another time a random guy tried selling me drugs
“hey man you party?”- guy at gas station while I was on the phone with my mom while pumping gas
my response: “No thank you sir.” Yes, I’m still polite even if it’s a stranger trying to sell me drugs while I’m on the phone with my mom. No, I don’t want to party. It’s 4pm. I just got off work. I just want to go home and have dinner. I must look like a stereotypical drug user because it hasn’t been the first time that a random person tried selling me drugs. I must look like a guy that’s always strung out. Do I look like a hype? I don’t get it. Ironically, on the other side of the gas station, a police officer pulled a guy over for speeding. So, in this scene was a cop on one side and a drug dealer and me on the other side. I don’t like random people trying to sell me random things. Is was like some weird kind of Craigslist encounter that I wanted no part of.
hey craig
I love Craigslist. They haven’t made one upgrade to make their site better to try to compete with their competitors. There has been no effort to make there site safer for their consumer. The website looks like it hasn’t changed one bit. It looks like a teenage kid made that website for a high school project in the 90s. But that’s exactly why I love it. Everything is on one page. It’s very simple. And there’s always a sense of adventure when you buy something on there. What’s the person going to look like? Are you to get robbed? Will you live? It’s like making a drug deal but with household items. You never know what’s going down. I’d like to thank Craigslist for staying true to who you are and not changing because of a few bad encounters.
the ghosting pastor
I told my coworker that I needed my brakes replaced and he offered to help. So I texted him. He never texted me back. He ghosted me. He is 50 years old too. Grow up. Who is ghosting people at 50? He is also a pastor. But apparently not a good pastor. A good pastor would respond back. What kind of pastor doesn’t respond to someone in need? It makes me believe anyone can be a pastor if my coworker can be. I should give him the benefit of doubt because he was let go after 20 years with the agency. He might be feeling a little bitter. In the end, he never responded, so I had to find someone to fix my brakes. So I did what any normal human being would do, I went to Craigslist.
rod the auto bod
I scoured Craigslist high and low to find a auto mobile mechanic. Actually, it took me 10 seconds. I contacted the first guy I searched for. I found a guy named Rod. Rod sounds like a guy who knows about car repair, so I emailed him. He replied by saying call him. I called him and we set up a day and time. After about 5 minutes, fear set in. I immediately regretted my decision. I thought he was going to murder my entire family. We’ve all heard Craigslist horror stories. I thought I was next. All this fear could’ve been avoided if I just took my car to a shop. But I like to live life on the edge. I wanted some excitement in my life.
father O’rielly
Later that day I went to O’riellys auto parts store to pick up the brake pads. I told the store clerks who were working there about my situation. I let them know I found a guy on Craigslist who was going to change my brakes. I confided in them that I was nervous and scared. It felt therapeutic. I’m not sure if they cared to hear my story or not. It was 7pm on Friday night. However, they seemed more like a priest than my co worker who offered to help me but didn’t. The store manager left me with these words of wisdom, “make sure to hold a screwdriver in your hand”.
pump the brakes
The day arrived. It was time for Rod to come over. I texted him my address. At that point, I was all in. Once you give up the address, there is no turning back. My fate was in God’s hands. He soon shortly arrived. He pulled up in a minivan. First red flag. I don’t trust single guys who drive minivans. Hell, I don’t trust anyone in minivans. They are ugly and expensive. People who drive them don’t make good decisions. He stood about 6 feet tall. He looked like a retired UFC fighter. That was the second red flag. He could’ve easily killed me. But he didn’t. He spared my life. He did a great job replacing my brakes. He even taught me. We had a great father son moment. We laughed, talked, and laughed some more. He even met my son. I know you were expecting this story to have a bad ending but it doesn’t. No third red flag.
pulling back the curtains on Shandon Anderson
Shandon Anderson was drafted in the 2nd round with the 54th overall pick in the 1996 draft by the Utah Jazz. He played for Jazz, Rockets, Knicks, and Heat. He won an NBA championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat as a back up. He holds career averages of 7.4 ppg, 3.1 rbg, and 1.4 apg. After he retired, he became a chef and opened a vegan restaurant. He did not just slap his name on a restaurant and serve gimmicky food like most star players. He attended culinary school, learned to cook, and opened a Thai/vegan spot called “Drink Art”.
doogie howser moment
It’s funny how I built this whole scene in my head of being frightened by the Craigslist mobile mechanic when in fact he turned out to be one of the nicest guys I’ve met. I actually was more scared of the drug dealer at the gas station even with the cop 50 feet away. It just shows you can’t judge a Craigslist post by its post. But after all that happened to me (by my own doing) this week I kind of just want to party.
Loved this post. The narrative connecting the posts was great!