I saw the movie poster for the new Tupac Shakur biopic, All Eyez on Me, set for release in June. I figured I'd start pre gaming, and listened to an essentials playlist created by Apple Music today on my run. Before I started, I envisioned myself playing it to my kids, introducing them to Tupac, but as I listened to Hit 'Em Up, I realized they'd get way too much trash talk to put in the bank for the next time they decide to go to battle with each other.
Once I heard my daughter yell, "I'm going to get a gun and shoot you!" with bared teeth and a red face. I came in, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Can we pass around the peace pipe, and hug this out?!"
I can't imagine if she elevated it to, "You better back the fuck up, before you get smacked the fuck up!"
I thought, with the lack of God in modern content, his music would be a good influence on my kids, with the added benefit of showing a strong appreciation for his mother. However, these two bonuses don't offset the bad language for the kids. And, things could go terribly wrong. For example, they could end up disillusioned from the music and say the n-word. Listen, no ones going to assume after they hear a little white kid say the n-word, "Oh, their family must listen to a lot of Tupac."
No, the initial reaction would be for people to say, "Their parents are trash, filthy trash."
Saturday night I watched the entire second season of Master of None. It was two am when it wrapped up. I like the show. This season though, seemed to be missing something. Mainly his culinary ambitions. Maybe it was because I binged it, and so it makes me numb to the culmination of each episodes impact. In the end, and not to be a spoiler-sport, it really falls on that damsel in distress scenario, and my lord, do they make it explicit how she is the closest thing you can get to a virgin at 30. "So you've only been with one guy since you were 18?" Don't ask it again, we get it. What happened to the pasta making? Perhaps that will be season 3, him and his close-as-you-can-get-to-a-virgin-at-30 gal pal fulfill his culinary dreams.
I guess I'll watch it again, as intended. I felt sort of depressed the day after watching it. It was likely from the half day of straight TV. Falling asleep, and then needing to get up four hours later. Routines are so good for people, however, lately I routinely find myself out of a routine. With my kids gone on some weekends, it's a bit like I'm rediscovering personal time, and I haven't had stretches like this in over five years. I'm not going to lie, it is fun to have this freedom, but I still miss them, and I'm probably not making the best choices, like ten hours of solid television. But I'm readjusting, and eventually, I will learn to use this time wisely.
And, I'm continuing to write, but like Tupac says, "It's hard to be legit, and still pay your rent," so I'm keeping myself fresh in the big data world, and started a Python and Tableau certification program. I signed up Sunday, after thinking, "OK, if you can watch TV until early morning, then you can do some shit to make yourself more marketable on the Data Science job market." Besides, I gave my final last week, and completed all their grades and my summer school class doesn't start for a couple weeks, so if I didn't sign up for these certifications, I just might have done something really responsible, and deep cleaned and organized my house.
I got my Master's in Statistics back in 2007, and quite a bit has changed in big data since then because people started carrying around PDAs. Then, when I quit working my job to be a stay-at-home parent in 2012, well, a lot more changed. As I job search, I'm realizing the skills I have won't get me as far as they used to. So, I'm studying up, and rolling with the changes.
Changes, now that's a song I can play for my kids. I'm not sure if Shakur would think theres been much progress since the song was made in 1998, but now we have a black president.
I remember when I was in 3rd grade my sister and I got in a huge fight because she proclaimed there has never been a Black president, and I told her she is wrong because I saw one on my Tapper Keeper folder with portraits of all the US presidents. After my dad agreed with her, I got cocky, thinking, Now I'm about to prove both these dummies wrong!
When we got to the folder, I was dumbstruck. Proven wrong by my mortal enemy at the time, doubting the reliability of my own mind, and how could this actually be a truth! I'm sure I reacted poorly.
My most common defense against my brothers and sisters was to wolverine slash them with my long fingernails, and then run like hell, usually right behind my mom's leg. My sister's greatest defense is to yell the roof off the building. Now that I think about it, I guess my kids aren't so bad when they get in their arguments, but still, they're too young for Tupac.
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