Happiness Is...

by B.J. on 1/13/2008 04:39:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

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...Wild N' Crazy Kids and that episode where the kids ride the Colossus rollercoaster while trying to keep as much water as possible in their cups

...Swimming in the Colorado River during a Laughlin, NV summer

...talking up in the College 10 dining hall with Roy, Daniel, Desiree, and with Roy and Daniel, being antisocial observants and critics of the members of the opposite sex. Then finishing up a meal, only to retreat to Roy's for NFL Street or my room for NBA Street.

...Science as Cultural Practice lectures and session in the heart of the forest. The Physics student in the wheelchair with an obvious disdain for social sciences and humanities, Josh, coming in 30 minutes late in a 50 minute section, knocking everything over, and temporarily delaying class.

...random pickup basketball at Wilson with Harly Wachi

...Semiotics and Bladerunner in my Narratives of Popular Culture class. Bladerunner, the analysis you could pull out of it, and seeing LA in a way I had never seen before via the snippet from Mike Davis' City of Quartz.

...the Santa Cruz smoke with Joel, especially the first day. None of us knew what to do.

...Camille's 16th birthday and everyone that mattered in LA just chillin' at my apartamento right before classes started at UC.

...the divinity of the Santa Cruz trees near Social Sciences 1 in my Anthropology of Religion class on a balmy February day in the late Tuesday afternoon

...Driving the UCLA van after dropping off the SEND participants

...Wallyball on some weekday SC nights

...balling (if you want to call it that) in that decrepit Santa Cruz b-ball court complete with some kind of non-flexible steel rims and shoddy wood.

...breakdancing events in Long Beach with Ms. Company Flow inviting.

...the 26th mile of the 2007 LA Marathon with the cadence of We Will Rock You pounding in the background, me bumping my shirt, and the crowd rocking back

...the semi-self-important busy, indifferent culture of the Ackerman Coop with CNN bumping on the big screen.

...trip back to LA and Santa Cruz and San Diego with Ms. Company Flow. Very much good fun.

...spitting sessions with EZ, Dom, n the boys

...La Chica del apartmento 512? That's what I thought when I would come across this one female in my Real Estate class at ELAC.

...the female hip-hop dance troupe leader during the year in which I was a participant in PCC.

...Only in Dreams...by Weezer.

...the rooftop with the Native Guns right before my graduation. It's cool feeling like you know and are down with most of the folks at a gathering.

...Saturday debut practices at Sunny Heights

...the last night in Santa Cruz with Daniel and Desiree. One word: Tim!

...the gathering with LA Voice on the issue of Affordable Housing in Hollywood and explaining LA politics to my 2nd grade and 5th grade teacher.

...Blue Scholars in Historic Filipinotown with Gaby and Desiree.

...the Saturday night where I decided to play DJ at a party, that is invade someone's computer and start downloading and playing classic hits.

...Gaby's birthday in Pasadena. Ha-ha!

...Zion I and Ozomatli rockin' the quarry.

...Heck even Goapele NOT rocking the quarry.

...that last day at Venice Beach with person, Bull-inda, and Keith before I went to college for the first time.

...Text messages asking me if I "wanna come over." Of course you know I do.

...Social Knowledge and Power. Every Lecture. Every Section. And the Deconstructionists' Handbook that came out of it.

...NBA on NBC with the Chicago Bulls on either Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons.

...the deconstruction of the language used by the officers who beat Rodney King. It was still a boring class though. But I still learned a grip.

...Buying $15 running shoes from a 6th street vendor and using them as we speak. No, seriously, I am wearing them right now.

...George, Beverly, and I enjoying a set from the Ill Again and Gift of Gab set at the Tofu Fest.

...The luxurious bowling alley in Torrance as my intro to the CDC with the wings, the pizza, all while watching the Bulls beat down the Heat

...Chali 2Na, Saul Williams, Mos Def at USC con Bull-inda and waiting it out till the very end.

...Soulja Boy at the 'Litos on Two Separate Occasions. Once at the end of Summer outside with the Power 106 DJs. Then indoors during Thanksgiving.

...Hyphy in my White Tee Party with Dom, and the homies. LOL.

...Giving everyone the hookup while at FPAC. It feels good to be associated with something big, pretending you know people, and then hooking folks up. An exercise in social validation!

...ballin' at the YMCA, the random high school in Canoga Park, and on Sunday afternoons at Marshall with such characters as Manny, a Latino guy who always brought his kids and had, still has a one-handed shot (and still plays there!) and some Armenian kid who was 3 years younger than me and was about my height. We'd play weak, strong competition, it didn't matter.

...Field Days in elementary school cause it meant that it was the end of school and we'd have In-N-Out Burgers.

...High school senior service project at Children's Hospital and eating lunches consisting of...waffle french fries.

...playing basketball every morning on my small indoor court with real wooden floors at our old house in Hollydale

...the senior lunch truck from what used to be across the street near that one hall. Loyola bought up some properties and there is no need for a crosswalk anymore. Boo.

...The underground bar with the jazzy jazz, the kickback coach, and the cool vibe in Lil Tok con Bull-inda and Trina

...basketball and other assorted fun at Thomas' house after school. It beat daycare, in fact, it took daycare by the neck and guillotine submissioned it.

...Lorenzana foods after Karate or Swimming Classes at LACC

...The original American Gladiators at Cheryl's old apartment on Saturday or Sunday nights

...Exploring the Arts District with Shar, Bel, Daniel, and Daniel's friend Brian

...Seeing the Belmont Art Park for the last time with Joybif.

...Seeing East LA murals with Berverly

...Sunday mornings and afternoons with the fam at either Que Que's, Tony Roma's, Max's, Ichiban

...The jazzy-hip-hop they play across the street from my tenement when the Junction Festival invades the 'hood.

...Hodori after FPAC with person, before the show in Chinatown

...The kick-back with KmB in Chinatown with 'Ree, Bull, Shar, and their friend Gabby. The only time I could pretend I was a pimp.

...Tamales with Zocalo at the LA Public Library after their symposium with some gangs expert. Tamales! The next time I got a chance to sit next to that Life and Times anchor Val Zavala! My next thoughts that will go unannounced have to do with me being young, dumb, and full of cum, yes even for a 50+ woman.

...Standing atop the observatory looking at LA after a 1-mile uphill run.

...the opening of a Toys R Us in LA. That's where I got Madden 97 and my first and second Playstation.

...Ingenue at the Union Station on a rainy day and my 8th grade graduation night party while I was dancing with someone whom I thought was the prettiest female ever

...the first time I got involved in Cultural Dancing and meeting this fine-looking dark-skinned tall Filipina woman with wide eyes named Rosalyn. She showed me how to dance and I was hooked...for life. I thought of the song by UB40 "I can't help falling in love". Of course I was only 10.

...Being taken to Coldstones on my 16th birthday and listening to trance music by Cheryl.

...2003 Family Christmas when everything was just funny and I had jokes. 2005 Family Christmas too when at about midnight I had a stripper dancing on top of me.

...visiting New Jersey, the only immediate cousins we have in the United States, and seeing actual suburbs with white people. Well, that last part made me happy the time.

...1st place in the Long Jump on my very last meet on my very last jump which wasn't very good, but I won anyway!

...Parking on Gayley at about 10:35 and waiting there till 11:00 so I wouldn't get a ticket

...my third-hand red 89 celica and its lack of air conditioning.

...the Look of Love by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66

...Viramundo and e ladrao.

...Photo books of old Los Angeles at Barnes or Borders.

...Old photos of HACLA housing at the Social Studies Library of Southern California

...lunch room Latina females and one loud Thai. LOL. It wouldn't have been my first job experience without them.

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