As usual, I’m behind on my posting. I will save my vacation trips for next post, as I think they need their own post. In 2013 I got to attend two Mattersight company outings. One was to see Thor 2 at Alamo Drafthouse, and the other was a day of golf at Top Golf. I didn’t know that on this day, I would learn how terrible I am at golf. I had a lot of fun though, hitting well and badly with Bryan, Kyle, David, and the rest of my coworkers. I am currently really, really bad at golf though. I’ll need to change that.
After months of hearing about both places, I got to try both Lucy’s Fried Chicken and Hopdoddy. I know I’m late on these, but I enjoyed them a lot. First up was Lucy’s Fried Chicken. I went once with my good friend David, and twice with my coworker Nguyen. It was very enjoyable, and perhaps the second best I have ever had besides the permanently closed Big Momma’s Chicken and Waffles. back in Dallas.
This basket is about $9.50 plus tax, but a very tasty meal. Next up was Hopdoddy the next week. My roommate Uchenna, Donah, Brittnay, Karynne, and Mike. We got there early enough to beat the after work rush of people. On Mike’s recommendation, I got the Goodnight/Goodcause burger, consisting of Angus Beef, Tillamook Cheddar, Hickory BBQ Sauce, Caramelized Onions Sliced Jalapenos & Sassy Sauce. $1 is also donated to a charity.
In November, I was invited to a Mad Men themed party. It was a genius idea, and wished I had thought of it myself before. I had a great time, and got to see some new people as well as old friends.
Next week with Evelyn, my sister, Itohan, and their friends, I got to see Janelle Monae live in Austin. It might have been the best live performance I have ever been to. She performed many songs, the crowd was very civil, and she even jumped in!
I was long overdue for a Houston trip, so I packed up for the weekend and made the trip. As usual, I stayed with Chisom like old times. We went to this great spot called District 7. The atmosphere has a very old school feel, and the food is really great. I went with the Kobe Japanese Beef Patty, and I was not disappointed.
After checking out a Tesla Model S and Houston’s Galleria, we caught up with Mario, and met up with Levi and Lhoren, two new friends I had met at the Mad Men party. We went to a nice coffee shop called Southside Expresso. Coffee shops are not usually my thing, but I really enjoyed my time there with them, as well as my order. On Lhoren’s recommendation, I tried the seasonal Sweet Potato Latte.
The day after Thanksgiving, Gloria and I were to go to the Dallas Museum of Art, and on the way there, I popped the question, and she said yes! I’m blessed to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love so much and that has changed my life. Getting engaged and married is a big step and a commitment not to be taken lightly. I’ve seen and heard too many people getting #engaged, and there is a big difference between engaged and #engaged, but this article gives some nice insight on the topic. I’m normally against lists and articles shared on social media (especially things from elite daily), but this one really resonated with me. I’m no expert on anything, but there are several things on this topic that I will always believe: there is no formula, no right age or time to get married. I’ve seen couples married at 20 that lasted a lifetime, and couples married at 30 that ended a year later. Some people date for a year and get married, only to divorce within months, and some can date for a decade, only for their marriage to also fail within months. Others will succeed for their lifetimes. Every couple’s story is different. Seth, a very good friend of mine from back home, asked me the question needed before taking this step. About Gloria, he asked me “You love her, but do you LIKE her?”. This was very interesting, as I had never been asked something like that before, and I will forever thank him for it. You can love your mom, your dad, your dog, your friends, your material possessions. Can you like the little things that are hard to put into words? Can you appreciate the flaws and see the good in these flaws? Many people have a formula for when, how, and who they think they are supposed to marry, but we must go deeper than that if we even hope to triumph with the good and the inevitable bad that will come in our lives. I’ve already gotten more preachy than I normally want to be, but these are the kinds of things that I believe you must know with certainty. For Gloria, and many more years of Fairly OddDates:
The next day, 5 of my friends sharing the same birthday all had events. Unfortunately, we were only able to attend 2 of them. First was for Anita. She had a brunch at The Common Table. The food looked amazing, but Gloria and I had already eaten before arriving. I have a very long way to go with photography, but I’m getting happier with the way pictures taken with my Olympus are turning out.
Later that night, we met up with my longtime friends Jessica, Amber, Seth, and others for Jessica’s 26th birthday at Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub & Grill. I’m not a huge fan of live music and bands during a night out with friends, as I open have to yell to have a conversation, but we were there for Jessica’s birthday, so I endured it for her.
During this Thanksgiving, my aunt endured and survived an open heart surgery. She is really strong, and that is something that I have always admired about her.
With the help of all those that pitched in, we were able to get a flag case for Matt’s family. Thanks Russell, T.J., and Kim for helping me to deliver it. It still hurts and the wound will probably never truly heal, but we have to keep on living and being strong.
2013 was a rocky year of extreme victories and a big tragedy that really brought me down. I’m sure I will think about Matt every day for the rest of my life. I’m still moving forward and living as best as I can, trying new places, travelling, and making the most of each day with the people I love and care about, be it at work or outside of work. It’s all we can do given the circumstances, and I can’t let it affect my day to day activities. Things have gotten a lot better with time, or at least getting there. That’s about all for now. Next post will contain my trip to Germany, my half day in Paris, Christmas in Nigeria, NYE, my upcoming Seattle trip with Gloria, and my experience helping my friend Patrick mentor a programming class (CoderVox). While I was out of the country, he sent me a message about it, and though I’ve never taught nor have I mentored before, I shouldn’t be afraid to give it a try to help out.
Song of the post: Flying Lotus – Getting There
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. 🙂 my favorite part was the part where you proposed. You did good!! I want your babies. 🙂 and then came all the feels. RIP: to the homie Matt.