Packing My Bowl of Pipe Dreams

Today I hosted a dinner party for nine people including me.  Some friends and some family.  In case you don't follow along, I entered a cook off on August 28th.  Since then I've been putting together a team: one or two more chefs (me included) and I have to have two women serve my food to patrons.  

Today's dinner went well.  We've got some positive feedback and some constructive criticism....just what we needed.  I found a good partner chef and two gorgeous women to serve my food.  

Like I've said, I've made some great connections and met some new people who share passions for the same things I do.   It's been my "pipe dream" to open my own restaurant for the last seven years now.  I love to cook: I love peoples' criticism because 9 out of 10 times it's good.


For the last few months I've been living my dreams: baby step from one to the next, seems to be working for me.  Right now I am loving life and even more the people who believe in the pipe dreams I have.  I bring it, I don't sing it when it comes to living the ultimate dream.  

 I set my psychical abilities (hips/back) aside when it comes to being in a kitchen: that's what the pills and smoke-able medicine is for.  


One thing that's been on my mind all day is that I haven't talked to my little women.  I know don't need to talk to me everyday to know that their dad loves them;  I miss them when they're not here and I don't have to make a phone call everyday for them to know that.  

Nonetheless, first dinner practice went well.  I've got an awesome team that loves to cook and two beautiful women to help serve food.  My team will place in this competition and I'm sure of that.

CHI-TOWN AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND

I met this great woman earlier.  She was smoking the hookah outside, alone; my perfect chance to ask her if she wanted company. WIN.

We get to chatting; I cut right through the bullshit, and ask about her availability.  She explains she went to school on the East coast, and is damn near a doctor.  Luckily I mingle with a doctor at the cigar bar: I hooked them up and my buddy said he needs somebody like her. 


Major brownie points for me!  I maybe a nobody but I know the right people.  So after the introduction, I inquire about her boyfriend in Jersey; whom she's going to see in like two weekends.  She talks about it nonchalantly.


I ask what she's doing this weekend.  Contingent on her friends plans, we are going to Chicago next weekend: to shop!  


If you think about it, I just so happened to talk to her and we've got plans for Chicago next weekend.  She's paying her way, my flight tickets with her frequent flier miles and I'll secure the room someplace like the "W."  

We exchanged numbers before we parted ways, but she says she's  going with me to Chi-town to shop!  My kind of lady.  


She is one of the finest Black women I've ever met.....plus she's got awesome feet!

The Downriver Cook Off #2

August 28th is the Downriver Cook Off #2.  I was invited to the event and noticed you could enter as a chef! Ta-da!  I emailed the host and he emailed me the itinerary for the day.  But to me the itinerary is vague about the rules.  Only states that your food will be judged.

If you're on Facebook you can find the event by following the link right here: The Downriver Cook Off #2

I do plan on entering as a competing chef (if I even live up to that title yet).  So I sit here and wonder how many people would come out to support an unknown chef named TDRR?

It will be at Silver Shores in Wyandotte on August 28.  $25/ticket, $50 restaurant/chef entree fee.

The Anniversary of My Break-up

There's one thing that humored me about my past relationship; when the ex wanted to go out, I'd bitch because we never had the money when I wanted to go out but when she wanted to go out we had the money. Ironic.  Seldom we did things as a date night. 

When I'd bitch about it, hand on hips too, she'd be like "it's not babysitting your kids!" 

What the fuck?  It's not about being a babysitter, more so a caregiver or selfless adult who puts his kids first but of course I'm sure you've heard about the addict, womanizing, liar, cheating dreamer.  I'd had eight years to sit around and pack my bowl full of pipe dreams, prepared for the uncertain future was I? No. 

I'll be the first to admit I had issues that evolved around her issues and she made the first move in calling it quits; maybe it was the best thing to ever happen to us?  I'm happy, she's happy, things seem to be going well for the most part presently.

It's been a year since my ex told me to move out.  I didn't want to go but sitting here a year later I can say it's the best and worst thing that's happened to me in the past year.  It gave me that little kick in the ass to start working on my dreams, most likely not her intent for making me vacate the premises we called home. 

The only place I had to go was to my parents' house.  I loaded a suitcase one year ago today (7/12/10) and left for my parents' house.  That was a very hard summer for me not being under the same roof as my girls, being able to tuck them in at night.  Many nights I did cry as I worked on my handwritten journals knowing I wasn't going to be there when they woke up. 

I'd raised those girls since they were fresh outta the womb.  I'm not saying momma didn't help but she went back to work after her maternity leave, which I was believe was 8 - 10 weeks.  Call me an idiot if I didn't get those facts right.  So there I was, a year and a half since my accident (10/15/02): going from earning $50k as an apprentice Boilermaker to pulling in a steady $500 a week on workers compensation  and also a stay at home dad.

I know what women go through having to maintain a household and children at once.  At one point we had both girls in diapers: that was a big fucking pain in the ass!   But I toughed it out and my ex and I stuck it out seven years.

Living with my parents was torture: they are set in their ways, and me staying there threw a big monkey wrench into their routines.  The first few months were cool but then mine and my dad's relationship started to go astray to where we avoided each other.  That sucks when you live under that person's roof. 

Fast forward till today: life is good, the girls and I have our own home, and they believe in the same pipe dream I do about the restaurant.

I was telling my mom earlier about how happy I am that things are finally going my way, and that I've met some really great new lady friends lately.  Mom cut through the crap cake and broke it down like this:

You need a women that accepts you for you, and one who supports your endeavors.  I've seen the women you've went out with and you're looking in the wrong direction.  You need a good woman who already has a good career, not the high maintenance ones you've went out with.  You need a woman who supports your every effort but is able to still make her own money or has a goal, direction in life. And one who can make a decision on her own!

Didn't realize I was fucking up on the dating shit before my ex, why tell me after? 

So here I sit exactly one year later and life these days isn't where I expected to be a year from last but I'm grateful for the things I have.  I get my daughters quite often, I cook for them (big on the family meal together) and we always have fun together.

It's the little things that count the most to those little ladies: Coldstone is always a winner with dad, but only if they act like ladies while out!  My girls amaze me by their brilliance and vocabulary; most of which they know not to repeat outside of 402. 

Wow.  How much a person can change over a year.  The handwritten journals (on #7) are a great reference to me.  I like to go back to the beginning of this date a year ago and see how much my line of thinking, and my emotions have all evolved since then.  Some of the stuff I read I cannot believe I used to think in the manner I did because I'm in such a much happier place now.

Back to the finding the right one: I've quit looking because most likely the perfect on is right under my nose.  I'll admit that my ex was very pretty, but as I grow older my taste has changed.  I'm just waiting for that one to come along who accepts the girls and I as a package deal, whose down with my restaurant business, and one who wants to be a family.  I want to travel and see the world from a different perspective as a family, it'd be nice to come across someone with the same ambitions.

As of now I'm content but always dream of that one who shares your dreams.

No Smoking on Your Balcony (Updated)

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from my landlord's leasing agent (aka little bitch).  I saw his number come up on my caller-id so I took the call; maybe he wanted to ask me about some maintenance work they did in my loft?

It does state in my lease that smoking is prohibited in the building and is grounds for eviction if it becomes a problem.  Before I even leased this place I asked about smoking on the balcony, which he said was fine.

So the call yesterday was about smoking.  When I answered the phone he greeted me and asked how I was doing.  Small talk.  He cut to the point and asked that I not smoke on my balcony for a couple weeks.  He asked me to not smoke "cigarettes" as frequently or try to blow the air up.  He did say cigarettes but I knew he meant the medical mary jane.  


The lady below me has three kids, two are around my girls' age but I won't smoke the m.j. if I hear the kids on their balcony.  Apparently my medical smoke must be traveling down into their apartment.


I told Yasir "yes I will take it easy and try not to smoke as much." (the meds I meant)  He told me he'd call me back in two weeks to let me know how things were going.  Is that how long it will take him to legally get a warrant to search my apartment for my medicine?  I don't do illegal drugs so he couldn't evict me based on the use of marijuana seeing that I have a card to use it.


I just found it amusing that he'd call and ask me not to smoke on my balcony while others in the building smoke in their units.  I knew what he meant when he said "cigarettes."  


Well I'm sorry.  I don't use marijuana as a recreational drug anymore.  Combined with my daily medications I get relief of pain and anxiety by smoking so I'll make sure to blow the pot smoke UP in the air but I'm not going to stop smoking!!


I will let you all know what comes about with this "smoking issue."

Friday morning

Friday morning I had my head phones on and my grocery bags on my way to shop.  The head maintenance man was in his van as I came out of the building.  I had a cigarette in my mouth in the elevator as the other maintenance man was getting on and I was coming off, cigarette wasn't lit.

When I walked outside and lit up the maintenance man called me over to his van and started yelling at me like I was a teenager.  "We got another complaint about you smoking on the balcony already this morning!  Everyday we get a complaint from the neighbor below." 


Before going off on this motherfucker, I bit my tongue and asked why he was talking to me the way he was.  I told him my rent is paid ahead, I don't party, and I keep to myself.  "I will not hold a conversation with you since you are going to speak to me in a disrespectful tone, and it is my balcony and I will smoke on it if I choose to.  End of story....good day!"


"We got a complaint this morning from the lady below you, she says she could smell smoke in her bathroom." said the Nazi maintenance man.


"I don't smoke in my bathroom, and even if I did: one, smoke rises and two, smoke is not going to permeate downward through a 4 inch thick concrete floor." Duh.


I dug into my wallet, grabbed a card for my defense lawyer and said if you get any more complaints, call him and I'm done speaking with you.


Haven't heard a word since.