Dear Diary: I Made Some Lifelong Friends Today

Me and my three best friends – Caleb, Rone, and Tyler

Dear Diary,

It’s been 24 hours since we’ve last spoke, I hope all is well. My day started with a disappointing shower. While the 30 people at House 1 fight over 3 bathrooms, I have my own bathroom and shower in my room at House 2. While that may sound pleasant, it wasn’t. I was pretty cold in the shower. At first I thought it was a hot water issue, but after some investigation, I think it was just very cold in the bathroom. And due to the shower design, the heat produced from the hot water escaped towards the ceiling. Hot air rises. So really what I was experiencing was just a very cold room, and the water wasn’t enough to make up for it.

I took an Uber over to House 1 and had a lovely 45 minute chat with my driver. He was an African man from Rwanda in his mid-40s. I started with my usual Uber ride small talk. “Should be a busy week, huh?” He disagreed and said that because of all the traffic, they actually get less rides in and thus make less money. He was then mentioning how he’s not super happy driving for Uber. I said “Well hey, at least you get to be your own boss, right?” and chuckled. Typically that’s a thing I thought Uber always says. He dismissed me immediately, almost as if I had offended him. He said he doesn’t make enough money to be his own boss. I said “Well, at least you get to decide when you drive”, but he still was dismissive. “0 for two Tommy,” I thought.

The conversation then somehow shifted to Super Bowl advertisements. He couldn’t believe that a 30-second ad this year costs $5 million. We were then discussing smart advertising and how it feels like Google is always listening. “They know more about us than we know about our own selves,” he said. I gave a “psshh” sign of approval and exclaimed, “You can say that again!” We were finally bonding – it was awesome!

It was around this point when we passed this house.

It was decorated for a bunch of sports teams, and then also the Nike sign. I’ve never seen that before. Someone so dedicated to Nike that they branded their house with it. Odd.

Back to the riveting conversation with my driver. He mentioned how the economy is much different here than in Rwanda, and told me of his country’s troubles. I said “Yeah, must be a tough economy.” He said “No. tough is not the word. It’s much worse than that. It’s a rough economy.” I really don’t see much of a distinction between the words “tough” and “rough.” I feel like they have a pretty similar impact. I didn’t feel like arguing with him about that though, as I’m sure English isn’t his first language.

I arrived at House 1 where everyone was complaining about the sleeping arrangements and there only being 2 showers. I stayed silent, not wanting everyone to know that I was living like a King over at House 2.

We headed over to The Ivy where we’re set up for radio and other shows. I got to finally do the cool thing I’ve been dying to do since finding out I was going to Atlanta.

^brilliant remake from Quigs^

I realized afterwards that I said it wrong. It’s actually “Peace Up, A-Town Down.” I said it wrong on radio a few weeks ago too and was corrected. I promised myself I’d get it right for the trip, but apparently not. Still room for improvement.

After the Rundown, I went to the bar for a quick lunch. Chicken wings and an appetizer of chips drizzled in blue cheese and bacon bits. Very tasty! Back upstairs in the greenroom (I don’t think it’s technically a greenroom, but it’s a private room with recording space we use between shows. To make it easier, I will refer to it as the greenroom in these blogs), Dave was being forced to listen to KFC trash the Patriots while Dave was powerless and couldn’t respond.

Advertisement

We then prepped for Dave’s trip to Media Day and put together a list of possible questions. Due to Media Day, he had to leave at 4:30, which left Caleb, Rone, Tyler, and myself hosting for the final 90 minutes. It started off a bit slow as we felt each other out. I don’t think the four of us have ever talked together before. But by the end of it, we forged an unbreakable bond that I’ll cherish forever. There were times I thought Caleb didn’t like me though. He’s just so cool, and I’m so not. Overall, however, I do think we became lifelong friends. Hopefully we can hang out again soon.

As an aside, I got to wear Rone’s Raiders hat for a minute, and I think I really pulled it off.

I said I looked like a producer of a white rapper who isn’t that talented but has a big social media following on Instagram and Soundcloud. I’m the slimy producer that thinks we’re way more important than we actually are and always try to get VIP tables at nightclubs. Pretty spot on description.

After radio, I headed back to House 1 briefly, and then Ubered to House 2 with Dana B and Bubba. Our driver was a nice fellow and had the Duke basketball game on his iPad.

Hopefully it was for the passengers to watch, and not for him to get distracted. After arriving at the house, he asked if we’d need a ride tomorrow morning too and could set something up. But we weren’t sure of our plans so didn’t bother. While I did like him, I really hate when Uber drivers try to set up future rides. I just want to meet you once and then be out of each other’s lives forever.

We ordered some delicious BBQ in for dinner. Brisket, pulled pork, fried pickles, and more. A truly excellent meal, but I may have eaten too much as I’m currently having digestion issues. While we ate, Dave was dominating media day.

Advertisement

After realizing Dave had been apprehended, I got a FaceTime from YP in his Team Portnoy jumpsuit saying that we had to get down there to “the football stadium” and protest until he was free. Just as I was about to order an Uber to the stadium, YP told me he was free and there was no reason to go. But I was close to being stranded in downtown Atlanta. Especially since Media Day was actually at the Hawks arena, not the football stadium.

Now I’m just finishing up this blog and then heading off to bed. Another busy day lies ahead tomorrow. I’ll talk to you then. Nighty night, Diary.