That famous quote
"there are no second acts in American lives"
is bullshit as far as I'm concerned

My 1st act (the golden era): graffiti writing/mixtape collecting/HS and college hip hop golden age fanatic/drum & bass raver/first love/self-published hip hop mag where I interviewed heroes and legends (Bobbito, Guru, Phife, Kool Keith, DJ Craze, Boot Camp Clik)
lasted until Y2K

2nd act (the struggle): call center/hooptie driving/hand to mouth/check to check/broke/heart break/casual random fast raw sex/black out drunk/weed smoking/mad speeding tickets/college drop out/studio on the outskirts of the hood/living for the party/broads/scene
lasted until 08

3rd act (The Navy): enlistment/move cross country/2 deployments on a carrier/Malaysia/Singapore/Thailand/Dubai/Bahrain/Turkey/got married/no kids/model sailor/awards/never got in trouble/barely drank/back home/back to school/dean's list/finally got my BA
lasted until last year

4th and current act (Federal): career job/security clearance/my own office/business travel/expense account/full benefits

Not surprisingly, my few remaining friends are from the golden era. We grew up together but now that I bounced and everyone is married with kids let's see what happens

I'd like to think I'm the same inquisitive introvert hip hop head from back in the day
but if you told 24 year old me during the Dubya years
that in 15 years I'd be working with classified info and have a career
I'd have laughed as I passed you the bong and aguardiente

Harlem
Tallahassee for college
Japan for 11 weeks
Philly for 6 years
LA for 4+ years
accomplished journalist

it's definitely been a ride

the golden era= Slick Willie
the struggle= Dubya
The Navy= Obama
Federal= God help us all

>That famous quote
>"there are no second acts in American lives"
>is bullshit as far as I'm concerned


word

all these acts I look back on and I feel like childhood, etc, was another lifetime before

>My 1st act (the golden era): graffiti writing/mixtape
>collecting/HS and college hip hop golden age fanatic/drum &
>bass raver/first love/self-published hip hop mag where I
>interviewed heroes and legends (Bobbito, Guru, Phife, Kool
>Keith, DJ Craze, Boot Camp Clik)
>lasted until Y2K
>
>2nd act (the struggle): call center/hooptie driving/hand to
>mouth/check to check/broke/heart break/casual random fast raw
>sex/black out drunk/weed smoking/mad speeding tickets/college
>drop out/studio on the outskirts of the hood/living for the
>party/broads/scene
>lasted until 08
>
>3rd act (The Navy): enlistment/move cross country/2
>deployments on a
>carrier/Malaysia/Singapore/Thailand/Dubai/Bahrain/Turkey/got
>married/no kids/model sailor/awards/never got in
>trouble/barely drank/back home/back to school/dean's
>list/finally got my BA
>lasted until last year
>
>4th and current act (Federal): career job/security
>clearance/my own office/business travel/expense account/full
>benefits
>
>Not surprisingly, my few remaining friends are from the golden
>era. We grew up together but now that I bounced and everyone
>is married with kids let's see what happens
>
>I'd like to think I'm the same inquisitive introvert hip hop
>head from back in the day
>but if you told 24 year old me during the Dubya years
>that in 15 years I'd be working with classified info and have
>a career
>I'd have laughed as I passed you the bong and aguardiente

substitute Federal for Civil Service (County).

I think the next act might involve divorce and pursuing my passion or something like that tho'.

The "Bro" years - Sharing apt. with two frat brothers right after college. Lot of drinking and partying. Paid internship at a newspaper that paid just enough to keep me in beer and weed.

The Boho years - Both roommates get married, leaving me to find my own spot in Little Five Points. It's the height of Atlanta's neo-soul scene, so I'm hanging out at Yin Yang Cafe, Club Kaya, FunkJazz...etc. Let the locs grow and start working as a freelance graphic artist and PR copywriter.

The DINK (Double Income No Kids) years - Got married, and started working for a trade magazine publisher. The wife and I move across from Piedmont Park and are living the whole ATL Buppie lifestyle.

Now - Suburban dad...PTSA, Scouts, football booster club...etc. Fed job in peer review publishing, married 17 years...pushing 50.

Act 1 was private school gig/community college/weed smoking/drug experimenting/partying/laziness/tryin to figure out who i am and what i wanna do/more laziness/addiction

gotta start act 2 cuz act 1 aint sustainable no more. least i got no kids, no felonies

1st: The wonder years. I was a laid-back hippy with hardly a care in the world but I was also entirely too earnest about my ideals. Cut off age 25 years old.

2nd: The quarter-life crisis. Struggled with chronic depression after life experiences shattered most of those ideals. Ghosted nearly everyone I knew and became a recluse who dreamt of breaking away from the rest of society. Cut off age about 29.

3rd: The rebound. Became a workaholic in the process of striving for "The dream" - my own lil piece of paradise out in the country. Lost sight of the goal focusing on the grind BUT gained a helluva lot of much needed insight. Cut off? 33.

4th: The curve ball. After living the majority of my life as an atheist, on my 33rd birthday I surprised myself by becoming a bit more spiritual...still don't believe in a personal or absolute god but my skepticism concerning other aspects of spirituality has been challenged. Also I've joined the ranks of educators in this country (elementary level) which is another shocker to me and sort of developed out of nowhere

The Hype Years (85-94) diagnosed with ADHD deep into djing and rave scene
(turntablist/jungle/drum-n-bass/breaks) and dabbling in drawing

The Smok'd Out Years (94-00) college years not focusing went to 2 university
still djin' though (dj is the only constant)

The Too Much Years (00 - 05) graduate college, teacher, mentor and still djin'/musician

The Underground Years (05-11) djin' and studio musician full time traveling all over especially overseas basically bumming from couch to couch

The Business Owner (12- now) animator/illustrator, long distance relationship