GI Joe

This was the movie I ended up seeing with my friend last week. I hadn’t been to the movies on a Friday night for a long time, so I was shocked at the number of people there and the queue was long. I was asking myself why I hadn’t bought the tickets earlier since I had been waiting at Silverbird for a while.

And guess what, we got in a few minutes after the movie had started and we had to sit right at the front. Well, from experience of a few movies like X-men where I have sat at the front row, I know that after a few minutes your eyes kinda adjust to the screen and you stop realizing you are on the front row.

This movie comes highly recommended. I love action packed special effects type movies and this has a good plot and a lot of humour. For me it was good entertainment. The movie is really about an elite military group known as GI Joe saving the world I guess from bad guys who want to take control of the world. I also liked watching the different sub plots showing the history of the characters. It gave us an insight to their perspectives and histories which helped us understand their motives.

It explored emotional reactions to negative events. E.g how some people end up saying or doing nothing when something terrible happens to someone close to them. The usual excuse is that we don’t know what to say and then days pass and then months and we end up saying nothing and not contacting the affected person.

I have been on both ends of such matters. There was a time I lost a close enough uncle. I say close enough because I come from a very nuclear family. We have never really been brought up or been close with our extended families. I only ever knew one grandmother and that was my mother’s mum and although I have loads of cousins on both sides of my family, I can categorically say I was brought up knowing one set of cousins through out my life. Yes I had met a lot of my other cousins but we still are not close. The kids of the uncle who passed away are about the 2nd set of cousins I can say I know and had spent time with growing up. Although it’s always been off and on over the years. Anyway, they lost their dad, my uncle and it was a shock. I have this thing about attending burials especially once they are outside Lagos. I do not like to attend burials, worse so travel to attend them. To cut the long story short, I did not attend the burial, nor call my cousin’s about their loss. I felt the loss, We talked about it at home but I just kept asking myself what exactly would I say to them and one day led to several days and then months and time just flew and it didn’t happen, I never called. Then after a while I forgot about it.

Anyway, I think about a year later there was a tragedy in my family. Something happened that affected the family badly. For days I wasn’t picking up my phone and well somehow when the worst of it was over, I thought about every single person who called or sent a text. I remembered every single person that tried to make contact or sent a text about what happened… and I genuinely appreciated their concern. The whole occurrence made me see things differently. It gave me empathy. I was able to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, something I cannot say I am best at doing.

It made me realize no matter what the case is, even if you don’t know what to say or think the person would rather be alone during that period, it doesn’t cost you anything to call them and say ‘ I don’t know what to say’. I now see that it is important to call first and if they do not pick up the phone then send a text. But everyone I believe appreciates contact. Today I am convinced that the best way to express how much you care or your concern is to give them a call and some words of support. Saying nothing says just that…nothing! It also gives the impression that you do not care even when you actually do. This is one situation where the thought does not count.

O well, today, was just regular; I went to drop off receipted expenses at a client's office. Then I went to my last job to see my former colleagues. Then I came home and here I am.

I did 45 minutes on my elliptical today; I am thinking I will do it again first thing in the morning whenever I wake up. Tomorrow I plan to see a movie with Yemi, my friend who came in from America.

Oh yes before I forget a strange thing happened today. There was a guy I met a month ago. He was calling me during the time I was on vacation, with regards to some work he wanted me to do for him. Anyway, when I got back we arranged to meet to discuss his project. At the meeting I noticed he didn’t make eye contact and then left in a hush as he said he had another meeting. So I don’t hear from him for like 2 weeks and I send him a text to say hope all was well as he left in a hush. Well he calls back to say he was really busy and will get back to me.

O well, 2 days ago he calls me and asks if I am on messenger. Bottom line is we start chatting and he starts asking personal questions and I answer all. I am intrigued by this new found interest but I take it in good faith. He says he wants to get to know me better whereas all I am thinking is when can we discuss revenue generating business. Yesterday he calls again and then we chat and he wants to take me out for lunch. We end the conversation with no firm conclusion. Today he calls in the morning and then I go online and he is asking where we can do lunch today. Quite frankly I was a bit disappointed that the conversations had changed focus from business to I don’t know what. I am beginning to get suspicious so I tell him that my client’s have priority on week days as I see that his invitation is just for a chit chat on a Monday.

Then he starts to say that he has something to say to me, something he had been gathering his thoughts about. In a nutshell, he would like to have a closer relationship with me. Well I respond that I am flattered and then ask whether he was married and his response was yes. So I say I don’t date married men and that I hope he understands and he replies by saying he is trying to understand. He then responds that rather than lose out on me altogether he will want to spend time with me. Hmmmmmmmmm at this point I switch off.

My dear I have my own issues as it is and to think of juggling a married man and his family on my conscience is not what I want or need right now. The funny thing is that 2 days ago he thought I was married so I don’t know whether it was the revelation that I was single that prompted the come on or if it didn’t really matter. O well, I have told him I hope this does not affect our future business partnerships if any. The truth is, it was quite disappointing for me to be asked out by a married man. I mean it's a free world and people fancy other people but right now especially the way it all started out as a business opportunity is what is disappointing. The fact that potential revenues are lost due to a shift in focus of a potential client.

For the last 2 days I have been listening to love songs and I think I just want to bask in the euphoria of that kind of love and not think about the different types of emotional entanglements that exist. The ones that we choose and the ones that choose us.

Life is too short. Kenny Lattimore please sing for me!