December 6, 2001
1:16pm

My date with Javier was short but sweet. We spent most of it eating in Pufferbelly's, which is a restaurant made of a train car. It was a nice warm place to hang out on a cold winter night. The food was good, too, though I did get some hamburger grease on my sweatshirt. No meal would be complete without me dropping something on myself.

Some of my relatives came up from Columbus on Sunday. I was excited to meet them because I'm not very familiar with the relatives on my mom's side. My mom's house was full of people and I had to drag out every chair we own so they could all sit. It was great to hear all the stories and laughter while a hearty meal cooked in the oven. It was just like a Hallmark card. Well, except for my Uncle Charles who was wearing a big belt buckle, gold medallion, suede hat, and braided hair. He thinks he's an O.G.

My former aunt (she and my Uncle Charles are divorced) played the demo tape of her daughter Charmayne. It had different styles of music on it, including jazz and R&B. However, we only listened the beginning of the tape, which was opera. When I heard the first beautiful strains of melody come from the stereo I could hardly believe it was my cousin singing. She has a wonderful voice.

Later on my cousins and I went on what was supposed to be a short nature walk. Two hours later I found myself trying to hold on for dear life as I slid down a muddy cliff face. Our nice little nature walk had somehow turned into a Survivor-style trek through dense foliage, over raging waters, and under painful thorns. Not to mention we had a five-year-old boy with us! I considered leaving them there many times. I was convinced they were trying to kill me. However, I knew they wouldn't be able to find their way back without me. After all, those were the woods I played in as a child and they had never been there before. I managed to have fun even while watching my life flash before my eyes. It turned out to be quite a bonding experience for us and it was all captured on my uncle's digital camera (which also miraculously survived the hike).

See what happens when you put black folks in the woods?

This is the last week of classes before finals, but my body is already acting like school is over. I have studying and projects to get done, but all I want to do is sleep. I really have to get my lazy butt in gear. At least I've started my final drawing project. It's going to be sweet.

I learned something new today. My friend Darren was considering buying a turtle and the pet store told him that they carry salmonella. I didn't know that merely holding a turtle could be so dangerous. I guess he'll just have to remember to wash his hands a lot.

I showed Darren this site today. I'm surprised I hadn't told him about it earlier being that I'm like a little kid when it comes to accomplishments. I run around after people like,"Look! Look at me! Look at what I did!" It's quite sad, really.

I think Darren should start a blog. He's a very interesting guy. I'm sure his blog would be a good read.