me to help them across  the street into the Access-A-Ride vehicle, but I accept the assignment succinctly at the time it happens as the Heavenly Father accepts my prayers.

 

 

This isn’t just because you’ve given me everything, “Look What Ya done for me” but this song is an all-time favorite and I had to write something about these elderly women who came into my life out of the “blue” these past two days, to help them because…after-all, they are someone’s mum too! One of them even asked me to carry her purse, a sure sign of trust or “something” (I hesitated at first) because I could have been the type of snook who would have run-off with it!
Classic stuff from the brain that is my musical mind. “Aww, Baby, look what ya done for me…”
But it is not just about or as simple as that as you the regular reader of this blog already know!