unlearning.

the first time i went to dc i was in elementary school. my mom, stepdad, stepbrother and me. we stayed at econo lodge. first class all the way! 

bob's priority was to pack as much seafood into the coolers he lugged with us as possible, as early as possible. having a chef for a dad was a pretty good deal. midnight snacks always made to order. 

i have a distinct memory of sneaking down to the hotel lobby with rob. they had a vending machine that had magic tricks in it. we were endlessly fascinated with all these crappy toys. card tricks. slight of hand. easy to please. 

down in dc last november i tried to make it to the spy museum, but cut it too close to closing time.

now rob's a dad. his kids are into video games and wwf, i mean wwe, bratz dolls.

we had the original super mario brothers way after it was cool, the iron sheik and G.L.O.W. i would get a barbie and promptly lose their shoes or accessories. took one of my mom's original vintage skipper dolls and gave it a mohawk! ha. she was less than thrilled.

we had walkmen to listen to L.L. or will smith back when parents didn't understand. 

other kids had nicer, newer toys. of course there was competition, but the times you would hear about a kid getting jumped for a starter jacket, (miami was the big team), or air jordans were few and far between up in syracuse. 

my cab driver earlier today was telling me about how he's lived in williamsburg for 41 years. all the changes that he's seen. gangs. industrial neighborhoods changing to residential. people always assume i'm younger than i am. he was impressed that i referenced "the warriors". 

i like surprising people with what comes out of my head. 

postscript...

missed her dc show because i didn't want to stick out. during my period of black cigarette pants and conforming.

"my world it moves so fast today

the past it seems so far away

and life squeezes

so tightly that i can't breathe

and every time i've tried to be

what someone else thought of me

so caught up i wasn't able to achieve

but deep in my heart

the answer, it was in me

and i made up my mind

to define my own destiny

i look at my environment

and wonder where the fire went

what happened to everything we used to be?

i hear so many cry for help

searching outside of themselves

now i know that...strength is within me

and deep in my heart 

the answer, it was in me

and i made up my mind

to define my own destiny"