| Thursday, December 06, 2007 |
| ENTRY 12: Christmas Considerations |
God I had a big dinner but I'm already starving -- it's going to be a LONG night.
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Hmm. There has been a big turn-around in the last 24 hours or so. I guess it should have come as no surprise, but it has. My mom has officially informed me about this holiday trip they are taking: they depart in just over a week's time and come back in the new year. This means that I'd have the house to myself for just over two weeks. The surprising part is that they've found me a ticket -- if, that is, I can (read: want) to take it.
I thought about whether or not heading off to Barbados with the fam for the Christmas holidays is something that I really want to do. On the one hand, I think getting away from Toronto for a while is something that I should definitely be looking into. Besides, when's the next time I'll be able to go to Barbados? Yeah, probably not for a while. On the other hand, having the house to myself for two weeks would be pretty sweet, too (see previous post). On top of that, I was kind of hoping to spending Christmas with Twin M, and if I head off to B-dos that's definitely not going to happen. I CAN do with a break from delivering newspapers and sub-zero temperatures, on the other hand.
I dunno...I have yet to come to a final decision. But hey, it might not even be in my hands; I have to make sure work OK's the possibility of the trip. I don't want to end up coming back from B-dos and finding out that I no longer have a job. I'll find out about that at the end of my shift today.
Anyhoo, today should be pretty interesting...I'm going bowling with a co-worker (she's from Trinidad and says she's never been bowling before), but who knows there's a good chance that she'll flop on me -- wouldn't THAT be the story of my life? Hardy har har.Labels: brother, Christmas, family, parents, vacation |
finished by Carter @ 12:02 AM   |
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| Monday, December 03, 2007 |
| ENTRY 10: Buckling Down & Breaking Down |
Winter is truly upon us; when I left for work this evening the snow was coming down in huge whiet clumps that looked like entire dandelion heads. The sky looked like God was shaking his infinite head of infinite hair and was in desperate need of some Pert Plus or Selsum Blue. There are times when the snowfall can have a harrowing and overly depressing effect on one's soul; there are other times, when it falls lazily and almost majestically, when the snow can be calming, tranquil and serene. Tonight was one of those serene nights for sure...add to this the startling contrast between the black sky and white flakes, and you make for breathtaking scenery. It definitely got me in the right mood for work.
I've really been on my younger brother's ass recently about his schoolwork. He has three tests coming up (two of which he will be missing -- more on that later), the first of which is science. He seems to have a singular problem with science: it's not so much that he doesn't understand the concepts, it's more than he has trouble articulating them into coherent phrases. As I've mentioned before, I've started noticing Big M moving away from the academics and focusing ~80% of his energy either on athletics, comic books, or video games, and I wanted to actively try and reverse this before he begins slipping farther down into this apparent Native Son (ie N####r) Stereotype.
His teachers at school are beginning to treat him like a problem child, even though he has no history of class disruption; he'll get a stern penalty for something as trivial as accidently burping out loud or whistling a tune. He gets pegged as a D student by other teachers even though to the best of my knowledge before this year he's never gotten a D on a report card in his life. The best thing many of them can stress during parent-teacher interviews is how good he is a basketball (and he isn't even that good), rather than focusing on other things like his exceptional spelling test marks. With all this and more, I am almost completely convinced that Big M is beginning to internalize.
I am partly to blame, unfortunately. My bro's classmates, since late last year, have had this notion that I am some sort of gangster. I should have quelled these statements immediately, nipped them in the butt, as it were. However, I was somewhat mystified, flattered even, that I somehow embodied the "Super-cool Older Brother" archetype -- or at the very least a variation of such. I am sure that my supposed "gangster" image has added to Big M's internalization, and this is a major reason why I have decided to try to break down and reverse this phenomenon. Penance.
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I mentioned before how Big M may be missing 2 of his 3 imminent tests. Turns out that my parents and him are going on vaction. I don't know where they are going, I don't know when they are going (must be pretty soon though), and I have no idea how long they are going for. I have not been informed about this and I don't plan on asking any questions. I only found out because Big M opens his notoriously big mouth:
Mom: Make sure you study for that science test for Tuesday. And don't you have other tests as well? Make sure to study for those too!
Big M (and his big mouth): But aren't we not going to be here for those two?
(short awkward silence)
Mom: I want you to study for them anyway!
Big M (who can't take a hint to shut up): But we won't be here!
Mom: JUST DO IT!
**end of conversation**
I kept my mouth throughout this exchange; this was something they had deliberately kept from me, so if it was something they didn't want me to know about I wasn't about to start asking questions now. The next day my mom started mentioning something about possibly looking for another ticket, but again I kept my mouth shut; I don't intend on inquiring unless they full out come and tell me what the heck is going on. Anyway, that's the sitch.Labels: brother, family, parents, school, secret, stereotypes, vacation |
| finished by Carter @ 11:56 PM |
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| The famous words of Jesus Christ resonate with my person: words impressing me with total, victorious finality. Words that I hope to say down the road. |
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