Sunday, May 27, 2007

You dont know Jack!

Literally in my case.

So its been about two and a half years since we've been here in the new place in the borough that thinks its so tough that its got to be called Scar-borough. The toughness of Scarborough, the place where no one smiles well thats another blog in itself but lets just say in my opinion I'm completely surrounded by Plexi-glass thugs. (yo I need to copyright that term.)

Anyway where was I, oh yea, two and a half years living in the burbs. Yea dont get it twisted , the folks on the street in Scarborough may mean mug but this place is definetly the burbs. Ok maybe a bit of an edge every now and then to the burbs here but its burbs nevertheless.

Man, I'm still not a burbs guy, too much quiet makes me a bit uneasy like a calm before the storm. I'm always waiting for something crazy to jump off cause I think that the burbs lulls you into a false sense of security and then you're unprepared when the ruckus comes through.

Still my hood is pretty quiet and nice too I must say. My neighbors are very diverse and for the most part most of them are pretty cool. I kind of keep pretty much to myself still. Thats just my usual m.o. I do the pleasantries but its not like I'm stopping by to borrow a cup of sugar or gossip or anything. If I see you then I see you and wont be rude but thats about it. Most I've gotten into is conversations about the annoying raccoons or about lawns and gardens. Oh yea and now that we have a baby thats always a source of conversation too.

But onto Jack. Who's Jack? No not Jack Bauer. Jack's one of my neighbors a few doors down or so I thought.

Jack's a pretty cool guy. We say hi whenever we see each other and we may go over to each other and start a conversation. You know neighborly stuff. One year I was out raking the gazillion leaves that blow off the other side of the street onto my lawn and he even lent me his leaf blower. Pretty cool guy. Think he's got a snow blower too. Hmmm maybe I should get to know him better.

Anyway all that preamble to get to the meat of the story. Yesterday I'm out watering the garden (its all about putting my stamp on the flower beds this year) and Jack was out mowing. So he comes over and we get into a conversation. Its going pretty well and he's talking about work and stuff when he makes a comment referring to himself in the third person like 'they say Jack blah blah blah'. Only problem is, wait a second, did I hear correctly he didnt call himself Jack. He referred to himself by another name.

So now I'm standing there like ummm is that his middle name or something? Hmmm. I didnt ask any questions but I'm thinking oh oh I may have been calling this guy by the wrong name for the last two and a half years and wait a minute if he isnt Jack then who the hell is?

Still I play it off as we chat even though I find it a slight bit disturbing and meanwhile my brain is working furiously trying to decipher this event.

Conversation ends I go back inside still trying to figure it out. So my wife smart person that she is actually wrote down all the neighbor's names when we first moved in, mind you she thinks he's Jack too. Anyway she looks it up and what do you know his name isnt Jack after all.

Somehow for two and a half years we've both been calling this cat Jack and thats not his name? And he never said anything about it?

Hmmm well maybe he thinks that Jack is like a cool black term for friend or something. Or maybe he just thinks I'm an idiot (which is true). Whatever it is the whole episode thought me that I really didn't know Jack.

Now if I can only figure out where I got the name Jack from in the first place?

13 comments:

Crankyputz said...

Maybe he looked like a Jack,

You know how some people just look like a name, and you feel the need to rename them?

Miz JJ said...

This "Hmmm well maybe he thinks that Jack is like a cool black term for friend or something." had me laughing in my cube. Too funny.

bitchdoctrine said...

Yo, i'm calling my white friends, "Jack" from now on... hahahahaha.

Anonymous said...

That remind me of this girl at work that I was forever calling Rachel...and I know full well that wasn't she name...so after a while I just tell she straight, "Look,I gine call you Rachel so just pretend that is you name and answer to it cause I aint gine ever remember the right name". She just laugh and start answering to Rachel.

Anonymous said...

dis is funny. he prolly sed wat da heck..there's a dude i'm always callin paul when his name is marlon. figger it has somn to do wit da licquored up circumstances under which we met abt a year ago.

Anonymous said...

Jeez, you always make me laugh, lol.

Hey, maybe that's why he refered to himself in the 3rd person, his way of letting you know that he's no darn Jack. Hehe.

Jdid said...

the biggest joke though is that yesterday while walking by i look in the driveway and see a sign on the gate saying reserved parking for .... only. with his real name big and bold there. not sure how i ever missed that he wasnt called jack before

Amadeo said...

Maybe he thought it was like Sinatra and those guys used to do with "charlie"...like "Charlie Party pooper" He's "Jack Leafblower"

SimplEnigma said...

LMAO...you're hilarious.

"plexiglass thugs"...hehe.

Dee said...

I'm with CP
I once knew a girl who totally looked like a Justine. Can't remember her real name. Even now if I say to a particular friend, remember Justine? She remembers Justine.

Unknown said...

You REALLY don't know Jack? Just act as if it's a nickname. Don't admit you were wrong.

AirBourne said...

I get called "Burt" by a man, but I hate when ppl think I is Vic Fernandes or William Duguid, bare sh**e, grr!

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

hee hee hee hee

I'm just glad it ain't just me who do this.

Man JDid, you too funny for words!