School ain't gone help none!

Oh my God! Today, I meet a real-life version of Mary Jones, the mother of Precious from Sapphire’s noted novel Push. It’s just that in this case, Precious is an underachieving sixteen year old male who is currently failing my class.

I have never in my life had a parent conference like this. She screamed at me, insulted me, and called me names. And all of this because her child made the choice to not complete course assignments.

The poor child has a very low average in my class and the cause of the low score is six zeros for unattempted work.

I don’t care about a student’s grades. That is not my concern or something I should be concerned about. I care about a student learning. If a student learns, their grade reflects that learning. However, in this child’s case, as seen in the very low average, learning has not occurred.

As I am sitting in the conference, I could not help but think:
Why are you having a conference with a week left in the semester?
Why did you act like I have not been calling you all semester to discuss the child’s very low average?

This Conjure (love you, Purveyor) had me sitting in that meeting feeling like Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey’s character from Precious).

And you know you lying about that welfare!

I don’t think I can legally go into great detail (oh, I swear my education director reads my blog) but know that this Conjure gave me a headache and it is still lingering… although this glass of Marker’s Mark is making me feel slightly better…

My thoughts on the next mayor of Atlanta...

The battle to be the next mayor of Atlanta has the city and the kids in an uproar. It has me in an uproar.

I do not live within the city limits of Atlanta. I actually live six miles outside of Atlanta proper in a house located in Dekalb county that will never sale. I cannot vote for mayor so my opinion does not matter but the election results will have far reaching effects on me and everyone who calls Atlanta (proper or metro) home.

At first I thought the idea of Mary Norwood as mayor was promising. I agree with a number of voters that the idea of Atlanta’s first white mayor getting elected in over forty years is refreshing. The election of President Obama proved that race is not a pressing issue when voters are given a qualified candidate. The problem with Mary Norwood is that she is not qualified.

A great article appeared in last week’s Creative Loafing. Read it at http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/our_pick_for_mayor_kasim_reed/Content?oid=1115613 .

Kasim Reed has worked hard to build connections within the city and state that will prove exponentially beneficial to all within and around Atlanta.

What? You mean I can go home? It’s been 72 hours already?

Hello… I’m back and my life is still a mess.

Let me say right now that I am very sorry. I feel like a bad friend for abandoning your for an entire month. I am glad that you read this blog. I value your commentary and your input. It means a lot to me that you take time out of your day to read about my life. It’s just that lately, I have really been going through a lot and I needed some time away from introspection and revelation. But with the help of friends and first family, I am back and ready to blog away.

An update:
Hello. Have a seat. I have something to tell you, honey. Parker and I are not together but it does not mean that we do not love you very, very much. We do.

I thought that was funny. We are working on our relationship- I don’t know if that will result in a relationship that is a partnership or a friendship but it will result in two people who love each very much.

And now it’s time for the Atlanta’s mayor’s race…

Trying out new iPhone app...

All good things come to an end... I'm through with it...

I am single. It’s been four months of working it out to realize that it cannot be fixed. I really don’t have much to say other than this is not my decision even though it’s probably my fault. Life is hard and relationships are too. It’s hard to balance work and home and school and love. It’s a war and I lost. And not only did I lose the relationship battle, I’ve lost the battle with the bulge. I have been eating myself into oblivion. The worse I feel, the more I eat. Corey is such a mess. I don’t think I have ever been more of one.

There isn’t anything else to say, really. I am at home, listening to Stevie.

“Over time, I've building my castle of love
Just for two, though you never knew you were my reason
I've gone much too far for you now to say
That I've got to throw my castle away

Over dreams, I have picked out a perfect come true
Though you never knew it was of you I've been dreaming
The sandman has come from too far away
For you to say come back some other day

And though you don't believe that they do
They do come true
For did my dreams
Come true when I looked at you
And maybe too, if you would believe
You too might be
Overjoyed, over loved, over me

Over hearts, I have painfully turned every stone
Just to find, I had found what I've searched to discover
I've come much too far for me now to find
The love that I've sought can never be mine

And though you don't believe that they do
They do come true
For did my dreams
Come true when I looked at you
And maybe too, if you would believe
You too might be
Overjoyed, over loved, over me

And though the odds say improbable
What do they know
For in romance
All true love needs is a chance
And maybe with a chance you will find
You too like I
Overjoyed, over loved, over you, over you”

Momma Dearest?

My mother and I have never been best friends. It’s not as though my mother and I do not love each other. We do. It’s just that we really don’t understand each other.

My mother always wanted a normal son and I was anything but normal. She wanted a boy who romped around, was funny and endearing, and who knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Nope. Not me. I didn’t romp around. I wasn’t very good with hand and eye coordination. I wasn’t funny or endearing. I was… me to put it simply. I belonged behind a book, not a baseball glove. And I never knew when to shut up. And nope, I still haven’t learned according to most people.

I was never the son my mother wanted but she learned to accept me. These are not things we have shared through conversation, mind you. There are some things you just now. And with this, I am now struggling to accept her.

My mother is dating a 36 year old. I am thirty. I know this guy. We went to the same schools. I just don’t know if this is okay, but I have diffantely made her think it was.

My mother accepts my love life so I think its only natural that I accept hers.

And if you ever wondered where I got my penchant for cute, younger guys… yup, I got it from my momma.

You may think you know, but you have no idea... (Read YBand DL first...)

Great bloggers inspire other bloggers to write. This weekend, while finally catching up on my blog reading, I ran across a great blog written by YBandDL where he made a number of great points regarding the nature of being a blogger. The post, which can be found at http://youngblackanddownlow.blogspot.com/2009/10/you-think-you-know-but-you-have-no-idea.html, stated that while we may read a blogger’s post daily, we actually don’t know who that blogger may really be as a human being. This really made me think. I agree wholeheartedly with YBandDL.

The reason I write this blog, the reason I started it in the beginning, was to be honest and provide a true window into my life for my friends, both far and near. I want people to know me for who I am and to accept me for who I am. Sometimes this happens. Sometimes it doesn’t.

As the months go by, however, I find that I do pick and chose what I post and what I reveal. Parker doesn’t want me to write about our relationship and I understand and respect that so I don’t. That is a given but in regards to the other areas of my life, I could definitely be more candid.

Some may say that I don’t owe it to anyone to reveal more aspects of my life, but I beg to differ. I owe it to every reader to provide a worthwhile and valuable read. That is my goal and that is my pledge. When you load www.coreyisamess.blogspot.com, it is my hope that you find something that can on days inspire, on others inform, but that can always enrich your blogosphere experience.

With that said, I am happy to bring back 21 Questions. Each reader is encouraged to ask three questions and I will answer each up to question 21, honestly and candidly.