.: Mac Vibes™ :.

3.26.2007



- Explosm.net - Comics: Cyanide and Happiness

Cyanide and Happiness, a daily webcomic
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3.13.2007



- random thoughts: death and family

Aight so this morning as I was getting ready for work, for some reason I thought about my high school homeboy Alfredo Leon Penn-Harris.

I think I met Alfredo my 8th grade year in middle school... or was it my 9th grade year in high school... My memory sucks so some of the details will be foggy and since it's a true story I won't embellish like I usually do =). I'm trying to think now but I don't even recall HOW I met 'Fredo', I think it was on the Tri-Met (public bus system).

Fredo was a tall slim dude, I'd say 4 or so inches taller than me but skinner than I was and if you know me I was skinny. I recall being weighed in my physical education class at 98lbs. I use to lie and add 20lbs if ever asked. We were the same age and went to different high schools. I was super quiet back then and he talked too dang much sometimes lol. So besides us both being skinny, I'm not sure why we clicked.

Fredo lived in pretty much in the hood but in a nice house in the hood. His pops was in the penitentiary for hustling from what I remember. I don't think I ever met his moms. He stayed with his dad's mother in a house I always assumed was from hustle money. He had other uncles that would come around and they hustled too. One was recently released, swollen as hell up top but legs just a little bigger than mine lol. Another would always have different cars. I'd see that one more and he was hella cool. It was only Fredo, his grandmother and his aunt that lived in the house. His out was only a year or two older than me. She never gave me any play! Fredo's mom had another son, can't remember his real name but everyone called him Woozy. Woozy was young, maybe 8 years younger than us.

Just from being around dude, I use to learn how to communicate with people. Fredo know dang near everybody and everybody knew him. He probably knew more people in my high school than I did.

Fredo and I were close until I left for college. He was still in Portland; I think he went to community college off and on. I didn't call back to Portland much, mostly because I couldn't afford too.

This really isn't totally about Fredo but that's some background on him. I don't recall when but one year when I was back from school and I went to his grandmother's house. We talked for a minute, he wasn't really doing much on a day to day basis but he was hustling now. Not sure if it was then or later that he told me that he was in a high speed chase with the police and actually got away but they came to his house to get him.

Time goes on, my memories are less, and I hear that Fredo got locked up. I think in the same prison his pops was in. Sucks. I remember when the HBCU Tour came to Portland, that's when I found out about Fort Valley State and other schools. He had talked about going to Southern.

I'm not sure if I even knew or when I know that Fredo was released but this past July I was in Portland for a 30th birthday party.

This younger cat walks up to me and says, "You don't remember me do you?"

"Naw, wassup?"

"I'm woozy, Fredo's brother."

"WORD, wassup family?"

"You know Fredo died last year?"

"Whaaaaaat... naw I never heard that!"

"Yeah, remember he had that heart problem and hated taking his med? He had a heart attack and died at work"

I was so stunned for most of the night after that.

Every now and then I think about all of this over and over, this morning was one of those mornings. When I got to work I wanted to look in the Oregonian to see if they still had the obituary. I guess they don't keep articles that long but this was all I was able to find.

http://search.oregonlive.com/sp?aff=100&keywords=Alfredo+Leon+Penn-Harris&x=26&y=13

Alfredo Leon Penn-Harris
Fri, 30 Dec 2005 01:01:00 EST
A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006, in Zeller Chapel of the Roses for Alfredo Leon Penn-Harris, who died Dec. 28, 2005 at age 29. Mr. Penn-Harris was born Aug. 18, 1976, in Portland. He graduated from Lincoln High School and was a ...

- The Oregonian (Article) : Read More

I searched a few ways but that was the ONLY thing listed with no actually more to read in the Read More link.

While searching I came across another link that had a way to create a Moving Tribute™ for those that have died.

http://obits.oregonlive.com/Oregon/DeathNotices.asp

It is two brothers on it so I looked at those first. The cat on the bottle middle passed at 50 and left behind two children, an ex-wife and a life partner (no jokes). He had a Sezary Syndrome which he eventually succumbed to.

The second cat, an older guy Beauford Clayton passed at 76 and I was wowed by the size of his family.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 48 years, his parents and five siblings. Survived by SEVEN children and 38 grand/great grand kids. If you look at the tribute, you'll see pictures of the family and how large it was.

One day, Lord willing, I want a large family. It seems like it is going to be a challenge for me since I am in my 30s and basically starting from just me since most of my family being in other parts of the world. Growing up, my family was large. I was the youngest cousin so imagine the youngest in the Clayton family having all those other relatives around. It was great. I want the same thing for my kids.

I actually had a few more thoughts on it but work calls...
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3.12.2007



- Bruno Magli

Anyone know who he is? I'm sure some of you have heard about him back in... 1995.

Bruno Magli is an Italian shoemaker whose shoes became famous during the O.J. Simpson trial.

Bruno Magli shoes were in the spotlight during O.J. Simpson's trial, when on June 19, 1995 Federal Bureau of Investigation expert William Bodziak testified that the famous bloody shoe prints at the scene of the double murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman had been left by a size 12 pair of $160 Bruno Magli shoes ("Lorenzo" model). Simpson called the Brunos "ugly ass" shoes while denying he ever owned them.[1] The actual shoes used during the crime have not been recovered.
I've had mine since 2001 or so but I rarely wear 'em. Plain looking black shoes but they're comfortable. I didn't realize HOW comfortable until today.

I left my house and it was a little cloudy but I didn't bother to check the weather. By the time I get to work, it's pouring down raining and windy as heck. I step out of my car and the umbrella breaks. CRAP!!! So now I am about 1/4 mile walk away from my office with no jacket. I tried to walk fast but that wasn't working, I was getting soaked. I broke into a sprint... I felt like I was running on air.

These shoes are so dang comfortable, I ran to the office the long way just for the exercise. I thought about looking like a fool running around the facility but with the rain folks shouldn't question why I was running. I even ran to lunch a little while ago. It stopped raining 2 hours prior. But I can see how O.J. made his smooth get-away. I'm thinking about running up on some white women tonight, I'll let yall know how it goes.
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3.05.2007



- Blog Subscription

I forgot to mention, if you subscribed to my blog in the past you must resubscribe since I changed the subscription service, or distributors if you will. =)
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- new music

I updated my music over the weekend.

Oh, also went to see 12 Angry Men, a staring George Wendt[Norm from Cheers] and Richard Thomas to name a few.

http://www.12angrymentour.com/

I enjoyed it. I actually had a good weekend, I need to have more like 'em. I really didn't do much but it was still good, I love those. Went to the play, forced to watch reality TV, and went out to eat before going to a small house party for a little while.

...dang, back to work
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