Friday, October 21, 2005

Halcyon Days

My people, my people. Can you feel it? The electricity in the air. Not really but I'm trying to convey a mood. It's Homecoming weekend at MSU and I get to go back to the stomping grounds. Now, it is what it is, a big white institution with limited luv for blacks. Homecoming ain't exactly what people like SJ are used to. It's corny at times and a little stiff, but when the Black Alumni get together, the shit is fantastic.

My love for my school is a direct reflection of what I became there. I started college in 1987 when I was 16, valedictorian of my high school. I was a virgin and generally an uncool nigga. A big ass bookworm with limited social skills and an oversized ego. When I was interested in a woman I would leave notes on her dorm room door asking if we could go to the cafeteria together (damn, that was painful to write). Mind you, I came from the 'hood and hood circumstances, but I was still a little sheltered.

By the time I graduated, I had been kicked out of school twice, been in several fights, helped take over the administration building for eight days, had 4 majors, made a baby (she didn't keep it), stole test answers for money, stole anything that wasn't nailed down on every job I had, and managed to graduate at the bottom of my class. My boys used to take bets daily on whether or not I'd go to class that day. I only read for leisure, only about overthrowing the government. I was a disillusioned nutcase. In general I went from nerd to scuzzball lunatic.

In the years since graduating in 1994 (yes, nigga, seven years after I started), I had to reconcile my two selves, the square and the delinquent. I've done a pretty good job of not being too square or too much of a miscreant, so I guess in general the school did me good.

I would not be the man I am today without the experiences good and bad at MSU. I luv the school for the WAY I learned shit. I was a stuck up wanna be preppy from a desolate ghetto. I was thrown in with the people I thought I wanted to be like and learned how empty it was. I thought I knew it all and found out there were better lessons to be learned. This weekend, I'm celebrating the journey.

Go Green,
KZ

9 comments:

Didi Roby said...

I'll have to come back a read this post later...

WTH? You got a face lift? I thought you were not into plastic surgery papi? LOL:)

Just joking me likey:)

twin said...

are you going up tonight or tomorrow

Chubby Chocolate said...

I enjoyed that post.

HAVE FUN THIS WEEKEND! Try to get your fill of booty to hold you over and make sure you park you car in a well lit area.

Disco said...

i second Chubby's comment and don't be trying to go relive the "Sensation " days..... LOL Say hello to the munkee's for me :-)

brooklyn babe said...

Oh your going to this too huh?
Not that I'll be there, jsut have read around, that folks will heading to this...

Be safe!
I miss ya Zed, by the way, you still an asshole??? LMAO!!!!

toneec42 said...

The more I learn about you Zed more surprising you are... What a transformation. Have fun at your homecoming and be safe.

~ Eclectic Soul ~ said...

Damn, I used to go to our games against yall. My roomie was high school sweethearts with that Percy cat that played football. She was a nutcase stalker tho, *lol*. I was on that same take over shit tip you were on, too... we took over the admin building for a few days and shut em down until they met some demands we (JustUs) made. Glad I grew outta that phase tho. And sheeeeeit, I started in '88, and I'm still workin on finishing as I can... it'll happen one day.

The Black Consciousness phase of hip hop was the best time to be in college!!! Remember the Black Bart t-shirts???!! I swear Imma have a jersey throwback made with that, *lol*.

Knockout Zed said...

@keke
It turned out to be all fucked up. I'll post soon.

@dee-dee
change is bad, but I did it anyway.

@twin
what happened twin? I was there.

@cc
it was an assless weekend.

@robyn
not many munkees of our era truthfully. A lot of 27-29 year olds.

@bb
yes, I'm still an asshole. Can't you tell?

@tonee
I was a big ass creep. Now I'm just a creep.

@es
Maaaaan, what you know about the "Black By Nature, Proud By Choice" tshirts? My homegirl started with me in '87 and just finished earlier this year. Stay focused, it'll happen. That Percy Snow nigga was a psycho on and off the field. For real. I saw that nigga beat the shit out of a little cat for nothing. Hopefully that asshole was a good cat to your homie.

KZ

~ Eclectic Soul ~ said...

Man, I remember those shirts too, *lol*. Yeah, Percy was crazy, so was Leslie. They were from Canton, OH... and errrrrrrrrrybody from that place is psycho- ex. Marilyn Manson. Anyhoo, she was one of my roomies by luck of the freshman draw... I never met him but I know he used to whoop her tail, too. *ugh*