On the Job.

May 20, 2020 by Kelvin Hicks in Sports

First jobs stink, or they’re supposed to. My first job was at the United Center and US Cellular Field, now known as Guaranteed Rate Field. I was 17 and had an affinity for nice sneakers so i was willing to settle for any paycheck. The rules at work were bordering oppressive and some fans were obscenely obnoxious, but it was nothing like being a kid at the UC. I saw the end of great White Sox run, the beginning of Kane and Toews. But nothing compared to seeing Derrick Rose in his rookie season. D.Rose worked at the United Center too but on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. He was the #1 draft pick in 2008 and the answer to Chicago Bulls fans’ prayers everywhere.

journal entry #18: mission statement.

May 13, 2020 by Kelvin Hicks

every morning started with the same routine: check for a cough, a sore throat and shortness of breath. the fear of catching covid-19 has worn off but i still fear for the safety of others. it worries me that society is so consumed with self that common courtesy is an out of date notion that no longer applies today. the idea of a greater good has been exposed as a myth. deep breath. the mind can wander into darkness if you let it. i used to distract myself from the perils of the present with visions of the future. i lay in my bed day dreaming of being in a larger, much more comfortable bed, in a house in the hills wrapped in a comforter so expensive that i’m embarrassed to tell my parents the price. my desires seem frivolous now.

just a game.

January 27, 2020 by Kelvin Hicks

In the wake of his passing, people will have a lot to say and not all of it will be good. Kobe was an imperfect basketball player and an imperfect man. It is the honorable pursuit of greatness that inspires us. The unrelenting quest to be the person that you always dreamed of being. That is what I’ll always remember. So with that, I say goodbye to the man that made me watch basketball on a deeper level than wanting my favorite team to win. As we mourn Kobe and Gigi’s death, basketball is unimportant. Growing up I used to hate this man, now I just wish he was still here.

majority rules.

January 24, 2020 by Kelvin Hicks

Right now we have a president that is racist, corrupt, and just an overall dickhead. After several impeachable offense, House Democrats finally went forward with impeachment hearings after the president allegedly withheld aid from the Ukraine in exchange for dirt on Joe Biden. This week I’ve watched impeachment managers eloquently lay out their case during the impeachment trial. I have also seen the president’s defense dismiss that the charges as insignificant. The Republican Senators have thwarted every opportunity for the Democrats to build a case. This impeachment trial is merely a theatrical performance. Democrats performing for their liberal constituency and Republicans performing for Fox News and their proud papa, President Trump.

journal entry #17: honest intentions & pure thoughts.

January 06, 2020 by Kelvin Hicks

sometimes i can’t believe i chose to be a writer or that writing has chosen me. there was a time where i wouldn’t say anything of substance to anyone. i felt like it didn’t matter. too often, words are used to manipulate another person instead of expressing an honest intention or pure thought. i chose to say nothing. women whom i loved, friends that i appreciated, family that supported me rarely heard me express the way i felt. when i was 18 there was a woman that i admired. she was beautiful; her face was perfect with freckles sprinkled throughout and a dazzling smile. her sense of humor was quirky and her taste was sophisticated. one day she told me she liked a sweater i was wearing. so i gave it to her. it was white with gray stripes. i saw her wearing the sweater a few weeks later around campus.