A Cross the Universe

Be for I begin there are two things you must know. Latimer Siebold is an incredible writer and two I have had a soft spot for him since I met him.

"What are we doing here?" Josh asked one night as we were climbing a tree out side Latimer's dorm room.

"Nothing" I said.

"This does not feel like nothing." Josh said when we made it to his window.

"Oh what do you know." I said climbing through it.

"Seriously why are we here?" Josh said as we were standing at the foot of his bed.

"He has a great book in him, he just refuses to write it." I said. "We are pushing him in the right direction."

"I do not remember any signs to that affect." Josh said.

"You need to learn to read be tween the lines." I said. "You want to write a book. You want to write a book."

"What?" Josh asked.

"Osmosis" I said.

"That is so fake." Josh said.

"We will see." I said.

I spent the next five hours saying 'You want to write a book'. As the sun was coming up we left. A couple of hours later he was leaving his dorm, texting Loren on his phone.

"Guess what?" Latimer texted.

"What?" Loren texted.

"I think I am going to write a book." Latimer texted.

"That is so awesome, I have been saying that for ever. I am so proud of you." Loren texted.

Latimer spent the next couple of weeks talking to his teachers and advisors a bout it. They all agreed that was an awesome idea and that the book plot had to be from him. So back up the tree we went.

"What now?" Josh asked climbing through his window.

"We need to give him a book idea." I said.

"Plagarist" Josh said.

"They are his ideas but he just does not see them." I said.

"Yeah that makes sense." Josh said.

"Ssshhh" I said. "You want to write a bout Loren's year."

I repeated that for the next four hours.

A couple of weeks later we returned.

"Do you think he would mind me checking my email?" Josh asked.

"Ssshhh" I said. "You want to write home less people as angels."

"Now you feel comfortable defining us." Josh said.

"For his book I think it would be best too." I said.

I repeated that for the next six hours.

A couple of weeks later.

"I wonder if he gets HBO?" Josh asked sitting on his coach.

"Did you bring your head phones?" I asked.

"Yes" Josh said.

"Have at it" I said tossing him the remote. "You want to write a bout all your adventures you had that year."

I was three hours in to repeating that when his room mate woke up. Luckily for some reason he did not notice us and we continued for a nother hour.

A couple of weeks later.

"You want to make music a major part of the book for Loren." I said for five hours.

A couple of weeks later.

"You want to make me the narrator of the book." I said.

"Why do you get to be the narrator?" Josh asked.

"Be cause I would look better on screen." I said and resumed my chants.

A couple of weeks later at the end of the semester he presented this crazy idea he had for a book that was the narrator is an angel that appears like a home less person that be friends the dead brother of the main character of the story which focuses on her life after his death oh and each title is the title of a song in the chapter.

"I love it" his advisor said.

Then Latimer took the train to New York City to discuss this with Loren.

"Yes you have to write this it it perfect." Loren said after reading what he had. "I love it."

Latimer smiled.

He would spend the next two years perfecting his book. He would name the book "One Year". A book that went a cross the universe and back.

"That is a stretch do you not think?" Josh asked.

"I all ways stretch to get in The Beatles." I said.

Business and Service vs. Family Dollar

I spent four days working at a local family dollar as in sight in to the lives of people working under the poverty line and people who were under the impression they were saving money be cause they were shopping in a place with 'Dollar' in the name.

The first thing I learned. It does not take much to get this job. Best I could tell I got the job be cause I was over the age of eight teen and produce clean pee.

The second thing I learned. It is so easy to get the job that for the most part you are surrounded by idiots. The manager of the store where I worked at was totally over his head. Their was no tours, their was no training of any kind. The store was just a mess. There is absolutely no organization what so ever. My second day there, a girl came in late claiming she did not know she was supposed to work. At first I thought, yeah right. By the end of the week I thought, their is actually a good chance he did not tell her she was supposed to work. When you are behind schedule it is best to just have some crew stay late one or two nights and get caught up. It is not wise to throw a new hire in to the wolves. I honestly think districts needs to intervene and make some changes.

The third thing I learned was that the assisant manager Tonia should be running the place be cause she has her head on her shoulders. She is organized, patient, and an educator.

The fourth thing I learned was that when you are supposed to do three things at once nothing gets done.

The fifth thing I learned was that it is not good use of time to have the manager perform every return.

The sixth thing I learned was that Family Dollar attracts meth heads be cause they do not monitor the selling of their medicine. Which I am pretty sure is illegal.

The seventh thing I learned is that Family Dollar is not the cheapest place in town to buy stuff. Razors and shampoo are cheaper at walgreens for instance. School and office supplies are cheaper at CVS. All most every thing is cheaper at Kroger. All three are in the area of the store I worked at.

The eighth thing and must important I learned was that you all ways have to treat people with respect. Just be cause they pay with change or food stamps does not mean you can treat them less then human. They deserve the same service as you get anyy where else. Their should all ways be some one at the counter to help people. They should not have to ring a bell for service like they are not your top priority. If they would just hire a third shift, like all most every other store, they could re stock at night and during the day focus on the customer. This store could make so much more money if they would incorporate brail. There is a school for the blind two blocks a way and hundreds of blind people live with in walking distance. I estimate it would cost them 500-1,000 dollars to do this but it would really set them a part in the neighbor hood. They get a ton of elderly people, who have trouble seeing, perhaps having bigger signs, lettering, and ads would help their business as well. If they would just look at the people who came in as people and looked to meet their needs they would make so much more money.

I took this job as an observation of people. What I learned in my four days there that it has to be all a bout the people. I think I will look back on my time there and thank God I can write so I never, ever have to work there again.

"The Best Years of Our Lives": January 16 1988

“This does not seem very private.” Dave said sitting down next to Cameron at a table in the student center.

“Well Dave when I get five messages on my answering machine that go: ‘please meet me at a private place’, ‘come alone’, ‘don’t tell anyone who you are meeting or where’. I tend to believe you are going to kill me.” Cameron said. “So naturally I did the opposite.”

“Cameron” Dave said. “Who did you tell?”

“The whole group” Cameron said. “And my whole floor.”

“Cameron!” Dave shouted.

“Oh my god you are really going to kill me.” Cameron said.

“No” Dave said. “I wanted to know if you wanted to pretend date me.”

“What?” Cameron asked.

“Do you want to be my pretend girlfriend?” Dave said.

“Why do you need a pretend girlfriend?” Cameron asked.

“Because I would like it for the group to stop setting me up on these horrible dates.” Dave said.

“They are the worst.” Cameron said.

“And for some reason they leave Dave alone.” Dave said.

“Oh I know” Cameron said. “Why do you think I would want to be a pretend girlfriend?”

“Because we are both gay” Dave said.

“What?” Cameron shouted.

“Oh my gosh I am never wrong.” Dave said.

“Does any one else know?” Cameron asked.

“Of course not, that is why we keep getting those horrible dates.” Dave said.

“So what do you mean pretend date?” Cameron asked.

“Like when we have real dates we tell the group that we are going out instead” Dave said.

“Or like when our friends and family tries to set us up we can say oh we can’t because I still have that thing with Dave.” Cameron said.

“Yes” Dave said.

“That does sound like an amazing idea.” Cameron said.

“I know” Dave said.

“I now see why you wanted to do this in private.” Cameron said. “I think the whole union now knows we are gay.”

“So you will now respect my messages.” Dave said.

“Yes” Cameron said.

The two got up and left.