the details

Oh my god! What a weekend! I mean damn! Three days straight of being in my hometown just vibing, soaking up the local flair and being with my people. This is what birthdays are made of.

I finally got on the road about 9 on Friday morning and I got into LA at about 12:30. I went straight to my grandmother’s house because three and a half hours of driving with no rest stops means I have a bladder full of pee by the time I get to L.A. I took the 15 to the 10 to the 110 and got off on Imperial Hwy, heading west until I reached Denker. Yes, my grandmother lives in the hood.

It’s a familiar hood though. One I’d spent countless summers roaming around, playing in the dips at Southwest and walking to the K-Mart on Imperial and Western to steal candy with my friends. I thought of all these things I drove through the neighborhood. The sun was shining bright and I was already on an L.A. high. Too bad my grandmother wasn’t home when I pulled up. I did the pee pee dance all the way across the street to my uncle’s baby’s mama’s house (for real) but she wasn’t home either. I didn’t know what to do so I pulled the car around to the alley and copped a squat behind the car, all the while looking both ways up and down the alley to make sure no one was coming. TMI I know, but it’s all pertinent to this story. At this point I’m thinking damn, is this the way the weekend is going to go? With me missing connections with people?

don’t let anyone tell you anything different, when you have to pee, that is all you can focus on, i swear to god. so after i peed, i decided i would go check into my hotel room, change my clothes and continue my mission to run the errands i said i wanted to run once i got into the city. i had intended to get my hands and feet done, get a haircut and maybe if i had time go last minute shopping in case i changed my mind about what outfit i wanted to wear to the concert that night.

so i get to HoJo and find a parking spot right in front of the door (score!) and walked up to the counter. I had done everything over the internet via Expedia dot com, so the room was prepaid and all they needed to do was give me a key and point me towards the elevator. Pay attention now cause this is gonna go fast.

They confirm with Expedia that I indeed have a pre-paid room so they give me my key and send up to the 9th floor where i find that my room is like right in front of the elevator doors. The room itself is large and roomy and I contemplate throwing a get together in it later in the weekend just because I have that much space. But no time to worry about any of that now, because I need to go get my hands and feet done. My sister is blowing up my cellular at this point to make sure I’ve made it into town. She informs me that she has set up the nail appointment for me at Classy Nails which is in Santa Monica on Lincoln and Pico. I met Jimmy who was put in charge of giving me a pedicure and a manicure. There was another lady in there who would be waxing my eyebrows for me. My sister told me they use the string technique and I had never heard of it but now i’m sold on it. Doesn’t hurt like the regular wax way, and my face did not break out from the wax either which was a definite plus.

I left the nail shop at 4pm and the concert was starting at 7:45. I knew I didn’t have time to make it from Lincoln and Pico to Pico and Fairfax in time enough to get a hair cut and then get back to Manchester and Airport to my hotel to change and then back to Beverly Hills to meet my sister for the concert so i decided to just go get dressed. It took me an hour to get from Lincoln and Pico to Manchester and Airport but I eventually made. This time I had to drive into the actual parking structure to find a place for the car. There weren’t any up front. I ran upstairs, hopped in the shower and then started working water and gel magic on my hair. I put my clothes on, applied minimal make up and made my way up to Beverly Hills and waited for my sister outside her apartment. My sister will be late for her own funeral but it’s ok. We both have that problem.
When she finally shows up, we go upstairs into her apartment and drink a bottle of Moet. Then we get on the road heading towards the Universal Amphitheater.

The place was packed. Cars and people everywhere and it seemed like it would take us forever to get into the show. We were already running late and once we finally got in and found our seats, truth hurts was on the mic and we found out we missed Cee-lo's performance.

The concert itself was off the hook. Everyone who performed put on a great show. I found some new favorites sitting there. The vibe was mellow; everyone was just chilling and having a good time. When Rakim came out for his performance in the truth hurts portion he had on all Laker gear. This sent the crowd into an uproar. Everyone was disappointed that he didn't do more than just rap that one little part.

After the concert, Jen and I drove around for a little while people watching and then I took her home. I made the drive across town back to the HoJo only to find out that this hotel does not have parking. They expect you to park on the street (Airport Blvd just south of Manchester) and walk back to the hotel. I was pissed. As I drove down the street, the only parking spot I found was on Arbor Vitae which meant I had to walk past the ghetto apartments with all the niggas hanging outside by myself just to get to my room. I was not having that. I drove back to the hotel and parked right in front of the front doors. I told the lady at the desk that they should have disclosed to their guests upon check in that their parking facilities are limited. Had i known that, I would never have stayed there. She wanted to try and argue with me but I was not having it. I basically told her in so many words, "Bitch, get on the phone with Expedia and get this charge off my card or you guys are going to have issues." After I went off in the lobby angry black woman style, both Expedia and the hotel agreed I should have a refund. I went and checked into Motel 6 instead.

Saturday morning I got up and took my grandmother to breakfast at Roscoe's on Pico. She and I then spent the day shopping at the mall. My grandmother was doing nothing to curb my spending habits. Every outfit I tried on got a rave review from her. I ended up buying three outfits. She bought one. We went back to her house where I lay across her bed and passed out for two hours. When I woke up she was tired and getting ready for bed so I made my way back to hotel and called my sister. The plans were to go to Dublins and hang out. I agreed to hang and got dressed but got sidetracked and ended up not meeting with them at all. Picture taking in L.A. is much more interesting.

On Sunday I took my grandmother to brunch at Callendars on Wilshire and then hung out with D and the gang in the storeroom. Seeing D, well, that's an entry all its own. Seeing my niggas was as fun as it always is when all of us get together and start bagging on each other. When it was time for me to say goodbye, I hugged each and every one of them and let them know how cool it is to have had friends like this since high school. Friends I can come to and be myself.

My weekend in one word? Da Bomb!