Tag: Target

A venture that just kinda came outta nowhere…

Posted on by anele25

It’s about 9:24PM on a Sunday night and I’m getting ready for the week but thought I would write a post about something that happened almost a year and a half ago. In September of 2019, I decided to head back to Target. I’ve documented some things about Target on this blog but nothing out of the ordinary for someone who was young and looking to earn some money in his college youth. I was gone for approximately 1631 days from Target but I learned the value of being courteous and respectful towards people who could do nothing for you but in the end, they ended up having a better impression of who it was you were and what Target could do for them. I remember most of the time they were the simplest of questions like where is the toilet paper or where is laundry detergent but that impression of getting something for the guest really helped me get over my shyness and my social awkwardness towards people. I came back with the idea of doing Target as a part time job because it would be a nice supplement to my job at the time which was research coordinator at Sutter Health.

The research coordinator position was in oncology and I saw there was some opportunities for growth. I also was told at the beginning of this assignment that the role would be temporary with no real timeline for when my assignment would end. I had a feeling that because it was to cover someone who was going on maternity leave, it would be a few months after their child was born. I realized that it wouldn’t be easy balancing two jobs but for what it was at the time, its kind of helped me see that not everything can be easy unless there are challenges along the way. That first week proved to be one of the hardest sets of shifts I had worked because I worked 8-4AM that first set of days but eventually I settled into a schedule working 7-11:45PM. I slowly would work my way into getting a set schedule and realized if this was going to work, I would need one day of rest off which would end up being Sunday. At the end of October of 2019. I got the word that my assignment was over with Sutter Health and my last day would be November 6th 2019. I left with my head held up high and full of enthusiasm for what was next. I spent the next several months applying to more than 100 jobs I would say and it was tough to say the least. I got an interview here and I even got the word that the places where I interviewed were considering me for a position but after following up on several of these, I never got anything back.

However, target did me a big favor around this time because it allowed me to continue working at a time when I had little to nothing of income. Target also gave me something I was missing before and that was the ability to work with a new generation of workers. Gone were the times when after work, we would go out to eat at a local restaurant or going to work out after work because simply put most days we have to work the next day unless it’s a weekend. Now, I was and am still focused on “putting over” the new crop of workers. It also helps that I’m not as nervous or have trouble staring people in the eye. I can mix the idea of having fun and being serious because that’s what life is. But then, something funny happened in March of 2020. California and the rest of the world started experiencing a pandemic and all of a sudden, I was now a part of the front line. Those first few days everyone shopping for toilet paper, detergent, hand sanitizer, and wipes was quite overwhelming. As the days passed, we would get products but those products were gone in an instant. I also had the looming idea that I was still only working at target and just that alone was not a steady income but I was grateful for that alone. A month or so passed after the shutdown happened and I started again applying to places again in April. The weeks passed and after several interviews got an opportunity to work at a regenerative medicine company and have been there ever since June of 2020. With target and my current job at this company, I realized it’s okay to see that one job sometimes may not be enough.

I felt that if I worked two jobs, I would be seen as less but in fact I’m grateful and blessed to be able to still work at both jobs during the current pandemic, Even during the holiday season, I realized how lucky I was because most people around the world would not be able to have the same luxury of celebrating with loved ones who may have passed away. I survived working two jobs during the pandemic and during a holiday season that felt different than most. I got a kick out of people that everyday were looking for the PlayStation 5 because of how hot of a commodity it was. I also felt happy to do my main job at the regenerative medicine company without having to call out sick to target. Just overall, 2020 may have had a crap beginning with the pandemic and shutdowns but in my opinion, it ended with a bang. 2021 is off to a good start because I’m still learning and crafting my skill set in life, at work, at home, and in other endeavors. You don’t have to be the world’s best cook or best anything you just have to be able to say I can do this if I have the support and backing of family, friends, and acquaintances because no one does it on their own. The cream always rises to the top and with that comes great sacrifice and great time learning things. I hope I can continue down this path without any major interruptions. But mostly, I would like to thank Target for giving some confidence back on assisting people shopping and just with people in general. I mentioned earlier this idea of “putting over” team members is one reason I enjoy this the 2nd time around and I really do enjoy it even more so that I think about it. I hope one day this idea of having two jobs pays off.

300 Writing Prompts #10: Have you ever taken a huge risk? What was it, and was it worth it?

Posted on by anele25

Risks in my life have never been the way to go and nor have they ever been. I once did take a risk however and in the end it was worth it. I was thinking back to three years ago today and today is the anniversary of my graduation. There were events that led up to that that started with one risk that I felt was worth it at the end. I am pretty open about my past and one of the risks I took was transferring Target stores in 2014. At the beginning of the summer in 2014, I met with a friend of mine asking if I had ever thought of transferring stores. The store was closer to my house and it would save me more gas. I also thought about the long term ramifications as if I had left the store I would be not as sentimental about leaving. For example, if I had stayed my full seven years at the same Target store I would have felt the burden of leaving behind all my friends. I worked that summer with the thought in my head that it was time to transfer. I worked closely with my managers to make sure I had a smooth transition.

 

As the date got closer, I really started doubting the decision because now I would leave everyone behind. The friends that I did make there finally became apparent to me afterward. In retail, you make these acquaintances that you may think are your friends but then after you leave you start to see who your real friends are. I left that old Target store with my head held high but I also started getting emotional towards the end of my first night. I thanked everyone for the time they had spent with me and for their mentorship as well. I walked out knowing that I had made something good there and I started crying like a baby as I walked out. I sat in my car for close to 5 minutes thinking about the memories I had made there. I told myself right then and there that everything had been worth it. The hardships, the fun parts, the struggles, and everything in between. I remember driving to Smoke Eaters that night ready to eat something because I said to myself that would be my small meal that I would eat to celebrate this new phase in my life. No longer would I be commuting and struggling to get to work in San Jose and I would be closer to home. I sat at home and wondered about what the future would bring and thankfully I was off for the next 4 days. I started at my new store that Thursday and I realized right away how different everything was compared to my old Target store.

 

Everybody seemed older and there was a mix of younger as well. I started talking to a few team members and started getting my feet wet little by little. I saw this also as a new opportunity to learn with some new team members. I remember being approached if I ever wanted to enter an executive role as well and then I started seeing how everything was constructed and I realized that it was not worth it. The way that Target works is they like to recruit from within and see team members as being ready for that role as well. An executive is in charge of owning their area and making sure their team leaders have their planners up as well as making sure their aisles are full as well. I quickly learned at my new store that staying organized is one of the bigger problems at retail. You also learn to deal with people whether they are old or young. You see the good, bad, and the ugly. That was something that was worth it because you got to serve a completely new audience and a complete new kind of guest as well. No longer, were they the high strung client from Saratoga but now they were the working middle class from Sunnyvale. I had grown up in Sunnyvale so I knew a little about what the people were like there. As the months went by, I started to realize that my time to enter into the real world was rapidly approaching. I was close to being 27 years old and some of my friends at this age already had pretty stable jobs. I was going back and forth wondering what I was going to do next. I was working at Target one day and they implemented this new strategy where they wanted everything full at certain times of the day. One day, it was my turn and by all means it did not look the best. I got berated by one of our executives and it just so happens that is when I said this place may not be for me anymore. I started thinking what can come along or what can I do to change this new environment of mine. I did my best to keep my head up but everything just kept getting worst whether it was hours or the way we were all being treated. One day, I got a call from one of friends telling me about a position opening at Stanford and if you have read some of my previous posts, I ended up leaving Target soon thereafter.

 

In hindsight, this risk I took because my friend had told me about has led me to today. I would not be the same person I am today because I learned that going into new environments can be intimidating but that is what life if all about. Adapting and overcoming those obstacles and seeing what comes out of it. I can say for how my life is that I am grateful for what has happened because the ultimate lesson I learned from my transfer to another Target store was I learned those that stick by you pull through for you in the end. It doesn’t matter whether things are the best in the world or if they are the worst in the world, they will give the skin off their back in order for you to succeed. I saw the good in what happened and now I can look back and say my risk paid off. Yes, I did miss my co-workers but then I saw they are only that: co-workers. I made the analogy the other day with a good friend of mine “when in war, you only talk about war and then everything just ends”. I made my destiny with those changes and now I am looking forward to whatever life brings next.

Writing Prompts #4: Do You have anyone in your life that has acted as a mentor to you? Have you ever helped someone out in this Way?

Posted on by anele25

The next writing prompt which is outlined above is something that I have never thought about until I saw the prompt over the weekend. Seeing as how today is President’s Day, I thought I would sit down and write a little about someone who served as a mentor for me when I started working at Target almost 10 years ago. How the timeline is doesn’t matter for context of this story because these are just a few of the things I appreciated about this gentleman. I remember meeting this older guy, who for identity purposes, we’ll call Jacob. I remember first meeting him when I was working in the grocery department and some customers were looking for somebody by his name. The catch was that they had to find someone by his name and take a picture with him. I then realized this guy must be really cool for them to ask him that and he takes the picture with them. From there, Jacob started acting as a mentor to me. I remember one particular instance where I got called by a customer and someone had (in a joking fashion) said that their name was Jose and I was freaking out because I had never even spoken to this customer over the phone. I then started asking around and asking if anyone knew who had used my name. Little did I know, Jacob told this person who had used my name to tell me that it was him because I had been freaking out. This person who had used my name then apologized and after that I said, ‘wow that was really nice of Jacob to go up to this other person and stick up for me’. I then realized that I can learn so much from Jacob and his life experiences. He had worked various jobs and he knew what it was like to interact with people. I wasn’t the most social or outgoing person and he taught to just be natural and not act awkward towards customers. I also learned that you can take things personally or not because we were dealing with people all day whether it was with managers, team members, and customers. His advice was helpful because he gave me confidence to advance in life and he also taught me one of the many important lessons in life: work hard and eventually you’ll get your due.  I also started taking a less serious approach over the months as I was working there and I remember in my review for the first year working there, I got told that I was unapproachable and didn’t seem friendly. Jacob gave me the advice that you just need to relax and not take it so seriously.

 

I started smiling a little more at work and giving good customer service as opposed to before because I was not used to being in such an environment. As the years went by, myself and Jacob started working a lot more together and we bonded over the amount of work we would have to do, life advice, and sports. The one thing Jacob helped me with was realizing how much I helped myself out by separating myself from certain people. I remember him telling me that a certain friend of mine seemed different and one piece of evidence was when this friend of mine was switching teams because his team the Broncos had lost to the Raiders (best Football team out there!). I then started realizing my friend was just trying to be trendy by being with winners. He told me specifically ‘you’re in it for the teams and sports he isn’t’. It was one of the few moments I made the analogy between folks switching teams and the friendships they build. The way you drop friends and then decide to switch teams was apparent right there. These moments that I have mentioned above are why this Jacob fellow was one of my first mentors in life. He made you feel appreciated, he listened to you when it mattered, and we also shared some details about our own lives. I appreciated another time me and Jacob had a long discussion about me transferring stores. I had done the decision because I wanted to be closer to home and I was finishing up my final year at San Jose State. He supported me in this choice and I remember feeling pretty sad because I knew that I would not be able to talk to Jacob as much as I used to. I lasted at my new Target store 6 months but I remember stopping by to make a payment to a friend of mine. I saw Jacob there and we started talking about old times. I realized that I missed his advice and I remember I would have situations where I was just stuck whether it was at home, at work, or in life.

 

Almost a year ago, I saw one of my old co-workers and she gave me the news that Jacob had recently been diagnosed with Cancer and I was extremely sad that I never got to connect with him over that. It’s funny because I asked her to give me his number so I could contact him and ask him if I could help out in any way. I never got that opportunity but I would imagine it was hard on him. I would say the second part of that prompt is something I’ve always been interested in doing but it is not something that has come up in life. I would say Jacob taught me to be me most of all and also break out of my shell when it was necessary. I remember some of his classic sayings were ‘I just work here’ and ‘two highs ok with me’. These were some of those moments that just make me smile and think he knew how to have a good time and he wouldn’t seem upset about too many things. He would just keep on trucking without any hesitation. I wonder about getting old sometimes and the wisdom that I would be able to spread to others as well. I would certainly use my old friend and mentor Jacob’s will and humor to work my way through any situation. He didn’t seem like he was angry at the world either as I mentioned earlier which is something I’ve learned to take on as an everyday motto. I also learned from him that no matter how many people you deal with in life, the ones that matter will always be closest by you when it matters. He even mentioned in passing that ‘wouldn’t you like to be my son’. He knew very well that he was sort of a father figure towards me and he would protect me. He would talk about how much his family meant to him and he would speak with glee whenever he speak about his kids as well. He’s one of the main people I think about whenever I have a problem at hand and I take his many words of advice to heart. I miss the guy and I know where ever he may he also remembers what he taught me. Thank you buddy, thanks for the memories and the laughs! Till next Time!

The winds of 2011 until the present:

Posted on by anele25

This blog, Just Another Day, has been on a hiatus for 2+ years now. I didn’t do it on purpose nor have I forgotten that the blog world exists. In fact, the original intent of the blog was to document a personal journey of sorts. Here I am 2 years later, you could say a different person. No longer am I young and rebellious (that is up for debate however). For myself, I could say I have grown more discipline and aware of the fact that I grew because I wanted to help myself. I have several avenues of people and ideals which have helped me along the way. School, well that ship I jumped on and finished with a BA in Psychology. The long tireless hours of writing papers, figuring out formulas, and generally socializing with classmates has come. It’s funny because I wrote a few years about how each year has taught me a lesson. This was back in 2013. jump in 4 years later. School took up a bulk of those years from 2013-2017. Now in the present I am a professional in the research world as a coordinator for a study which focuses on physical activity and nutrition. I asked myself this week, just how in the heck did I go from Sales Floor Team Member at Target to Social Science Research Coordinator at Stanford? I present to you the journey that all started back in 2011. That was a pivotal year in my growth and to this day I don’t know where I would be without it. Here is my story in 2011 and how it led me to today:

 

I was sitting at home one evening in 2011 after coming home from work, exhausted and getting ready to watch Monday Night Raw. This was during the buildup to WWE’s World Series WrestleMania. The Rock dazzling the audience, had just returned saying he was back. I had just finished a shift at Target where I was outside talking to a friend about life at work and life at home. The next day after being super excited from my conversation with my friend and the Rock’s return, I realized something was terribly wrong. The pain in my kidneys had returned and I knew what it was. I had kidney stones from a very early age. I made a doctor’s appointment for the next week and they referred me to a specialist thereafter. The nephrologist (name for a kidney specialist) had broken the news to me that I would need to just watch my diet and focus on exercise. Then she told me I had polycystic kidney disease. That day I learned the lesson that telling the brutal honest truth (even if it is coming from a doctor) to someone can be very heartbreaking and can do wonders for the unknown. This has helped me in my journey because I don’t want to be seen as being dishonest whether it is with a professional colleague, if it was during my time in school, or with any of my friends. Ever since, I have focused on keeping my diet steady and working on my physical activity.

 

I have never been shy also in the idea that I do not like asking for help. That year was also when I looked at myself in the mirror and said I had to bunker down and finish school. I have one or two friends who still to this day say “I want back to school” or “school is too hard”. There is that one famous Fight Club scene where Brad Pitt and Edward Norton go into the liquor store and the clerk says he wanted to become a veterinarian. The guy says there was too much school and Brad Pitt’s character says if he wants to die on his knees in the back of a liquor store. I watched that movie over ten years ago and it still sticks with me. The point is, I had nowhere to go but up. I always afraid of math. I would never ask professors for help. I said to myself all you have to do is ask for help. I talked to counselors, friends, and family on what I should do. That one friend who did end up helping me was Ricardo. I had met him almost 3 years prior. To this day on September 2nd 2017 we still talk. I talked about my decision to step away from school for a semester. I wrote about it in detail in the archives available here. The idea that he helped me is why I am forever grateful to him. I didn’t know where to go and how to do it. I know this isn’t the time or place to say so but I almost felt that him helping me on which classes I should take or where I should take those classes are why I succeeded, was almost like a calling card that this guy was meant to help me. I took the necessary classes at San Jose State all the way down to Mission College. To him, the important lesson I learned that it is ok to ask for help even if you don’t necessarily want it. Will you fail? Yes, and accepting that you tried with every bit of your willpower is what got me through. To this day, I have to remind myself that it is ok to ask for help at work, at home, or even from friends when I don’t want to seem pushy with them. I asked from help from a variety of sources that year and without them I am forever grateful.

 

The one thing that I have failed to mention along this long grueling journey is your friends will be there to support you. Whether they choose to see you and hang out with you is a different story. I had a friend named JB not too long ago. I thought the world of him and I can honestly say he knew several things that I did not. He helped me overcome my shyness and how to not be so unapproachable. We have not spoken in 6 years face to face. I’ll never know why or how it happened. I have reached out to him and I have gotten a lukewarm response of “we’ll see” or “I don’t know if I’m going to be busy”. This goes back to friends will see you if they want to see you. Even during this time frame from 2011-2017, I have gained a few friends back and some that I hadn’t heard from in years. I have two friends in particular who I think the world of. I saw them once or twice within this time frame and I never did see them again after. Friends, whether you like it or not have different priorities. One friend may be low priority or high priority depending on how both sides see it. With that I bring to you a story filled with excitement and joy that was brought about by a different source than usual.

 

I was finishing my senior year at San Jose State and during the week I had gotten a text from a friend of my brother’s. My brother had kept in contact with him from time to time. His name is Aldo and he had texted me about an opportunity to work at Stanford School of Medicine. It would be a temp position as a research assistant. I didn’t think much of it. I texted him back the next day that I would love the opportunity. That same weekend, I got the news that my Grandfather had succumbed to Parkinson’s disease and had passed away. I thought the world of him and I never got the chance to say goodbye. I remember driving to the airport (in Sacramento mind you), and my mind was racing with the idea of something new and fresh. A few months prior, I had transferred stores to another Target. The idea behind it was to first be closer to home and to finish out school easier. I also wanted to be close to a friend as well that had recently transferred there. The school year was coming to a close and my college endeavor as an undergrad was as well. Target does prepare you to deal with guests and personalities only a kindergartner could dream of. I still remember the many guest complaints we would get or the occasional obsessive personalities from one manager which I still admire to this day. However, I digress and say I was excited at having a chance at the idea. I fixed up my resume and filled out my application and sent it to my friend Aldo. I got the news the next week I didn’t get it and someone else had filled the position. I had started going to job fairs at school and said maybe that would be the answer. I couldn’t find anything that excited me (although that Walgreens manager did a really good job at selling me on the idea of being a shift leader). That year started off terrible with me being rejected at Stanford and the death of my Grandpa. But, the will of one never resists temptations to move on up. I got a call from Aldo that said I was being called up and I would need to freshen up my resume for an interview. I fixed that up and it was the first time I realized that it was going to take some courage to do this. I nailed the interview (or so I think) and the one thing that helped me was that how well you get along with others will take you far. You can be the smartest guy in the room and even that can get you some heat. I talked about some of the things that make me a good team player as well as the idea that I would need to be on board to help out. I said yes and off I went home. I didn’t think much of it and I went to my brother’s house. I got the e-mail right away that I got hired. I was elated and surprised at the same time. Two days later, I put in my two weeks at Target. As for the departure from Target, it was an experience that I’ll never forget and everybody (even if it’s for a few hours) should work retail. As a research assistant, I had the chance to recruit participants for a physical activity study on the telephone. It was really all about learning the ins and outs of eligibility. We had certain requirements (activity levels and little to no health issues). I did that for nine months and after I graduated I applied for a full time job with the same lab. I was more nervous for this position because of the added responsibilities and extra work load. However, that was not to be and I went in to interview for the position and I was told that I had gotten it a week and half later. For almost two years, I have been working on this study (with 338 participants) and now with the added knowledge that I have, I feel that it has been fulfilling, exciting, and I have made a few friends out of it. I have also gotten to see that help comes from the unknown sometimes and you may not even realize it. To my friend Aldo, I tell him from time to time that if it weren’t from I wouldn’t be where I’m at. I ultimately did it but help comes from the unexpected. Thank you my friend.

 

As I wind this down, I do want to touch on something that has brought me here from 2011 to 2017. My dog Paloma was also instrumental in helping me get here. Last year in July, she was run over and I could not save her. It was a Saturday night and I had decided to for a walk by the 101 freeway by my house. I had crossed the freeway for cars and I was very close to being hit. I barely dodged the car and I looked behind me to see her bloodied from the car that had just passed. My other dog Zorro was behind me and he thankfully survived. I remember being devastated and one person stopped to help. I did not get her name and for all I know she might have done it out of the goodness of her heart. To her I say thank you because she helped me get Paloma off the road. I vividly remember calling everyone from my mom and dad to my brother. My brother was devastated because he brought her in first to the house. She eventually had her son Zorro and I think I see so much of her in him. After I called everyone letting them know what happened, an ambulance stopped by to let me know that Paloma was no longer breathing. This was the hardest day of my life. My dad buried her the next day and I remember seeing a Paloma in the air that day and Zorro staring at it. RIP girl I miss you every day. If there’s anything that helped me get through that year of 2011 in my decision making it was that dog and her ability to cheer me up when things weren’t looking the brightest because of where my head was in terms of finishing school. She was my motivation to be loving and caring to those around me. It also helped me get outside more as well. I was close to her and I think it does help to have pets in your life. Zorro has carried on her legacy fairly well and I cherish that dog every day. I leave you with this everybody

 

I do want to continue writing on this blog and I just need to get my creative juices flowing again. I want to commit to writing at least once a month on here. Where I am now, I can’t say I am completely satisfied because I still want to travel to other places and also to explore more places. This is something that really gets me on my high horse. This has been a good reflective piece to where I am now. Till next time everyone!

Baseball, Drug Dealers, and Reverse Gravity

Posted on by anele25


“Reverse gravity has helped him get two outs that is the phrase of the night from Shooty Babbit, still trying to figure out what it is, we’re not ever gonna find out what it is but it sounded so good, I’m just not sure how it pertains to Cahill because Gravity would be moving downward and reverse would be moving upward and we don’t want his pitches to be doing that No, we want the sink action because we don’t want the rising action because if it rises it’s going to be straight, well let’s get 27 reverse gravity outs all on the ground.” Glen Kuiper and Ray Fosse on 9/21/10

I’m not sure what to say about this day the 21st of September because for all intents and purposes it was funny, serious, and filled with great conversation. It all started when I woke up this morning and took Paloma walking and it felt cold and it felt like I was freezing. Soon after, I headed to school to start my Psychology of gender class which just had a basic introduction with rules and what not but after a while it got kinda boring. Then it was to Women Studies where Ms. Cole discussed what women Studies was and after a while it made sense as to what she said. We had a few people asking questions and what not but I enjoyed it because we got some great opinions in the discussion. Eventually, JB treated me out to Panda Express which I found to be courteous of him since he’s usually not that nice to treat out his buddy to some food. After that, we headed back to school for my speech class where I surprised to see my old friend Arsh from work which was awesome because he and I are great friends as we’re always laughing about everything. After Alex Kramer explained the class, I headed out to hang with one of my best buddies Ricardo which was something that I had been looking foward to since the last time we met up. It’s something that I want to do every week because with me and him, it can’t be something that we feel we HAVE to do because then it gets compliacted. We met up at Peets Coffee over in Sunnyvale which was a nice beginning to what was sure to be another round in the saga of Ricardo and myself. However, what was a casual gettogether turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while. We started off with the usual banter of baseball which is fun because it’s all about the playoff races right now with the NL being meshed with the Braves, Phillies, Padres, Giants, Rockies,  and the Reds. Meanwhile the AL is cluttered with the Twins, Rangers, Yankees, and the Rays. After we got that out of the way and I let my emotions about work come out and how I might be thinking about a job change, we decided to go ahead and catch some of the games at Red Brick (again) which is something that is pleasant and certaintly not a waste of time. On the way there, I let Ricardo know once again that having parents in our lives gives us the opportunity to live in their home and they don’t have to accept us but they do anyway. We could leave if we wanted to but it would be difficult to do so if we had to support ourselves with money. I found it hilarious how me and Ricardo always seem to make something out of nothing with baseball because watching the Phillies/ Braves gives us an opportunity to really get engaged with two teams we’re not even fans of. Usually I would laugh about the Phillies but the truth is, they have a soild chance of winning the NL pennant again this year and even though Joe Blanton looks like he might eat a baseball every time, I still consider the Phillies the class of the NL. We also had a good laugh at our two favorite baseball announcers, Ray Fosse and Glen Kuiper and all the mistakes they make on the air but hey what can we do because they’re only human right. After we settled down and had our usual talk about baseball, we sat down and had one of the most eye opening conversations I’ve had because it for one it’s Ricardo and two I couldn’t have been happier it was anyone else. Usually, I don’t like to talk bad about people but recently I’ve had some internal feelings about how I feel about JB and the way that he is. That’s the way the conversation turned to at first which I loved because I got to hear his perspective and now that I think about it, it makes a hell of a lotta sense. The main points were this:

JB has that mentality like he’s still in high school(i.e. his dad still gives him rides to school even though he has a car, he brags about how he’s getting all these girls to text him even though he doesn’t like it and how he’s being made to feel important)

JB is very selfish, only cares about himself because he could care less about taking a class with me because it’s a free ride home and he doesn’t have to pay for his own books.

JB has the personality of a drug dealer. This one was scary to think of at first because it was hard to imagine JB being like that but after comapring him and drug dealers it made sense because he would call me like he was a brother and tell me he loved me.Of course the gullible person is always gonna come back for more because there never gonna want to stop getting it and I fell into that trap.

The more JB has gotten into shape(dropping from 230 to 170 almost) the more he’s gotten to believe to himself that he’s actually this guy that’s “hot”. Hence, when I hang with JB he says that girls are eyeing him yet what’s their purpose, maybe they’re just curious.

The idea behind JB needing me was always the true intention of why JB sticks with me. This I can believe to be true because over the past year or so I’ve done a lot for JB because I thought he was one of the good guys but the truth is, he just needed me there for his own purpose.

After that was all said and done, I had one of the best walk and talks that I’ve had with Ricardo around Target coleman which almost made me wanna just tell him what was the big deal with my perceived best friend JB. There I found out what Ricardo was: A guy that actually cares how he treats people, not just doing things cause it’s the right thing to do. Ricardo told me that night, I don’t need JB and I don’t need him and I could do great in trying to make friends anywhere else. We recounted once again what was said before but the main pints of this one were that:

What does JB mean when he says, “Your ass isn’t ready, this place needs us, They’re gonna miss us, and me and this guy don’t need to be here” The conclusion that he came to was that he’s trying to make himself feel better by saying all those things and he wants to feel important.

I believed everything that JB had said before because I saw nothing wrong with him, he was like a God to me but Ricardo kind of painted a picture of him as being this guy that draws you in with is words, kinda like a cult leader.

He would never feel comfortable when JB would make fun of me because it doesn’t seem like anything friends would do to each other.

I told him about the time that JB told me I was a better person than he was which prompted Ricardo to tell me that he sees something real in you.

JB loves the spotlight that’s why he’s always complaining about how all these girls text him but the truth is why does he respond? He’s trying to patch something up that wasn’t there before.

Anyway, long story short I was amazed at the depth of the conversation we had about JB because he has so many elements to him that it’s almost hard to tell if he’s playing with your emotions. After that I heard Ricardo’s story on this girl that he got to know a few years ago and how she always kept going back to this guy even though the guy would treat her bad. He kind of related that to the story of what’s going on with JB and how people tell others that without so and so you’re nothing which is like the whole drug dealer comaprsion. Once I heard that I was amazed to find out that she broke up with her boyfriend and she enjoyed her summer. We also talked about how before he would drink for fun and how he told a girl that if she didn’t have a boyfriend he would date her which surprise turned into him getting into trouble with this one girl before in high school. Eventually we winded it down with a good little talk about laziness which is something I hate seeing at school and at work because if people give just a little bit of effort they’ll get somewhere at least give them that. What I can conclude about that night was that I’ll never forget the encouragement and the friendship that was built from that because Ricardo and I might not see each other every day or even every week but when we do see each other, it’s something that we both want, always remember if something becomes a habit or routine then there’s something wrong or at least change it. Tuesdays are a day I cherish and I always look foward to spending time with a good friend and an even better man. Anyway, it’s getting late and I have school in the morning, so later, oh here’s something that’s awesome too:

And what the hell is Reverse gravity having to do with the way Cahill’s pitches sink huh?