Overcome Your Everyday Struggle
08/19/2022 7:11pm
Afternoon All! How is every reader on this fine website doing today? Awesome, I hope! Even if things aren't going awesome right now, I hope you have the foresight to know that things will get better. How am I doing, you asked? First off, thanks for asking. Secondly, I'm doing literally alright. Not too great, but I'm not doing badly, which is a blessing. Although I'm unemployed & cash is slow, I'm grateful to have what I need in order to continue moving forward. I may not have everything I want in life, but I'm getting there & that's all that matters fr. I see my current circumstances & look at it a few different ways. Firstly, it has jumpstarted my mind to think differently about a lot of things. Secondly, this situation has been an astounding test in patience because I truly don't know what is going to happen next (exciting lowkey). Thirdly, & most importantly, I am getting to know myself more & achieving deep childhood desires. Like fam, lemme start a new paragraph to announce something I achieved today.
AFTER 18 YEARS, I HAVE FINALLY BEAT GTA: SAN ANDREAS!!!!!!!
Fam, when I tell you I'm so happy. Literally, since 2004, I have been trying to figure out how to finally beat this game. For years, obstacle after obstacle has sidetracked my destiny. From "not being old enough to understand the game"; to having to get another PS2 at the end of my Junior year of high school; to getting the PS3 version in college, which always crashed; to getting the Nintendo Switch version & starting from scratch again. Now, I can say that at 24 years old, I have finally completed GTA: San Andreas. As you could probably tell, this is immensely satisfying. For years, I have wanted to do this. For years, I wanted to know what it felt like, & trust me, it feels amazing! I'm not going to say "I can't believe I did it", because I absolutely can. I worked hard for this & failed MAAAAANY times. Many late nights yelling "FUCK!" when I get killed by the last man in the mission, forcing me start over. After all this time, my inner child can finally breathe a lil bit more. It's crazy that me being unemployed, but determined, led me to this beautiful moment. However, although this is a beautiful moment for myself, I DO NOT like being at home & playing video games instead of putting in some real work. I don't know how people do that fr. No shade or hate to any gamers, but personally, I can't look at a game for that long. The only thing that kept me playing fr was the undying will I had to beat GTA: San Andreas.
Another thing I did with my time (yesterday) was go to the Barnes & Noble on 5th Ave & got some books. I initially went because I saw that they were doing 50% on books & I thought that meant ALL books, but it was deadass 2 shelves & 3 tables of discounted priced books in that big ass store. I could've been annoyed, because I'm on a budget, but it was cool. I wanted a few books, & I found 3 that were just a lil bit over my $30 budget. The 3 books are about learning Spanish, world mythology, & "Wealth of A Nation" by Adam Smith. I'll eventually read them all, but I'm VERY excited to get up on my Spanish. Ben Affleck looks like he's having a great time being latino. Also, that is something that I have always wanted to be able to do. Clearly, you can tell I'm all about achieving life goals. Who knows? Maybe I might give y'all a T&P in Spanish, but until then: Mi gente joven! Que tengan una buena vida! Te lo mereces! (Yes, I used Google Translate, but truly, only a lil).
Ok, I'm about to go & figure out life some more. I hope you enjoy the song up there. It's the slowed instrumental to Biggie's "Everyday Struggle". I've been listening to "Everyday Struggle" so much lately. Reason being is that I watched a big chunk of the Lil Cease interview on VladTV. Hearing Cease gush about how "Everyday Struggle" was his favorite Biggie song made me hear the song thru a new, respected perspective. It was hard to watch that full interview forreal because I could literally feel Cease's love for Big radiating thru the screen. It actually made me cry a few times. Like you could really tell that they loved each other on some real brother shit. Big looked out for Cease so that Cease never had to experience the same pain & street issues he faced. That's real love beyond money. He gave him opportunities to, not only change, but grow his life & that remained consistent throughout their entire relationship. That type of love isn't common & to experience that is a blessing. It brought me a new understanding & appreciation for Big, who is already my #1 favorite rapper ever. Also, this instrumental is LOOP-TASTIC! This is a fucking loop. Imagine the weed smoke first blown to this loop. Wow. Shoutout to the Bluez Brothers & always, always, always LOVE TO BIG.
Alright, I'm really about to go now. I hope you enjoyed the ATMIX of "Heated by Beyoncé" (Drake Version) in the last post. Am I currently working on music, you ask? Well, this GTA achievement, as well as unemployment, has shifted my priorities. You'll probably hear a lil something from me again soon. It's not like I can't write, produce, & engineer (slightly) anymore. I'm just focused on what will actually pay me for my work. What that will be, I have no idea, but I do know what it WON'T be: Drugs & Illegal Activity. I have no desire to do that & I know I can do more than that. Whatever fr. I'm not getting into that here. This is not the place to talk about all that. This is the place to talk about how life will treat you well if you treat yourself & others well. Yes, some people may take advantage of kindness, but fuck 'em we ball! Be kind to yourself & the rest will just fall into place. Be proud of yourself for overcoming your everyday struggles. Trust me, we all have 'em. It's all about how we handle them while moving forward in our lives. I'm handling mines like "a true G, that's me, blowin' like a bubble, in the everyday struggle."
Keep It Lovely,
AT al Mundo
P.S. I also won a dollar off a Loose Change scratch-off. I take that as a sign of things looking 🆙
Unemployed & HEATED!
08/10/2022 9:24pm
Great afternoon, errybody! It's about to be a month of unemployed vibes for me & let me tell you something, brother: I fucking hate this. I genuinely do not like being an idle person. Ever since I got back from Vegas, all I've been doing is revamping my resumé & sending it out, working out, casually making music, blowing LaLaLa, cooking & cleaning. If y'all knew all the food that I have been cooking up, I would get a job with DJ Khaled's Chef Dee. I could list all of the meals & desserts, but it really is a lot... I'M UNEMPLOYED!! I have nothing to do. However, lemme tell you what I made for breakfast today because I REALLY balled out.
OK, so after I finished my pack of LaLaLa, I sat down & thought to myself, "Hey Aaron, I love you. While we wait for the next steps to help us forward, let's ball out on breakfast." I brought out the eggs, Bisquick & a can of Homestyle baked beans. Yes, I was eating beans; issa British boy ting. I peeped the egg carton & saw 4 eggs. I usually eat 3 & knew I needed eggs for the Bisquick, so a slight panic ensued. So, I peeped the Bisquick box & saw that I only needed 1 egg! Can you imagine the smirk on my face when I seen't that? Shoutout to the old me for knowing what the future me was going to need. Ok, so after that, it was go-time. First, I mixed the Bisquick mix & thought "Wooooah, let's make this a bit more interesting." I pulled out a pack of Oreo's & some cinnamon sugar. I had one Oreo in a roll, after I used the roll for some *special* brownies that I made, & crush it into the mix. Then, I poured about a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar into the mix. Then, like an Ableton file, I started mixing! After that was mixed, I realized I forgot to put the beans in the pot, so I chopped half an onion & put that in the pot with the can of beans. Then, I beat the eggs & threw that in a pot. Initially, I was going to make pancakes, but then I remembered The Waffle Maker. Naturally, I was geeked. I pulled that bad boy down & got to waffle-making. So now, the eggs, beans, & waffles are being prepared. Eggs are quick, so they finished first. Then, I got about 3 full sized Cinnamon Oreo waffles from the mix, & the beans were done just like my grandfather used to make them, so perfect (2 ME!). So when it was all said & done, I had Cinnamon Oreo waffles, eggs, & baked beans for breakfast. I enjoyed tf outta that meal dawg, & you could imagine what the next steps for an unemployed mf was going to be: BACK2SLEEP! I turned on MSNBC & knocked tf out. I woke up around 2:30pm, took a shower, & felt super called to work on this "Heated"-ATMIX that has been spirit for weeks. I got to a certain point of making it, got tight at myself for not figuring something out, took a break & went to the gym to pump out some frustration. At said gym session, I had a Celsius & lemme tell you: Worth the hype. I was in the gym triple-geeked. After the gym, I came back & fixed the issue I heard. It was great! I think I was just too confided in my head. Shit happens, but AT happens bigger! Anyways, that was my day in a nutshell :/
However, I'm embracing this time off because I'd bet my next steps are going to require a lot of my time & energy. I haven't been able to take time off in awhile & get in tune with myself. Also, learning all of this cooking is definitely giving Stay-At-Home Daddy vibes, but I don't have a girl so I'm just unemployed & single (HEATED).
Also, if you're wondering why I chose to ATMIX Drake's version of "Heated" by Beyoncé, just understand I've been smoking A LOT of LaLaLa to this loop & I needed to express what I've been hearing, in some way. I love this song fr. Beyoncé's album is really on some next level shit. It's so loop-able. Not only loop-able, but groove-able! This is just a small piece off of "Renaissance"! The whole album has wonderful musical pieces. For example, the rhythm scheme on "Alien Superstar" was on some real "fuck y'all" shit, & YES! It should be that way! Never let 'em know your next move, or your next groove! Don't even get me started on "America Has A Problem", because we do. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy that lil ATMIX. I made it just for y'all today <3.
Alright, I'm about to take a massive-ish dump & ride a Citi-Bike around Manhattan while trying to figure out a new income situation. I'm not scared of how I'm going to make money because, again, there is A LOT of ways to make money in this world. My thing is that I just really don't want to end up like Big Meech or Supreme Griff over funding this art/lifestyle shit. I genuinely don't want to go down the avenues that I have worked so hard to escape & avoid. Ah whatever! Today, I don't have to resort to that & hopefully, I don't ever. Today, I have the space to think & grow. Who knows? Anything can really happen at any time & I'm open to cool stuff happening. Why? Because I'm a cool guy! Enjoy that song up there & enjoy your wonderful night. Remember, winning & happiness comes from within.
Best,
Optimistical A
Time Of My Life
08/03/2022 7:50pm
Yoooo! Hello! How is everyone?1? It's been a minute & 3 quarters! I've been so busy trying to figure this life thing out. As you may know, I finished working at my corporate finance job a few weeks ago. In case you're wondering, NO!, I did not get fired. I actually turned in my 1 month notice THE PREVIOUS THURSDAY before "Break My Soul" by Beyoncé came out, so you could imagine my surprise when I heard Big Freedia yell "RELEASE YA JOB!" I was like "Already right there witcha 🤘🏽". Life is funny like that sometimes. Anyways, I wanted to turn in a long enough notice so that they could find my replacement. The project that I was hired for was complete & I could've moved up in position, but I didn't want to continue working where I was. Honestly, I felt undervalued there. Instead of trying to continuously prove myself to people who do not want to acknowledge my work, I'm just going to part ways & work with people who value my time & effort. I know what I'm worth & I was working for a discount. So, I won't allow you to undervalue me, just for you to offer me a lowballed position to further gaslight me. I'm absolutely grateful for the work, the team, & the opportunity, but I need to remain myself & grow. I can't do that with people who undervalue me. Like you can't play me! I know I'm dope. Even if you don't feel it, that's O.K.! Some people don't like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but a lot of people understand how amazing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are. People who don't like Reese's PB Cups won't value Reese's PB Cups, & that is totally fine. However, those Reese's PB Cups are going to be found by some Reese's PB Cup lovers. That's why I'm not super worried about finding a new job. There's so many ways to make money. I'm just happy to be free from not feeling valued in the right way. I can focus on myself & my true development. Is my bag affected? Absolutely! However, I have savings, belief in myself, & a will to win.
I'm not tryna talk about that right now. What I'm tryna talk about is that amazing Beyoncé album, "Renaissance", that dropped last Friday. My goodness!! That woman Beyoncé put together an ALBUM; not just a collection of songs. You see, me, Aaron Taffe, for now, I put out cool lil songs just to vibe to so that I don't have to go into my hard drive to listen to them. I haven't given up on my music goals, but I'm not about to give myself high blood pressure trying to keep up with the Combs. I know I'm going at my own pace & will succeed. However, Beyoncé has put in the time, mastered her pace, conquered the obstacles, & continues to put out amazing music. She, Beyoncé, puts out ALBUMS. It's literally insane how she balled out on everyone like this. Do you hear those transitions? That is a master @ work. Also, we all see the controversies. They aren't worth speaking on. A lil clean-up action & we don't even know what the issue was. Also, what's a Beyoncé album without outrage. When you're THAT girl, you have THAT girl problems. Good for Beyoncé. Also, shoutout to Drake for his "Heated" work. That guy Drake is great dawg. I hope he heals from the Covid. On the brighter side of the Covid issue, he can extend the nostalgic Toronto vibe for the city. Drake is Toronto & for him to miss that show sucks, but everything in it's right timing. The love is just growing within the city of Toronto until the rescheduled event.
Ok, what else? Oh yeah! I just came back from Vegas & a lot happened fr. Quick recap: released ATMIX I (hope y'all like it. ATMIX II soon); lost bread; got some bread back; met some dope people; Knicks lost the Summer League Championship game :I; I had Raising Cane's for the first time; I saw the WONDERFUL Blue Man Group; I saw the MSG Ball that Dolan is building; my cousin went missing on the day he was supposed to leave; went on the NY NY Rollercoaster; I almost got jumped & robbed @ the Rio; & I got to spend some nice quality time with my family. That wasn't necessarily in order, but you get the drift. I realized Vegas is totally an awesome city, but you gotta know yourself & what you're getting into. Luckily, I'm not stupid. I know how to handle myself in certain situations, & that's a praise to God. Other than some G'd moments, there were great ones! First, family time because I haven't been able to do that forreal in a very long time; & second, $120 (after taxes) for an entire Zip of loud? Imagine my amazement at that. Imagine my secondary amazement when I finished it in the week that I was there. What a crazy crazy city. When I go back, I'm bringing a better mind & more money!
Ok, I don't think there is much more I can think of. Probably because I'm hungry & I need to go shopping. I went earlier but they didn't have what I needed so I need to go to another one. I've been cooking a lot more since the beginning of my work transition. As time goes on, I'll talk more about my plans & future works, but for now, I'm about to do my thing in the kitchen for myself & after that, I'ma lightly tailor my resume, which is pretty steep, if I do say so myself. If any of y'all have a dope job for me, hit my line! I'm actually kinda smart. Anyways, I'm grateful for everyone who reads & listens to me. Shoutout to Pitbull for this great & uplifting song with Ne-Yo. It helps me remember that with all of the world's issues, we still need to dance & have fun. You know who else expresses that in their art? Beyoncé on that awesome "Renaissance" album!! You already know I'm going to posi-vibe thru the storm. I made it through Hurricane Sandy! At least now, I can focus on music frfrfrfrfrfrfr. While unemployed, I'm doing this music ting @ a way better level. I wish I could get paid to do this, but these contracts & deals are yucky. Oh well! Sometimes, you gotta make your own way. Either way, I'm gonna smile & do my thing. I genuinely hope you are doing yours & if you're on this journey with me & are rooting for me to do well, thank you <3.
Have A Dope Evening,
AT