1st Of The Month

 

I remember when 1st Of Tha Month first came out in 1995, the radio stations would religiously play this song on the 1st of every month.   Of course they played it every day after that as well.    I will admit Bone Thugs N Harmony made some great jams but I struggled to understand every spoken word they said since depending on the artist, the enunciation wasn't clear.

Nonetheless the "first" 1st Of Tha Month since it's release was September 1st, 1995.   It was actually my first 1st living in the Washington D.C. area.   I was newly living on my own in my first apartment.   Sally was there along with Blanche, whom I talked about in a previous blog entry, and was our 2nd Mama while out there.   

I remember waking up to 1st Of Tha Month playing and it hit me especially when the day actually was the 1st.   Each month does give us a new "starting point" to begin anew with new and existing goals for the given month and year.   At that time I was struggling with my new role and learning about the expectations the client "Bell Atlantic" had for us.

With each subsequent 1st of the month, things got better and I was able to navigate through different obstacles that were thrown at me, mostly from the first company I worked at.   I still remember when my initial contract with Bell Atlantic ended, I used that time to travel back to Detroit and purchase my first car (a 96 black Chevrolet Cavalier).

When projects ended we were in a phase called being "on the bench".   Consulting companies in the 90's used to still keep their consultants between projects and paid them.   You would use the bench time to train and interview for other roles.   These days consulting companies place you and pay for you while on projects (if you get the job after interviewing) but once the project ends, you no longer were considered an employee of the consulting company and would have to start over again.   It's almost like you're a free agent with no support.   I experienced that first hand during my brief 6 month role in 2018 after being laid off.   I was disappointed that the consulting company didn't reach out to me at all during my time to possibly present other roles.   I didn't realize how good we had it in the 90's even in the midst of all the bullshit.   

But anyway while I was in Detroit, the project manager called me and wanted me to interview for a project in some other state that I don't remember.    I had to tell the project manager that I was Detroit which I remember she was peeved about.   She asked me if I had a suit with me if they were to pay for a flight to go to the interview and I told her no.   She was so mad but she said okay as she quickly hung up.    I did end getting my car and then I drove it back to D.C.

That period in my life was crazy.   I was worried after that incident that they would fire me (they didn't).   I was so glad I had Blanche, Sally, and the other ladies that were in the same boat as well to talk to and get advice from about our various experiences.   It was a coming of age moment for me.   And no doubt 1st Of Tha Month was one of many different songs that came out during that time period that brought my levity.

Here's to a new month and at the end of it, half of 2025 will be behind us.    I'm hoping we're all one step closer to reaching or accomplishing our goals.