#100....FINALLY!!!

I know I am like the slowest person ever to 100 posts but I still wanted to call attention to it. LOL.


For # 100 I wanted to do something significant but different then what I have seen all my other friends do in the past. I thought just do something short and sweet...but I am a long winded type of person. LOL. So then I just wanted something original and something that actually took some serious thought and mattered to me. So, my choice is to do a top 100 list of the people that have touched my life the most....whether good or bad...whether they were in my life a short time or a long time...I am only measuring how much I have been touched not the level of our friendships/relationships. This is gonna be long...LOL.


(I preface this by saying I am only including people that I have personally interacting with as they walked on this planet so no religious figures although I hold them in very high regard and no famous folks unless I really know them personally...which I don't. LOL.)


1. My mother - Proof that a woman really can raise a boy into a good man.

2. My sister - My Antidrug. LOL!

3. My Biological Father - More inspiring in his abscence than just about everyone else was with their presence...and we cool now. LOL.



4. My cousin Kia - First friend I ever had...we shared the same story the first half of our lives.


5. Granfather Foda - That was my dad as a child.


6. Aunt Arnell - Kia's mom...She is my second mother.

7. My Stepfather - We didn't get along much but you made me tough.


8. Grandfather Arbor - Perfect example of how to be a real man and still have emotion and sensitivity towards others. Basically...he cares.


9. Grandma Betty - No nonsense type of people always leave an impression.


10. My cousin Jon - Closest thing I will ever have to a brother.


11. Karen B. - Only woman that has ever truly loved me (that I wasn't related too ofcourse).


12. Grandma Carlene - If you know me well you know I have a problem with saying what I think instead of wording it right...I got it honest. LOL.

13. Uncle Rodney - My love for chess, pool (billiards), and comics all stem from him.

14. My Cousin Ashley - At times the Older sister I never had.

15. Best Friend Jeff - Probably most responsible for helping to break out of my shy guy personality in college.

16. My Stepbrother - Helped me to aquire a few bad habits in our day (LOL)...taught me how to be loyal even when I didn't want to be.

17. Uncle Ray - Jon's dad who invited me into his home and family at times where I know he probably didn't want to.

18. Aunt Terry - A very strong personality in the village of people that helped raise me.

19. Aunt Linda - Took care of me like her own all those weekends I spent at Jon's house.

20. Highschool Best Friend Rodney - Person who made me like life in NC even when I didn't want to. Had me running the streets! LOL.

21. Undergrad Best Friend Vince - Probably the closest friend and the most distant person I have called friend (at different time periods) all in one person.

22. Kirsten B. - Been the same friend since 9th grade and still inspiring me to step my game up. LOL.

23. Highschool Best Friend Ricky - Made me feel like I belong more than anyone in NC.

24. Tiffany B. - My first true love...my first true heartbreak. She cut me deep. LOL.

25. BJ - The term "best friend" is usually used for the person you consider your favorite friend. If you used it in the literal meaning this dude would probably have been that in college.

26. Jose' B. - She fixed my broken heart and didn't even know it.

27. Von Y. - My homie that taught me that being black wasn't just about fitting a common standard or mold of what a brotha is supposed to be like.

28. Sonya C. - Helped me cope with highschool and our first job. Only woman that has been close to being my bestfriend without being my girlfriend.

29. Tania C. - First girlfriend...became the standard for which I measured every woman against my Freshman year of college. I guess that's why I was single. LOL.

30. My cousin Jordan - Large age gap between us but now that we are both legal I am learning more and more about him all the time.

31. Corey N. - First friend I ever had that was a nice guy like me...made me feel less like an outcast. Damn my conscience. LOL.

32. Jessica L. - Made me realize I didnt pay enough attention to what made me happy in relationships.

33. Jay Murph - Got me re-acclimated to life in PG when I moved back after gradschool. LOL.

34. Will T. - Not as tight as we would like to be...tighter then we seem to most...dogs for life.

35. MikeSee - Our discussions always start about something simple and then turn into intellectual sparring matches. LOL.

36. AB - Meeting him and becoming friends has been like finding out at 25 I had an older brother.

37. Jake H. - The dude who got me started on writing lyrics back in 99.

38. Annetta W. - First person to speak to me at my highschool in NC. Took me 3 hours to get her to stop calling me Zane. LOL.

39. B Lynch - First dude to befriend me on my first day of school in NC. Only dude in our grade that was shorter than I was. LOL.

40. G - First female friend that was just a friend and nothing more from start to finish. (And no I wasn't just waiting for an opportunity to arise)

41. Amy P. - First chick to get my nose open and trust me, she took advantage of it. LOL.

42. Alisha T. - Pulled out my protective side and showed me just how far I would go to help a friend.

43. Tanasha G. - Pushed the limits of how far I would go to protect/help a friend beyond my own previously set limits (#41).

44. Uncle Reggie - Three sons of his own, none of them bad apples, and he still makes me feel like he wishes they were like me (personality wise).

45. Shamir - A really good kid in NC that I helped tutor when he was in the 6th grade (I was in the 11th) and he never lived to see highschool.

46. Corey AKA "Pimp C" - My lil homie back in undergrad, was the messenger leading to me getting saved.

47. Cousin Ryan - Opened my eyes and made me have to be more accepting and open.

48. Pastor Keith Battle - Only pastor that has ever made me feel like his message and "the word" applied to me directly and indirectly every time he preaches.

49. My StepCousin Charlie - Most inquisitive mind I have ever met...died way to young, last year.

50. My StepCousin Charles AKA "Man" - showed me that you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves.

51. Jaime - We drove together in our drivers course for your learners permit and he died in a car accident the following school year after we got our licenses. Like a scared straight experience.

52. Quad - My man 50 grand in gradschool we helped each other make it through our Masters and working at Wachovia. He is also the person that put me onto Little Brother because he was supporting his boy from highschool (Phonte)

53. Devin - One of the main reasons that I have continued to read comics for as long as I have past college.

54. My Highschool US History Teacher - The reason that I have such an interest in the world of politics...even though I don't keep up as much as I used to back then.

55. My Cousin Wesley - Inspiration for living a Christian life and still have fun.

56. Funke' - Old coworker that grew so close to myself and another coworker that she gave her twin sons African names that translated to ours...or so she said. LOL.

57. Uncle Roy - The uncle that always seem to have it all working right for him. Always made you want to be that type of dude...at least based on outward appearances.

58. Jackson Gabriel - Introduced me to my church and has been spritual advisor at times...in other situations he has been the advisee.

59. Bryanne G. - Made me realize that dealing with a woman doesn't always have to be a "life or death situation". LOL.

60. Shavon A. - A hot and cold friendship that probably makes absolutely no sense to anyone...including us.

61. Chelle - My moms best friend 27 out of 29 years of my life she has always made me feel like I was/will be the best man to ever walk this earth. LOL.

62. Karen T. - Our friendship reminds me of that old saying that people are in your life for a reason or a season.

63. Raheem P. - Did a lot of moving around as a child so friends came and went a lot. This is #2 of 4 in my first real crew of friends that made me feel like I really belonged.

64. Toby G. - #3 of 4 in my first real crew of friends.

65. Rodney W. - # 4 of 4 in my first real crew of friends. Just in case you didn't realize it yet...I am #1 of the crew. LOL.

66. Justin K. - The friend that really got me into video game systems beyond the simple NES system. I ain't been right since. LOL.

67. My First !!!- 'Nuff Said.

68. Asyah - My cousin Kia's first born daughter. She had my heart for years...until she hit 5 ft at age 8 and wasn't such a little girl anymore. LOL

69. Phoenix - My cousin Ashley's daughter that I spent a lot of time with. First time I ever really felt like an uncle type of figure.

70. Kasia - My stepbrothers daughter. Adorable little girl with such a sad story at such a young age. She can't help but touch your heart.

71. Amyah - My cousin Kia's second daughter. The firecracker of the family. This lil girl has a mean streak on her but she is so protective.

72. Jaiden - My bestfriends son and my oldest Godson. The boy that wants to destroy my house for all those who read my adventures in babysitting. LOL.

73. Jonathan - My bestfriends son and my youngest Godson. The cannabalistic gymnast. LOL.

74. Rashad G. - My freshman year college roommate. Taught me patience and how to deal with people with totally different personalities than my own.

75. Will L. - Friend since freshman year of college we have done dumb stuff as well as real grown men business together.

76. Wayne B. - A friendship that has shown me the true value of humility.

77. Rashadd H. - A friendship that has shown me the true value of networking for success and having icebreaking convos that deal with more than sports and women. A fellow professional conversationalist. LOL.

78. Travis J. - A friendship that has shown me the value of maintaining your corporate persona as much as I hate having to do it. LOL.

79. Lynette S. - A friendship that has shown me the true value of someone who can really keep things just between the two of you.

80. Helania F. - The first girl I ever really liked back in the 5th grade. LOL.

81. Ebony - a woman that showed me just how powerful a physical connection can be...even when you've only known someone two weeks. Can we say looney tunes!

82. Daunte L. - The guy who destroyed my false perception of the south being weird/soft/slow/drab when he got expelled from school my first year for bringing a gun to school...Thank God we were always cool. LOL.

83. Tamika W. - The first woman to ever intimidate me back at the young tender age of 14. If only I knew then what I know now. ;-)

84. Allen H. - A person who made me realize that your never to old to find a friend for life.

85. TJ - A highschool friend who was my complete opposite but there wasn't anyone else that was more willing to have my back when I needed it.

86. M. Williams - My homie that keeps me on my P's & Q's when it comes to sports, real estate, careers, realistic ideas of marriage among other things. I swear we need to start a radio show. LOL.

87. Jennifer M. - One of the few people I have known that were genuinely nice to everyone.

88. Gerald G. - Coworker who is like a 44 year old version of myself. Scary how much our personalities mirror each other.

89. Crystal. D AKA "C Murda" - My homegirl who made a point to never hold her tongue for anyone. Fun to be around unless she is snapping at you. LOL.

90. Hiwoo - One of the most unforgettable people you will ever meet in your life.

91. David L. - One of two people who showed me just how crazy a dude can be when it comes to a woman.

92. Robert M. - The other dude that showed me just how crazy and jealous a woman can make a man.

93. DH - The person who made me realize that it really is never to late to have to start over.

94 & 95. Harrison & Tinch - What do you get when you put together a tall, skinny, weed- head, band groupie that reminds you of Shaggy with a short, conservative, inexperienced, devout christian...best friends and two of the funnest people to ever work with.

96. Cliff C. - My man in college that tested the limits of just how far I would go to make sure a friend is safe after getting himself entirely too wasted.

97. M. Wright - Probably the closest thing I will ever have to a protege' beyond my own children one day.

98. Ashley M. - You know how you sometimes have that friend that considers you their best friend and you just don't know why but the sentiment is still flattering (for lack of a better term)...that's who this was.

99. Krista B. - First girl to ever make me look beyond my racial hangups when interested in the opposite sex.

100. Yahne' - The first older woman to ever show me interest. I was so dumb back then that she had to put me on blast for me to realize "I f*cked that money up". Learned from that mistake REAL QUICK. LOL.

I'm pretty sure I left off a few folks I shouldn't have on this list and there are probably a lot of folks that aren't in the correct order but you get the gist of it.

Doubt I will ever be spending another 4 days of my life on something like this ever again so enjoy. LOL.

Like The First Time All Over Again

So every year after New Years a group of folks at my job decides to have a weight loss challenge to motivate people with the weight loss resolutions that a lot of us usually make. I am not one for the weight loss resolution but I do take part in the challenge and even loss the most last year. I have only picked back up 5 of the 16/17 I lost last year so I have been doing good since the last weight loss challenge.

So this year I have decided to get my "Lee Haney" on while trying to lose weight and have incorporated more weight lifting into the regiment of running, basketball, and decreased plate portions. Luckily for me I am not new to lifting weights...unluckily for me I have a checkered past with my weight lifting routines. LOL. The thing about lifting weights is that it's one of those use or lose type of things so now that I am starting over I have to go thru one thing like I have never lifted before....MUSCLE RECOVERY. For non lifters, that's the time you take between workouts for your muscle to mend themselves back from the soreness you feel after working out. The more often you workout the less recovery time you need. And when it's the first time...OMG. At times it feels like you pulled a muscle if you put in some real work. Today I am in recovery from Tuesday...and if you didn't know it's not normally the day after that hurts the most it's two days later, especially when you are starting over.

Before today I never knew just how important my shoulders were to my upperbodies mobility. LOL. THIS SH*T HURTS!!! I mean just typing the last 306 words of this blog has felt like an excersice. I'm in here with my forearms sweating like I'm clutching a 60 dumbell right now...WHY THE HELL AM I SO HOT!!! I swear it feels like my muscles are burning. And I thought I was going back today. HA!

I must have been having flashbacks of 05 when I was really in the gym. Man I hope I have the will power to get back to those days.

For now I guess I'll just settle with sharing my pain. LOL. Wish me luck people.