nz magic, 9.26.17

my girl and i sat next to an older couple tonight at nz cafe. it began when a lady asked what type of sushi roll we were eating. she was there before her husband, but once he arrived, all 4 of us ended up having dinner practically together. we spoke on how they met, how they knew how each other was the one (the husband pointed to himself and gestured ‘what’s not to love about this?’), other great restaurants in the charlotte area, and even to the time when the husband spoke with mr. levine’s son at an nz cafe visit prior. they were fun to talk to and they reminded me a great deal of my parents and cliff and clair huxtable because of how funny they were.

we ended up talking until we reached our cars, and even then, they said goodbye to us by waving and honking at a light as they turned right and we went straight. i love experiences like these, and look foward to more at nz cafe. 

perhaps a dinner with the self’s again, that would be nice.

-ratha, 6:57pm, 9.26.17

41st, 9.16.17

i served 4 ladies tonight who were celebrating their friend’s 41st birthday. if i didn’t know better, i would’ve thought they were all late 20’s or early 30’s. they looked so youthful, so timeless. they were drinking, laughing, taking photos. they were full of life. that’s what it was. happy people are beautiful, at least that’s how i look at it. they were going to either coyote joes or whiskey river (i forget which one) for a country concert afterwards. their happiness rubbed off on me for a good bit of the night.

i hope when i’m that age, i’ll have the same enthusiasm about life.

-ratha, 8:02pm, 9.16.17

this time of year, 9.7.17

football is officially back, nfl that is. i had a double today, but after my second shift, i walked to my car and noticed it was chilly outside. fall. i don’t know what’s better, the fact football comes with fall or the fact fall comes with football. football back means fantasy football is back. my manager told me to start kareem hunt, as i had spencer ware, but spencer ware is out for the season. i hope i made the right decision.

my favorite season is here. i’ve been waiting for so long.

-ratha, 10:03pm, 9.7.17

in the room, 9.3.17

meezy was in town to take a girl out on a date, so he came thru and spent the night at my house after said date. i got off work, and him and my girl came over. we all went to sam’s club where i bought a television. when i was younger, i wasn’t allowed to have a tv in my room, and i don’t watch much tv, so it made sense why i never had one in my room when i got my own place when i got older. i wanted to buy a television mainly for football season, and also, because i’m now watching shows so it makes for a better investment. the mount i bought for it beforehand didn’t fit no matter what way i put it, but fuck it, i got a tv for football season and the cosby show now.

-ratha, 10:49pm, 9.3.17

show your love for god daily, 9.1.17

on sharon amity, by the light at the walgreen’s, there is always a black man in dreads standing next to a shopping cart with a sign hanging that says ‘show your love for god daily.“ it has a smiley face beneath, along with examples of how you can including waving, smiling, etc. he’s always on that corner preaching and anytime i’m in area stopped at that light, i always turn down my music so i can hear what he’s saying. he doesn’t make much eye contact to the drivers passing by, so i don’t think he’s talking to anyone in particular, but i know god’s listening. i know he knows he’s listening. i wish i believed in something as much as he believes in his god. 

life would be much easier.

-ratha, 2:53pm, 9.1.17

moving to ohio, 8.31.17

during lunch, i served a reservation for a party of 9. come to find out the lady they were there for had been living in charlotte for 21 years (since 1996) and she was moving to ohio for a new job. that’s exciting. she’s been here since i was 3 years old??? that’s a looooooooong time. on the way out, i held the door open for her, and she thanked me by my name. how awesome is that? i told her my name one time and she remembered it. i’ll probably never see her again, but i wished her well and hoped her future would be full of life and blessings.

 
-ratha, 1:03pm, 8.31.17

17, 8.22.17

i went to aldi’s to pick up a few things. my total was $23.00 dollars. i handed the cashier two $20’s and she gave me $17.00 back. later in the night, after eating at ishi, i go to the neighborhood walmart because i forgot a few things from aldi. my total was $17.00. is that strange, or is that strange? 

17!

-ratha, 11:09pm

conversing over lunch, 8.17.17

kristi told me she met her husband waiting tables where she was from, a small town in new york, and ironically i lived in a small town in new york, too. most people think of new york city as new york–which it is– but there’s much more to new york than the nyc. 

i spent a few years growing up in warwick, new york. i miss sleepy valley, the snowy winters, and having sleep overs with my best friend andrew. it could be that i miss my childhood, but i haven’t been back since my family moved. that was 2003. 14 years ago. i want to go back to see how much i remember and how much i miss. i want to see what i missed out on and what i avoided. 

those days were so liberating. i’m adding warwick to the itinerary asap.

-ratha, 3:18pm, 8.17.17

11' memories, 8.15.17

my homie, more like mi brudda, came thru today to chop it up. i took his grad photos months ago, and somehow i never got a chance to deliver them. we’re hanging in my room talking about all our college memories, and then i bring up the one time during freshman year where the girl he had a thing with, had a best friend, who had a thing for me. it’s all so strange because they went out to the club for new year’s and i went to st. louis to celebrate my dad’s birthday with him. if i remember things correctly, the girl who had a thing for me met a guy at the club that night and they shared a new years kiss. fast forward almost 6 years later, they’re married. 

i always think of that when she pops up on my newsfeed, like what if i went to the club with them instead of st. louis? she probably wouldn’t be married. it’s all so wild how life works. speaking of freshman year, today i threw away my laptop case–that broke spontaneously during my vacation– and the rice cooker my mom bought for me for college. i remember a guy who lived down the hall from me, daniel, used to tell me how you can cook so many things with a rice cooker and that he needed one when he saw mine. ironic thing is i received an email today from fit bit saying i had a friend request. it was from daniel. 

man, we’re only getting further away.

-ratha, 11:49pm, 8.15.17

(ps. shout out my guy at live free and dye, kelly. he printed the first and only run of the midnight project shirts for me back in 2013.)

coming back, 8.13.17

i came back home today and concluded my trip was too short. i wish i could’ve stayed a bit longer, but i missed bagel too much. next time i go somewhere, i will have to take him so i can stay for a while. man, i really miss the beach. i even made a list of things i need to purchase to enhance my experience the next time i go. the list includes a body board, quality beach towels, and a bike to cruise around. on to that, i’ve also began planning my next beach trip next month for bagel’s birthday.

maybe i am becoming a real-life beach bum.

-ratha, 5:56pm, 8.13.17

we're all criminals, 8.12.17

otw to pick up lunch, i was driving listening to the radio and the host brought up that the average person commits 32 crimes in his/her life time. then he goes to mention the most common, which included speeding, pirating movies, and riding bicycles on the sidewalk. adding on to riding bicycles on the sidewalk, he said it’s illegal in ‘pretty much every state.’ i turned the corner 2 streets down and there was a group of cyclists sharing the narrow street with me. my first thought was how they could have been biking on the sidewalk, but then i remembered.

it was a strange coincidence to say the least.

-ratha, 12:45pm, 8.12.17

river street slim, 8.11.17

for some reason, i’ve been thinking of when lil wayne said ‘beach bum, call me ocean drive slim’ all day. i’ve never been a big beach fan, but at 24 years-old, i’m coming around to it. the beach was a paradise today. partially, in part because of who i was with. partially, in part because of the quality of the grouper i ate. partially, in part because of the kind people everywhere. i walked the riverwalk and enjoyed a refreshing cup of pineapple ice cream. in the shop, there was a kid who seemed to be 7 or 8 years-old walking around taking photos of everything in the store. that made me happy. i hope he keeps up with it and becomes his generation’s greatest photographer. shit, to be honest he inspired me.

when i came back to the room, i browsed the guide on the television and came across tvone playing the cosby show all night. my favorite show. i tuned in and pretended it was a thursday night in the 80’s and shared a few laughs with my love. i could get used to this.

beach bum….

-ratha, 11:49pm, 8.11.17

journal 4, 8.9.17

today marks the end of one and the beginning of another. my previous notebook was decorated and inspired by the back to the future (my favorite trilogy) hoverboard and covered my life from monday january 30th until today, wednesday august 9th of 2017. my new journal, which has ‘san diego chargers’ inscribed on the front cover, will begin tomorrow: thursday august 10th 2017.

i’m excited to experience what life has in store for me and to experience all the inspiration that will go into documenting my life within the pages of this notebook.

cheers to a new beginning.

-ratha, 5:45pm, 8.9.17

troubled apex teens, 8.6.17

i couldn’t believe i had never heard of this story back when it happened.

4 apex teens killed another apex teen in 2008. they lured him into a shed and tried to knock him unconscious with a hammer to the back of his head while one of the other teens distracted him with a tarot card reading. then they told him a hitman by the name of “roger” wanted him killed, so he could either kill himself or let them kill him. he ended up drinking lots of wine and taking a lethal amount of prescription drugs. they zip tied him, tied a plastic bag around his head, and duck taped his mouth shut. after official examination, it was said he died of asphyxiation, choking on his vomit.

sad, sad story. what’s almost as sad is how i heard about this story. one of the girls who was a part of this sinister plot, is asking for money to go to college. i went to her page, and she already had about $4300 of her $15000 goal.

trouble.

-ratha, 1:25pm, 8.6.17

you can read about it here

understandable anger, 8.5.17

i got quadruple sat tonight at work, and one of the ladies at one of my tables told me how ridiculous it was that it took 15 minutes to get her drinks. i didn’t think it took 15 minutes, but then again, i was busy running around. i apologized and told her i was trying my best. she spoke to my manager and he told me to not worry too much about it. later in the night, i notice she begins to be so polite and kind towards me. it was strange because she was very angry earlier, so i approached my manager and asked what he did. he said he didn’t do anything, he didn’t even comp the food. i go back at the end of their meal and apologize for the wait and the lady’s husband reassures me it’s fine. he then goes on to tell me he worked at an italian restaurant back in ‘92 serving. it was off of park road but didn’t exist anymore. he didn’t look old at all, maybe mid-30’s, i was surprised. he ended up leaving me a $20 bill on a $63 check. 15 minutes to get drinks? i understood his wife’s anger, but serving? i’m glad he could see i was trying and i’m glad he understood it.

-ratha, 8:48pm, 8.5.17

charged up, 8.2.17

james and stephan, two coworkers of mine who also happen to be new york giants fans, confidently think the giants will beat my superchargers come sunday october 8th in east rutherford, new jersey. james won’t put $50 on it and stephan didn’t make the bet official.

the hesitance lets me know everything i need to.

-ratha, 5:55pm, 8.2.17

hole in the wall, 8.1.17

my girl and i decided to try a new spot today, new zealand cafe. we found nz cafe from a random google search of the best japanese food in charlotte. i was confused as to why it was called ‘new zealand’ cafe, but nonetheless we went to try it, and my god, it was fantastic. first off, it’s a very small restaurant in a strip mall that includes a harris teeter. not an ideal spot, but when we got there, there was a 15-20 minute wait. we finally got sat and ordered. i got the honey chicken and shrimp, with calamari. when i tell you it was phenomenal, i mean top restaurant food i’ve had in my life. the chicken was juicy, sweet, and flavorful. the rice was soft and fresh. i even ate the salad that came with my meal, and i hate salads!! if you’ve never been, you have to go. i still can’t stop thinking about the food.

a trip back to new zealand cafe is on the itinerary, and of priority.

-ratha, 8:31pm, 8.1.17

waiting, 7.31.17

when will i learn to stop waiting? the more i wait, the more my belief shifts from this is just a part of the journey to it’s not meant to be. i’m only getting older and time is only getting quicker. it’s like i play this dangerous game of procrastination to see how difficult i can make it for myself to be who i want to be. the thing is, is if i’m not who i want to be, who am i now? do i not love myself like i proclaim to? 

whether i play the waiting game or not, i guess time will tell.

-ratha, 12:31pm, 7.31.17

s2; ep9, 7.30.17

i could watch episode 9 of season 2 of master of none over and over. the visuals are stunning and the emotions the characters feel are ones that transcend the screen and make you feel things you wished you’ve felt before. i’ve always romanticized new york city as a place where dreams come true and people find love. it’s been 13 years since i’ve been, and i don’t think i can wait any longer.

i wonder if the city will treat me the way it did when i was an 8 year-old kid. i’m ready to see the statue of liberty, the sky scrapers, the life, the food, and the possibility. hopefully i’ll run into dev and francesca while i’m there, too. i’ll get to telling them how they inspired me to miss a place i’ve never loved.

-ratha, 8:56pm, 7.30.17

like mr. mike said, 7.29.17

never let anybody bring you down.
never let anybody bring you down.
never let anybody bring you down.
never let anybody bring you down.
never let anybody bring you down.
never let anybody bring you down.

-ratha, 10:37pm, 7.29.17