Turn yr speakers up
Now this is all brand new to me.
I meet men all the time, no big deal right. Some I like, some I don’t. Some don’t like me. That’s okay. That’s how it works.
But never in all my 7 months of dating (since I started dating again this year) have I ran across a man who won’t stop calling me when I ask him to. Yes, Mr. Unemployed called me again last night around midnight and I didn’t answer the phone. While I don’t mind the late phone calls if you’re someone I’m interested in, I am NOT interested in him at all and it boggles my mind. I’m not used to this kind of drama.
Usually it works like this:
I meet a handsome guy. We exchange numbers. He calls. I call. He annoys me or shows similar traits as my Baby Daddy, then I politely say, “Please don’t call me anymore. I don’t think this is something I wanna do.”
He usually says, OK, and then I never hear from him again. Never had a problem before. Why now?
Maybe he was right when he said we come from totally different worlds. True, I was born and raised in the inner city, but uh, I wasn’t exactly involved in it. Never saw a drug until I was about to turn 17. Never been in a physical altercation before I met my Baby Daddy. I was never attracted to the boys on the block. I used to see them in the morning before school and think, “Damn they up early. They could be going to someone’s job if they wanted to.” That street life never appealed to me.
But THIS guy. This guy happens to be one of them.
Yep. I was talking to a hood. A white tee wearing- throw back jersey wearing-I’ll beat yo ass if you scuff up my shoes-tattoos on his neck and arms-tricked out Monte Carlo driving-I’m wasting money at the strip club-Hair breaded up-Baby Mama having-thug.
It was kinda exciting at first. I mean, to actually sit and talk with someone who knows all the street slang, puffs and chills hard- damn. What a difference! It’s been a minute since I did that. College thugs don’t exactly count.
But now…this dude won’t stop calling me and I’m not answering the damn phone. I don’t get it. You see so many issues with me, why the hell are you still calling? Oh, cuz you didn’t get no booty? Your bad, not mine. You shoulda kept your mouth closed a little longer dummy. I mean, does he think I’m gonna change my mind about him? What’s the deal for real? Chile please…
HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! ~turning up my radio~
I love this song with Ciara and Missy Elliot! I STILL haven’t gotten the chance to go out and dance to it yet but I will. It’s gonna be so much fun!!!
I don’t understand how some people can work in silence. As soon as I get to work I immediately turn up my speakers and I never turn it off all day. Silence annoys me. I feel like someone is on my back if it’s too quiet. Plus, I don’t want anyone to hear my personal conversations as I get the emergency calls from my girls who want to tell me all about their latest dramatic episode.
What can I say? I love my job. I can’t believe I get PAID to do what I do. I mean, in elementary school english when I was learning the fundamentals of writing a letter, I never thought I could make a CAREER out of it.
Yes ladies and gentleman, I write letters for a living.
In fact, I’ve been working on this one letter for two days and it’s almost done. ~shakes head~
But it’s NOT that easy! Well, yes it is. I just have to take what my Director wants to say and convey it professionally with absolutely no grammatical mistakes. The tone must be just right and it must be easy to understand. After I write the letter a group of us look at it and make changes and then I look at it again to make more changes on how things could be said even better.
When we’re satisfied I create a database in Excel for all of the recipients and then do a mail merge to import the data. After checking each individual letter for mistakes in form, I can print them out and print out labels and then stuff envelopes and mail them. This process can take two full days if I’m working on other stuff too.
Ahh… the life of a glorified secretary!
Besides writing letters and supporting everyone, I’m learning something new and I am soo excited!
I’m learning about prospect research. See, development is about FUNDRAISING, but we aren’t doing cold calls asking for cash. We carefully devise a list of potential donors and then I research them using fancy programs and insider information. I’m looking for the value of their homes, how much they owe on their mortgages, if they have a family foundation. I’m looking into newspapers and public records trying to find out if the person is a philantropist. And if they are, then who do they give to and how much have they given in the past. I look for clues everywhere. Like on their personal checks. Some may have their alma mater on their check. So I’ll go to their school’s website and look at their annual giving report to see if they gave money to their school. If so, how much?
The whole point in all this research is to match the potential donor with a specific need for our organization. If I find that a person is interested in the arts and has given generously to other arts programs, I will recommend to my Director that the person be approached for a gift for OUR arts program. And if they have given $50,000 in the past, I’ll recommend asking for that same amount.
But we don’t ask for money off rip like that. No, no. no. We began by cultivating the potential donor. Which means, kissing their butts, acting like we’re friends. Getting to know them personally and making a personal connection with them. Finding some way to show them that we have something in common. It may be kids with similar ages, a favorite football team or a hobby. The thing we must remember is to be sincere. The fundraising industry is for people who genuinely like people. People won’t give to you if they don’t like you. I smile even when I don’t feel like smiling. And I act excited when I could care less.
But I must say, this job has opened my eyes to a completely new lifestyle. It’s like my standard of living has been raised. Becoming a millionaire is not far fetched to me. I’ve met plenty of them. They are people just like I am and I have realized that rich people stay rich due in part to their connections. They hire each other to do stuff. They scratch each other’s backs. Why would a 21 year old chick who JUST graduated with my same degree have a job that makes more than I do and that I would LOVE to have? Simple. She knows somebody who knows somebody who got her the job straight out of college. And she’s as cute and as sweet as pie.
I give myself some time. I’m not even in my 30’s yet. By the time I’m in my mid-30’s I hope to be able to turn around and help someone else move up. Some brown skinned chick with high hopes and little else to depend on.
Someone like me.
I just remind myself to sty focused, stay loyal to my family and keep showing love to those around me.
Success on a greater scale will come, Eventually.
Right now I’m enjoying my lil piece of the pie.