The weekend’s over and a new work week is upon us. Another Monday is here and you know what that means – a new hour of “24” for Jack Bauer fans. That hour seems to go by so quickly, though, which is why I don’t like to answer my phone or reply to text messages or IM’s when the show is on. If you call during a commercial, we can talk at least until it comes back on. The hour is so action-packed, I want to make sure I don’t miss anything. And talk about action-packed, March Madness begins this week which will explain the extended lunch breaks and the video streaming of the games on your computer at work. I remember seeing a story on the news last year that March Madness is one of the least productive times of the year for many companies. So if you’re gonna watch at your desk, make sure you keep the volume down and find a way to look busy if your boss should walk by. Or if that’s a little too risky, just use your cell phone to get the scores and highlights.
Moving on, July 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays. I get such a thrill from watching the fireworks explode in the open sky. Growing up my cousins and I liked to put on our own little fireworks display in the field next to my grandmother’s house. Of course we would have the usual firecrackers, sparkers, stink bombs, etc. But we also made our own ghetto fireworks using Brillo pads (YES, Brillo pads). This is how we did it: First, take the pad and attach it to the end of a straightened wire hanger and make sure to bend the end so that the pad won’t slide off. Next, make a small hole in the pad and insert a strip of newspaper or brown paper bag. Finally, get someone to light the paper with a lighter and wait for the fire to reach the pad. Once this happens, extend your arm holding the other end of the hanger and then swing it around in a circular motion. As you do this, the sparks (illuminated fragments from the pad) fly off a little at a time until the pad is all used up. Ghetto, right? I know, but it actually was a lot of fun for us. One year I decided that I wanted to be the one to twirl the hanger. So once the Brillo pad was lit, I started swinging my arm and I watched the sparks fly. But I guess I must not have been doing it right because I saw a spark land on my shirt - my favorite shirt and it was made of lacey material. Anyway, when I looked down, I noticed that the spark had burned a small hole in my blouse so I immediately DROPPED the hanger and started patting my shirt to make sure that the fire was out. Seeing that I was ok, one of my cousins picked up the hanger and finished twirling until the pad was gone. From that point on, I had no interest in doing that ever again. I’m just so thankful that a spark didn’t land in my hair. At the time of the incident, I had not yet started wearing a jheri curl (that came years later while in middle school). And we ALL came to find out that flying sparks and a head full of jheri curl juice don’t mix. That was a lesson learned when Pepsi was “The Choice of a New Generation.” Poor Michael.
And speaking of Michael (Jackson, that is), a few weeks ago one of my Facebook friends was trying to find others who remember the song that Kim Fields wrote and sang to Michael Jackson in her early teens called “Dear Michael”. I remember hearing it on the radio and thinking that after Michael heard the song, he and Kim Fields would start dating and then get married some day. Obviously that’s not what happened, though. But I wonder if she regrets ever recording that song. Probably not since she was only a teenager at the time and it was most likely just a big crush. Whether she regrets it or not, it’s one of those things that will never be forgotten – especially when there’s a video out in cyberspace of her singing it on Soul Train. Check it out.
It’s like one of those embarrassing home videos your parents took of you when you were a kid. Thanks for the memories (and the laughs), Ms. Fields.
Finally – Happy Birthday wishes go out to Aquito T. and everyone else who is celebrating a birthday this week. Take care and have a blessed week! Go Carolina!!
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