Monday, July 21, 2008

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda???

The North Carolina 2008 Legislative Session officially ended on Friday, July 18 at 4:40 pm. I cleaned off my desk, tied up a few loose ends and left work at 6:30 pm. I had a meeting this morning that began at 10:00 and was over by 11:30. I'm off until Thursday. If you hear a sound, it's me sighing contentedly. The other sound is me loudly singing along with Jennifer Hudson's new single. It takes me back to the R&B songs of my youth, where there was a melody that you could sing along with and lyrics that you could understand. I've posted a YouTube video that some enterprising soul put together of images of young Ms. Hudson with her new single, Spotlight playing in the background.
 
I've been working on catching up on the journals that I haven't read for the past two weeks. If I've missed you, I'll be by tomorrow.
 
I stopped by Marc's place and he has posted a meme that I found interesting. The entry is the Roads Not Travelled, echoing Robert Frost's poem (at least to these former English teacher ears). By the way, if you don't know the poem, please check it out. It's one of my favorites.
 
Back to the meme, Marc writes about alternative paths, the untraveled roads that we might have taken. He provides some of his "might have been scenarios" and ask of the reader, "what are your top five alternate untraveled roads?" This is a really difficult question for me. Perhaps its because I've travelled at least part way down a variety of paths, at least career wise. I've worked as a cook in a Jamaican restaurant where I learned to make Jamaican beef patties and Bouillabaisse. I worked in a factory that made motors for hair dryers. My job involved shoving a little round thingamajig into a hole and then pressing a foot pedal that shot out enough heat to solder the wires to the tip of the little round thingamajig. It was highly technical work. I also worked at a book store in Chapel Hill known as the Intimate Book Shop (no, it wasn't that kind of a book store, just a family owned business that tried to create a cozy alternative to the big chain stores, although we did sell all of the Anne Rice, writing under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure, Sleeping Beauty trilogy).
 
I took a rather roundabout route to becoming a teacher, and finally a lawyer.
 
I've rambled enough, so here are my five might have been scenarios.
1. I left home at 18, moved to New York and became a back up singer for James Brown. While performing at the Apollo, I was discovered and became a solo act as a blues singing diva.
2. I opened a soul food restaurant in Atlanta that became a hangout for the best blues artists around.
3. I fell madly in love with a biker, married him and started wearing leather and a cute diamond stud in my nose. He dies in a motorcycle crash and I sing Leader of the Pack at the funeral.
4. While performing in a musical version of Cinderella in a summer drama program in my home town (I really did play the wicked stepmother and performed a version of an Anthony Newley song from Stop the World, I want to Get Off entitled "I Want to be Rich"), I'm discovered by a Broadway producer who invites me to New York where I become the sensation of Broadway.
5. I skip teaching altogether and go straight to law school after undergraduate graduation. I become an accomplished litigator in tort law, and successfully represent client in lawsuits against companies with deep pockets. I make lots of money, retire at age 42, move to Jamaica and engage in a string of affairs with the boy toy of the moment.
There is a bit of true desire in each of these scenarios, but I'm not telling you which bits. Ultimately, I suspect that I've taken the right road and it has made all the difference. 

Spotlight
Are you a man who loves
And cherishes
And cares for me?
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yeah...
Are you a guard in a prison
Maximum security?
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yea eh...
Do we stay home all the time
Cuz you want me to yourself?
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yeah...
Or am I locked away
Out of fear that i'd find
Someone else
Is that you? Is that you?
yea eh...

Chorus:
Well, I don't like
Living under your spotlight
Just because you think
I might find somebody worthy
Oh, I don't like
Living under your spotlight
Baby, if you treat me right
You won't have to worry

is this a relationship
Fulfilling your needs
As well as mine
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yeah...
Or is this just my sentence
Am I doing time?
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yeah...
If this is love
Real, real love
Then I'm staying no doubt
Is that you? Is that you?
Is that you? yeah...
But if I'm just love prisoner
Then I'm busting out
Is that you? Is that you?
yeah...

(Chorus)

Oh, you oughta be
Ashamed of yourself
What the hell
Do you think you're doing?
Loving me, loving me
So wrong
Baby, all I do is try
To show you
That you're my
One and only guy
No matter
Who may come along
Open your eyes
Cuz baby, I don't lie

(Chorus 2x)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope some day you make it back around to the teacher thing, because you have a lot to share and can really make differences in lives.  I am glad that you are content with where you currently are, as the MC commercial says, "priceless" :o)

Anonymous said...

Sheris, I will be spending the rest of the night trying to piece together the pieces in each of the scenarios. I don't have much else scheduled. I let you know how I worked it out. Bill

Anonymous said...

I loved reading your COULDA,WOULDA,SHOULDA'S and I also enjoyed the song from Jennifer I have been waiting for this album of hers for a while now. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Sorry I didn't stop by earlier--it seems that AOL Alerts aren't working today!

<chuckle> I have the Anne Rice "Sleeping Beauty" books. That Annie has quite an imagination, doesn't she?

I might have to do some pondering on the alternate pathways meme. This one is going to take some thought.

Glad to hear you get a little downtime!

Beth

Anonymous said...

Good meme Sheria, Woulda, Coulda, Shouda. I'll need to think about this one, it may take some time. I will say one thing though. I was given the chance to work in Hong Kong, and never took it. To this day, I wonder where I would be now if I had.
Gaz xxx

Anonymous said...

very interesting and creative.  i would have to give this one some thought...and i'm afraid it wouldn't be near as interesting as yours.  :)
gina

Anonymous said...

1. I love the Leader of the Pack one I guess, because there's leather in it.
2. I can't believe you were a cook and you can make bouillabaise.  I LOVE Bouillabaise. Grew up on it.
3) I'm afraid I have to veto any scenario involving Jamaica. Do you know how homophobic they are? Of course you could always become a Human Rights Activist but that doesn't make for a very leisurely retirement. I think you saw "Angela Gets Her Groove Back" one time too many.
4) You working in a factory is just bizarre. But I guess you got your proletarian credentials handled.
5) How come one person does my meme, (you) but tons will now do it after you do it?  I'm not bitter, I'm just saying.

Anonymous said...

great entry... love the "leader of the pack"
Kelly~

Anonymous said...

Hi Sheria,  Thanks for commenting in my new journal.  I was on my way to leave you a comment and invitation to read at Marc's suggestion, when I saw you had already visited.  I'll have to add this meme to one of my entries there, I think it will fit right in.  
I'm thinking you could combine #3 and #5 for a Really interesting lifestyle!
I hope you enjoyed your time off.  
                                                                                              :)  Leigh

 http://journals.aol.com/mleighin21st/WalkingInMyShoesHonestly/
 http://journals.aol.com/mleighin21st/iwasthinking.../