BBWeekly Task: Take 2]The BBB House interviews. Souderwan issue

Here we go, with another interview

1. You're a Seaman(lol), what led you to that particular career path? Was serving in the Military a childhood dream, did you do it to have a solid future, with one of the benefits getting a very good (and free ) education?
Please elaborate, as I'd like to what exactly led you to your chosen profession.

Well, it certainly wasn?t a childhood dream. I grew up fairly poor. My mother, a Jamaican immigrant, was working three jobs when she had me (apparently, she was at one of them when her water broke and she told them that she?d be back in a couple hours! lol!). She sent me to live in Jamaica with my uncle and aunt where I grew up. That?s pretty standard fare for Jamaican immigrants, btw. Anyway, the point is that a military career wasn?t really high on my list of life goals. I did join the cadet corps when I was a kid, though (lots of good stories there, but I?m not in the mood).

Anyway, I got here in 1990 and I was pretty far ahead of my grade level because?well?American public education sucks. So I graduated at 17 and went to Georgia Tech to study Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Engineering. With sudden freedom like I?d never had, attention from gorgeous girls from all over the place, and copious amounts of alcohol at my disposal, I did many things while at school, very few of them having anything to do with actually going to class. Turns out you need to do that to do well. So?after my third quarter there, I managed to end up below a 3.0 GPA and lost my scholarship.

My mom offered to send me back to school but only with stipulations I wasn?t prepared to concede to. I heard the submarine force had a nuclear power program, so I enlisted in the Navy and became a submariner. After about a year of that, I decided I wanted better pay and more responsibility, so I applied for and got accepted into an officer program. I got commissioned in 2000 and haven?t looked back since.

The end.


2. Ok, it's common knowledge that you're a father, and you're very fond of your son(I'm not going to get into specifics about his name, age, or anything else. However, feel free to go into any further detail, you wish). Is it tough being a father? How hard for you, is it, to be separated from your son, when your Navy obligations take you away from home? What sense of personal satisfaction do you feel within, when you put your son to bed at night, and know that you actually succeed at being a successful parent?

My son is the single most important person in my life. I like how you said that I?m ?fond? of him because that?s really a good way to put it. I really dig the kid. He?s amazing. I know I sound biased (probably am), but he really does have a social intelligence that belies his age. He?s also the only person I know (other than a few JCCers) who can make me literally bust out laughing.

As for how tough it is, I don?t see it that way at all. It?s not tough at all for the most part. Perhaps the most challenging thing would be when I have to discipline him from time to time but even that?s not that big a deal. He rarely does anything that I?m not ok with. He?s pretty self-sufficient, too, so we can spend time apart doing our own things and we?ll both be ok with that.

But you?re right about deployments. They are tough. There is nothing worse than being away for months at a time. My first deployment was the worst. He was only about 5 when I left for six months. If you think about it, that?s 10% of his life. I got back, he was slow to respond to me and it just about broke my heart. I had these visions of him running up to hug me but mostly he just kinda stood there, unsure of what to do. Yeah?that pretty much sucked.

I think he picked up on it, too. Because about a month after I got back, he came up to me and put his arms around my shoulders. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and said, ?Dad, I don?t like when you go, but I like telling my friends that my daddy is fighting to keep the bad guys away from us. That kinda makes you a superhero, right?? First and only

 

QFT.

Oh man I need to write more...

 

Sounderwan, i didnt know you till we came to this forum. And i thought you were a bit of a **** although i dont blame you for reacting to me negatively

But after reading this, I must say I got alot of respect for you.
^ I will never say this to your face again.

 

I liked Will Smith's music when I was younger. What was his album that he released around MIBII? That one was good.

 

nah about 2 years back, was a good album

 

You guys are too kind. Thanks! Not sure what I said worth noting, but I appreciate the sentiments.

On Will Smith: I realize it's not popular to like his flow, but his album, Lost and Found has one of the best rap songs I've ever listened to on it. Why? is one of those pieces that moved me on multiple levels. It was the first rap song my son and I listened to together. He must have seen the look on my face because, when it was done, he came over to me and put his arms around my waist and said "It's ok, Dad. I know you can't answer every question." I think the dads out there might be able to get why I love that album, now.

 

Oh. And I gave Juli some broken links but she must have not realized that they were there for her to fix for you guys so I'll do it here.

Johnny Clegg
Sounds of Blackness

Check 'em out. Worth listening to, imnsho.

 

Actually screw the popular thought that was running around in the Big Willie days that Will is a joke. Anyone who knows hiphop, knows that Will is a hiphop pioneer. I love the way Hollywood tries to claim Will as thier own, because they dont want to give credit to hiphop as giving birth to the most popular actor in America today.

Sound, I always liked that Will song, but you do realise he just ripped it off from Why by Jadakiss ft. Anthony Hamilton...pure classic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcNujMV-2iQ Although some of lines may be a bit obscure if youre not that into rap
look for the remix too.

 

I agree completely. The worst part about it, though, is that the hiphop genre seems to want to write him off as a sell-out, which just kills me. He was never some gangsta rapper. His music pretty much always fell into one of two categories (though sometimes he combined them in a song or two)--music that was fun and music that carried a message. He hasn't changed. Every time I read some review or hear some establishment rapper (lol!) talk about how Will isn't a "real" hiphop artist, I want to throw up.

Yeah, I know. Frankly, a lot of rap are riffs, though. Truth be told, I like Will's version better.

 

To be fair, Will well respected by most major rap media & everyone respects his hustle. The only one who has ever dissed him was Bow Wow & Eminem. Both pure lames.

 

Yeah. Bow Wow pretty much makes me want to hurl. And who the hell is Eminem anyway? I think he's had like one song that I actually liked. Get some time on the pond, kid, before you start dissing your elders.

 

I don't know about a sellout, more that he's seen as a candy rapper. The trend now is either to be really hard ("I SMACK NEGROES MUH****A!") or just be obsessed with the females. Maybe you could get on by concentrating on hyphy/crunk but even those genres have to dip into one of the two categories. Will obviously doesn't fit any of that.

 

Will, and Jazzy Jeff were still pioneers in the "pop" hiphop genre. I hold no grudges against Smith for holding out on swear words, because he thinks he doesn't have to resort to a **** **** here, or a bitch bitch there. He makes the effort to make fun music, without having to resort to dirty lyrics. I like plenty of hip-hop that uses profanity, as a part of the dialog, but Smith has proven that it doesn't have to be a necessity to get a point across.

 

Yeah, Will and Jazzy didn't bother with that, and I respect that. One or two of Will's newer tracks have actually been a bit impressive, but I still listen to Ice Cube disses whenever I feel sensitive, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

 

B+.


I'd have to read it again..He got to tell us all about his origins and begginin's and his kid and how much he loves things..very passionate and personal..I liked it alot. #2 favorite.