Life was as follows, get up at 630 which was a time I had forgot existed. Black, Cowboy and me piled into Blacks truck and went to work. This was when my coffee addiction started. Until then I never had tasted coffee! Now warehouse work was nothing like Black made it sound. I was more than capable of doing anything that needed done. Ya there was some heavy lifting but nothing bad. Pretty soon I was one of the top pickers. (Spell check wanted to change pickers to dickers for some reason. Whats a dicker?) I admit I sucked at building skids but oh well mostly I helped customers at the door. Plus I was getting in better shape, putting on a few healthy pounds. There as 1 guy, Pop Culture who stuck out right away. Like first day I start he says, that's all? I said what? Well the way Black talks about you, you're 6'5 and shot thunder bolts out yer ass. Actually you're kind of a let down. Wtf, I think the guy is a douche. But then at breaks or whenever I wanna talk about anything he is the smartest guy there. So I am stuck do I like this guy or what. Anywho we were done at 430 and head home. Actually have home cooked meals and be in bed at a decent time not full of whiskey. Sure pay days were Thursdays and we stopped for a beer then and Essies still had control over us on the weekends but I actually joined the ranks of normal people. Not sleeping all day and working most of the night. Kinda feeling like a useful member of society.
Here was the problem I had, and it can be counted as broken car #2. It had an oil leak. What I had done to fix it was pour more oil in. Well driving home for Christmas, it went bone drive and wrecked the engine. So ya broken car #2.
Then came TCM. I hadn't been gone from the restaurant long and Black was still there part time, he was developing quite the crush on TCM I think. One Friday when we were getting ready to go to Essies he says lets go to St. Albert instead, I wanna hangout with TCM. I say okay, I was still thinking about Heartache and Booty Call so I didn't really care where we went. TCM was working part time at Sport Chek, we stopped in to say hi. She got me 15% off a ball cap, that made me happy. I love hats, I would be going back for sure to get another next week. She was going to Crown later that night. So we went to Crown and Tower. First place I ever went to in St. Albert. I had heard the same Urban Myths about White Albert. That it was only full of wealthy white people. I just wanna dispel this shit right now! St. Albert is just a normal city. I live in a bungalow on a street of average homes. Back then though I thought everyone lived in Kingswood, Oakmont or Erin Ridge where you see those monster ass homes.... (That was a side track though Back the blog). We get there and get introduced to a few people. TCM has an older sister, lets just call her Sister. There was a girl with dreads, easy name Dreads and another we can call KT. They are all gonna come up more, KT probably a bunch. Truth was I don't think we really hit it off. Not like it was bad or nothing just oh hey nice ta meet ya. Sister gave me a good once over and I wondered what the fuck.
It's simple, it's easy. It is the forgotten life lesson we are all told in school. The Golden Rule, do on to other as you would have them do on to you. Would make the world a better place. How often do you see it now though? You hear people constantly talking down to people. (I work with the public everyday) These same people would NEVER want to be talked down to. Hell even friendly smiles and hellos are nice. MOST people are so wrapped up in their own lives they forget about others. I did say most, there are still people who remember this little rule from elementary school..... Just try it for a day though. Go all day and try it!
Long story short, I woke up with TCM the next morning. In my room, in the Black house. Completely clothed, nothing happened (I said I am far from smooth) BUT it was awkward as all hell, we can hear them all talking in the living room. Is there really a girl in there?And I forgot how many stripper posters I actually had. Mighta looked like a perv. So I take her home, pretty sure I got her number and then came home. Black looks me dead in the eyes and says, that's number 2. I didn't even think he cared about Booty Call. So I said something like bros before hoes I don't have to call her. He said nah she seemed to like you but stop doing that to me!
So this carried on for a short little while before TCM "offically" became my girlfriend. Her and Sister rented an apartment by Essies, brand new. Kind of shitty, it was slapped up as the economy heated up and they were looking for a new place to live. My grandparents had come down one weekend, for a "visit" they actually had found another tempo for me. Low mileage thousand buck OBO. Not sure what grandpa gave him but it was mine. Ill bitch about that later. But now at least I could go visit TCM from our place in Namao if I wanted to. Getting Black to drive me in was another awkward time.
I started to meet some of her friends. They were and weren't like me. As KT put it I was a redneck from GP. But we did have somethings in common. I cannot say for sure who was all there but I remember one of the first nights Black and I went to KTs parents house in Erin Ridge. It is how I pictured all St. Albert homes. But the point was I met a few more people. Candy, that's a dude. He will pop up a bunch more. Bigby and Dreads. A boyfriend and girlfriend and Sporty, she was a couple years younger mighta still even been in highschool at the time. They were different than the restaurant regulars I was used to having drinks with. And nothing like Cowboys friends, country music didn't come up. KT was dating a punk, by that I mean a punk musician. They seemed a lot more like my old friends in GP. We divided our time between them and hanging out with Cowboys friends at places like Essies.
A good thing is Cowboy was friends with a mechanic in Beaumont. The first time I met the guy I said he was one big bastard, he laughed and we got along pretty good. Which was great cause the Tempo was a lemon. I am not sure how many parts I bought and brought out to him. He charged me in beer to fix things. He was a good guy, one night TCM and I were out, I was driving like a dumb ass and all of a sudden the car stalls. Nothing gets it started, I freak and call the Mechanic. It is like 1 AM he was asleep. Not happy but he comes and looks. I get that parenty look. "What were you doing?" "Nothing" "Were you driving like a fuckhead? Don't lie I will know" "A bit yes" So he shows me a safety switch I tripped. One click and we are good to go again. He didn't even have to get mad he had the perfect parent guilt trip eyes.
Our time in Namao ran out. We had been living in the Pastors house, the church got a new pastor and he wanted to live in the house. So we had to go. The Blacks were building a house out by Tofield so they moved out there. I don't remember where Cowboy went but Black, myself and Pop Culture (Yes the guy who insulted me first day of work) got a townhouse in Sherbrooke together. It was a reversal. I took a room upstairs, Pop Culture got the other one and we let Black have the entire basement. The truth was at first it was great. But over time Black and Pop Culture butted heads a ton. We will get there though. In a strange but lucky twist TCM and Sister rented a house, like 2 blocks away. Of course they got two roommates The Electrician and Quack.
Below was out place....
This job has actually been a huge part of my life. 15 years later I am still with that company. Many of the people I call friends were from there. Besides Black, Cowboy and Pop Culture there was the Barber. This guy was insane, loved to party but not so bright. Someone convinced him to shot tequila one night by doing a line of salt up the nose, taking the shot then squirting lime in to the tear duct. There was the Janitor, this guy was a refuge from El Salvador. He didn't like to talk about it but supposedly did some bad shit down there. Alf, a Mexican alcoholic. He didn't understand English all that well and was eating wet cat food. There was the Albino, who still works there. McG the only other guy who likes rap besides Eminem that I know. Then came Cook. I was in early to do some OT and the door was locked so I was sitting waiting when this guy gets dropped off. I say you the new guy. He looks at me like a retard. I mean who else would he be and he gives me a ya that tells me it was dumb to ask. Didn't help I still was wearing a do rag at work. Cook is gonna come up a bunch more. He was another one I just got along with. (After we talked a bit and I didn't seem like a dumbass) He was well read and clever. Very much a smart ass. He had just gotten married, a few weeks later I went to his place had dinner and met his new wife. So ya keep Cook in mind. We got Deakin, a hard worker who came from BC to support 3 kids, his sister who said sure to being in porn (She didn't but I don't doubt her) when I said we should start a company called Blue Balls entertainment. Her friend Husky, who is now a branch manager and did very well for herself. The Dutchman who also came from BC with those guys. There were more but not that many that are still friends.
You want another life lesson? Everyone is good at something. Sometimes it isn't apparent right away. This might be more for leaders, supervisors I dunno. But a good leader can find it and put it to use. Be a person good, bad, smart, dull, strong or weak and on and on. Every one I have met has some quality in them that is "good" or "useful" just finding it sometimes is the hard part.
We divided our time between TCM and my place. Hers was nicer, it was a full clean house. Our was three dudes that yes were clean, but maybe not tidy. TCM brought some friends over once I remember them being kinda disturbed by the giant box of porn in the bathroom. Everything was rolling along good. I met her family. At Easter she went for dinner, I slept. I think it was a hangover and didn't wanna go meet people but the dad had to come. TCMs dad is a business man and he took us and her step mom and brother to this fancy Italian place downtown. I wore my best, which honestly back then was not actually fancy at all and he was in a suit. WTF.
This isn't per say a life lesson but boys change. I remember in high school / junior high-ish it was a huge insult to say someone "jerked off". Or that they watched porn. IN your twenties it is just a fact of life. Almost every guys house seemed to have a box O porn. Or I have strange friends who knows! We had one. Like I said TCM and her friends were creeped out by it. But it sat for the world to see. And ladies maybe we do read an article in Playboy but Hustler, ya that ones not for reading.
DG for Dumb Girl was the end of a happy place to live. Black started dating DG and I am not sure where they met. Then without talking to us he moved her in. Eating our food, using our shit and not paying a dime. At first I didn't say much, cause of the time I was spending at TCM's. But she didn't cook or clean either. Now don't get me wrong I ain't some throw back who thinks women belong in the kitchen. But she didn't work, she lived at our place without asking for free and didn't do anything. At first we let it slide. But Pop, like I said he was opinionated about it and him and Black really started to butt heads. I tried to stay neutral. Her personality didn't help. She literally was a bit off. We come home, one night she is sitting in the dark staring at a wall. I asked if she was alright. Yes, okay just doing some thinking or what? No, so what are you doing? Just been sitting waiting for you guys. "Coulda made some fucking dinner" Pop says and goes to his room. While Black is hollering at him for being rude. One night all her shit from the shower comes flying downstairs. It hits the wall and splatters all over. Black says for Pop to clean his mess. Pop says fuck you she can clean it and take her shit outta our shower until she pays for something. I went to TCMs for the night
Sunday were the best days. Usually TCM, Pop Culture and I would go have breakfast at Smittys. Or once and awhile get McDicks. Black spent most Sundays out with his family. We became the movie or TV marathon masters. On top o the shit ton of movies Pop Culture owned we would hit up Movie Studio for season of shit to watch. Like everything though it started it get crappy. And it started with a girl.
New Years came, we had a party. Even Black and Pop pretended to get along. Then Black at a New Years party in our place dumps DG. So she starts screaming and crying, I sat down with her and said hey don't worry about it. He is probably just drunk and stupid and you guys can work this out tomorrow. She calms down and says okay but then lays on the kitchen floor. So to open the fridge to get a beer or pour a whiskey you have to get this chick to move. I clunked her in the head more than once with the door. It was one of those sorry not sorry moments, I had asked her nicely to move. But after that Pop and Black were done.
Then there was the great dog shit incident. Black let his dog outside all winter to shit in the front public green area. More than once the neighbors came and asked him nicely not to. He didn't change though and where kids were trying to play was covered in his dogs shits. One morning Black opened the back door to leave and stepped in a giant bag of dog shit. He was furious, didn't help Pop and I laughed at him. He was going to throw the bags at the neighbors house. We said nope, they asked you nicely. He did calm down and realize he was kind of in the wrong, so he let it go but I still smile thinking about it.
Was at work one day and I get paged for a phone call. I start to worry, who would call me at work if it wasn't important. It was my old boss from the restaurant. He says to me do you know so and so. I said nah never heard of him. Well he claims he worked with you in GP at your job. Then it clicked he was using Vicious, real name. Hell ya I know him. Should I hire him? He asks, is he a good worker? Hell ya bring him on, he is great. So my old pal V was working at the place we went a ton. Started to see him more often
KT invited us out to her dads cabin for some winter camping. Let me say this isn't really a cabin! It was nicer than most homes I had lived in for the last few years. But is was fun, I was growing more into this new group and the cabinS would become a big thing for us. For me it was nice to have real friends. Party Girl I mean was a good friend but for the most part I seemed like I had "chums" For lack of a better word. People who were happy to party but not people I sat down with and talked about anything real. Truth was things were changing. I was growing further from Party Girl, Shy Guy and all that. Actually Red Seal wasn't even talking to me. I guess he had such a crush on TCM that when I started dating her it was a "betrayal" it was easy 3 years before he got over it. Either way I was actually settling into a some what average life. Average for an early 20s kid I mean. But a better one than I ad been living for the last 3 years.
I will end it with we moved again. Black said he got hurt at work. He went on WCB or whatever we had. But he was well enough to move a big screen into the place by himself. Pop was pissed about this so he let work know he wasn't hurt. So they cut Blacks payments. That was the last straw. The two couldn't even be in the same room. Once the lease was up we went our separate ways. Pop moved in with another friend. Black kept the townhouse and Cowboy moved in with him. Since I was spending over 50% of my time at TCMs I moved in there. For those of you counting I had now moved 7 times in the last 4 years.
Here was the problem I had, and it can be counted as broken car #2. It had an oil leak. What I had done to fix it was pour more oil in. Well driving home for Christmas, it went bone drive and wrecked the engine. So ya broken car #2.
Then came TCM. I hadn't been gone from the restaurant long and Black was still there part time, he was developing quite the crush on TCM I think. One Friday when we were getting ready to go to Essies he says lets go to St. Albert instead, I wanna hangout with TCM. I say okay, I was still thinking about Heartache and Booty Call so I didn't really care where we went. TCM was working part time at Sport Chek, we stopped in to say hi. She got me 15% off a ball cap, that made me happy. I love hats, I would be going back for sure to get another next week. She was going to Crown later that night. So we went to Crown and Tower. First place I ever went to in St. Albert. I had heard the same Urban Myths about White Albert. That it was only full of wealthy white people. I just wanna dispel this shit right now! St. Albert is just a normal city. I live in a bungalow on a street of average homes. Back then though I thought everyone lived in Kingswood, Oakmont or Erin Ridge where you see those monster ass homes.... (That was a side track though Back the blog). We get there and get introduced to a few people. TCM has an older sister, lets just call her Sister. There was a girl with dreads, easy name Dreads and another we can call KT. They are all gonna come up more, KT probably a bunch. Truth was I don't think we really hit it off. Not like it was bad or nothing just oh hey nice ta meet ya. Sister gave me a good once over and I wondered what the fuck.
It's simple, it's easy. It is the forgotten life lesson we are all told in school. The Golden Rule, do on to other as you would have them do on to you. Would make the world a better place. How often do you see it now though? You hear people constantly talking down to people. (I work with the public everyday) These same people would NEVER want to be talked down to. Hell even friendly smiles and hellos are nice. MOST people are so wrapped up in their own lives they forget about others. I did say most, there are still people who remember this little rule from elementary school..... Just try it for a day though. Go all day and try it!
Long story short, I woke up with TCM the next morning. In my room, in the Black house. Completely clothed, nothing happened (I said I am far from smooth) BUT it was awkward as all hell, we can hear them all talking in the living room. Is there really a girl in there?And I forgot how many stripper posters I actually had. Mighta looked like a perv. So I take her home, pretty sure I got her number and then came home. Black looks me dead in the eyes and says, that's number 2. I didn't even think he cared about Booty Call. So I said something like bros before hoes I don't have to call her. He said nah she seemed to like you but stop doing that to me!
So this carried on for a short little while before TCM "offically" became my girlfriend. Her and Sister rented an apartment by Essies, brand new. Kind of shitty, it was slapped up as the economy heated up and they were looking for a new place to live. My grandparents had come down one weekend, for a "visit" they actually had found another tempo for me. Low mileage thousand buck OBO. Not sure what grandpa gave him but it was mine. Ill bitch about that later. But now at least I could go visit TCM from our place in Namao if I wanted to. Getting Black to drive me in was another awkward time.
I started to meet some of her friends. They were and weren't like me. As KT put it I was a redneck from GP. But we did have somethings in common. I cannot say for sure who was all there but I remember one of the first nights Black and I went to KTs parents house in Erin Ridge. It is how I pictured all St. Albert homes. But the point was I met a few more people. Candy, that's a dude. He will pop up a bunch more. Bigby and Dreads. A boyfriend and girlfriend and Sporty, she was a couple years younger mighta still even been in highschool at the time. They were different than the restaurant regulars I was used to having drinks with. And nothing like Cowboys friends, country music didn't come up. KT was dating a punk, by that I mean a punk musician. They seemed a lot more like my old friends in GP. We divided our time between them and hanging out with Cowboys friends at places like Essies.
A good thing is Cowboy was friends with a mechanic in Beaumont. The first time I met the guy I said he was one big bastard, he laughed and we got along pretty good. Which was great cause the Tempo was a lemon. I am not sure how many parts I bought and brought out to him. He charged me in beer to fix things. He was a good guy, one night TCM and I were out, I was driving like a dumb ass and all of a sudden the car stalls. Nothing gets it started, I freak and call the Mechanic. It is like 1 AM he was asleep. Not happy but he comes and looks. I get that parenty look. "What were you doing?" "Nothing" "Were you driving like a fuckhead? Don't lie I will know" "A bit yes" So he shows me a safety switch I tripped. One click and we are good to go again. He didn't even have to get mad he had the perfect parent guilt trip eyes.
Our time in Namao ran out. We had been living in the Pastors house, the church got a new pastor and he wanted to live in the house. So we had to go. The Blacks were building a house out by Tofield so they moved out there. I don't remember where Cowboy went but Black, myself and Pop Culture (Yes the guy who insulted me first day of work) got a townhouse in Sherbrooke together. It was a reversal. I took a room upstairs, Pop Culture got the other one and we let Black have the entire basement. The truth was at first it was great. But over time Black and Pop Culture butted heads a ton. We will get there though. In a strange but lucky twist TCM and Sister rented a house, like 2 blocks away. Of course they got two roommates The Electrician and Quack.
Below was out place....
This job has actually been a huge part of my life. 15 years later I am still with that company. Many of the people I call friends were from there. Besides Black, Cowboy and Pop Culture there was the Barber. This guy was insane, loved to party but not so bright. Someone convinced him to shot tequila one night by doing a line of salt up the nose, taking the shot then squirting lime in to the tear duct. There was the Janitor, this guy was a refuge from El Salvador. He didn't like to talk about it but supposedly did some bad shit down there. Alf, a Mexican alcoholic. He didn't understand English all that well and was eating wet cat food. There was the Albino, who still works there. McG the only other guy who likes rap besides Eminem that I know. Then came Cook. I was in early to do some OT and the door was locked so I was sitting waiting when this guy gets dropped off. I say you the new guy. He looks at me like a retard. I mean who else would he be and he gives me a ya that tells me it was dumb to ask. Didn't help I still was wearing a do rag at work. Cook is gonna come up a bunch more. He was another one I just got along with. (After we talked a bit and I didn't seem like a dumbass) He was well read and clever. Very much a smart ass. He had just gotten married, a few weeks later I went to his place had dinner and met his new wife. So ya keep Cook in mind. We got Deakin, a hard worker who came from BC to support 3 kids, his sister who said sure to being in porn (She didn't but I don't doubt her) when I said we should start a company called Blue Balls entertainment. Her friend Husky, who is now a branch manager and did very well for herself. The Dutchman who also came from BC with those guys. There were more but not that many that are still friends.
You want another life lesson? Everyone is good at something. Sometimes it isn't apparent right away. This might be more for leaders, supervisors I dunno. But a good leader can find it and put it to use. Be a person good, bad, smart, dull, strong or weak and on and on. Every one I have met has some quality in them that is "good" or "useful" just finding it sometimes is the hard part.
We divided our time between TCM and my place. Hers was nicer, it was a full clean house. Our was three dudes that yes were clean, but maybe not tidy. TCM brought some friends over once I remember them being kinda disturbed by the giant box of porn in the bathroom. Everything was rolling along good. I met her family. At Easter she went for dinner, I slept. I think it was a hangover and didn't wanna go meet people but the dad had to come. TCMs dad is a business man and he took us and her step mom and brother to this fancy Italian place downtown. I wore my best, which honestly back then was not actually fancy at all and he was in a suit. WTF.
This isn't per say a life lesson but boys change. I remember in high school / junior high-ish it was a huge insult to say someone "jerked off". Or that they watched porn. IN your twenties it is just a fact of life. Almost every guys house seemed to have a box O porn. Or I have strange friends who knows! We had one. Like I said TCM and her friends were creeped out by it. But it sat for the world to see. And ladies maybe we do read an article in Playboy but Hustler, ya that ones not for reading.
DG for Dumb Girl was the end of a happy place to live. Black started dating DG and I am not sure where they met. Then without talking to us he moved her in. Eating our food, using our shit and not paying a dime. At first I didn't say much, cause of the time I was spending at TCM's. But she didn't cook or clean either. Now don't get me wrong I ain't some throw back who thinks women belong in the kitchen. But she didn't work, she lived at our place without asking for free and didn't do anything. At first we let it slide. But Pop, like I said he was opinionated about it and him and Black really started to butt heads. I tried to stay neutral. Her personality didn't help. She literally was a bit off. We come home, one night she is sitting in the dark staring at a wall. I asked if she was alright. Yes, okay just doing some thinking or what? No, so what are you doing? Just been sitting waiting for you guys. "Coulda made some fucking dinner" Pop says and goes to his room. While Black is hollering at him for being rude. One night all her shit from the shower comes flying downstairs. It hits the wall and splatters all over. Black says for Pop to clean his mess. Pop says fuck you she can clean it and take her shit outta our shower until she pays for something. I went to TCMs for the night
Sunday were the best days. Usually TCM, Pop Culture and I would go have breakfast at Smittys. Or once and awhile get McDicks. Black spent most Sundays out with his family. We became the movie or TV marathon masters. On top o the shit ton of movies Pop Culture owned we would hit up Movie Studio for season of shit to watch. Like everything though it started it get crappy. And it started with a girl.
New Years came, we had a party. Even Black and Pop pretended to get along. Then Black at a New Years party in our place dumps DG. So she starts screaming and crying, I sat down with her and said hey don't worry about it. He is probably just drunk and stupid and you guys can work this out tomorrow. She calms down and says okay but then lays on the kitchen floor. So to open the fridge to get a beer or pour a whiskey you have to get this chick to move. I clunked her in the head more than once with the door. It was one of those sorry not sorry moments, I had asked her nicely to move. But after that Pop and Black were done.
Then there was the great dog shit incident. Black let his dog outside all winter to shit in the front public green area. More than once the neighbors came and asked him nicely not to. He didn't change though and where kids were trying to play was covered in his dogs shits. One morning Black opened the back door to leave and stepped in a giant bag of dog shit. He was furious, didn't help Pop and I laughed at him. He was going to throw the bags at the neighbors house. We said nope, they asked you nicely. He did calm down and realize he was kind of in the wrong, so he let it go but I still smile thinking about it.
Was at work one day and I get paged for a phone call. I start to worry, who would call me at work if it wasn't important. It was my old boss from the restaurant. He says to me do you know so and so. I said nah never heard of him. Well he claims he worked with you in GP at your job. Then it clicked he was using Vicious, real name. Hell ya I know him. Should I hire him? He asks, is he a good worker? Hell ya bring him on, he is great. So my old pal V was working at the place we went a ton. Started to see him more often
KT invited us out to her dads cabin for some winter camping. Let me say this isn't really a cabin! It was nicer than most homes I had lived in for the last few years. But is was fun, I was growing more into this new group and the cabinS would become a big thing for us. For me it was nice to have real friends. Party Girl I mean was a good friend but for the most part I seemed like I had "chums" For lack of a better word. People who were happy to party but not people I sat down with and talked about anything real. Truth was things were changing. I was growing further from Party Girl, Shy Guy and all that. Actually Red Seal wasn't even talking to me. I guess he had such a crush on TCM that when I started dating her it was a "betrayal" it was easy 3 years before he got over it. Either way I was actually settling into a some what average life. Average for an early 20s kid I mean. But a better one than I ad been living for the last 3 years.
I will end it with we moved again. Black said he got hurt at work. He went on WCB or whatever we had. But he was well enough to move a big screen into the place by himself. Pop was pissed about this so he let work know he wasn't hurt. So they cut Blacks payments. That was the last straw. The two couldn't even be in the same room. Once the lease was up we went our separate ways. Pop moved in with another friend. Black kept the townhouse and Cowboy moved in with him. Since I was spending over 50% of my time at TCMs I moved in there. For those of you counting I had now moved 7 times in the last 4 years.
Comments
Post a Comment