Just My Thoughts

Favorite MJ video of all time.

2009-06-27T11:17:00.002-04:00

Smooth Criminal:

Why did I never realize in the past that Mike killed someone in this video? And what's up with the orgy scene towards the end? Should I have been watching this at 12? LOL.

Man I bust my head on my moms coffee table 3 times trying to get that lean down. LMAO!!! And how did he moonwalk in place...I could do it but not in place. MJ was a beast in this video.

MJ memories

2009-06-26T16:08:00.002-04:00

This video was my sh*t as a kid!!!

Can You Feel It:

They created a world out of glitter!!!! Man when I was a kid I LOVED this song and video...this is when I knew Mike was that dude.

RIP MJ.

Notorious

2009-05-17T20:05:00.002-04:00

I was a big B.I.G. fan when I was in highschool. To the point that I actual got choked up when I found out he was dead. So when they released the movie about his life earlier this year I was first in line to check it out. Overall I thought it was a decent movie. I do think that they probably should have did a lil more in showing detail about his relationships (friends and family)and how he interacted with other artists (He and Nas beefing and his friendship with Jay). But the most glaring thing about the movie in my opinion is the lack of reinacting moments we actually know to add a level of authenticity for any doubters of the story. I think the one of the best pieces of footage they could have used would have been Biggie's very last interview...

I actually watched this interview when it originally aired. I was a huge fan of Rap City when Joe Claire was the host.

Display of Power

2009-05-07T00:00:00.002-04:00

Today while standing in line at KFC for over a half an hour I realized just how powerful Oprah Winfrey's pull is in this country. For the last two days this woman has had KFC looking like they were passing out reperations. I havent seen that many black people go to one place since the last Prince tour went on sale at Ticketmaster.
All I could think the whole time I was in line was "what if this sh*t was a plot to infect the black community with the Swine Flu?" LOL! And that thought led to "Oprah has got to be one of the top 5 most powerful people in this country. She could possibly bankrupt a corporation and kill off an entire race with a website link. DAMN!!!" LOL.
I know black people supposedly like chicken more than anyone else but most of us dont even mess with KFC in comparison to other brands. But hell if we arent standing in line for an hour plus for two pieces of shriveled up grilled chicken. I aint even get to pick the sides I got...yeah I was pissed even with it being free. My time is valuable. LOL.

Straight Comedy!!!

2009-05-06T21:18:00.002-04:00

Shout out to AB for introducing me to this site...

http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/

...and providing me the opportunity to read these quotes:

(843): Good face, no body. And apparently her vagina is related to chewbaca.

Wow!

(721): That guy over there looks like a cartoon/action figure.
(703): omg, i know.
(721): we're too high.

LMAO!!!

(859): I'm at a bar that has girls so awful looking even you would not have sex with them.
(1-859): Well... I doubt that.

HAAAAAA!!!! You gotta love the realism of that one.

(678): Worst sexual experience IN MY LIFE. And now i know why it makes jesus cry.

WTF!!!

You should definitely check out that site if you haven't already.

Throwback

2009-04-27T21:25:00.002-04:00

I loved this song when it came out but this video looks like someones creativity got a lil too carried away. Either way it's a dope song...

Natural Born Killers:

Cube was my dude before Biggie came around!!!

Remembering Greatness

2009-04-20T09:05:00.006-04:00

Just realized this morning that today would have been the 59th birthday of the greatest R&B voice that has ever done us the honor of making music. Luther Vandross. Here are a few of my favorites...

Promise Me:

Anyone Who Had a Heart:

Because It's Really Love:

Misunderstood Happiness Rant

2009-02-13T10:06:00.005-05:00

It's funny how important a word is to the basic needs of society yet how underappreciated it can. Happiness is probably the single largest driving force in the world but is so misplaced that most people don't realize what it truly is they are searching for. It's what we lust after and are infatuated by...it's what we hunger for and why we love so deeply...it's what keeps you warm at night and what makes you feel so alone...it's what you sin for and it inspires us to pray...it's what we all want, what we are all searching for. The problem is that most of us don't even know what will truly make us happy.
Ask the average person what makes them happy and a lot of people will straight up tell you I dont know. Probably about the same number will try to thing up something off the top of their heads and end up giving an answer that they dont really believe after they said it...some of us just don't realize what makes us happy. That's not to say you can't figure it out but a lot of times it's more about realizing that certain things DON'T make you happy.
I personally have been realizing a lot as I have been thinking more about the future and building upon relationships into something much deeper. See, 5 years ago I would have been one of those people that didn't know what made them happy. The older and more mature I get the more I begin to notice how little an affect some things have on my happiness vs other things. The biggest thing about learning what makes me happy though is realizing why I am affected by certain things and not others that may make the next person happy. For example I always considered myself an unhappy kid when I was growing up. Now that I have matured I realize that really isn't true. I had a very unstable childhood as far as moving around and losing friends but what remained constant was a relaxing, open, silly, and FUNNY home life that didnt promote stress. Now that I'm older I realize that I dont stress over work or drama with friends when that stuff is out of wack. But if I have to deal with drama when I am at home in my personal surroundings I am completely unhappy...no matter how much makeup stuff someone will do or how many surprises I may receive just because (not that I dont like that stuff), it can't fix my morale when I am unhappy in my home. That's it for me.
I think for the most part it is probably that easy for most to figure out what makes them happy if they really think about but then again it has taken me damn near 30 years to figure it out for myself. LOL. But what really bugs me now and why being in a relationship makes me think of this is that as humans we tend to be selfish. Therefore each of us will try to make the person we are with happy in the way that personally makes us happy (even uncounsciously). It can even be hard to get your mate to understand what makes you happy because for them it just may not make sense. So, if it took me this long to figure it out about me, how do you make the one you love understand it?

I'll pay money for the answer to that question! (Communication right...yeah that's what I am best at and its still tough. LOL. )

#100....FINALLY!!!

2009-01-12T08:33:00.038-05:00

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

2009-01-08T09:48:00.002-05:00

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.

Wait...What...WOW!!!

2008-12-21T23:44:00.002-05:00

If you have a huge sense of humor this may not be safe for you to watch at work. LOL.

I have officially seen it all...

ROTFLMMFAO!!! Oh my damn!!!

Is that Ceelo Green? Did he eat a member of Goodie Mob? LOL.

Everytime I watch this I see or hear something else that makes me laugh so hard.

"Where My Dogs At?"

2008-11-30T22:35:00.002-05:00

So, as a child I had this one big fear. Other kids were afraid of the dark or the boogie man or of getting beat up by the bully at school...nah that stuff was nothing for me. I was afraid of dogs. And I don't just mean big dogs I just steared clear of all dogs...lil furry ankle biting cocker-spaniels and steel chain breaking Rottweillers alike.

I acquired the fear honest enough...a dog got a hold of my left hand when I was around 5 years old and I still have the scar to show for it now. Luckily for me as I got older and had friends and siblings who owned dogs I grew out of my fear. It turned into more of a dislike. LOL. Well recently (election night to be exact) I was reminded exactly why I used to be so afraid of dogs.

So I pick my girl up from class that Tuesday like I always do and I am on my way to her apartment. It's election night and I know I will be up late so naturally I came equipped with stuff like my laptop and clothes for the next day. On top of that she has a bag full of books and a dress on a hanger she just purchased and being the gentlemanly boyfriend I am I carry everything. So she is walking ahead of me to open her door for me. As I am walking up the walkway to the first flight of stairs I hear a noise from above. the noise was two things. 1-the sound of the pitbulls steps coming down the stairs FAST 2-the owner yelling at the pitbull to stop and come back. I look up and see this full size dog coming from the 3rd floor and think to myself in slow motion WTF. Instantly I am 10 years old again. My heart is beating like I am running from the cops and I haven't taken one step. I come to my senses after a second and yell for my girlfriend who is about to walk up to the second floor right towards this oncoming pitbull. She stops and looks at me and I guess she saw the fear in my eyes because she did an "about face" but decided to go down the steps to the first floor instead of out of the building. Instantly I think she will be trapped and take a step towards her thinking "she is gonna get killed...I gotta take this bite for her. F#CK!!!" But ass soon as I started to move the pitbull turns down the stairwell coming right towards me and I can't move.

Now I am feeling like this dog is coming straight for me so I turn, carrying all the stuff I mentioned above, and try to run. All I can think is "get to the car" but I am moving at about half speed of what is normally not the fastest pace in the world. When I get to the front of my car I can't hear the dog behind me anymore so I think the worst (my girl is in trouble...I know I am really sad right now.). I turn to look for the dog and realize the dog is in the grass behind me taking a piss...whew. I was tripping...he wasn't chasing me.

Nope I was wrong. In a second he was done pissing and his head turned directly towards me and he ran at me full speed ahead. Somehow the dogs owner is still running down the damn steps!!! I take off around my car but this dog is so fast I hear it slide into the street behind me as I turn at my trunk. I am at my damn car and can't even get in! I run back to the front of the car but it's so dark I can't see what side of the car the dog is coming from. It was the same side I ran up...the passenger side...and he is ON MY ASS!!! I start back around the car but by the time I get to the drivers door I feel how close the dog is so I stop with my back to the car. The damn dog comes in front of my and cuts off the direction I was running. WTF!!! Now I am sweating like...like...like a chubby 12 year old running from a pitbull. LOL!

The dog started to bark repeatedly and inch closer. By now I have dropped the dress and am holding the laptop in front of me (blocking my crouch from any assassination attempts...sh*t I don't have kids yet. LMAO). FINALLY, the owner runs up and the dog breaks in fear. He finally grabbed it and starts whipping his ass and yelling repeatedly "what the hell is wrong with you?" I'm thinking to myself muthaf*cka he is a pitbull!!! I was pissed and thankful all at once. I think I prayed 7 times on my one and a quarter trips around my car. Now I hury my ass over to the apartment steps to see where my girlfriend is.

Her black ass is in the hallway laughing at me. Apparently the dog looked at her and kept it moving when it saw me running. I guess I did the right thing to save her (yeah I'm taking credit for that, damned you if you don't agree. LOL). On top of that her sister was looking out of the window laughing when she heard all the commotion. And I was feeling bad about not running into danger for my girl...what the f*ck ever!!! LMAO.

Change came thru and kicked the door open!!!

2008-11-05T08:04:00.004-05:00

I honestly never thought I would live to see the day that this would happen...

The more I think about the mentality I and many black people had, the happier I am that a big part of that defeated spirit has been lifted. I am not one to think Barack is gonna be a President for black people...he is a President for America. But damn it feels good to finally know that equality can truly be realized.

Man I wish my grandmother and grandfather were still alive to see this.

My 29th Birthday Gift!!!

2008-11-04T08:54:00.003-05:00

Most people don't think of the 29th Birthday as anything special since it's not one of those milestone years like 18, 21, 25, or 30 but I am big on appreciating Birthdays no matter the age. So for my 29th, just like all the others, I wanted it to be special for me...naturally. Well this year I put my Birthday festivities in the hands of my girlfriend and let her do for me what she saw fit. Luckily I had already went all out for my girls Bday a month earlier (LOL) so she did all she could to make sure I had a great day (the entire day) but that isn't the gift I am talking about.

For most of my childhood there was something that I always asked for. It wasn't something material that my mom could buy me. It wasn't about money at all. It wasn't a specific action that anyone could do for me because there is no replacement for it...although some will stand up and make great efforts to try and replace it. On my 29th Birthday I got a phone call during the day while I was enjoying what my girl had planned out. The phone call was taking a long time and holding up the festivities but I really didn't want to get off the phone. I was happy carrying on my conversation. But for the sake of the plans I got off the phone. But when I got off the phone I realized then that I finally got what I always wanted as a child...

My father.

May not seem like much to many but for a lot of my friends who are like me and didn't have them around growing up and a lot of my friends who will never have a good relationship with theirs...it a lot to have. Nothing I could have recieved means more than realizing for the first time in my life I really am friends with my father.

Forgiveness is amazing...you should all try it out sometime.

Make Your Voice Heard

2008-11-04T08:20:00.002-05:00

No matter who you support or how much you think your vote will or wont affect things...

GO VOTE!!!

No one is gonna care what you think if you don't care enough to stand up for it. And your vote really won't matter if people don't think they can get you to place one. Hell, do it just to be a part of history. LOL.

Hail to the Redskins!!!
Fuck the Steelers!!
And God Bless America!

The 361

2008-11-03T12:35:00.003-05:00

I started purchasing CDs when I got my first CD player in my room back in highschool in 97. I was still transitioning from the tape deck in my car but I had already built a love for my music so I cherished all my CDs and took care of them over the years. To this day I have talked about my collection and how I actually purchased my CDs and yesterday I organized them (after being in my house for 2 years...LOL) and got to count just how many I have bought. Yep, 361 exactly...204 Hip Hop/Rap and 157 of everything else. Looking at all those CDs I noticed 10 things about my collection...

I own every Nas CD but his last 2. This is crazy to me because I will be the first person to tell you that I am not a huge Nas fan. LOL. I have even been known to say that dude hasn't made a complete album since the first one...guess I found that one out the hard way.
I own every Luda CD but his 2nd one. When I realized that I just had that WTF look on my face for a good 5 minutes. I like Luda but not like that. Just thinking about it makes me say...WTF.
I have 9 Stevie Wonder CDs. And that's only because I could find the others back when I was actively searching. Still pissed I can't complete that collection.
I have 1 Tupac CD and still regret making that purchase. Yeah I know that one won't be popular but it's the truth. Me Against the World just wasn't all that to me. Could have saved myself 12 dollars.
I own everything Jay-Z has put out. And I don't just mean his 10 albums (which I will come back to) but the "best of both world" CDs, the movie soundtracks, the joint with DJ Clue for the concert tour. All that shyt. And I still don't consider him my favorite. GOAT yes but favorite...ehhh top 3 or 4. LOL.
I own everything Little Brother and ColdPlay have put out. Anyone who knows me pretty much expected that though. LOL.
I have everything Lupe has put out. Not much as of right now but I pretty much guarantee that will grow.
I have everything Kanye has put out. Not much as of right now but I pretty much guarantee that I will end there. LOL. Yeah I am one of the 16 people out there that was dissapointed with his last album.
I have everything Game has put out. I honestly hope he isn't really retired.
I have every Common and Talib album but WTF happened to Mos Def. I dont even care to get his albums now. Sad...he was supposedly the best of these dudes. Sad...smh.

I know there are other people out there who still buy CDs...At least I assume so, even with the easy access of the internet. My days of hitting Best Buy every Tuesday are definitely behind me but I still enjoy hitting the store and ripping open the wrapping just like I did 10 years ago. I guess that's part of what makes me a true music fan.

I am interested in knowing if I am the only person still holding on to this insane amount of CDs though...Anybody else got a big CD collection?

An "AT?" problem

2008-09-10T13:26:00.003-04:00

Recently I have been informed by my loving girlfriend that I have an AT problem. What is an AT problem you ask...well that when you say "at" to finish questions that are perfectly fine without it.

Yeah all this time I have thought of myself as a well spoken member of society (when I want to be) and come to find out I sound like the drunk dude that won't stop talking to you at the bachelor party...

"What's up bro...Where da party...AT?"

"They didn't tell me where the room was...AT"

"Where dey keepin da alcohol...AT?"

"Where dey get all dis liqour...AT?"

"Man this is lame, where da skrippers...AT?"

"THE STRIPPERS ARE IN THE BUILDING, where is the bachelor...AT?"
(I love how the drunk bama starts to speak clear when the strippers come in...LMAO)

So I may not be as bad as these statements, other than the last one (LOL), but you get the picture. It just sounds so dumb and I am mad at myself for picking up such a bad habit. All those pops in the mouth my grandmother gave me just gone to waste.

So now I am back to making myself repeat everything correctly (like grandma would do after she popped me in the mouth) to try eliminate this bad habit. Hopefully it will be enough to break myself from the habit.

Too bad grandma isn't still around to catch me slipping like back in the day. I can hear her reprimanding me now..."Where you get this broken english AT?" LOL.

They say immitation is the strongest for of flattery...

2008-08-08T09:28:00.003-04:00

...So I wonder what Kanye thinks about this one...???

30 Seconds To Mars - Stronger

I like this song but of course I like the group and song Kanye sampled from to get the hook and beat....

Daft Punk - Stronger (the original version)

Don't ask me why I know about all this stuff. LOL.

Funny vid by an old acquaintance

2008-07-14T13:56:00.002-04:00

LMAO!!!

I know from personal experience that dude has been at it for at least 11 years and he is only a year older than me (29). Good to see him get a lil exposure even if it isn't much.

Incase you need a laugh...

2008-07-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

...as bad as I did.

ROTFLMMFAO!!!! This literally brings me to tears!!!

Anniversary Celebration!!!

2008-06-20T00:17:00.003-04:00

Here's to three years of patience, growth, strength, self expression, and the ability to ignore preconceived "judge a book by it's cover" type of personalities.

Here's to 3 years and counting with Locs.

"I just said that to get you mad"

2008-06-19T16:56:00.004-04:00

Why is it (at least it has been for me lately) that people will come out of the blue and say things to you that they know will get on your nerves or even piss you off and then act like they have these pure and honest intentions when you react to them? Now for me I normally just laugh when people do stuff like that because I can be somewhat of an ass myself...so who am I to get mad at anyone. But lately, there have been a few things that have just made me feel like this inside...

(This Brotha needs to let that anger out before he choke-slams somebody. LOL)

Well it's actually three things in particular...

1. The Hair topic - Why do people suddenly have opinions about what needs to be done with my hair? If people aren't asking how long I will let it grow they are asking if I am gonna cut it. I know this means you want to advise me on what to do with my hair. WTF do you care for..is this your hair homie? Did I steal your shit? If I could give it back I swear I would.
Is this "questioning phase" one of the stages of locs that people didn't mention and have I arrived to this stage prematurely? I mean I have only been growing my locs 3 years as of this month and I have friends who have me beat by years and no one ever asks them stuff like that. Did it get to long too fast and now I give my short haired brothas performance anxiety or something. LOL. I get asked about my hair like 3 times a week now and it is annoying as hell.

2. The Lakers topic - I am a huge Lakers fan. Not hiding or denying it. The thing that bothers me is when everyone I know seems to take out there Lakers frustrations on ME. I talk about the team as if I am a part of the unit but people....I AM NOT ON THE TEAM. LOL. Most of those frustrations come from people who don't like LA because of Kobe whether it is because of the Shaq situation, the cheating on his wife situation, or the MJ comparison that they apply. LOL. I am a Kobe fan but please don't treat me like we aren't friends because of it because we can NOT be friends if that's what you really want. LOL. What kills me the most is these bamas who never talk to me about sports all year long (any sport) and don't realize I am very passionate about my sports teams then find out I am a Lakers fan during game 6 of the NBA finals and send me all kinds of heckling messages at midnight. They don't realize just how much I had to hold back to not call them each a very dear and special name they may have never heard before. LOL.

3. The Relationship Topic - Yes relationships are always a hot topic and I understand people find interest in love lives BUT don't be trying to act cute and put me on the spot with your questions. This really is only about one question. It's the question you get when you are dealing with someone that you have a well known history with..."so, when are you gonna get married?" WTF is going on in your head that you think this is an appropriate question? What if she is ready and I am not...so now you just got me a one way ticket into another argument. What if I am ready and she isn't...so now I feel like shit cause everyone feels like me BUT the woman I love. What if we both are ready but we are just broke as hell...very likely with the cost of living in DC and the price of gas. SO my new answer to this question is now "I'm getting married when you give me that money for a ring" LOL. For some reason that works. I said it to my grandmother on Sunday and didn't hear anything from her for the rest of Fathers Day...You know shit is bad when your grandmomma calling you out. LMAO.

"That's Okay With Me, That's Where They Made Me At"

2008-06-05T16:09:00.003-04:00

If you know me personally you know that I am a die hard Lakers fan and have been as long as anyone around has known me. The question has always been how does a dude originally from DC that lived in MD and came into adulthood in NC end being a Lakers fan. Nah it didn't start with Kobe or Shaq even though that's what most people think nowadays...

It was actually Magic and Bird that made me a Lakers fan. See, my grandfather was a Kareem fan and since he had two daughters he shared his love for Kareems team (The Lakers) with his only grandson, your's truly. It just so happened that his grandson was born in 1979 the same year that a certain Ervin Johnson was drafted by the LA Lakers and revolutionized the PG position like none ever had and probably ever will.
So during the 80's when my grandfather was watching the end of Kareems career we watched the career of the best PG ever and that's what pulled me in. Back in the 80's it was Boston, LA or dissapointment. LOL. Only other team to win a ring in the 80's was Philly and they played against LA...it was really like that.
So back in the day I was the only kid in the hood that was rocking a Lakers starter in PG county. LOL. And I was the only dude in highschool that absolutely hated MJ because of course he won his first Championship against LA (which I still say would have been a totally different series had James Worthy not went down in game 2). I'm may be the only person that still doesn't believe that Magic ever had HIV (he gotta be the only brotha that gains weight from night sweats...LOL). And because of the MJ era I had to sit thru 5 years (2000-2004) of people saying I was a bandwagon fan because Shaq was winning rings but you expect that from people just ask MikeSee about P. Diddy and Ciroc. And now I not only get the chance to celebrate the greatest organization in the history of the NBA I get the opportunity to relive my childhood watching them go against our archnemisis... our enemy...our most respected foe at it's best...The Celtics. I CAN'T WAIT!!!! I feel like I'm 8 years old again!!!! Where the hell is that old starter jacket when I need it. LOL.

The Ultimate Birth Control

2008-04-28T13:17:00.002-04:00

I found out yesterday what a lot of folks have realized for a long time...taking care of other people's kids will change your entire outlook on children after just one try. I got the grand pleasure of babysitting my two Godson's at the last minute Sunday. I swear the older I get the more I think God has to have the greatest sense of humor EVA!!! How else do you explain all the sanctity of marriage and sinfullness associated with having sex for fun (instead of having kids) and then once you follow his plan and get married and procreate them lil bastards drive you OUT OF YOUR MIND. LOL.

Okay so yesterday at about 12:30 my bestfriend shows up with my 3 year old Godson "the carpenter" and my soon to be 2 year old(in June) Godson "the (cannabalistic) gymnist" and they are both sleep when they arrive (more proof that God answers prayers....LOL) But "the carpenter" wakes up about 5 minutes later and starts to look at cartoons and is asking for a blanket. Nothing big so far. About an hour later his brother wakes up but doesn't move, just stares at the TV...still good business. Fast forward and hour and all of that has gone out of the window...I can't say exactly when but sometime between "the gymnist" running at full speed, arms extended, into my new TV almost knocking it over AND "the carpenter" throwing my TV remote into the sink with the water and dirty dishes I realized that the fact that my mother has never beat me means that she is even stronger of a woman then I had already given her credit for. It also meant that I will never be as strong as her when I have kids...LOL!!! "The gymnist" spent most of his day running around my couch and attempting to do what looked like handstands that turned into backflips ie the name "the gymnist" and biting the hell out of everyone. "The carpenter" spent his day trying to climb on everything and putting holes in my drywall whenever he saw the opportunity (he got me twice).

The highlights of the day:
1) Changing a diaper...oh joy :(
2) My girl leaving to go to the gym and finally leaving me alone with the boys. And they went crazy. I don't scare easily but them lil dudes been here before...I swear to God!!!
3) Confronting "the carpenter" when I catch him digging a small piece of drywall out of my stairway. Conversation went like this... I ask "why did you do it?" he says "my brother did it" (who I was holding when I caught him...LOL). I say "If you lie to me again something bad will happen...why did you do it?" 5 mins later after long contemplation on what "something bad" was, he answers "I want to destroy your house". Yeah I was in shock too and paused then said "why do you want to destroy my house, I have to live here?" and he says "cause I don't like it." Again in shock I pause and he then interjects before I can speak again and says "I don't like it so I want to build you another one."

I will spend the next 18 years making sure that boy becomes a carpenter and lives up to his words. LOL! You gotta love kids!

Losing like Tyson in a court room

2008-04-25T12:50:00.006-04:00

Nah I'm not literally losing in the same sense as Mike. About a year and a half ago I wrote a blog about getting into shape...well even though it's been a very long time coming I have finally been doing something about it. Unfortunately I am one of those people who will committ to doing something but won't do it until the time is convenient (that's as far as tasks I set for my self). So although I was talking about getting in shape back in August 06 I am just making serious moves on that now. Back in January the folks at my job decided to have a 12 week weight loss challenge that started the week that I went on my cruise. Naturally the tons of food on the boat was not a good look for the weight loss and my weigh-in weight just before I left for the cruise wasn't the best looking thing either...Largest I have ever been in fact.

Since then I have been doing small things here and there and trying to be more active (especially for this weight loss challenge at work) and after the challenge was over in the office I turned to be tied for the most total pounds lost (17lbs.) and had the highest percent of body weight lost of anyone so in my office I am officially THE BIGGEST LOSER. LOL.

Actually we started another 12 as soon as the first one ended because NONE OF US got to our goal weight but it still feels good to lose the weight. And although I didn't see a change I have had at least 3 people tell me they can see it so that's cool too. My goal weight is about another 15 lbs. away back to what I was the summer after I graduated undergrad when I was playing basketball 3+ times a week and didn't have to worry about catching cramps or gasing out on the court. That's my real goal right there...basketball shape. So I can go out on the court with my boy MikeSee and get some work in...LOL.

"I'm passed my past, I'm presently thinkin bout the future"

2008-03-05T12:13:00.002-05:00

So back when I was in college all those years ago (LOL) I graduated and made the decision, based on the job climate and my goals, to go directly graduate school and get my Master's degree. In my time in aggieland I earned my undergraduate degree in Computer Science and my Master's in MIS after doing 6.5 long years of college. But the funny thing is when I graduated I knew that one day I would be back. Nah, I wasn't trying to be a career student...I was done for the time being but I had a plan that eventually led me back to school at least one more time (maybe twice). The first part of that part of that plan however was to take the next 5 years and go start a career and establish myself independently in this world. Well, I graduated from grad school in December of '03 which makes this upcoming Decemeber that 5 year mark and for the last week I have not been able to get the idea out of my head about going back to school.

My second step after 5 years was to start making moves to get back to school after deciding what I wanted to go back for...either the Doctorate or an MBA. If I choose MBA then I was pretty sure I would go back once again after this (why I said at least one more trip back to school). I don't want to go back right now...at least not today but I have a funny feeling that this time next year I may be ready to make that move. So I plan to spend the next year researching what degree to get, what school to attend, what my job can do about helping me pay for it, deciding when I will start (cause I can guarantee it won't be January of 09), and most importantly...IS IT WORTH IT FOR ME. I mean I want to be Dr. Hawkins one day but that's only because one day I want to be a college professor and I won't be doing that for a LONG while. LOL. So I can hold off if I choose to. What do you all think?

All this talk about school has me thinking about one of my favorite movie characters...Laurence Fishburne in Higher Learning as Professor Phipps...

I love his character in this movie. I personally think it's one of his best acting jobs...but why is he always offering bamas peppermints thru the whole movie. LOL!!!

"I guess I got my swagger back"

2008-02-28T11:10:00.003-05:00

Nah I ain't talking about the way I walk, talk, or dress...I'm refering to how me and the homies used to entertain at that crib regularly when we were in undergrad at NC A&T SU. Yeah we used to try to be the life of the party or at least invite the life of the party over to the apartment but since I have had my own I haven't been in the habit of having a lot of company over (except for around my 28th Bday, that is). Well a big part of that is that I felt confined due to my lack in a TV upgrade since a lot of my gatherings would revolve around things like sporting events and movie nights where the TV is a big factor. Well thanks to Uncle Sam and the fine folks down at the Internal Revenue Service that issue should no longer be a problem come mid March. I plan to be the proud owner of 46 inches of Samsungs best 120Hz 1080p HD technology...

March Madness and NBA Playoffs at my crib!!! Get at me fellas!!!

Get Out and Vote!!!

2008-02-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

Yes We Can:

I thought this was dope how Will.I.Am put it together and I am all about that message. Make sure you aren't one of the ones complaining about stuff and not helping to change it...go vote.

My Third Love

2008-01-31T11:21:00.000-05:00

As I say on my decsription about myself on the side I am the type of person that has a top 5 list for everything and when it comes to things I have grown to love in life( let's call them life-loves) it is the same. If you have read my blog in the past you should already know my first love . If you were tuned in during this past summer you may have read my movie reviews which should have let you know that I stay in the theatre due to the fact that it is my second love. Well my third love is pretty obvious also if you have read this blog. It's my passion for music. Of course on this blog I have expressed that passion almost completely through my love of hip hop music but it definitely doesn't stop with rap and hip-hop. I am into other stuff like Rock/Alternative as well as some Jazz/Blues. It's easy to find some POP you like since it is the most broadcasted music on TV and Radio and of course R&B goes almost hand in hand with rap these days. But next to rap my favorite brand is old school R&B. I'm talking 80's or older. Truth be told my favorite musical artist of all time is Stevie Wonder because I feel like he has a song for every emotion you may go through...most talented song writer to ever live in my oponion.

Anyway I say all that to say that I felt the need to share more than just some rap/hip hop and show that my love for music is a lil deeper than just Beats and Rhymes all the time...LOL. These two songs have been stuck in my head for the last two weeks for some reason (especially the latter) so I just had to share...

"Dreams To Remember"

"I've Been Loving You Too Long"

I hadn't actually listened to an Otis Redding song in a couple of years so don't ask me how they got stuck in my head but they came from somewhere. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Throwback joint

2008-01-30T09:11:00.000-05:00

At one point Ice Cube was my favorite rapper (Before Biggie Smalls that is) and Scarface has always been one of my favorites so back in the day when they came together on this track it was one of the dopest things to happen in rap to me.

Classic Track!

Oh and if you hadn't already heard it get that new Scarface album "Made" (dope) and check out that new Cube single "Blame Me" (very dope).

"Like We Always Do About This Time"

2008-01-08T11:54:00.000-05:00

Yep it's about that time again...the new year is here and it's time to fly out to Florida for what looks to be turning into an annual thing. A JANUARY CRUISE!!!

Me and the fellas definitely know how to start the year off right and for the second year we are hitting South Beach Miami followed by a week on a Carnival cruiseship. Last year was off the chain when Mike, Randall, B, Fool, and I went on a New Years cruise and this year we are expecting much of the same if not more. This time around Mike and Randy set the cruise up themselves and we have Craig, Vinny, and Osei rolling with us also. I would be wrong if I didn't shout out the ladies that were there last year and are once again with us on this cruise...JAC and KC (shout out to TC and Jess too...you will have to get back on the next one!).

Hopefully this cruise will be very eventful and it will inspire me to do some blogs to share the experience just like I did last time in part1 and 2 of my blogs about the 07 cruise. Also check out the blogs by my man Bone from last year's cruise...

Part1
Part2
Part3

Those blogs really made me remember all the fun we had last year and really have me anticipating my departure. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY!!!!!!

THE REASON that THE SOLUTION isn't THE TRUTH...

2007-12-27T23:52:00.000-05:00

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a fan of good hiphop/rap music. Anyone who has known me for more than the last 2-3 years knows that before my addiction with everything Little Brother related I had an addiction that was even worst. Yeah it can get worst than the LB craze. LOL. I had a intense fanaticle faith in anything the rapper Beanie Sigel was a part of. Yeah I went from Sigel to LB...drastic change I know. LOL. But just like any other rapper I am a fan of my appreciation of Sigel was based on the fact that he actually made good music. One of my favorite things about Sigel was that he was emotional and personal with his rap even though he was also very hood and ignorant. I think that as humans we have different sides to us and all of us have an ignorant side as well as a concious or emotional side and just as rappers like Scarface and Biggie (2 more of my all time faves) Sigel showed all aspects of self in his music and made complete songs and albums and not just club tracks like Jeezy, or 50, or Cam' ron. Lyrically Sigel is a lot better than those dudes also so naturally I was hurt when he dropped the B. Coming...it was by far the weakest album he has made, lyrically.

Now Beanie Mac has returned again with what I saw him call (in an interview) his most complete album and after listening to it all I can think is...WTF is he thinking. I'm sure some will say that he is trying to change his life around and that may be the reason for the change but he is still gutter as always so I don't buy it. The only difference (which started in the album B. Coming) is now he is trying to be a lot more "user friendly" in what sounds like an effort to sale more albums. I can't really be mad at my man for wanting to sale more and make a good living but I damn sure ain't gotta like it. My man is hurting his legacy and killing my faith in him in the process. I know Mikesee and AB will read that line and think I must a been drunk writing it. Ya'll really can't understand how big I was on this dude but let me just run down my feeling on the songs on the new album. (I gotta do it fellas...LOL)

Track #1 "All The Above" - Are you f*cking serious Sigel!!! This is your single huh? You know about 5 years ago I would have bet my Masters Degree, my car, and a night with my first wife on our wedding night that Beans would NEVER do a track with R. Kelly and this song is exactly why. It worked for Big and Jay but it ain't for Sigel.

Track #2 "Bout That" - Catchy beat rapping about flossing.....TRASH! But I love the moaning woman in the background. LOL!!!

Track #3 "You Ain't Ready For Me" - I have been waiting for Styles and Sigel for 6 years. Makes sense that it happens now since Styles P is WORKING (2 albums and a mixtape in like 10-11 months) and I like that song but next time I pray for something I will ask for exactly what I want....God please give me a Styles P, Sigel, AND Scarface track with a topic in the area of growing up hard, living poor, losing homies, and taking care of seeds with a slow melody, a dark undertone, and ridiculous baseline that's pulls the emotion out of all three artists. Thanks ;-)

Track #4 "Go Low" - Good idea for Sigel to get that tough beat with the reggae artist snapping on the hook and adlibs. That is always a good move for gutter artists but it was better when Game did it and MUCH BETTER when Shine did...is that bama still in prison?

Track #5 "Gutted" - Most will like this track but to me it's a Jay track featuring Sigel that was refurbished for this album to be a Sigel track featuring Jay and it's just ok. Yeah I said refurbished...LOL!!!

Track #6 "Pass The Patron" - This song is exactly why this isn't a good album. The formula for this track was a POPular rapper on the hook, a state prop rapper, and a rapper people know but don't understand half the time all with Sigel. Now I would first think TIP, Freeway, and Trick Daddy but that's just me. Hell even Luda, Young Chris, and Andre 3000 I could possibly see on some Hollywood Divorce type sh*t but NOOOOOO we get P. Diddy, Peedi crack, and Ghostface Killa. Who is producing this album?

Track #7 "I'm In" - I guess it's cool if you believe Sigel is a Mack in the sense of pimpin...I don't buy it.

Track #8 "Hustlas, Haze, and Highways" - I've heard it about 10 times and I'm no more interested than you are just reading the title. First time I have ever described a Sigel track as boring.

Track #9 "What They Gone Say To Me" - I can think of one thing....redo tracks 1-9!!!!! Calling this one average is being nice.

Track #10 "Judgement Day" - Okay Sigel this is what I expect when you try something different. Ozzy Osbourne...definitely unexpected. Good track.

Track #11 "Rain" - Anything with Sigel and Scarface on it seems to instantly dope. I'm beginning to believe that Sigel should allow Face to produce all his albums from now on. This is the deep sh*t I was talking about ya'll...just with Sigel wasn't on the hook. LOL. Shout out to Raheem Devaughn on this one too.

Track #12 "Dear Self" - Concept isn't original but this may be the best song on the album.

Track #13 "Prayer" - If it didn't sound like Beanie rapping a Scarface song it would probably be the best song on the album. Shout out to Raheem Devaughn again!!! He did his thing on this track. Damn this sounds like Scarface was like "Beans, I ain't using this song...you want it? You can keep the lyrics too." They both just dropped albums, don't act like it's not possible. LMAO.

Somewhere along the line Beanie Mac the rough around the edges street rapper became Beanie Sigel the flashy thug trying to go double platinum. I'm hoping that somehow we can get back to this:

And away from This!

Come on Sigel a multicolored scarf...that is outta line!

The Instrumental Version

2007-12-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

Growing up I always knew that my mother played in her high school band at H. D. Woodson in DC because she made sure every time it came up that you knew they were two time band champs of the city when she was there. We all have our things right? Well growing up she never forced the band thing on us and since my different circles of friends never looked upon it as a cool thing...neither did I. Peer pressure is a bitch aint it. LOL. In high school we moved to NC and the view was different but by that time I had lost any interest in that stuff as I was so into comics and started looking at girls a lot more. LOL. My sister however did pick up a couple of instruments in middle school so I used to listen to her when she would practice...trust me, not an easy task at all. Which is why she gave it up by the time she got to high school. But anyway, I go to college and anyone who knows anything about A&T knows that my school is big on the band thing so you can't help but admire them. That admiration wasn't huge for me but it gave me a chance to share that love for the band with my mom and that was huge for me. Now I am far beyond college life and I look back and suddenly I wish I had picked up an instrument all those years ago in middle school/high school. Don't ask me where it's comming from but it's here. So now as I contemplate starting this new journey as one of my new things to try in 2008 I have absolutely no idea where to start. LOL. I guess I need to hit up the yellow pages and start looking for folks who give music lessons (is it just me or does that picture seem hilarious...LMAO)...but before I do that I need to pick an instrument:

There are String Instruments:

Who doesn't want to know how to play the piano right...LOL. I like the guitar a lot too and actually started to learn both of them before I succumbed to peer pressure in middle school.

There are Wind Instruments:

My mom played an instrument I wouldn't be caught dead playing...the flute. My sister played another instrument I just can't see myself playing...the Clarinet. Oboe is a no go also and you don't play the Tuba unless you are in a marching band. So it's the Trumpet, the Saxaphone, or the trombone. Basically the jazz instruments.

There are Percussion Instruments:

These instruments always seemed like they would be the easiest to me. Either you can catch a beat or you can't...but I'm sure if I chose the drums it WOULD NOT be that simple. LOL.

Honestly, I'm sorta leaning toward the Trumpet right now because I seem to love the way horns crank on a lot of my favorite rap albums right now. LOL. But I am open to advice, suggestions, and jokes. LOL.

"But Money Don't Change You...It Just Make You More of What You Already Are"

2007-12-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

Living in the DC area as a young professional it's pretty easy to get caught up in the rat race of chasing money. A lot of us find ourselves unintentionally focused on that pursuit once all the bills and other things in life come about. Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about the near future goals in my life and it's hard not to notice how much money plays a part in some of those goals. What I'm wondering is where is the line at before you are just money hungry? The thing about greed is that it's NEVER satisfied because you can always have more, so when you get that green eyed monster on your back it's hard to shake. So when does it become less about goals and more about money? You reach your goals and then make more advanced ones to replace them and those "more advanced goals" usually require more money.

We live in a society and world where money is vital to survival...they go hand and hand so it's very easy to get caught up in it. Think it ain't important if you want but according to a response on another blog by my girl TC Finances is the #2 cause of divorce. Fellas tell me it would be easy to be married to a woman who makes $15k more than you...???? I'm not even saying you aren't doing your thing or have it together. I'm talking you sitting on $75,000 at 28 years old and she is sitting on $90,000 at 25...that isn't some easy shit to cope with for a lot of men but that is a very possible reality. Ladies, the same thing goes for you. Tell me you want to date a brother with bad credit when you shit is A1 and you got a house, a car, a large savings account, and some nice things you have splurged on. As petty as it may seem that can be a real dilemma for a lot of people.

Personally I try to keep my goals in mind when I think about "more money". I have always been family oriented and always wanted to have a nice size family and in order to do that...yep I gotta get some bread but once I have enough for us to live comfortably I am pretty much done chasing. I ain't got the patience. I'd much rather spend time with my wife and kids than spend time at work so my wife and kids could do something without me. You should have read my motto by now "what's the point of making all this money if I can't get off of work to enjoy it"....I'm trying to live by that shit. And as far as the finances and relationships go...it actually turns my stomach to learn that this is the #2 reason for divorce. It's a challenge but have you EVER heard of a marriage that didn't have challenges. I think the problem is our (me included) focus on money being placed over things that should matter a lot more than finances. My feeling...if you love that person then their financial status can't change that. So maybe money can't change you but it can damn sure change your mind huh?

Let me know what you think people...???

SICED like sh*t!!!

2007-12-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

For the past week I have been siced in anticipation of my first time doing some business travel. Being young and single it's natural for me to want to travel and after damn near 4 years my time is finally here. And wouldn't you know that my first time I they have sent me to Atlanta. Talking about being SICED!!!!

Honestly, I am not even a huge fan of this city but I do like to visit and when I got off of that plane today and felt that 73 degree weather it made the entire trip worth it. Needless to say I am gonna be way overdressed all week cause it was in the 40s at home and on my last trip down south (Thanksgiving) I was underdressed, freezing my ass off. LOL. Oh well, I will get by fine. Main thing on the agenda is to hit some great food spots while I'm here because I just finished fasting with my church today and I am dying for a steak. Second thing on the agenda is to hit the local tourists spots...MLK monument, ATL Aquarium, Historical black schools, Magic City, Stroker. LMAO! Ya'll know ATL is know for them spots too.

If anything noteworthy happens I will be sure to follow up but now I gotta get ready to work this week. So until I write again...

Giving Thanks part 1 & 2

2007-11-24T13:05:00.000-05:00

Part 1 - "Get Back to me, Get Back to mines, Get Back to fam, Get Back to..."

Everybody loves the holiday seasons and I am not different. Thanksgiving probably being my favorite holiday next Christmas (spiritual meaning, gifts like a birthday and food like Thanksgiving...nothing beats that one). For me the holiday season normally means travel and since I am so family oriented I try not to miss any holidays with them...if I can help it. Luckily the drive down to NC to be with my mom and my sister isn't all that bad. I like to drive and as long as I have 15-20 of my favorite CDs with me for the ride it's normally a great 6.5 hour trip (yeah that's an oxymoron if I have ever heard one...LOL). The best part about the ride is I get a chance to sing and not worry about anybody hearing how bad I sound. LOL. Getting out of the car and finally arriving to my moms place to stretch my legs is pretty damn nice too...walking has never felt so good :-) For some reason this year my mother was completley opposed to taking any pictures and instead decided to take a lot of pics of me and my sister so I figured I'd share a couple...

(Give em one with the smile and then straighten it up...LOL. My sister is one of my best friends and we act silly together all the time.)

Truth be told, the ride down to NC wasnt close to being the hardest part about Thanksgiving this year. This year my church is fasting right now and my fast consists of beef and pork, pork being a huge part Thanksgiving in my family. Man that sh*t was torture! And why did my mom pull out a beef pot roast the day after and tell me she WAS planning to make that for me during my trip....Aint that some %$&#!!!! LMAO. You can't really feel me if you don't do Honeybaked ham every year or used to get a potroast to take back to college with you every other time you visited home. LOL (yeah I was a lil spoiled with that one..wouldn't share it with the homies neither. LOL).

Part 2 - "I ain't the livest kat in NC, b*tch I'm the livest n*gga PERIOD!":

Visiting the part of NC where I went to highschool is sort of interesting for me now. Being away I forget just how different the environment down there can be compared to the environment in the DMV (DC, Maryland, north Virginia) but spending 4 and a half days down there reminds just how much I am NOT missing. LOL. It's funny just how different these two worlds can be. For example, I have heard people say that MD is a football state...in the words of Dave Chappelle "naah nigga, uhn uuuuhh!" LOL. Hickory NC reminds me just what a true football community is...fanatical!!! I went to a highschool football playoff game during my visit and it's like going to a college. That's how strong the energy is at these games...unless your school sucks of course. Think I'm BSing...my highschool had stadium lights my freshman year, my college didn't have stadium lights the entire time I was there. LOL. Unfortunately my highschool lost in overtime but that comes with the territory...the thing that trips me out is how many people that went to highschool with me were actually in attendance. But I guess when you think about it...they ain't got sh*t else to do around there. LOL.

Another thing that makes me realize the huge difference in area is the amount of stares that I get. Not that I think I am anything special to look at but I can't help but notice all the head turns I get...and not just from women it's from everyone in general.

I mean you look at this picture and in DC I am just another person in the crowd, right? Well in NC this stands out for some reason but to be honest I think what really stands out is the hair.

If you live in or frequent the Metro area then you might notice that A LOT of folks have natural hair and it's a regular thing for dudes to have locs or other types of long hair styles. Sh*t my hair isn't even really that long in comparison. But in NC they look at me like WTF! LOL. It's pretty funny cause back in college they did the same thing when I would come back sporting Cornrows or even with the 'fro out. Different strokes for different folks I guess...If I have on one of them hoodies with the gold skulls all over it and a removable goldplated cubic zirconia mouthpiece I would fit right in. Just another indication that Hickory isn't and really hasn't ever been the place for me. Love to visit the fam but other than that...I'll pass. LOL. Of course if my sister can't come home to DC for the Christmas holiday I will probably end up right back there.

Streak Ending Game

2007-11-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm a Skins fan...been that way since I was three years old and they drafted Darryl Green. So as a fan I make a point to try to catch at least one home game at Fed Ex Field every season and this year has been no different. Actually that's a lie, it has been different but only because I have been doing big this year kicking out that doe to see multiple games this season.

Up until this past Sunday I had been to two games (and had to turn down one because of the cost) and every game I had been to was a win. So when the third opportunity arose I quickly took advantage of it. I should have known from the break that this time would be different because I had those nose-bleed seats in the 400 section. This was also the first division game (Philly) I had seen so that was a big difference also. The crazy part is that this game where we lost was probably the most entertainingly ignorant game I have been too. First I went with a Philly fan and he kept telling me how violent some Philly fans are...and they made sure to prove him right thru the entire game. In a section to the right of us some Eagles fans get escorted out early in the game. Just after halftime some Philly fans get escorted out from a section to the left of us. And near the end of the game when all hope was looking lost about 4 sections below me a fight breaks out only this time it's Redskin against Redskin. This big 300 lb black man tried to choke the life out of a pair of skinny white dudes sitting in front of him...Well at least one of them dudes has a pair of fingerprints across his adam's apple right now. Seeing as how the big dude had a choke hold and the lil dude only had leverage you can imagine his reaction...yep he pulled his big ass right out of his row and they began to roll down three rows toward the ledge. Yeah the stopped...in part from the other skinny white guy grabbing his friend as he commenced to throw some Shaquille Oneal Style haymakers on the back of the assailants head...

The fight at the game was almost exactly like that...Ofcourse homeboy at the game was actually landing his haymakers and it was stadium seats instead of the hardwood. Shaq really didn't want it with Brad Miller did he? LOL!!!

On top of all that entertainment I provided entertainment to everyone in my row also. Halfway thru the first quarter the seats started to fill and wouldn't it be my luck that I have to sit next to the 6'2" 350 lb dude in the Burgundy Russell Athletic sweatsuit. And when I say he sat next to me I am highly over exxagerating because the brotha definitely shared 1/4 of my seat with me. Dude was so close that when he coughed (which he did A LOT) I felt it all in my right side. I swear I could feel that brothas heart beating. My man's sweat suit smelled like Frito Lays cornchips and mothballs and he had a Jerry curl that needed to be washed BADLY...I'm talking a scent that was very familiar to hallway piss and boiled hotdogs. The odor was just light enough to only hit me when the breeze turned the right way (which is often when you are 20 flights in the air). Man that scent reminded me of my grandmothers apartment building in the summer. LOL.

Quit an eventful game and worst of all we let go of a lead in the 4th quarter yet again...man it's hard to be a Redskin fan.

I Want Her Too Playa!!!

2007-10-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

I'm really feeling the newest video off of Finding Forever by Common right now...

I Want You ft. Will.I.Am:

Ahh yes, Alicia Keys looking as fine as can be as well as the beautiful Kerry Washington. I'm thinking that Common must be a mind reader cause I swear I dreamed this one up a couple of months ago...LOL. Dating Alicia Keys and having Kerry Washington as a stalker....That is one helluva problem he has there!!!! I know the fellas feel me on that one.

But on the real I like the whole vibe of the video playing like a movie and the chill setting they have at the beginning at the party. Did ya'll peep that Kerry Washington directed that joint...good job!!! Talent and looks are a wonderful combo. LOL.

Got Back? (No John Ameachi!!!)

2007-10-29T22:27:00.000-04:00

Nah that isn't the 'back' I'm talking about but I have seen those playboy pics too (shoutout to the boy MikeSee!!! LOL).

What I'm refering to is Get Back by Little Brother:

Yeah the new LB album has finally arrived and if you paid any attention to this blog during it's inception then you realize that I am a huge LB fan. Although I heard their first album back in 2003 I didn't really discover them until 05 and have been rocking their music since. So you know that I have been anticipating the release of their newest installment to my music collection and if you have any love for good hip hop music then you should be looking out for these "Carolina boys" too.

Anyone who has ever talked hip hop with me knows that I put a high standard on lyrics (with lyrical content > than lyrical wordplay) so it's hard for me to stay loyal to any one artist these days but I have to admit that '07 has actually been a great year for me and rap music. Joell Ortiz, Pharoahe Monch, Common, T.I., Styles P, Talib Kweli, and Kanye all dropped dope music this year (well TIP's joint was just cool and Mr. West's joint was the biggest dissapointment of the year to me...sorry guys, still got love fo' ya tho) and all that music was the a build up to the peak albums of the year. And YES Get Back is definitely the best compilation of lyrics and beats to hit shelves this year...too bad they only had like 12 copies in that big ass Best Buy I went to last week. LOL. I know I seem bias with this post since I already said I was a huge fan BUT 1) I did say I was hard on rap so their quality is why I am such a huge fan AND 2) I did say peak albumS cause please believe that if what I may have possibly heard on that new Jay album that is coming soon is what is hitting stores there is no doubt that this current peak by LB is gonna be at least two albums deep, and I expect big things from Lupe Fiasco also. Man when I say this year is good in rap just look at who is still set to drop this year...Jay, Lupe, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Scarface. Man I am siced about the music in 07!!!

For all those who were writing off Phonte and Big Pooh after the split with 9th Wonder you can take my word that they keep it moving in wonderful fashion. But if you are more proned to trust well known media sources go check out XXL...they gave 9th Wonders "Dream Merchants 2" a L (large) rating and Getback an XL (extra large) with a XXL being the highest possible. You do the math. For me I had all the proof I needed that Pooh and Tigga can hold it down alone on their mixtape that dropped back in February "And Justus For All."

Here's to good rap music in 07 and to the best album so far, by Little Brother.

Tell 'em Tey...that's real talk!!!

(I think this pic is hilarious LOL.)

Random Thoughts

2007-10-26T13:33:00.000-04:00

Hiatus Over:
Yeah I have been on chill all summer (at least from the blogging world) due to me having so many things going on and having things that I just wasn't ready to or didn't want to share. On top of all the personal life stuff the job was on full speed over the summer too but hopefully from this point on I will be back and better than ever. Let's play catch up....

Summer Movie Blockbusters:
The few times I did right this summer were about the summer blockbuster movies that I was checking out but I didn't finish the series. The only two movies of the summer that I felt needed to really be addressed (that I haven't already touched on) are "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Talk to Me".

The Bourne Ultimatum: Personally I thought that part 2 of this series, Bourne Supremacy, was a let down so I was glad to see that they redeemed themselves in the Bourne Ultimatum. It was action packed, had a dope story, and never got boring for me. I think it was good enough to be a stand alone movie by itself.
Talk to Me: Best movie of the summer hands down. If you missed it go make sure you got that joint on your blockbuster and netflix mail lists. We already know how tight Don Cheadle is as an actor but my man Chiwetel Ejiofor is slowly becoming my favorite actor (sorry Terrence Howard...LOL). You may not recognize the name but you have seen him at least once before...trust me the boy is popping up everywhere (Four Brothers, Inside Man, Children of Men, and my personal favorite Serenity).

"Da Crackhouse":

This summer I have noticed some stuff from my coworkers that I'm pretty sure anyone can see in there own office. McDonalds breakfast and coffee is present in the office everyday. At first I didn't think much of it until I noticed how some people HAD to have that icecoffee or that McMuffin and I began to realize....McDonalds must be putting sh*t in their food. Seriously! They have had rumors about seaweed burgers, they have the worst calorie and fat amounts of any fast food company, they sale hamburgers that are so thin that it used to be a common thing for them to have holes in them, and they have a country fiending over them thin ass greasy fries that taste like nothing but salt. Think about it...is anything they make good? I know you addicts are gonna have something to say about that one...LOL. But think about this, Burger King has flame broiled burgers that taste like it came off the grill and Wendy's has real ground beef shipped in every morning and made into patties and the business that both of those places get combined can't mess with the business in the mcDonald's bathrooms. You gonna tell me McDonald's ain't putting shit in their food...yeah right. I got a test for you...go get a McGriddle one morning and tell me how many you eat within the next 30 days. I hit about 22 when I first started. LOL. If you know anything about living in a drug infested area you know how a crackhouse works...they come into the neighborhood, flood the streets with their product and get people addicted. And when that crackhouse gets to busy they open another one near by...now if that ain't McDonalds I don't know what is. LOL. (I'm laughing but I'm serious)

We need a New York...Umm...Eer...a BOSTON State of Mind:

Anyone who watches sports at all knows what I am talking about because all of the teams in Boston are killing right now. I was watching an entertainment sports show this summer before the NBA draft that interviews stars about their sports opinions and they were interviewing Donnie Walberg...actor, ex-member of New Kids on the Block, brother of Mark Walberg, and Boston native. When he was talking about all the teams in Boston his "Boston State of Mind" was very evident with him having faith that his home teams can take every championship this year. At first I thought to myself "this muthaf*cka crazy" (LOL) but it's pretty obvious that the Boston area has their sh*t together and have their fans believing wholeheartedly. That's what we need around her BADLY. The Boston Redsox are up 2-0 in the World Series, the Boston Celtics have a legitimate chance to of making it to the NBA Finals, the Boston football team is The New England Patriots, and the Boston Hockey team even won a couple of fights last night. LOL. But for real the DC teams need to have a year like that...we need that around here bad.

The State of Black America

2007-09-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

Dr. Julia Hare spoke at this years state of black america conference and as I was watching some of the videos from it (shout out to my girl Dooley for hooking me up) I ha to share this one.

In the (paraphrased) words of Katt Williams "Ni99a that right dere....that shit right dere... they call that shit 'dropping knowledge' !!!" LOL.

"They call shots I call audibles"

2007-09-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

That title is a quote from the Hova on the Beyonce song Upgrade You, which is exactly what I had the pleasure of doing to my cell phone two weeks ago. Anyone who knows me personally normally has some jokes when I break out my cell phone telling me I need to make a change in my life. LOL. Well even though I have only had my cell phone two years it looks to be 5 years old so I can't really blame them so I went ahead and took eveyone's advice when the opportunity arose and made that change.

I am now working with the newest version of the Pocket PC called The Mogul:

I got the newest thing to hit the market since the I-phone came out equipped with the touchscreen, the real internet, a keyboard under the screen, an mp3 player, and all the PDA capabilities you can ask for. The Mogul has actually gotten better reviews than the i-Phone since its release in big part due to the i-Phone not being on any major network (AT&T just aint getting it right now...LOL).

So needless to say I have been pretty happy with my selection for the last 2-3 weeks BUT that's probably because I know so little about the capabilities of the phone that I am in that "ignorance is bliss" state. LOL. Hopefully I will still be happy with it in 2-3 months. Either way I will wear my title as "the only dude to never own a flip phone" proudly. LOL.

Why am I not surprised

2007-08-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

Once again a part of American society shows us just how backwards and racist some people in this country can be. This is The Jena Six story.

These folks need our support. I hope one day in my lifetime we can all get past stuff like this.

Summer Blockbuster Review: Another Sequel or A New Start?

2007-07-24T23:05:00.000-04:00

Continuing from the last movie review this is the second group of summer bkockbusters I have checked out...

If you were a fan of the first Fantastic Four movie then you will be a fan of this one also. They both got mixed reviews. They both have funny parts with The Human Torch and The Thing. They both make point to show off Jessica Alba's beauty. They both do a decent job of showing off the powers of the characters. They both have something missing that you just can't put you finger on. The difference is that the sequel introduces the Silver Surfer for a future spin off movie (which is why he was underused in this movie). This movie had me leaving the theater thinking it was worth the purchase but the more I thought about it the more I thought "that sh*t just wasn't that good." LOL. I see this one as wasted pointential...I had higher expectations.

John Mclain is back in the fourth installment of the Die Hard series in Live Free and Die Hard. I had my apprehensions about this movie when I heard they were making it about 6 months ago. First thought, "this n!99a Bruce Willis need to stop that sh*t." LMAO! But after giving it some thought and hearing all the hype about it I realized that out of the three previous movies three of them were tight. Why shouldn't I check it out...right? Luckily for me I was correct...this time. Bruce did his thing once again and made another one for the collection. It's not a perfect movie but none of them have been but if you like action, jokes, and a realistic hero...this is the one for you.

If you grew up when this cartoon first came out you MUST go see The Transformers. If you didn't grow up during this time you still need to go see this movie. This is one of those movies that just have everything right to keep you entertained. I had a coworker say he felt it was the best movie of the year. I wouldn't go that far (especially since 300 came out this year) but I will definitely agree that this movie is well worth the viewing. I'm trying to find someone to go see it with a second time. LOL. Just in case you are worried they didn't make it so kiddie that you feel like a fool if you are a grown ass man going to see the movie. It definitely has appeal for all ages and is action packed. Go see this movie if you haven't!

I haven't read a single Harry Potter book but I have seen each of the movies. I have yet to be dissapointed in any of these movies. The first one was directed more toward the enjoyment of children with some tight concepts and graphics mixed in that were very entertaining. Each movie after the first has become progressively darker and detailed as they go along making them more and more intriguing and interesting for an adult watcher. The Order of the Phoenix followed the same guideline as it was much darker then the previous and has added so much to the story now that I am actually thinking about trying to read the books. I'm already anticipating what happens next and hope they get a movie in for all seven books before they are done because (say what you want) these movies are dope....dope like DC in the late 80's dope. LOL.

It's pretty evident the summer has turned up as far as the movies go. I left out Ocean's 13 because I never saw the previous one and won't watch them out of order. To be concluded next time with "Talk To Me", The Bourne Ultimatum, and more.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

2007-07-15T21:58:00.000-04:00

So this year has been a huge year for the NBA allstar Tony Parker. He won another championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs and got the finals MVP and he married one of the finest women on television, Eva Longaria.

Well during all the time that his normal activities were taking Tony Parker still had time to get smacked upside the head with a hammer. That is the only excuse I can see for this nonsense...

I knew that this dude had a hobby of rapping but come on. I wonder if this is hot in France...LMMFAO!!! I so hope this is Eva's idea. That's the only excuse he could use to get a pass from his boys in the league. Oh but it gets much worst...

Have you ever heard Fabolous on a track with other people and thought he murdered them before this...??? :- I wish I knew how much he was paid for this one. LOL. Question: If all of your videos have basketball in it isn't that a sign that maybe you should stick to basketball...is it just me? I'm offended that this bama took time away from Eva for this. LOL.

The Hip Hop Purist

2007-07-05T16:27:00.000-04:00

-How can you claim to be a true hip-hop head if you aren't willing to listen to everything?!!?
-......
-You damn near a backpacker right now!
-......
-Man you one of them...psuedo...save rap...Hip Hop Purists...

That's the title one of my coworkers gave me in a discussion where he was trying to convince me to listen to a Chamillionaire CD. LMAO! I'll tell you just like I told him...I've never claimed to be a hip-hop head...but I can't be a backpacker if my three favorite rappers of all time are Biggie, Beanie, and Jay-Z...and hip hop purist may be the best explaination for my stance on hip hop.

See, I am all about lyrics. I grew up on the tail end of the era in hiphop where there WERE NOT just as many popular producers as there were rappers. In fact there were only like 5 - 6 producers that we actually knew the name of and most were featured as a part of a group...Dr. Dre, DJ Premiere of Gangstar, The Umma of Tribe Called Quest, Eric B. (with Rakim), Jazzy Jeff (with The Fresh Prince), and Marley Marl. It wasn't until the late 90s where the producers really became popular. I say this to say that this is what being a Purists is to me. I focus on lyrics...lyrical wordplay and lyrical content to be exact. My heart has a weak spot for the content side but to be great you really need to have both along with many other aspects of a hip hop artist (that's another discussion).

Last Wednesday on the 4th two of my cousins (along with one of their friends) gave me a big reality check on just how bad the views of an 18 and 19 year old can be when it comes to hip hop. We talked about the 5 best rappers still doing it right now and these ignorant sumumabitches name 4 rappers that I don't even think should have record deals and Lil Wayne. LOL.(I'm dead ass serious about that one though) But the kicker is that both of them bamas proclaimed that Lil Wayne has been the best rapper in the last 6 years...WTF!!!! Correct me if I'm wrong but that's 2001, right? I can't even begin to name how many rappers have overshadowed Lil Wayne in the last 6 years. That statement scares me...I mean how do you grow listen to rap the last 6-7 years and really believe that. Them lil dudes made me feel really really old...LOL! I like Lil Wayne but I was so mad that day that had he been out there I would have been a notch on some security guards record book. LMAO. And then these two lil shit stains told me that the greatest rap group of all time was the Hot Boys. After I came back to my senses after my blackout I found my two cousin laid out across the driveway and there friend running across the backyard with blood on his shirt screaming...I guess they could tell I was a lil passionate about this topic. LOL.

After that conversation I just had to write a blog talking about what I think a hip hop purist is. I consider it that rap fan that loves to hear a good beat but ONLY as a compliment to good lyrics and not in place of. The hip hop fan that listens to an album to actually see what the artist is talking about and not just to get hype or party. The person that likes creativity in your rhyme scheme and the ability to tell a f*cking story. That guy that actually knows the value of emotion and passion in rhymes and content that gives you all aspects of that persons character. The guy that is praying that more of these lame duck artists will fall off and some of these new guys will get it. I don't care who makes your beat, if you ain't saying sh*t I ain't listening! And if these things are what being a "hip hop purist" is then I embrace it wholeheartedly!!!

Other than that all I really want to do now is name my top 10 favorite albums (don't know why but it just seems like the right thing to do to end it off. LOL.). Again, this is my list of favorites NOT what I would say are the greatest of all time. Luckily for me I have the ability to appreciate what an album means to hip-hop and how good it is even if it's not my fave or the one I relate to the most:

10. Train of Thought - Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek)

Not only did this album get some serious rotation in the playlist (my CD changer...LOL) for over a year but the day I cracked it open I listened to it 4 times straight thru and forgot to go to class. It was love at first listen ;-)

9. The Score - The Fugees

I honestly think this is one of the best albums ever made although I was personally feeling some others more. It introduced us to the Rah-Digga, Joe Forte (WTF happened to him?) and The Outlawz and it was the perfect mix of lyricism and soul... I'm still waiting for these three to get it together and drop another album.

8. The Reason - Beanie Sigel

This album got a solid 3 years of rotation in the playlist (my playlist normally consists of about 6 CDs I'm listening to at the time and keep rotating...LOL) and it still gets thrown in anytime I get bored with the current state of rap. This album may have the best production of any Sigel album....maybe.

7. The Black Album - Jay-Z

I consider Jay-Z the greatest rapper of all time. I am a huge fan of lyrcal content (which tends to be more personal rap songs) and this was Jay-Zs most personal album...you put it together. (sidenote: I flip-flopped # 6 & 7 about ten times before I finished this list. LOL)

6. The Fix - Scarface

The best work from one of hip hops best artists ever. This album gives a more mature, introverted, personal, and spiritual look at the thug/gangsta lifestyle that so many artists fake. Easily the best album of 2002, this joint commands the respect of anyone who has ever slept on Mr. Scarface.

5. The Minstrel Show - Little Brother

The best album of 2005 in my opinion, from the first listen I was impressed with the production, lyrical content, lyrical wordplay, flow, emotion and every other aspect of rap that LB provides. This album has been in and out of the rotation since 2005 and caused me to go into a frantic hunt for all of their albums. LOL. This album is so good that me and my boy AB have coined a phrase to certify anything that we tell the other they need to have...It's called "The Mistrel Show garuantee".

4. Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z

Lyrically, Jay-Z at his peak. Reasonable Doubt is the most all around complete album, The Black Album is the most personal but when it comes to just spitting and flow...Vol. 2 got it! I loved this album from Day 1 and played it so much my roommate stole it and hid it cause he was tired of me playing it. LOL.

3. Life After Death - The Notorious B.I.G.

Double albums are hard to get right from beginning to end. I can't think of one track on this album that I haven't bumped at one time or another. I think it's the best Double LP to date and of course it had about a 2.5 year stint in the rotation.

2. The Truth - Beanie Mac

This album gives you a lot of emotion & passion, content, wordplay, and the tough swagger that B Mac does like no other. The album stayed in regular rotation until the second one comes out but still gets regular play to this day. This album is the reason I can never be considered a backpacker. LOL.

1. Ready To Die - Biggie Smalls

The best hip-hop album ever.

(I wanted to do a honorable mention and list the next three in line but after all that.....WHY!!! LOL)

"The Heat is On...Why?!!!? The Heat is On...You Know!"

2007-06-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

(that quote is a lil harder than the ones I normally use. It's DMX from "flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood")

Every so often I get hot at night and I may sweat while I'm sleeping but it's no biggie cause I normally take my showers when I awake in the morning. So Wednesday when I woke up in that state I paid it no attention, hopped up and pulled my sheets off the bed and got ready for work. Little did I know that when I returned home I would have my own personal sauna in my bedroom, with the vaulted sealing that traps all the heat in the ENTRE freaking house.

You ever had the urge to turn the heat up to about 80 degrees in the summer just to see how it feels....me neither but for some reason God has seen it fit for me to experience it this year because the coolest part of my house (downstairs) is about that temperature right now. When you go upstairs you instantly feel a dramatic temperature change of about 5 - 10 degrees. LOL. That mess is so hot I just feel trapped in that joint like I'm locked in one of those lil a$$ rooms with the steaming rocks and can't unlock the door.

I guess this is to help along my urge to get out of the house and be more active (running and playing basketball) cause if I'm gonna just sit around and sweat I might as well sweat for a good reason. LOL. Truth be told I might be able to lose more weight sitting in my bedroom though... them Palates ya'll do ain't got sh*t on that joint! LMAO. I just walk into my room for longer than 5 minutes and I'm sweating like a muslim at a KKK ralley.

Right now I have two 18 inch fans pointed over my bed creating a small worldwind that allows me to breath thru the night as I sleep. LOL. This couldn't have happened at a worst time cause I am supposed to be having family in from out of town for the next two weekends. Talking about a blower!

Social Anxiety: Prayer Warrior

2007-06-13T08:14:00.000-04:00

Social anxiety is an experience of fear, apprehension or worry regarding social situations and being evaluated by others. Last night during my fight to get to sleep I came up with the idea to speak on the different things that may give me or others a feeling of social anxiety...

The Prayer Warrior:

I'm not refering to the Prayer Warrior who will go out of his way to make sure the church is praying for you in your time of need, no that is a caring member of your church that is only wanting to help. The one that causes the social anxiety is that prick that thinks saying grace/blessings over dinner is a competitive sport. You know the guy that doesn't realize that we really don't give a damn h0w well he blesses the food because the fact of the matter is we came to eat and not listen to him (LOL). The same prick that makes a point to outdue you if you ever get selected to say grace. For real, the next time you get the chance to say grace take a peak while you are saying it...that guy across from you with the tightly squinted eyes and sweaty palms that can't stand still, that's him! If you can't point him out that way wait until everyone let's go of each others hands he's the last one to leave the "huddle" with the dissapointed bitter look on his face and the fire in his eyes. Oh yeah he is definitely gonna top that next time...LMAO.

We all have them in the family & friends. It's the guy that never asks to say grace but gets that big smirk when he is selected. He's the one saying grace like it's a performance (LOL). His grace normally consists of a paragraph where every sentence starts with "Dear Father God" OR it's one long sentence where he blesses the food, cleanses the soul, purifies the heart, clears the mind, erases all worries, acknowledges the elderly family members, acknowledges the youth of the family, mourn the lost family members, thank God for the family church, says three hail mary's, spits a "bible verse", quotes the book of Psalms, disproves the DaVinci code......Pray on your own time pimpin' a brotha is trying to eat!!!! DAMN. LMAO.

This past weekend I went out with my cousin who is in the makings of becoming a great "prayer warrior" (for blessing food). We got some appetizers and everyone else was talking so I put a few on my saucer and began to silently say grace so I could eat. Do you know this prick stopped me in mid prayer and called me out for not saying grace in out loud for everyone (J-Rock you piece of shit...LMMFAO). Then waited a moment for everyone else to catch on and then said grace himself. I swear I think that f*cka only did it cause he wanted to hear himself speak. LOL.

If this sounds like you it's cool I have nothing personally against people who like to practice saying grace alone at home (hmmm) but all I'm saying is there is already enough social anxiety that comes with eating in front of folks hoping you don't have bad table manners and praying they don't notice you inhaling the contents of your plate (oh I get's down at the dinner table...LOL). We really don't need the added pressure that comes with living up to this EXTRA way of saying grace.

LOL.

Long Overdue

2007-06-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

UGK and Outkast have finally teamed up and have what I think is the best video and song out right now...

International Players Anthem

It's so good to have Andre 3000 back to rapping again. LOL

Summer Blockbuster Review: The Part 3 Problem

2007-06-02T12:53:00.000-04:00

This year is a big year for summer movies and I love going to the movies so there are quite a few that I am anticipating. So far this summer all the blockbusters have been the third part of there respective series' but in my opinion the third part of a series is normally a let down thanks to built up anticipation you have from all the invested time. Starting off the summer blockbuster season we have had three of these movies...

(Preface: I'm trying my best not to spoil these movies too much but read at your own risk)

Up until this point the Pirates series has been hit or miss with most people. Either you really like the movies or you don't like them at all. The first two have been movies that combine action and adventure with witty sarcasm to convey an ambiguous storyline that really didn't have a good direction. For part one it was actually a pretty good concept...the free flow of the movie had you wondering what would be next and the sarcasm held up well. For part two it was a little drawn out in length but the sarcasm continued and the action held the interest of viewers along with a boat load of new digital imagery (for Davie Jones and his crew). For part three they had the sarcasm, they had the action, and they even had the digital imagery (LOL) but someone got the bright idea that they needed to step up the story telling in this series. MISTAKE. I have never sat thru an action movie that had that much talking....DAMN! I mean there were parts were bamas just sat in rooms and talked out what needed to happen in the story. Someone should have really told the director "actions speak louder than words" because this one got boring. I was the only one in my group of friends that didn't actually go to sleep at some point in the movie and the sad part is....they didn't miss anything. LMAO.

The Shrek Series has been a real breath of fresh air in regards to the originality and humor of childrens movies. The first two installments of this series has been pleasing for children while incorporating some humor that will ensure that the parents won't be bored while watching. This combination was at it's best in Shrek 2 which pushed the adult humor envelope to the limit. I thought part one was good and part two was great and couldn't wait to see how they progressed the story. Unfortunately part 2 was so good that it was almost impossible for them to live up to the standard they set for themselves. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible but it's no where near what Shrek 2 was and some are saying it's the worst of the series. I think it was 'about' as good as part 1 personally but I have received some crazy looks when I have said that to people. Of the first three blockbusters of the summer this is probably the best....but that ain't saying much so far. LOL.

And last and most definitely least Spiderman 3. Most of you who have been keeping up with my blogs should know that comics hold a soft spot in my heart (LOL) so it's easy to figure so do the movies that come from comics. I love to see them on screen in live action even if it's not following the true story as it was written. With Spiderman 3 that couldn't be further from the truth. This movie was BAD! I mean terrible bad. Like I am still contemplating writing my longest blog ever in which I write my own script for this movie (with all the same characters of course). It's sad because I have openly said many times that Spiderman 2 is arguably the best comic movie made (It's a close second to Batman Begins). Part three of the series was BAD...I mean terrible bad. Hey it's just my opinion but I dislike this movie so much that when asked wasn't there something I liked I started to pick apart all the things I thought I liked. LOL. This movie was BAD!!!! And no not just cause I know the story, there were just movie mistakes. They did crap like change the story they built the movie on in part 1....mufucka why!!!! I'm sorry...you see how much I dislike this movie. LOL.

Hopefully as the summer goes along the movies will get better because the start so far isn't looking very promising. I'll do it again as the blockbusters keep rolling, next time Transformers, Fantastic Four 2 and more.

"A partner to play spades with the cards up...ALL TRUST"

2007-05-09T21:48:00.000-04:00

When I was 17 years old my mom told me I would have a hard time with women in my life. Being a late starter, around that time I was just getting my first tastes of the headache, heartache, and confusion that comes with the game of dating. I guess she noticed because she called me in her room and asked what was wrong. Ofcourse I wasn't telling at that age but she offered up the advice nevertheless. She also told me that nice guys finish last but they finish the best. Moms raised me to be what she considered to be the ideal man and at 17 I hadn't grasped the fact that the perfect man for one woman isn't the perfect man for every woman. So I was stuck trying to figure out why a girl that approached me (thru a note no less...LMAO) and ensured me that there was nothing between her and her ex, had looked me straight in the eyes and told me she didn't care that he literally tried to run me over in the parking lot of the school (and she was standing there looking when it happened). Yeah dude was just trying to scare me off but I had to grab two people out of the way of the car so the shit was serious for me. The crazy thing is back then my thought process was "what did I do wrong"...yeah in those days I was definitely what I call a GUMP! LOL.

Anyone who has met me in the last 5 years would probably be shocked at who I was back then because I have grown a lot. I was about as shy and introverted as you could get. I wasn't talkative, looked like I was about 13 and didn't crack jokes at all. On top of that I was raised by women (my mother and aunt for most of my childhood) around women (sister and cousin) so I was ingrained with a very high adoration, respect and honor for women. Growing up like this was sorta like getting one side of a story...the thing is you tend to believe everything you hear because you are only getting that side not realizing that it means you would only get to see things in the same light as the story teller. Therefore I had a mentality that when relationships go wrong it's because men were messing up and figured I wouldn't have that problem because I was willing to do whatever it took to make things work well. The problem with this is mom never told me about the things women do...I was gonna find that out the hard way. LOL.

It's obvious by the above story that the young lady in question and I didn't have much of an attachment but I was still shocked and confused when she started talking to my step brother about 3 months later. Still, that wasn't the point in which moms had the advice for me. I wasn't tripping because I started talking to another girl I had classes with. Just friends at first but I had a little hope after we started talking on the phone everyday plus I have never been they type to talk to more than one person at a time even without the commitment. I know that's crazy to most but it just seemed most natural to me. The problem was she didn't operate the same way so when she was telling me all these things she wanted to do with me she was getting wifed up by the dude that was riding shotgun the day I almost got hit by a car. What luck right...LOL! So once word got to him about she and I being to friendly around school I had a group of dudes making stops at my job at Champs Sports on Saturdays followed by her making stops by my job on Sundays after church. My nose was open...I won't even front. But she knew it. So while I'm telling her man and his friends to meet me in the parking lot when I get off she was telling me to anything I wanted to hear to keep my attention. Eventually it got to a point where I had to leave her alone and I wasn't happy with it but it was the best thing.

Still, this wasn't when my mom handed over the advice. No, I would eventually give it another try with that girl after she caught him cheating and left him (ain't that a b*tch...LOL). Actually she started calling me again and being the GUMP that I was I openly accepted the attention. This time around came the physical interaction so I was feeling a lot better about the whole situation (LMAO!!!!). But even though I don't know if I ever really expected any committment, I was still blown when she all of a sudden had a new boyfriend. Plus, she was still trying to get me to stop by her job or come see her at other times so I was completely done with her then because I saw her for what she truly was now. The crazy part of it is now that I look back at it, I know she only wanted me around because I was so nice to her no matter what and she seemed to need it. All the dudes she ended up committing to cheated. I was the only dude that didn't kick it with other chicks. When I asked her why it went down like that again that was the first time I heard a girl say I was to nice. I didn't get it back then but my mother did...That's when she felt the urge to give me that advice.

This was only about 2/3 thru my senior year of highschool but it was the beginning of a track record that carried on for about 7 years or so in the same fashion. Girls I work with coming on to me even though they had men, finding out I've been lied to a lot, getting used to make a girls boyfriends angry, fighting over women who don't really care about me, getting dumped over email, getting dumped for the ex-boyfriend, finding out she's sleeping with more than just me, getting cheated on...let's just say women have taken full advantage of my kindness. It's been an interesting 12 years (almost) in the game and I have learned a lot.

Going thru all of this stuff you tend to change your outlook and grow from your experiences. One can only help but be shaped by the experiences of there life and my experiences have been the type that have led me down a path where I now say that I don't trust women. Truthfully I don't know if that's the proper way to discribe it but that's the way women describe the same exact thing wtih men so why not...right? Even so, I haven't lost my respect for women, or my chivalry, and I'm still the nice guy (as most of my friends keep reminding me...LOL). I still treat the women that I date the same way, in fact I am probably better at it than I was before. The difference is back then I automatically that all women were trustworthy and put all the onus on myself (and men) for being the ones to mess things up, now I am not naive enough to still believe that and know what women are capable of. Maybe what I am really saying is I don't have the same level of faith in women as I once did or maybe I should just say I don't put anything past women, but aren't those exactly what women mean when they say they don't trust men?

Either way I still go into my dealings with women optomisticly because I am an idealist and somewhat of a perfectionist in relationships. I don't take out my past on anyone and I am not out there trying not to find a relationship (although I have went down that road before just to fail). I just don't have those same naive assumptions of women being perfect angels at all times...I don't assume that she deserves the pedistal because it's hard for me to take her down when I find out who she really is. The way my mom describes it is "I have lost faith in women". She may be right but when it boils down to it I am still trying to find the same thing I started looking for at 16. (this is where the title comes in....LOL)

(hope this is what you wanted TC, Jess, and JAC)

10 Weird/Unkown/Crazy Facts About Me

2007-05-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

I first got this idea from reading the one JAC wrote and I also checked out the one TC wrote...

1. If you are around me for an extended period of time you normally find out pretty fast that I HATE CHOCOLATE. I mean like anything with chocolate in it turns my stomach. I don't even like the smell of it. It's just disgusting to me.

2. I was damn near 13 before I ever tasted chicken. Honestly! I was born with an allergy to poultry among many other things.

3. I am a huge fan of Michael J. Foxx. From Family Ties to all his movies through the late '80s to early '90s up until he retired on the show Spin City I have always liked him as an actor and feel like I grew up with him. To the point where I get sad when I see him looking sick nowadays.

4. I have a weird paranoia about flying bugs getting in my mouth. I can't eat without the room being lit well and if I see a bug flying in my house I can't go to sleep until I kill it. LOL.

5. Most people fall asleep when they get warm but I am the exact opposite. If I get hot I will be wide awake but if you get me in a cool or cold temperature then I will be out like a light. When I am at work in the computer lab with the AC blasting I STRUGGLE! If it's cold enough I will straight up fall asleep in mid sentence. LMAO.

6. I don't trust women. The way a lot of women think all dudes are dogs...that's how I tend to think about women in a general sense although I try my best to withhold judgement on anyone personally.

7. My favorite food is ground beef. I grew up eating a lot of it as a child so I have a lot of homemade recipes for ground beef so it never gets boring so it is definitely my favorite food.

8. I'm allergic to nuts but peas and seeds are cool. So I can eat sunflower seeds just like every other lil ghetto kid from "soufeas" but if I eat pumpkin seeds my throat will swell shut in no time. I found that out the hard way a long time ago.

9. I have a ridiculously good memory (shout out to JAC) but it works the best if it is things that are said. It's the way I learn the best also. Things I hear just stick with me and if you said it to me or around me trust me I remember it. LOL (it can be selective at times though)

10. Without my hair I look a lot younger than I really am. When people see old pictures of me they normally think I am a lot younger than I actually am in the picture. Pictures of when I was 14 look 12...pictures of when I'm 18 look 14, pictures of when I'm 21 look 18. I can't explain it but my sister has the same problem so it is definitely in the genes.

A Catchy Trap Phrase

2007-04-25T11:40:00.000-04:00

I gotta give credit to Mikesee for giving me the initial inspiration for this one and for the lil homie on the basketball court yesterday that was running his mouth and brought this emotion out of me. LOL.

I am talking about black america and (mostly) the hip hop generations need to come up with an ignorant catch phrase every couple of years. Whether it's by song, comedy, or movie we always seem to grab hold of one of these phrases and ride it out until everyone either gets tired of it or realizes just how stupid it is. (most cases we just get tired of it) I call them catchy trap phrases cause in most cases these phrases just give people a reason to feel better about being ignorant and I am just gonna go thru some I remember vividly. Don't get it twisted I myself have fallen victim to quite a few of these myself so I am laughing at me too. LOL

It's All Good - Oh we all remeber this one. Most commonly used in my young days as a Teen I loved to answer any problem with "it's all good dawg". I still have many friends that say that exact phrase on a regular basis. I guess since this was out when we came up it was hard to let go of. I got disgusted by the phrase when I realized that a lot of it's popularity may have stemmed from an MC Hammer song...LMAO!!!!!

Keep It Real - And my how that one went wrong. (shout out to the chappelle show, LOL) Probably the most popular trap phrase of my life, this first hit when I was 17 - 18 and is probably the most used by my friends and I of all the ones on this list. This phrase went from a harmelss quote about not lying and being yourself to peoples excuse for any and every ignorant activity. The first meaning of this normally lead to people not being afraid to be themselves around you...the later interpretation lead to a lot of fights because "I'm keeping it real too" is the normal reponse and things went down hill from there. LOL. The phrase was everywhere so I don't know where it started but Chris Rock has a hilarious award winning stadup where he touches on the topic well.

I'm A Grown Ass Man - I never understood why but back when I was around 21 this one got reallly popular. Don't get me wrong, when Cedric the Entertainer came up with it in Kings of Comedy I thought it was hilarious but I didn't think a nation of black people would pick it up so easily. My momma said it to me once!!! LMAO! (she called me a grown ass man for the record) There were lil girls at bustops going to school calling 14 year old boys grown ass men, professors at A&T telling lazy students "you a grown ass man", Pastor's in mens groups screaming on the young adults...basically anyone who wanted to scream on a lazy male but wanted it to come across funny, any kid who wanted to see just how far there parents would let go with the cursing in the phrase, or anyone who needed an excuse to tell someone they ain't doing something was using this phrase. LOL. It was a pretty funny phrase but I just didn't get the mass appeal.

4 Da Streetz - Yeah I intentionally put an ignorant twist on how I spelled this one. LOL. I still don't know WTF this one really means. A phrase coined by rap/hip-hop culture it can basically mean any damn thing. Seriously! Do some dumb shit...If people look at you funny just say it's 4 da streetz and all is forgiven. Do some good shit...people think you are a sell out just say it's 4 da streetz and all is forgiven. Honestly, who is to determine what is and isn't 4 da streetz? Bamas sell drugs to make money and he'll say it's 4 da streetz and another bama calls the cops about a crack house to clean up the neighborhood and he'll say it's 4 da streetz. This was one I never got into but the music around me whether it's 50 Cent or Talib Kweli definitely made it apart of my life in my early 20's.

That's What's Up - The thing about this phrase is I honestly believe no one has a true definition of what it means. I use this shit like it's going out of style and other than the fact that it's a response I have no idea what I'm saying. LMAO. You can respond to almost anything and say "that's what's up" as long as it's not negative. I think I could even flip it and use it for something negative....
Man1 (statement): Dawg, I was jye late for work this morning cause I woke up late and missed the first bus to the subway but the joint ended up derailing or some shit and a rack of bamas got hurt.
Man2 (response): That's what's up!
...I swear you can say that joint for almost ANYTHING. I could call my Grandmother right now and ask her "what's for dinner?" When she tells me I will say that's what't up and she won't even flinch. It's so damn ambiguous that people just except it. LOL. Hey, at least it hasn't been flipped to mean something negative yet. (it is bound to happen)

Stop Snitching - This is the most recent and quickly becoming the worst of all catcy trap phrases. Stop Snitching used to be a term that had to do with honor amongst theives. I had no problem with that way of looking at it because it had no affect on the general population. When you choose to live a certain lifestyle you play by the rules of the life you lead. Simple as that. You cheat on your woman you don't rat on others who cheat on their women. You rob banks you don't tell when someone else is gonna hit a bank that you want to rob...those are just the breaks. Now that the term has gained commercial popularity, thru them bamas that put Carmelo in that video in B-more, it has expanded into one of the most ignorant unwritten laws and culture has adopted. I choose to live right and do good but I have to live by your rules. Okay, mind your business but if you see a serial killer living next door and you know he did it by all means SNITCH ON THAT MUTHAFUCKA!!!! Especially if he is killing out of shape black men in their late 20's. Shit if you don't want to snitch on him call me!!!! Say what you want but I ain't sitting by while some dude rapes teenage girls....I'll be a snitch. LOL. Now I am not going out of my way to tell on anyone for anything and I don't suggest anyone risking life or limb for it but some shit you just can't let slide. Maybe I should come up with my own shit. "Don't Snitch...unless necessary" LMMFAO! Let a dude do a hit and run on my grandmother and you see it and don't tell....Oh you gonna snitch!!! LOL.

Thinking out Loud: Sports Review

2007-04-21T10:42:00.000-04:00

Baseball

I'm not a fan of the sport but right now I can't help but notice...

ALEX RODRIGUEZ IS THE SHIT!!!! Dude has now hit 12 homeruns for the season in less than a month with 2 of them being walk off game winners and one of those being a grandslam. Even I know this is big...just hope this inspiration continues for the entire season or they will be doggin him again just like last year. LOL.

Oh and by the way, Barry Bonds is gonna to totally destroy that Hank Aaron record for most homeruns this season as he has already gotten off to a fast start with 4 or 5 and needs less than 20 to break it. I'm thinking sometime around mid June.
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Hockey

Am I the only person that just realized that the NHL playoffs are underway and are in fact almost over. That sport really sucks right now. LOL.
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Football

Pacman, Pacman, Pacman

WTF is wrong with this boy. Now after everything else this bama goes and puts an ad in the Tennessee newspaper asking for forgiveness. LMAO!!! Had he not been on television a week ago talking about how he had plans to fix things and that he expected to be back on the field after week 10 then this may have seemed genuine. Now he just looks like the dumb villian that tells his plan and then loses to the hero (Roger Goodell in this case) because he talks to much. LOL. Honestly, I hope he does learn something from this and I hope he follows thru with the return to school also.
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Racing

How is it that DEI racing (a racing company that started by Dale Earnhardt Denior) is offering a deal to Dale Earnhardt Jr.....WTF??? Let me get this right, dad starts a business...son works in the business with dad...dad dies and son carried on family name in the industry...son doesn't enherit business...??? Am I the only one that is lost by this. That's not how family business works. How does he not automatically own DEI racing? Vito didn't leave the Olive oil company to Tessio or Clemenza that shit went to Michael. You think Gerry Buss Jr is worried about Magic Johson trying to take the Lakers when his pops passes....NO!!! Shoot you think that Magic Johnson's son is worried about his future...that bama knows that when that HIV kicks in, in like 20-25 years (just for the record I have never and will never believe that Magic actually has HIV) he got the BLVD at the Capital Center as well as about 100 theatres and restaurants across this nation. That's the way business works. You "pass that shit down, pass it like a cold". LOL. At least Dale Jr got a deal that gives him majority ownership. At least he's smart enough to get his stuff in order. LOL.
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College

Oden has officially entered the NBA draft which means now Oden and Durant are gonna be #1 and #2 in June. This is gonna be the deepest NBA Draft since the year Lebron, D Wade, Carmelo, and Chris Bosh came out in 2007.
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Basketball

Today is the start of the NBA playoffs and the seats are set for competition to start later on today...

In the East:
#1 Detroit Pistons vs #8 Orlando Magic
#2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #7 Washington Wizards
#3 Toronto Raptors vs #6 New Jersey Nets
#4 Miami Heat vs #5 Chicago Bulls

The Favorite: Detroit and Miami are basically a toss up for the favorites for most and I think I like Detroit with D. Wade coming off of the shoulder injury.

The Sleeper: Generally the most popular picks for sleeper in the east have been Chicago or Cleveland. When you have one of the 3 or 4 best players in the league on your team it's easy to think that anything can happen but with the east being so weak this year I tend to believe that the group that plays best as a team will overcome any one player so I am going with Chicago as the sleeper.

My Darkhorse & Prediction: My personal favorite as the darkhorse in the east is Toronto. I think they have some very talented players but they are young and have no experience in the playoffs so everyone assumes the Nets will handle them easily. I think with a guy like Bosh (who is very similar to KG) and a PG like TJ Ford they have leaders who can take them just as far as Chicago or Cleveland can go so they are my team to watch in these playoffs. My prediction for the east is that we will see Chicago vs Detroit in the East Finals and it will be BORING. LOL

In the West:
#1 Dallas Mavericks vs #8 Golden State Warroirs
#2 Phoenix Suns vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers
#3 San Antonio Spurs vs #6 Denver Nuggets
#4 Utah Jazz vs #5 Houston Rockets

The Favorite: The argument all season has been Dallas or Phoenix...I am one that believes that defense wins championships and between these two the best defense is in Dallas. But if you think this is a three team race for the favorite you may be inclined to go with San Antonio and I personally think they have it.

The Sleeper: The west is deep this year...very deep. So there isn't really a consensus on who the bestbsleeper is just like there isn't a consensus on who the favorite is. Most would say this is also a three team race between Utah, Houston, and Denver. I am leaning towards Houston becasue they not only have a great 1,2 punch like Denver but they play as a team like Utah and they have the best defense of all three teams.

My Darkhorse & Prediction: NO I am not giving my personal pick of a darkhorse to my boys in LA. I can be unbias....really I can. LOL. I think the darkhorse sleeper in the west is somewhat of an oxymoron because if any of the top 5 won out it would make sense. Denver is the least likely of the sleepers (above) to win it all and since I like that squad I personally will be pulling for them to make some noise. I do want to tell everyone to watch out for Golden State in the first round cause they have had both Dallas' and Phoenix's number all season.
I am seeing San Antonio vs Houston in the Western Conference Finals.

Hoping to see a lot of upsets in the playoffs this year but when all the dust is settled I expect to see San Antonio and Detroit battle it out again with Tim Duncan getting his fourth ring.

Thinking Out Loud

2007-04-09T16:01:00.000-04:00

Last week the Mens NCAA tournament was won by Florida for the second year straight making sure I had absolutely no shot at winning any money in any bracket...LOL. Congrats Florida. 2 things about the champs:

I think the Juniors at Florida were very smart by chosing to lose and I am predicting that Al Horford will be the best NBA player of the bunch. Yes I know Brewer came out and he has that defense that everyone loves but that's my opinion.
I may be the only person in the country that thinks that Billy Donovan did the right thing by staying in Florida. I felt like going to Kentucky was a bonehead move and I am glad he didn't do it. Look at the legacies of most of the great programs...what was Carolina before Dean Smith, Duke before Coach K, UCLA before Caoch Wooden, and Uconn before that coach who's name I can't spell (LOL)? The legacy of those school were made by young coaches who came in and stuck around for 20+ years and the coaches legacy is just as important as the school...if Billy Donovan wants that type of legacy he has to stay at a school he can build up and not be under anyones shadow. There aren't many coaches who can live up to a school legacy like a Bob Knight...just look at Tubby Smith. Why do you think he went to Minnesota to start over huh?

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Ladies, when you tell a dude he is too good/nice for you what reaction do you expect to get? I really want to know because I have been hearing that crap my whole life and in highschool it was confusing but the older I get the more frustrating it gets ESPECIALLY when I have had homeboys that have been telling my things like "you're too damn nice to women" or my personal favorite "you need to be hard on a ho" (I'm sorry ladies I think that's a hilarious phrase...no disrespect intended on my part, I told my sister the same thing about the dudes she dates. LMAO). When I hear a lady say I'm too nice I think "you have no self worth" and when they say I'm to good for them "I think they must have something underhanded in the works for me already". LOL. I mean it's almost comical because even if you think someone is to good for you...isn't the that person you want??? A guy who makes six figures doesn't get a winning lottery ticket and say "you know what I don't deserve this, let me give it to a poor man". NO, YOU TAKE THE WIN!!! What world do you live in were you don't want better for yourself...that's the american way! LMAO. I guess that's what they mean when they say nice guys finish last...I'm about to start slapping chicks or something. LMAO (just kidding)

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Can people please let me know at what age you finally learned to hold your liquor? I mean everyone exceeds there limit from time to time and for a lot of us this happens in college. I have heard and made a few stories about putting people in tubs with the shower on and people throwing up but eventually it got to a point where people didn't do that anymore. When it comes to getting drunk adn throwing up...we are just too damn old for that shit!!! I ask because this past weekend I realized the hard way that when I go out to a club...everyone around me isn't on that same level as me and most of my friends. Here's the scene. I'm rolling to a club with my boy Mike to celebrate the birthday of a friend of his. I got on the blazer, I got on the button up, I got the button up open showing off my favorite T-shirt that is a picture of Miles Davis, I got on the fresh pair of $60 jeans (LOL), I got on my newest (not brand new) pair of Steve Madden casual joints and we are in the spot mingling and having a couple of drinks. Mike just bojangled his way in front of me to speak to a young lady that was giving me the eye so I'm stuck talking to her less attractive friend but it's cool (shout out to the boy Bone...LMAO).

So I ended the cordial conversation with the young lady and am enjoying the atmosphere when rushing thru the crowd comes two young ladies. One girl was pulling the other girl trying to get her to the bathroom but unfortunately for me she didn't quite make it. BUT she did make it to a point somewhere directly in front of my midsection...yep she unloaded everything right on me in the middle of the damn dancefloor. She got it on the blazer, got it on the button up, because I had the button up open she got it on my favorite T-shirt I was showing off that is a picture of Miles Davis, she got in on the $60 jeans that aren't so fresh anymore, she got in on the no longer new looking Steve Madden casual joints. LMAO! It's laughable now but Friday night I had fire in my eyes. When it first happened I was in complete shock and just stood there looking at myself as those around me (MIKE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!) started laughing and I didn't come out of my shock until everyone(including me) started to notice just how bad it smelled. That's when I broke to the bathroom where I commenced to try and remove this nasty mess off of me as those coming in the bathroom made jokes and laughed about the smell. The attendant gave me a bottle of cologne for free it smelled so bad....LMAO!

So I put on some of the cologne (what the f*ck what I thinking right) and went back up stairs but by now it is really sinking in and I am PISSED!!! Now everything that is going on around me is just irritating me...I'm yelling at Mike, I'm yelling at the nice young lady that was speaking to me earlier and I am mean mugging everyone that bumps me so after about 10 minutes of that and making sure Mike had another way home I rolled out. Mike you still my dogg though, thanks for the invite!!! LOL.

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Easter Sunday was a great day! I love any reason to get together with family, especially if I get to see someone I don't ever see regularly. Church was great and the family was great...great way to end a crazy weekend. Thank the Lord! LOL.

The Loss of a Hero

2007-04-04T18:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we loss one of the greatest football coaches to ever lead a team in college football. The former coach of Grambling State University in Louisiana had the second most wins EVER in college football (408), sent almost 200 players to the NFL including 4 hall of famers and 1 Superbowl MVP winner, and most importantly he graduated over 80% of his players from college professing that his players won't only be good at football when they leave...they will be good at what comes in life.

The Father Figure, The Teacher, The Leader, The Coach, THE MAN, and now The Legend...

Eddie Robinson

R.I.P.

I Just Pissed My Pants...

2007-03-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

...this is why:

If you can find a funnier video I'll pay you!!! (ummm...not really) LMMFAO

Welcoming The Spring Season

2007-03-21T12:55:00.000-04:00

Today is the official start of Spring and people love it because it's when the weather warms up. Nothing like a little warm weather to get people out and mingling again. I couldn't agree with that sentiment more BUT I hate this season, this week, and especially this day like no other. Today is the first day of spring and that's not what I hate....what I hate is the day the pollen count jumps (which just happens to be today this year). I hate the day my eyes start tearing up so much that about halfway thru it's just a two lane river running down my face. I hate the day that I start blowing my nose like I'm trying to sound an alarm in my office. I hate the days when I can wake up to a semi asthma attack thanks to all the pollen intake the day before. I hate the days where I get to know all too well the congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, when you CAN'T rest at night....and Nyquil ain't getting it, pimpin'.

For all those lucky folks who don't have allergy problems you should be on your knees daily thanking God for that heavenly blessing...you &^%$#*@ pricks!!! ALLERGIES SUCK!!!!

(LMAO)

"I keep telling myself, maaan I'm living the good life"

2007-03-18T21:25:00.000-04:00

After a not so good Saturday today has really been a good day for me. It's one of those days were everything seems to just be going your way and even though nothing big happens you really appreciate all the little things. First of all I woke up this morning and God didn't have to give me that much (shout out to Jesus) but let me recap everything else.

1. I got to church this morning and somehow didn't see anyone I knew before or during service. This is a good thing because it is very easy to get distracted in my church. Good message and no distraction....priceless.

2. After church was over I was surprised to see a new friend of a friend has started going to my church (Mike, that's your boy Jaron). He introduced me to his girl (who will be attending with him I assume) and seemed really excited about the church and that's always a good thing.

3. After getting home and changing clothes I got into the gym and worked out. This is good for two reasons: a) I fell off of the workout thing HARD and this was the second time in 3 days that I worked out and b) I worked out with the homie Jay that I used to work out with 3 times a week before the fall off and who I didn't think I would ever be working out with again due to the distance since my move.

4. Talked to my mother on the phone and got some decent news from her.

5. Since I was on my old side of town I got the chance to stop in on my grandparents (I lived with them before I got the house) and spend some time with them. Both of them are ailing from something or another so I had to check on them sometime this weekend and I had already put it off (for nothing) on Saturday. Only thing that could have made that better is if they had dinner....LOL.

6. Saw that my father was alive.

7. I got this coupon from my grandparents for Macy's that gave me 20% off of a sale they already have on all their dress clothing (yeah your boy likes to get slick from time to time) and on the way home I made a stop by the store and ended up leaving with a new suit. In the words of my cousin "That boy is clean!!!!!" LOL.

8. I still have quite a few friends who have not come to my new place and after I got cleaned up one of those friends finally made his way thru to check out the crib. (just for the record, I like having company)

9. A little later my cousin came thru and kicked it with me as we watched the NCAA Tournament. I don't get to see him as much since the wedding...LOL.

10. Just before he left I got my cousin into an argument in which he found my debate unbelievable....which was what finally led him to leave. Just ask Mike how fun it is to piss that dude off. LMAO

11. I made myself a healthy homecooked meal for dinner tonight. I have been cooking for 16 years so that's nothing new but cooking something healthy is always great thing....especially since it still tasted good. LOL.

12. Got the phone call that my man Jeff FINALLY watched the Black Donnelly's. I am promoting that show because it is LIKE DAT so I am telling any and everyone I talk to about television. If you like gangster movies like Goodfellas and Departed....WATCH THIS SHOW!

13. My NCAA Bracketology is costing me money!!! I can't help but laugh at it so my laughter is a good thing. LMAO.

14. And the biggest thing of all....THE LAKERS WON!!!!!! With our current string of luck it's good to see the boys with a 2 game winning streak.

It's funny, I had high expectations for Saturday and was only dissapointed...I had NO expectations for Sunday and had a really good day.

"There's rules to this sh*t....I wrote me a manual"

2007-03-17T23:48:00.000-04:00

I dedicate this post to people's individual rules to the game....what game you ask. Dating!!! I would include all relationships too but I lack the experience of marriage and based on what I hear from my married homies, that is a totally different game and I should wait awhile before I play it. LOL.

Don't get me wrong I would never claim to know all there is about dating cause I probably know less than most. LOL. But as I have gone thru the years talking to friends and family about dating people I have heard some really interesting and crazy personal rules and theories. Some of these rules are as fickle as not dating someone who is too dark or light or as deep as people's life goals and aspirations being up to standard. Some of these rules are known universally to all like "can't turn a hoe into a house wife" (yeah it's vulgar but it's a rule A LOT of dudes follow when dating)...some rules are created based on a personal experience like putting time frame on how long you must 'talk to' someone before comitting to that person. I have heard a woman say that she can't date someone who owns Timberland boots and a dude who absolutely refuses to call a girl first because he can't give her the upper hand....LMAO. Since I have been deemed the "professional conversationalist" I have been in a lot of conversations about the relationship topic so I could go on forever. What I want is to hear some of the craziest rules/theories that you all have about or have heard about dating. Don't be shy...it's all in fun to me. Hey I'll start with one of my own rules I used to live by:

I used to have a 3 call rule...if we have nothing to talk about after the third conversation there is no reason to continue further conversations (sounds worst than it really is. LOL). I have always been good at running my mouth so I figured if we run out of stuff to talk about after just 3 conversations then something must be wrong with them. That sh*t sounds so silly right now....LOL.

Someone please hit me with some of your rules so that I know I am not the only crazy one...LOL.

"Aww man homie...My minds playing tricks on me!"

2007-03-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

If you check out my man Mike's blog then you know that me and the boy Bone went and checked out the Roots tour last night at the Lyric Opera house in Baltimore. Overall I say that it was a pretty cool concert but definitely not close to being the best I have seen. Of course with artists like The Roots, Lupe Fiasco, and Little Brother you are gonna get some good music so I don't really think that part will be of any surprise to anyone so I will take this time to point out the things that stood out in my mind from last night....

1. I forgot how much Roots music I actually own. I recently had a conversation with my homie AB about being a fan of an artists and how you will buy something from an artist you are a fan of without that pre-listen. Basically, if they drop it I cop it....well I have all of the Roots albums so I guess I gotta add them to my list.

2. The Roots should really call this the Game Theory/James Brown Tribute Tour. They incorporated either music from the Godfather of Soul or his style and feel into the ENTIRE concert. I mean there were moments where Black Thought was sitting on stage saying things like "Ain't it funky now!!!" or "I/We got soul"...No Bull!!!

3. I think it would be a really good gesture by the Roots to add LB to this tour permanently. It would do a lot for keeping hip hop alive as they touched on in the concert. But with that said I just feel robbed when they go thru a rendition of other artists popular music and don't invite the folks that opened up for them back on the stage to perform maybe 1 song each. I personally think that would set it off. It would have been nothing to hit an LB and Lupe song and have them each run back out and go at it for one more track.

4. Lupe, Lupe, Lupe....where do I start. Okay, he may be the first rapper who I felt like they really need to have a 15 man entourage on stage with him to get his little a$$ to stand still. LOL. Dude was jumping up and down running around so much that you could tell he's never done this before. There is no way he could headline wasting all that energy running into his 1 hype man who was very entertaining with all his throwback dances from the early nineties (that bama was doing the running man!!!). They even lowered the lights once and had Lupe walk off just to run back on stage in an attempt to make the crowd think he was done (even though he hadn't done Kick Push yet nor did he say goodnight/I'm out). Right after that he and his hypeman met at the back of the stage like they were talking and then rushed toward the crowd as a verse started. All this to say...Lupe needs to work on the show. I could put together a much better show for him.

5. Lupe Fiasco needs to burn his wardrobe and start over. His outfit was almost funny enough to make me enjoy the performance...LOL. This bama had on a black leather zip-up hoodie that fit in the fashion of a members only jacket (to be read, it was tight enough to see my niggas ribs when it was fully zipped) and the bama kept putting th hood on. I guess it went well with his shades against the dim light in the opera house. LOL. And he either had on a orangish-red belt or some orangish-red trim at the bottom of the jacket that reminded Mike of a cummerbund...LMAO. The funniest part of his outfit were the baby phat jeans he obviously picked out just before stepping on stage. My man had on a size 18 jeans (just an FYI slim men normally run around 30-34, men who are built like men normally around 36-40, your big and tall man is 40+), jeans that were so small he had no choice but to have them sagging off his ass! As my man Mike loves to say "Them jeans looked like he had to lay on the bed and wiggle to get them on" LMMFAO!!! I mean with all the hopping around he was doing I thought he was gonna split them shits in half. I'm so glad he didn't accomplish that feat.

6. The worst part about the whole concert is that Little Brother only got 4 songs. This left me wanting more and made me realize just how much of a fan of theirs I am. I am feeling these dudes (No Brokeback!!!) like I do Biggie, Jay-Z and Sigel. And that group is really hard to break into with me.

For Mike's take check out his blog about the show.

I mean, a 'MEAN' Idi Amin!

2007-03-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

That's what Forrest Whitaker did in the movie I caught last night. Yep, I finally went to go see "The Last King of Scotland." I had been dying to see how Forrest did first hand with all the rave and the awards about this performance.

I must say that the portayal of Idi Amin done by Whitaker was definitely a great job. (I still don't know if I think it was better than Will in Pursuit of Happyness but definitely on point)

As you can see he even did a decent job with that half smile scowl thing that Idi seemed to have down packed. LOL. Overall the movie was really good. The story was more of an inside look at one particular relationship between Idi Amin and the white Scotish doctor he had in his camp and how it affected that doctor. I liked the fact that they didn't go the way of documentary because it gave them the opportunity to just show Idi Amin as a person rather than focus on the monstrous ways he was potrayed by the world media. I didn't know much about him before this movie until the end so some of the things that unfold during the movie surprise me A LOT because Forrest Whitaker almost makes him loveable at times. That's laughable now knowing the type of person he was. The one thing I will warn people about with this movie are the 2 or 3 stomach turning graphic scenes of violence it has. I thought it was GREAT but for most it is really REALLY extreme and I would suggest you watch with caution...LOL.

But if you are a Whitaker fan then go check it out. It's a helluva step up from his worst acting job....
Ghost Dog: The way of the Samurai

LMMFAO!!!! I could have put about 5 other clips from this one up that would have been a lot funnier but this sums up Forrest's performance the best. LMAO! This has to be his worst ever!!!!!

The Second Coming...

2007-02-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

Due to my love for my favorite sports teams and my competitive nature I am one of the few people who actually still watch and enjoy NBA games. Everyone knows that I am a LA Lakers fan followed closely by my hometown Wizards but in this league the sport is driven more by players rather than teams. The thing with me is that I am sorta backwards with this aspect...don't get me wrong, I like certain players but my reasoning is so random when I pick the players I like. For example....I hated Michael Jordan (yeah I said it) but I love Kobe Bryant. I was the only dude in highschool who didn't like MJ and they all thought I was retarded when I started showing love for Kobe. LOL. Another example...I loved Dominique Wilkins and thought he was underrated but I think Vince Carter is one of the most overrated players ever and don't like him much other than the highlights.

Lately I have been seeing, yet again, this same type of trend forming with another two similar players standing at the 7'0"+ range with definite size advantages making them dominant forces in the paint coupled with funny personalities that even come off as goofy at times. This with the fact that both of them started their careers for the same team makes it hard to not compare Shaquille O'neal and Dwight Howard. So hold up, which one do I like? Well I loved Shaq when he was with LA but hey I would have probably liked MJ in purple and gold (a la Kobe Bryant) but before Shaq played for the Lakers and since he has left I have hated him with a passion. And right now Dwight Howard is easily my second favorite player in the league (KG, Carmelo, Shawn Marion, and Arenas all fall right behind Dwight and Kobe). I'm basically writing this blog to show you why.....

When Shaq's lazy a$$ was with LA I always said he would be ridiculous if he actually got into that David Robinson type of physical condition....this boy Dwight is gonna make a prophet out of me....LOL.

HE KISSED THE MUTHAF#$KING RIM!!!!

AGGIE PRIDE!!!!!

2007-02-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

This joint almost brings a tear to my eye! And some of you think I'm crazy...I'm below average (as far as getting hype) for A&T. LOL.

Winter Wonderland...

2007-02-20T10:09:00.000-05:00

Last week we finally got a real amount of snow in this area. I am a fan of winter weather (as long as people know how to drive that is) so it was cool to look out of the office window on Tuesday and see the snow coming down. Little did I know that the next day I would awake to find the temperature in my apartment quickly dropping because my electricity was out. GREAT!!! Not only that but I naturally woke up early enough to make it to work on time, so I didn't even get to sleep in....DAMNIT!!! LOL.

I head out to work thinking that by the time I get home everything would be cool but no such luck. I was without electricity and the comfort of home for 3 days. I guess there really is something to that saying "watch what you ask for" because I would have been the first to say I wanted it to snow...Ha! Ask me that sh*t now. LOL!!!

Funny thing is some good actually did come out of it. I have been having a tough time adjusting to living alone again since I moved into my new home . After staying with my grandparents again and sleeping on my cousins floor, all those issues are now an afterthought.

Feeling homeless sort has a way of making you appreciate what you have. LMAO!!!

Music on my mind (part 2)

2007-02-06T13:01:00.000-05:00

Before I get to the stuff from college let me first hit you with another track from highschool that I just had to throw in the mix...

Onyx: Last Days - (Sophmore Year - 94/95):

I had to put this on here because I personally think that this is one of the greatest beats in the history of hip hop. I'm not even a beats man but this is still one of my favorite of all time...and it's been out for 12+ years.

Okay now where was I...

College - Undergrad

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Lox Featuring Lil Kim & DMX - Money Power Respect (Freshman Year – 97/98):

My Freshman year was the year of X. DMX dropped two albums classic albums within an 11 month span and had a gang of guest appearances. This one was one of the best. I was a HUGE fan back then.

Redman & Method Man – Da Rockwilder ( Sophomore Year – 98/99):

For years these two rhymed with each other through guest appearances and always had a chemistry that just made dope songs. True rap fans always hope it's actually possible to hear some of our favorite rappers actually do albums together (Biggie and JayZ or Tupac and Scarface or JayZ, DMX, and Ja Rule or Nas and AZ or Foxy Brown and Lil Kim or Beanie Sigel and Bleek or Beanie, Scarface, and JayZ or even now with JayZ and Nas...you get the point). Method man and Redman were the only ones I can think of that actually made those hopes come true.

Beanie Sigel - Remember Them Days (Junior Year – 99/00):

The world was introduced to Beanie Sigel's debut in 2000 and I was introduced to an addiction. He became the first rapper since BIG to clear out my CD player for months. I still remember saying to my man Jake "Dogg, this has to be the best rap debut since DMX my freshman year!" I have been his biggest fan since.

Shyne Featuring Barrington Levy – Bad Boys (Senior Year – 00/01):

When this dude first came out everyone was talking about how he sounded like Biggie but once he stopped playing on that (on his guest appearances mostly) he really made a name for himself with this one. I knew this was a dope track when I was in the barbershop one day and EVERYONE, barbers and all, were bobbing their heads. Man I prayed for months to get a remix with Sigel on this one....LOL.

College - Grad School

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Scarface - My Block (2nd Year - 02/03)

This was arguably the best album that came out when I was in Gradschool and definitely the best from Scarface. Get it if you don't got it!

Music on my mind (part 1)

2007-01-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks to TC, JAC, and MikeSeeI have been inspired to throw up some videos of songs that I like. Everyone seems to have music videos going up these days with each being unique to their personal styles...TC does hip-hop and R&B songs regularly and covers just about everything, JAC covered some R&B that she loved in college, MikeSee put up some old school Hip Hop that he was feeling, and now I am gonna do somewhat of a hip hop timeline of some of my favorite songs throughout the stages of my life.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

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Naughty By Nature - Everything’s Gonna Be Alright (Sixth Grade - 90/91):

Warning: Explicit Lyrics

This song was official my first "favorite song" to the point where my mom (who was only 32/33) used to tell me how it made her think of me and hoped I wouldn't end up like Treach. This video is also probably responsible for me getting my @$$ kicked for the first time too since I couldn't help but think I was hard after watching that video....LMAO!!!

MC Eiht - Straight Up Menace (Eight Grade - 92/93):

Warning: Explicit Lyrics

This one took Naughty's place as my favorite when it came out. If this was the stuff I got on TV during my formidable years and I turned out fine I don't think I can blaim the television for how some of these youngin's are these days any longer! I guess I see why some of my friends say I have a violent side...LOL!!! Why was I allowed to watch this at 13 ya'll?!?

High School

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Da Brat - Give It To Ya (Sophmore Year - 94/95):

During high school Biggie ruled music for me with his 1st album dropping my Freshman year and his last dropping my Senior Year but this song was undeniably one of the best songs dropped in that time fraim. Best track ever made by Da Brat in my opinion.

Kriss Kross - Live and Die for Hip Hop (Late Junior Year - 95/96):

I'm really putting this one on here to see if anyone else remembers it other than me. This is the same year that "It Was Written" dropped so the fact that Kriss Kross tried to make a comeback flew completely under the radar but back then I always thought that this was a dope track. I was really surprised to see that these dudes were my age or older back then too...they like 17 in this video. LOL.

Red Man - That’s How it is (Early Senior Year - 96/97):

I still believe that Red Man is one of the most underrated rappers ever (somewhere trailing Scarface in that category) and this song and album prove it. Easily one of the top 5 albums that year and it was his 3rd album. Man I swear, 93 thru 97 were the 5 greatest years in hip hop history.

I'll get back to cover my undergrad and grad school years in Part 2.

Colts and Bears

2007-01-21T23:53:00.000-05:00

Yeah the Indianopolis Colts will be facing off against the Chicago Bears in Miami for the Superbowl on February 4th but this one isn't truly about that match up....it's about the coaches! We finally have the first black coach to ever make it to the Superbowl but not only that...we are gauranteed that a black coach will win the Superbowl! This is HUGE!!!

Tony Dungy is the Coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Dungy had to get past talk about him not being able to get to the show because his last team won after he left. Tony Dungy is also playing in his first full season since the loss of his son last year to a suicide. I wanted him to go to the Superbowl more than any other black coach not to mention I am a fan of his QB (but this ain't about him right now!)

Lovie Smith is the coach of the Chicago Bears. He is a coach that focuses on defense and even after much criticism about his decesions for offensive starters he has proven that loyalty to his players is just as important as winning. This man is a class act and a protege` of Tony Dungy.

Now I know what your thinking "It's only a freaking football game." But a black coach in the Superbowl means so much more to the game than you think. Football is the most popular sport in the United States and with that it follows along with the culture of the United States and there is no secret that black people have had to overcome some barriers in this country. This is another one of those barriers we have had to work on. I mean, I'm not saying this is big like if Barak Obama actually becomes the first black president but let me just break down why it means a lot to me.
First know that in the NFL it has just become a regular thing to have black Quarterbacks in the last 10 - 15 years with most of the black QBs coming out of college being forced to transition to other positions. Why you ask...because QBs run the offense and along with the physical aspects of the game of football you had to be a thinker to run an NFL offense with complex plays and read defenses. In the US society, black men haven't been thought of as thinkers so they have strayed away from putting us in this role due to there opinions about our lack of intelligence. So you can imagine that if they didn't think we were good enough to run the offense on the field they damn sure don't think we're good enough to run the entire team from the sideline. This has always been another one of those positions where our people were made to feel as though they were inadequate and black coaches have been dealing with the pressures of proving these stereotype wrong for much too long.

If you think I'm exxagerating just look at the facts:

32 NFL Teams and only 7 black head coaches in the league (which is actually a great number for us cause it's normally 2-3): Lovie Smith, Tony Dungy, Marvin Lewis, Dennis Green, Art Shell, Romeo Krennel and Herm Edwards. (and two of them just got fired after the season ended on his first year with the team)
119 NCAA Division 1A and only 7 black head coaches (yeah that's an exact figure!)
41 Superbowls and there hasn't even been a black coach to make it let alone win (I attribute this to lack of opportunity as well as odds. 7 against 25 sucks!).
And although it's a tangent fact....The NFL just got it's first black owner this past season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Getting the gaurantee of having a black head coach win a Superbowl is a milestone. For the sport of football it is historical. I'm just glad that I am here to see it happen. Gives me hope for us succeeding in other areas where we have encountered barriers. But I'm not the only one who is excited about this...you can check out my man AB's blog about this topic too. He calls it The Soul Bowl. LMAO!!!

This is the best year in Football since my Skins won the Superbowl!

The Year is New: "Ya'll Feel The Boat Moving?"

2007-01-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

If you hadn't already go back and check out the first part of my trip...

So now we are leaving Miami and getting on the cruise ship and for me this is not only my FIRST cruise but also my FIRST time on a boat.

Once on the boat I just tried to have fun and take in everthing about the trip. The beautiful weather, the food & drinks, and the good people. During this trip I was deemed a "professional conversationalist" (whatever that means) so it should be no surprise to those in attendance that I actually met a star on the ship....

SWIZZ BEATS!!!

Hey at least that's what everyone else seems to think when Mike puts on the shades and the hat. Personally I don't think my man's nose is pointy enough to look like Swizz Beats but he seems to get that comparison from everyone else. I think people just try to hard though.

So Mike and I went to Key West and he finally got the chance to go Jet Ski (he was so f*cking PRESSED). It was Mike, KC, and JAC out in the ocean doing it and I wanted to go with them (which was supposed to be another first for me) but I was still feeling a little under the weather from my sore throat I caught in Miami so I chose health over fun. I get responsible some times.

Randall is missing from these pics because my man wasn't as lucky as I was with his sickness so he was stuck in the room losing his lunch. LMAO!

But when my man got back you know he was in rare form again saying wild sh*t and talking trash. LOL. Doesn't Randall look twisted in this picture...yeah that's TheraFlu. LMAO!! Don't I look like a football player that loves to knock the sh*t out of people in this one...that's why Mike always talks about me beating his azz. LOL!

On the boat we enjoyed parties every night and especially had fun kicking it with all the different people we met and the party the night after Key West was probably the best night.

The next day was Mexico and I have to say that the most fun on the trip was my FIRST time in Mexico. Riding ATV's for the FIRST time, swimming in a huge outdoor pool, trying to hustle the vendors to get stuff cheap, 3 brotha's and a mexican playing Volleyball...this day was classic! LOL.

The rest of the trip was more partying and getting to know everyone that was with our group during dinner. All the fellas even got together to play basketball towards the end of the trip. Man, on this trip I think I spent about $230 on drinks but don't worry I only drank about $150 worth of them myself....LOL. But I had a great time so I ain't complaining. I'm just mad that I wasted money on motion sickness medicine I never needed. Whenever the boat moved it just felt like I was a little tipsy but nothing serious. Well at least not until late in the trip. That rocking seemed to get worst as the days past. I knew it was really bad once the trip was over and we were back in the airport waiting for our luggage to come out. Everyone was standing near each other and occasionally one of us would start to sway back and forth like we lost our balance. I guess we were all feeling the same thing cause eventually Fool asks "Aye, ya'll feel the boat moving?"

That was the craziest feeling to me....it sucked cause it reminded me that the trip really was over. Ah well, back to reality.

Be...all that you can be!

2007-01-16T23:30:00.000-05:00

Okay I really need someone to tell me that I am wrong in thinking that Telemundo. I am under the belief that Telemundo is taped and airs in Mexico and the channel is broadcast in the US for our many hispanic citizens. Please someone tell me I'm wrong because if not than I am completely disgusted with what I just saw tonight....

So I'm watching Telemundo (just accept it I don't really have a reason) and the show I'm watching (Decision`) goes to commercial. The commercials are coming on and off and you get your normal commercials in spanish like Lays potato chips, Walmart, and Nissan. Now don't get it twisted they aren't playing our commercials with voice overs they have there own commercials and if you ever get the chance to go to Mexico you will see all the companies down there.

What has me messed up is the last commercial just before the show started back...it was a US Army commercial. NO BULL! And it was equipped with a Mexican family with the son dressed in his army uniform and they were all speaking spanish having one of those family moments like they normally have with black families in the US commercials. You know the ones back in the day when the mom hugged her son and they all looked into the screen and smiled. Now I am in disbelief and I need someone to tell me that Telemundo is only in the US and not in Mexico because if we are recruiting people in Mexico to fight in our army but won't allow them across the border I have some SERIOUS problems with our government. I mean WTF!!! How does this sit well with political officials. I mean I have heard of people ignoring their morals but DAMN.

This may be hard to believe but I swear it's the truth. Man, this shit is crazy if I'm right...please tell me I'm wrong.

The Year is New: "We not even on the boat yet!!!"

2007-01-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

This year I brought in my New Year with a vacation (Yeah I know I'm late!) with some friends. We made our way down to Miami for a couple of days and then hopped on a fun ship (Carnival Cruise) and did it up for about 5 days. This vacay was the best I have had thus far....of course I am only on my 2nd one (unless you count the trips for weddings then it's the 4th). LMAO!

I had Randall (A.K.A Woo, A.K.A. Balloon Man ) and Mike (A.K.A. Bone) riding with me (I may be the only one of our friends with 1 name...LMAO) on this trip. Although they were the main ones with me for everything they definitely weren't the only friends with me on the trip...

We also had some beautiful ladies with us on the entire voyage starting with TC, JAC, KC, and Jess doing it big with us in Miami (notice Mike, Randall, and I all have the contagious peace sign disease that a lot of black men in there mid to late 20's can't seem to let go of...LOL!)...

And you know a couple of the fellas is wifed up so my man Fool and B (both seated) were there with there better halves...LOL.

This trip was all about 'NEW' experiences for me so I did a lot of new things for the first time on this vacation starting with this being my FIRST time in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami (YES, I have been to Florida before...LOL). And after me and the fellas hit the streets of South Beach and got some food (damn near $200 worth) I step inside this little shoe spot and pick up my FIRST pair of Loafer's (Good looking out on not having money to buy those Woo!!!).
Later on the three of us went to Club Bed and had dinner and drinks. This was my FIRST time in the club (they have one in NYC also) as well as my FIRST time eating a Filet Mignon and I have to say that I highly recommend their food to anyone who gets the opportunity to pay them a visit. Arguably the best steak I have eaten. About halfway thru our time in Club Bed the ladies finally make it to the club to party with us and I have my FIRST time partying with JAC and meeting Jess. We had a freaking ball but we all learned the hard way that Miami can be tough on the wallet. LOL.

The second day in Florida was just as good. We went down to the Beach in December and it was over 75 degree....WTF!!! We had some unbelievable weather while in Miami. We kicked it on the beach for a while, got some food and funny looks from some NBA players (LOL), got some drinks of course, and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening festivities. The night of New Year's Eve was at hand and we all meet back up and get it popping. The ladies all came out in the flyest dresses which made Randall, Mike, and I look even better to all the other ladies watching (Thanks a lot ladies...LOL!!!). We did a lot of walking, some of it up and down some stairs to this weak ass party that only Randall could find a way to enjoy. LOL. Then we ended up on the beach at countdown. Well it was a little bit after countdown for me cause I made the mistake of trying to follow Randall during one of those times where he got missing and didn't even realize it was midnight until we got back to the water and they told me. Sitting out there on the beach that night was almost surreal and a few of us had some nostalgic moments. That was was the FIRST time I had ever been on the beach under the moonlight and I couldn't help but think of how romantic that could have been to be with a wife or girlfriend at that moment. After I got out of my little zone I noticed a friend (female of course) having her own moment but she looked so sad that I couldn't help but give her a big hug (I'm a sapp at heart) and do that rocking back and forth like your mom will do...LOL. That was a good moment. It felt good to be able to be there for her during that moment and I hope it made our friendship stronger.

Honestly that's probably the highlight of the Miami trip right there...well that and that damn steak in Club Bed! (Did I mention that I recommend that to everyone?). Walking from the beach I found myself going into big brother mode when this 8 foot 2 bama walked up on JAC....but I just sat back and made sure he ain't try to do anything crazy. Wild thing is I realized afterwards that I know his older brother. It's really a small world. We got some more food and sat at the restaurant until the ladies decided to go in for the night and then my main man Mike drove back to Ft. Lauderdale (that trip was hell at 5am when you were tired).

All in all me and the fellas had a hell of a time in Miami and just as Mike said about 23 times that weekend...."We ain't even on the boat yet!!!!"

For more detail on our time in Miami and a different perspective, check out what Mike has to say in Part 1 and Part 2 of his blog on the trip. I'll finish up the rest of the trip later.

Year In Review part 2

2006-12-25T20:24:00.000-05:00

This is the conclusion to my year in review, check out part 1 also for more of my top 5 lists from 2006....

My Top 5 Movies Of The Year
5. ATL - Yeah I was skeptical of this movie at first site just like anyone else (especially since TI was the main character in his first movie) but after I saw it I damn near became a promoter for this joint. I actually left the theater in a state of shock like "damn, it wasn't even wack!" (to quote Dame Dash....LMAO.

4. Akeelah and The Bee - I was just happy about this movie. It was a story about someone coming from the "hood" in america and making something out of themselves other than a rapper, actor, athlete, or drug dealer...even if white america wouldn't promote it. And the best part about this movie is that it was based on a true story. Definitely something that I think anyone with preteens should have their kids watching.

3. The Prestige - This movie was just good. It was a phsychological thriller that made you think during the entire movie. I went to go see it not expecting much and ended up seeing one of the best movies that came out this year. Definitely one to see and talk about with others and somehow with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as the two main characters it was the 3rd most underrated movie to drop this year. LOL.

2. The Gridiron Gang - This movie is a true story about a teenage detention center (read juvenile prison camp) where the kids (coming out of the ghettos of Cali) were blessed enough to be placed in the care of a man who actually cared. Anyone who has a teen male in the household should probably own this...it's definitely a good movie and eye opener so they should be able to relate. And besides that this was the second most underrated movie this year and it was actually a really good acting job by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, which is something you may never hear again in this life...LOL.

1. The Departed - Scorcese came back in rare form this year with what I consider the best movie I have seen this year and maybe the best gangster flick since Goodfellas. The cast consists of Jack Nicholson (Nuff' Said!), Leo DeCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg and the story is great! It takes a look at the gangster life from the perspective of the cops dealing with it and has a lot of nice twists going on throughout the entire movie. Must see, must own, must be crazy if you doubt me (ask ANYONE who's seen it)! LOL.

(I haven't seen Blood Diamond or Dream Girls so they aren't under consideration during the making of this list. Honorable Mentions: V for Vendetta, Pursuit of HappYness, and Running Scared(the #1 most underrated movie))

My Top 5 Moments or Things I Hate/Dislike in 2006
5. The Redskins not starting Jason Campbell at quarter back and therefore f*cking up the entire season. Still pissed that this man has come in and won just as many games as Brunell and played half the time that Brunell played. Joe Gibbs is F*cking Up!!!! LOL.

4. All the stuff that comes with being a home owner that they never talk about. Those who have homes know what I mean. The repairs that never end, the months and/years you spend being "house-broke", flood insurance, the muphucking homeowners association!!! I swear it should be a crash course on all this stuff required before you even sign up with an agent to look at homes...might take some of that luster off of the process and make you think a bit more realistically about your money.

3. The death of so many black stars. I swear the last 2 years or so have been hard on black stars and this year was no different with us losing so legendary figures in black entertainment. R.I.P. to Luther Vandross, James Brown, Ed Bradley, Gerald Levert, Coretta Scott King, Lou Rawls, and Buck O'neal (negro league baseball player).

2. The emergence and at the same time decline of Lil Wayne. Wayne dropped what is probably his best album in December of 2005 and it has blazed the airwaves throughout the year and led to him dropping another album with him and "his pa" Baby. The thing is that now that Lil Wayne is older, he is maturing lyrically, and he is arguably one of the best rappers out there. The problem is now that he is older his content has gone to SH!T! I was a Lil Wayne fan back when he was 15 dropping his first album and you know what he talked about back then, making sure he didn't curse, talking about family, losing his real father, and basically proving that he had enough skill that he didn't have to talk about all the BullSh*t he talks about now....WTF happened? I really wish he took his current lyrical skill and went back to his old content.

1. DIPSET - especially Jim Jones and at this very moment "Fly High". I'm not even gonna disgrace my page with a picture of these dudes.

My Top 5 Blog Posts of 2006
5. Hello, my name is Dane and I'm an addict.... - This one was when I took the opportunity to share my love for comics with the world. LOL.

4. Black Men and Church (long article) - Probably the least read blog I have posted so far because I was dumb enough to warn you all that it was long....LOL. It is a really good article that was sent to me that addresses the lack of black men in church.

3. Can I get the white-collar with the blue trim??? - Me approach at getting some clarity on the issue of women wanting to date blue-collar brothers over white-collar brothers. Some good opinions were given on this one.

2. Color Struck - I bit of my comedy mixed in with a serious video about young black women and kids and their outlooks on race growing up in america. Really nothing to laugh at...this video almost brought me to tears when I first watched it.

1. Visiting My Space - A personal look at a piece I wrote for my grandmother who passed away this year.

I may have one more post this year but I'm sure you won't hear much else from me until my vacation coming up for New Year's.

I'm 'bout to be on a island some where.....word to my momma!!!! LOL

Year In Review part1

2006-12-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to take some time to write up some of my favorite and some of my dislikes of 2006 just to get my opinion out there and hopefully piss off a couple of people or start some conversations...LOL. Some of it's personal and some of it general but remember these are my favorites and not what I would necessarily call the best of the best (specifically about albums and movies)....

My Top 5 Favorite Hip-Hop/Rap albums of the year
5. Idelwild Soudtrack - OutKast: At the beginning of the year I was still going thru my Little Brother craze and until I got this album over the summer I didnt' think there was anything that could brake me out of it. I especially liked this one because, unlike the previous Outkast album, Big Boi really held down the rap part even better than Andre' held down...whatever it is that he does these days. LOL.

4. Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas: I don't think it's the greatest thing for Nas since Illmatic like some of my friends seem to think but I do like the album. But the reason it makes the top 5 list for me this year is because it is sending a message to the other guys in the industry that they are killing Hip Hop and I agree with that.

3. - Ludacris: Finally I got a well rounded album from Luda where he doesn't talk about women and sex the entire time. I have been waiting for him to drop some content for a long time now and I am very happy to finally get the diversity that he needs to show more often.

2. Kingdome Come - Jay-z: This album does much of the same as "Hip Hop Is Dead" by letting the industry know that they have other ways to make hit songs and it's time to change up. I can't help but love what Jay was trying to do with this one. And besides that...IT'S THE RETURN OF JAY-Z!!!

1. Food and Liquor - Lupe Fiasco: Hands Down the best album of the year....period. I will argue that with anyone. This is real hip hop and it should be in your collection!

(honorable mention to Game for making #1 on Billboard his first week after going on his own and to Snoop for getting back to lyrics on Blue Carpet Treatment)

My Top Moments or things I loved/liked in 2006
5. Allen Iverson getting traded to the Denver Nuggets. You can read more on how I feel about that one on my last post, Thug Motivation.

4. Heroes - This NBC television show has made me a true television fan again. I used to be a couch potato as a child but grew out of it when TV got lame. But the last year and a half I have been finding more shows that actually make me want to come back next week and this season I have found my favorite of them all with the creation of Heroes. Competing with 24 and Lost as the best show onn Television.

3. My discovery of rap artists 'Lupe Fiasco', 'Murs' and 'Kidz In Tha Hall' - Just when I think Nas is right and hip hop is dead I find some artists that make me a true fan again (just like LB did in 2005).

2. My Lakers starting off the season looking like they are in rare form and ready for the playoffs. And the best part about this is that Kobe doesn't have to score all the points to do so...YES!!!!! I guess since he couldn't get the MVP for averaging 35.4 and taking them to the playoffs he figured maybe he can get it for dropping 25, 7, and 7....we'll see.

1. Kobe Bryant dropping 81 points on the Toronto Raptors! Yeah it was last season but it was this year and I actually had the honor of being one of the few to tune in and watch it as it took place (that God for The Season Ticket!). I still can't believe how crazy it was to watch that...the man brought them back from 19 points down, dropped 30 in the 3rd, 27 in the 4th, and shot just under 61% on the night.

My Top 5 Goals Accomplished This Year
5. Finally getting some real work experience instead of just sitting around waiting for my clearance. I was sitting around chilling for almost 2 years (not complaining because they paid my for it) and it was definitely time for me to get out and get my hands dirty so that I can build my career.

4. Taking my first cruise (or getting on any boat for that matter) and going to Miami for the first time EVER. I am actually doing these for new years but I put it together this year.

3. Started writing again. I put the pen and pad down for about 9 months and back in April/May I just got inspired to pick it back up and get some things off my chest and I am very happy I did so.

2. Joining my church. I finally took time out from making excuses and man-ed up and joined my church this summer. This is the first church I have ever been a member of and I am so glad I was able to find a home. I needed that in my life.

1. Becoming a home owner. I finally moved out of my families home after a 2.5 year stint and got my own place. On top of that I have had at least 4 friends who have stepped up and got there own place this year also...it's a beautiful thing!

This is getting long so I'll stop it here and conclude it later......

Thug Motivation

2006-12-20T13:06:00.000-05:00

Now everyone who has ever talked to me about basketball for longer than 3 minutes knows that I am a true-blue, die-hard L.A. Lakers fan and have been since the day my grandfather put that starter jacket on my back when I was 10 years old and had me watching Kareem, Worthy, and Magic. And since I am from the Washington DC Metro area I can't help but have a place in my heart for them hometown Wizards (even if they did pick up MJ, but that's another blog right there). But I think I now have a 3rd team to add to my list of favorites....

Yep I think this team is about to be the next team that I make sure I watch every game. But not because I am gonna be loyal to this team...hell nah! I am happy to admit it's just for the players because thanks to the most recent acquisition made by the Nuggets this team is now possibly the largest and most talented group of degenerates I have ever seen try to work together as a cohesive unit and I can't wait to see the shit that happens along this ride. I won't even get into the recent brawl with the knicks on this one...I just wanna talk about the players. Allen Iverson is probably the most thugged out of the bunch and will definitely bring an aura to this team that I am not sure the NBA is expecting. Imagine the Detroit bad boys of 90'-91' with tattoos and cases pending but instead of Isiah Thomas running the point opponents will go against the most relentless, fearless, and intimidating 5 foot 11 inch man to ever touch an official NBA basketball. Allen Iverson is now the captain of this ship...oh I heard him say it's Melo's team and he will play second fiddle but A.I. is smart why set yourself up to take the blame for any failure when you have an out. Especially since we all know Melo' will fall inline with Iverson since he is basically preordained the prince of his legacy (LOL). I mean why would he buck him..he's scared of his ass too. And on top of this we are talking about A.I., the heart and hustle of the NBA(K.G. is the Soul and Struggle just for the record) , the symbol of a real worker in that league, the man that did to Cornrows what MJ did to the bald head a decade earlier. This man is what Melo wants to be. Sh*t I had cornrows TWICE in college and I ain't even pull for A.I. (LOL).
Since I am talking about Melo let me just say that he is currently one of my favorite players so by no means am I trying to clown him. In fact I am sure Melo probably loves this move as much as A.I. does cause his cred raises with A.I. giving him the reigns and now his team is even more hood. And being from the city that is now seen as the hardest place in America thanks to HBO he has to keep his rep up. So expect him and A.I.'s boys to get caught with more weed in his backpack, expect a couple of songs by A.I. on Carmelo's label (yes this bama has a label) and hell, we may just get a "Stop Snitchin' part 2"....LMMFAO! This dude is just so young and impressionable that A.I. controlling the puppet strings may work in his best interest as far as the hood is concerned. He will be thuggin', dropping 30 a night, and scaring the sh*t out of referees just like Iverson in no time. Don't let that innocent face fool you, he is the face of this gang...I bet this time next year you won't see ANYONE coming close to fighting this man's squad. Detroit fans may freeze up in the presence of Denver pretty soon.

But those two are just some of the figures that every crew has (the little hot head dude that everyone follows and the smart dude that is supossed to be in charge) no crew is complete without the enforcer and even though he is injured there isn't one much better than Kenyon Martin. I gaurantee that if he was on the court last week Jared Jeffries wouldn't have been trying to get at anyone as hard as he was. This dude is not only scary he is funny as hell too....I mean who gets a tattoo on there chest that says "bad ass yellow boy" LOL. Now he may not have all the charges of the others and he may not ever get tested by anyone but it's because he is the scary one. He's the one that no one will want to test! He's the dude that makes the other dudes you are facing punk out! Kenyon Martin is the only dude that I have ever seen make Alonzo Mourning curl up courtside in Miami like he was a white chick that got cornered in a scary movie. And after he made Alonzo jump like a cricket caught in a kitchen he pointed at him and bust out laughing on national television and 'Zo just walked away. WTF!!! I was awestruck and I have been following him ever since! LMAO! I wouldn't even make this bama play, I would just sit him on the sidelines in jeans, Tims, and a hoodie every game in the middle of their opponents bench and see if they can still consentrate on the game. LMAO!!!!

And then you also have the dude who is probably gonna be looked at as the softest bama on the squad but the truth is he probably has had more charges than all his teammates. The guy who had the tattoo on his neck before just about anyone in the league, including A.I., when no one was paying attention to those types of tatts. The guy who was the first person to skip out on practice and give his all in the game but wasn't popular enough to do a press conference about it so he made his college coach call his first NBA coach and tell him to cool out cause the dude will play his ass off during the game. And this reputation for being lackluster actually followed Marcus Camby around the NBA like a dark cloud leading to a lot of moves from Toronto to New York and now at Denver. Where they finally started listening to him and he ended up being one of the top shot blockers for the last 2-3 years. (Idiots!)

But that's the starting lineup for Denver along with either Earl Boykins (who would actually be a calming presence for these dudes) or JR Smith (who would be my choice because he is hooping, he tackled Nate Robinson into the crowd last week, and just seems to fit...LOL). Oh and as long as Kenyon is injured Nene will be getting a lot of burn.

But aside from all the jokes I am really feeling the squad. I believe that either these dudes will come together and prove the NBA wrong about all the bad perceptions they have or they will cause a lot of problems for a lot of people and be A LOT of fun to watch...either way I am making a point to tune in.

It was all a dream....or maybe it's a video...???

2006-12-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

The setting:
Saturday Night!
DC nightlife!
Kickin' it with Mike, Randall, Mannie, Vinnie, and some other dude that Randall is cool with (Can't remember his name....LOL!)!

I decided this weekend it was time for me to go out on my monthly outing (I don't party much these days unless it's for an occasion) so I linked up with some friends. We had a full agenda of at least 3 spots to hit starting with Lucky Strike in China Town DC. We were there for the Birthday celebration of a friend of Mike's named Crystal so we got some drinks, mingled, and took some pics.

(me not knowing I was in the picture...LOL)

(me a little better prepared although I don't know what's up with my smile in this one)

So then we departed our friends at the bowling alley and headed out to Cafe Asia (which is the inspration for this blog) and this is where the story takes a turn.

First let me say that I hate dipset and all things related to such detriments to society.

Okay so we get to Cafe Asia and we are on "the list" so we are supposed to be getting in free but you know how we come out for free sh*t so the line for the people on "the list" was actually the only damn line there and the people who didn't get in that line seemed to be the only ones that actually made it in for free....ain't that a b*tch! But that's only the start of this night....we walk in the joint and these bama have some kind of theme going on which calls for them to use half of the dance floor as a beauty salon for the first 30 -45 minutes (WTF). I was so lost by this cause the DJ wasn't even talking about what was going on, they just had it there for us to see. Basically it was some useless sh*t! LOL.

So after they got done with that they cleared the dance floor and people got out there and tried there hand at partying. It was pretty hard for me at times because it's rare for me to hear more than 2 songs back to back that I actually like in the club these days (did I mention that I am disgusted by the degradation of rap music that has been spearheaded by people like dipset). So once the party gets going these 3 dudes and 3 girls get up on the stage and start dancing...pretty normal at first except that the women have on very sexy "outfits". After a few minutes the dudes come out of there shirts and all the girls on the dancefloor start squealing....which was actually pretty damn funny to me but really some bama sh*t for the dudes who were throwing the party to do. I mean who came up with this bright idea to take the girls attention off of the dudes who threw the party or are in the party....genius!

Well I guess they had plans of there own with the little stunt because the next thing I know they are playing 'Baaaliiiiiiin' by Jim Jones (did I mention I can't stand dipset) and everyone of them starts throwing money into the crowd for the next 20 - 25 minutes.....HUH? Yeah you heard me right. Everyone asks me if I got any of the money when I tell them this part but fortunately for my ego I wasn't near any of it...LOL. Oh I would have taken it but once I found out they were throwing back the 20's that we paid to get in there it just felt like a little slap in the face with a message that read "F*ck you and your crew we don't need you. Just look at how I toss around your money" It just didn't sit to well with me after I had that thought...you feel me?

Oh but this display of ignorance was not over at this point because the ring leader of the whole group throwing the party now has about 7 people come and pour $100 bottles of Moet on his hands so he can wash them in it over the dancefloor. Yeah go back and read that again....it doesn't sound any better no matter how many times I say it. Now at this point I was happy because everyone else in the party that I considered a friend expressed the same feelings that I was having so I knew I wasn't the only one in there that had some sense. (Thank Goodness!!!) You heard comments like "these dudes are the reason white people laugh at us" and "Why don't you invest some of that money you wasting you ignorant muthaphucka!" or my personal favorite "these niggas is some niggas!!!" LMMFAO!!!!

Needless to say there were quite a few of us that were disgusted by this charade and the bad part is that they will continue on doing this nonsense again and even worst...continue playing dipset music at parties. And how do I know this will happen again...because at the end of the party in comes Tabey Bonne`, Raheem DeVaughn, and a freakin' go-go band to peform an unscheduled mini concert which makes them feel like they must have had the hottest party this year and will undoubtedly lead them to try and duplicate it or maybe even come up with something worst. I still can't believe that sh*t wasn't a dream but I couldn't make this up if I wanted too....don't believe me just look at Mike's account of the same night.

Them bamas need some role models!

J. W. (Just Wrong)

2006-12-01T01:11:00.000-05:00

I just found out yesterday that my younger cousin JW lost his newborn son that was only 3 months old and it took me to the pen and pad....

-Don't know what I can say to let you know I feel your pain
-I just hope you can find strength in what we share within our veins
-Still don't believe the news I got from answering the phone
-You had a 3 month old and God has come to take him home
-Can't imagine the way it feels to know the loss of your kid
-But my thoughts of you and your fam is causing pain behind my ribs
-Wish I knew words to say but I only feel painful thoughts
-Wish I had some answers for you but I can only support
-Wanting to have more for you got me feeling so helpless
-But thinking of what your going thru makes me feel like I'm selfish
-Cause your family still depends on every move that you make
-I only wonder about this pain you have to carry everyday
-Is it fair that I gain perspective, your facing your worst fears
-And the only thing I offer in return is my tears
-Don't even know what to pray, I feel like this was a mistake
-God let me help him bare this pain so he won't ever have to break

Just needed to share it. Feel free to comment or not.

"It's a different world" then when I grew up....

2006-11-22T14:28:00.000-05:00

I dedicate this post to all the TV shows I watched growing up. More importantly it's for the black shows I watched when growing up. I look at TV these days and wonder why we have to single Girlfriends instead of Hillman students, why when kids move to Cali to live with a rich uncle we have to specify that the mother is a crack head (Bernie Mack Show) instead of the family just wanted to put the kid in a better situation and raise him right TOGETHER (Fresh Prince of Bel Air), how come the only boy in a family raised by succesful parents can't end up successful by overcoming (Theo and his learning disability on Cosby Show) instead of being an idiot with no hope that falls victim to his own stupidity (Junior and his idiocricy on My Wife and Kids)???
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that TV these days is trash...not at all. I'm just noticing that there is a little bit of a shift in a negative direction within the little bit of quality TV we have left. And we all know how the snowball affect works! I just want us to get back to Quality in our TV shows...we already have too few on television as it is. What bothers me the most (personally) is the thing that inspired me to write this one. I was in Circuit City about a week ago and this teenager of 17 years old was working there and I asked if he could tell me when the second season of "A Different World" (my favorite show of all time) was coming out on DVD and the kid had no earthly idea what "A Different World" was. I was floored!!!! I mean he had NO IDEA even after I tried to describe it and explain the correlation with The Cosby Show.

It kind of bothered me because that show was one of the few that actually made a point to be socially conscious and always paint a good picture of black people or give a good message. It made me think about what kids take from TV these days. I know what I took back in the day....I am an engineer today because I wanted to be like Dwayne Wayne...No Bull! (My mom and sister can vouch for that) I just hope that the TV of today doesn't fail at providing those same types of images I had to look up to. That breif moment in Circuit City gave me some perspective.

Let me know what you think....

Can I get the white-collar with the blue trim???

2006-11-16T17:48:00.000-05:00

I have been dying to write this post for about a week and a half now because of other blogs as well as a few conversations I have had or remembered recently.
So ladies I have to know, if you had to choose a blue-collar work with his hands type of dude....

Or the white-collar clean cut business minded type of dude.....

Which would you prefer??????

See I am in the corporate world (if you hadn't noticed from my blog picture) and am around a lot of sista's in the corporate world that are in their 20's just as I am. So naturally I have had multiple conversations with groups of men and women about the topic of relationships and the opposite sex (on or down time of course...LOL) and I have found that the corporate woman tends to lean towards an attraction to a blue collar man. Now I am not saying that this is for EVERYONE but it seems to be more frequent then I would have expected. Is it because you like a rugged looking man, or a man that works with his hands? It really puzzles me at times because some of my friends tell me that the clean cut corporate dudes really don't do it for them but I keep thinking about hearing women say "I love a brother in a suit/uniform". I guess that's only nice if it's not an everyday thing huh ladies? LOL. Afer some thought about it I starting thinking that maybe it was due to the lack of corporate brothas versus the blue-collar brothas and that makes a lot of sense. It's sort of like the radio....you hate the music they play but eventually it's all you hear and then you find yourself liking the same mess that turned you off because it's all you have to chosse from (not to belittle the blue-collared man at all). LOL.

I mean I have literally had arguments with a female friend about why she works in a corporate world and are close friends with a lot of corporate dudes but can't date one. Up until recently discovering that I am "corporate hood" (LMAO) I was actually kind of offended because the logic just wasn't there for me. One reason that I was given for the attraction to blue-collar brothas was due to them being more well-rounded...of course this lead to a 3-way back and forth that was pretty funny. Just read how the conversation went with me and two female friends (for these purposes they are "R" & "L")....

Me: So you could NEVER see yourself dating a corporate brotha?!?

R: Naaaaah! I just don't think it's for me.

L: LOL! I feel you

Me: "L" we have already went down this conversation before let's not go there again please. (@ "R") So why not?

R: It's just something about a blue-collar man! Mmmmm!!!

L: LMAO!!!!

Me: WTH!!! So what's wrong with a corporate man? I mean you are a corporate woman.

R: I know but that's how I know how ya'll are. Ya'll just aren't the same. I get bored with a corporate dude...ya'll aint no fun.

L: Here we go (shaking her head...LMAO). You done done it now "R"!

Me (that last comment strucka chord): What the h#ll you mean WE are boring? Corporate dudes and blue-collar dudes all put on their pants one leg at a time....maybe you are the boring one and you just need to find someone to help you with that no matter where he's from.

R: I wouldn't expect you to understand cause you are a corporate dude.

L: (Wide-eyed look on her face staring at me now...LOL.)

Me: Well maybe you can explain to me the difference cause you really aren't saying anything right now. What's so special and different about a blue-collar dude?

R: I don't know, they just don't seem so uptight.

Me: I'M UPTIGHT?!!!???!!!? ME????? ( I said it like that cause all I do is crack jokes)

R: Well they are more creative and open to new stuff, corporate dudes always do the same plain stuff.

Me: Creative like they write, and are really into music and art, and do stuff like hit poetry spots right? Yeah that's me!!!

L: Yeah that is him all day "R". (she has kicked it with me a lil bit...LOL)

R: And I like a brotha who can just chill and relax...knows how to dress down. Ain't nothing like a dude with a wife beater and Tims (or some nonsense she said).

L: Dane doesn't wear anything but T-shirts and sneakers or Tims when he isn't at work "R" (all her cosigning stemmed from another conversation when we had this same argument)

Me: Thank You!!!

R: Well you are just different!!!

L: I tried to tell him!

Me: LMMFAO!!!! (it was comical to me after that one)

So needless to say I feel the argument they put up was some BS but then again I may be different. I have always been that dude that people couldn't label...."you aren't a kappa or a Que or an Alpha"....I have always been that dude that was "A nice guy with an edge"....And now I am "Corporate Hood" (according to a forward I got that says "if the maintanence crew, cleaning crew, and security staff at your job know you by name and have tried to ask you on a date you are Corporate Hood." LMAO. Definitely me!!!). But I am sure that I'm not the only corporate dude like me (especially since I kick it with a few of them) and I'm sure that every lady can't have this messed up perception of a corporate man....right? So maybe I should be asking where a perception like this one can come from?

I guess for now I just gotta be content being the best of both worlds (LOL)....a white collar with the blue trim for me please. Thanks!!!

Welcome to the Association!

2006-11-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

Home Owners Association that is....
Yep folks I am the newest member of the club and now a proud owner of my very own townhome. I actually closed on my house last week on Monday but didn't really get into the mix of it until late last week so I felt it was about time to start sharing the pleasures and pains I have been experiencing...LOL.
I have been living with family for the last 2.5 years stacking money just waiting for the day to give it all away with a signature....LMAO! (No seriuosly that's what I did). "Momma's oldest baby done grow'd up" and now I can look forward being independent (and broke) for the rest of my natural life. It's such a inspirational feeling...inspires me to keep up the good work at my job, inspires me to take care of my property, inspires me to find a woman with money, and inspires me to write a blog.....LOL. But seriously it is definitely a good experience and just in one week I am learning a lot. Fact #1: The responsiblities of home ownership NEVER end. There is always something! People have been hammering that point into my head for a week and now that I have started to make a list of what I would like to fix up in the house I can see just how true it is.
Fact #2: Painting is not something that comes natural to all people...LOL. You'd think you just tell someone to use the roller and go up and down it would be simple.....NO SIR! Don't get it twisted, I was thankful for all the help and some people did a great job (shout out to my man Bone) but a couple of them walls in my house that just got painted either had additional work after the first paint job or NEED additional work now. In fact I'm concluding my painting tonight.
Fact #3: Everyone is trying to stick you when you own a home. If you have the skills to fix things your self PLEASE DO! The cost of labor to take care of a lot of things that people commonly repair in their homes is outlandish!

Those are just a few things I have picked up so far...gotta be a fast learner with this stuff.

But even with all that I am really glad to have made this step and ready to take on the responsibilities ahead. Just seeing how everyone is ready to support me in my move puts me in the right mindset...

Settlement on your first house: 38 signatures, 21 initials
Painting party this past weekend: 1 mom, 1 sister, 4 cousins, 2 Aunts, 3 friends, and a set of grandparents
Making a single mother know she did a job well done without words: priceless!

I'm tearing up.....(LOL!)

Friends & Lovers

2006-11-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

This post is all about relationships with the opposite sex. No not just my outlook on women, I'm interested to know how people feel about having friends of the opposite sex that aren't love/sexual interests.
When I was a young man of 18 - 20 the concept of a woman being just my friend with no intimate interests was not only laughable but unbelievable. I didn't think it was realistic and I had disbelief in anyone who tried to convince me otherwise. I mean I was really serious about it too...LOL. (Just ask some ex-girlfriends/love interests). Wasn't until late in life and a couple of heartbreaks that I found myself able to open up to women and honestly build friendships. But in doing so you always run the risk of crossing a line or fearing that the other person may want to cross a line.

Am I the only one that feels this way? Haven't you had the friend of the opposite sex that hits you with that one flirtatious comment from left field at the opportune time and then try to laugh it off. Have you never noticed how attractive one of your friends was and wondered just for a second what it would be like to date them? Have you found yourself trying to hook someone up all the time because YOU think they are such a great person or maybe you got jealous because your friend tried to holla at someone you didn't like that much. And God forbid you try to be friends with an ex and all the feelings aren't resolved (who hasn't been there!! LOL). Sticky situations like those make me wonder was I that wrong in the past.

On the other hand, it's really frustrating when you are just friends and it's understood between the both of you and everyone else tries to say you should be together or there is something more there. I get that from time to time too. My cousin tried to hit me with that one just this weekend saying that a girl who is just a friend and is going through her own relationship stuff gave me "a look"...WTF?!? He does it pretty often though so maybe he just thinks very highly about my ability to attract women...LMAO! There are times where you just don't see the signs being thrown by a friend, and they say that your wife/husband should be your best friend. Oh and don't forget that all men want nothing from women but sex (LOL) and that women only keep male friends around as emergency backups incase it doesn't work out with the current guy (LMAO). I guess there are plenty of different ways you can look at it.

I'm just wondering is there a black and white answer for determining whether a man and woman are just friends....

Or if they are just love interests...

Or am I and a million other people just fooling ourselves into thinking that we don't live in this huge grey area where it is usually both circumstances?

Let me know what you think...

My Halloween Experience...

2006-11-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

I really don't like halloween but it really doesn't have anything to do with the holiday itself although a lot of folks don't mess with it due to it's origins. I was really a big fan of the holiday as a kid. I loved the candy, costumes, and special episodes of the Simpon's and Roseanne. The reason I don't like halloween is because it's the day my grandfather passed away when I was 14. On top of that it was the same year that I had moved to NC (just a few weeks earlier) so that chapter in my life put a bad taste in my mouth for both NC and the holiday. Now as I have gotten older I have let go of those feelings but I have never really gotten back into halloween especially since I hear such crazy stories about the origins nowadays.

But last night I couldn't help but reminisce about back in the day as I drove home. My biggest memory of the holiday was when I was 11 and 12 and all the guys around my age would get together (dressed in costumes of course) and went trick or treating (yes we were big as hell but who cares). The special part about this was that there were 2 brothers (Sergio and Lionel) that lived on my street that were between 17- 20 that would dress up like Freddie (glove and all) and Jason (actual goalie mask) and they spent the entire night trying to scare us to death. Chasing us thru the neighborhoods and even into our houses (to the point of reaching in the door before we slammed it but never coming in). Now I know it sounds crazy but it was THE BEST, probably because we knew who they really were. LOL

(You know, Jason was slow as hell and Freddie cracked jokes...how did we ever fear them as kids....LOL. Sergio and Lionel were a lot more scary.)

So once I got into the house and got online I read JAC and Mike's blogs about the holiday and went from laughter to deep thought about the holiday. Man I hadn't given halloween that much thought in a long time. LOL. And I came in this morning and read TC's blog and in that blog she puts up the question on whether or not we should allow our kids to celebrate the holiday.

Now this one really had me thrown for a loop because after the time spent remembering how much fun it used to be for me I really would like for my kids to have those experiences but at the same time I don't want them picking up the wrong things by celebrating the holiday also. Is this another one of those parenting things? I always seem to go back to that so I need to know if I'm the only one thinking this way. I mean if you take the time to explain things to your child and teach them the proper way to deal with what they encounter in life do you still have to shelter them? (Bet some of ya'll didn't expect it to take this turn). It's really a matter of knowing your kids and how impressionable they are but I just don't know if I can see myself preventing them from having fun with their friends....of course unless it's a halloween like last night when the opening night of the NBA begins and the Lakers are on. LOL.

Yes I am a Lakers fan (shout out to Mike for being a hater...LMAO) but that is a totally different blog that I'm pretty sure is coming soon since the season has started.
LOL

Weekend Experience (sharing laughs)

2006-10-30T23:37:00.000-05:00

This weekend I got the opportunity to go see the Florida State/Maryland football game Saturday night and it was an experience like none other I have had. The tickets to the game were compliments of one of my best friends (Jeff) thanks to his job in Gaithersburg Maryland.

Anyone who caught the game knows that it was a great game between the two teams and that Maryland won by blocking a last minute Florida State field goal, attempting to send the game into overtime. Doesn't get much better than that one, especially when both teams put up some points. So it's pretty obviously I enjoyed the game. The interesting part was all the elements surrounding the game and prior to the game.

Let's start with the tailgate....my boy Jeff is in the corporate world (as most of my friends are) and therefore he works with a lot of caucasians (that sounds so funny right now for some reason....LOL). And the causcasians in my office have gotten used to my appearance but for those that don't know me a 6 foot 228 lb black man with dreadlocks may make them feel a little uncomfortable....who am I kidding, they probably think the worst about me just because of my hair (ask me if I give a f*ck! LOL). So when I got there I found it interesting that not one of the six white folks I met got my name right. Go figure right? LOL. It's was even funnier to me cause I was just telling my friend about a month ago that the white folks at my job have renamed me Dan Haskins (my name is Dane and I'll keep my last to myself). So when I meet all these folks what do they call me.....yep! Dan....LMAO!!! And the whole time I'm telling my boy about my white name...LOL.

Question: Is it just me or is it just there lack of interest to figure out what I am really saying? I mean they were probably looking at me like "why the hell does this little black dude keep pronouncing Dan like that" LMAO!

So after that experience we get to the game and like I said before....excellent game. Only problem is that night there were winds with speeds up to 60 miles an hour. So I spent the next 3 hours getting smacked in my face by some seriously COLD wind. I mean it got to the point like in the winter where your face is no longer cold because you can't feel it. Jeff was freaking crying (LMAO). Really he just kept tearing up from the cold in his eyes but I had to ask when I first saw it. So at halftime he and I were dying to get out of that wind and went and bought some overpriced chicken tenders that neither of us really wanted...I just love realizing that I wasted money after the fact. Don't you? LOL. Then we go back to fighting the COLD again. After about another 10 minutes back I had to go to the bathroom and came upon the greatest discovery of the night ( yes in the bathroom...no johnny murphy's!). The bathrooms at the stadium where equipped with the largest space heaters I have ever seen in life. LOL. So after I walked into the empty bathroom, 3 minutes later it was filled to capacity with grown a$$ men trying to get out of the cold...there was even a one legged man with his good leg kicked up on the wall to get some heat on it (I couldn't make that one up if I wanted too).

So eventually it got to the point where Jeff and I were taking bathroom breaks every fifteen mintutes which would be incredibly suspect under normal circumstances (LMMFAO!!!) but it had to be done this night. And I basically wanted to share this story just to get to the part where one of the trips to the bathroom (I sound like a victim of IBS...LOL) lead to everyone crowding around the heater (LOL). It was mostly white gentlemen and most of them were older and then this young white guy comes in with shorts on and tries to fight his way to the front. Just as he makes it in front of the heaters this older man in his late 50's early 60's yells out. "Your ass doesn't deserve to get in front of the heater! The cold should be your punishment for having them damn shorts on!" Man me and Jeff were crying after my man said that one. Hilarious! You had to hear the disgust in his voice and the way he looked at him. I'm laughing as I type this joint. LMAO!

A Reneg is Three Books!!!

2006-10-24T09:04:00.000-04:00

Okay so after I wrote that long blog about being realizing that I had an addiction because I didn't plan on going to my college homecoming this year I went ahead and changed my mind at the last minute and went on down to Aggieland.

Overall the weekend was a good one. I am really glad I changed my mind and made that trip. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it the only part I didn't enjoy was the ride back in the rain. I even had fun on the ride down with my boy getting me to finally come out of my shell and freestyle (yeah you heard me right Mike I actually freestyled...and more than once. LOL).
Another thing I didn't think of before was how many of my boys I don't get to see anymore that were down there this weekend. My 3-4 closest friends from college couldnt' make it but I see them from time to time, my others boys see me once maybe twice a year so it was real cool to catch up with them. I got to go get that good fish sandwich at the tailgate, got to see all the lovely ladies, got to see A&T take that ritualistic homecoming a$$ whooping that we do so well EVERY year (LOL), and of course....

I GOT MY COMICS!!!!! (the books I got for my reneg...get it. LOL)

Truth or.....

2006-10-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

Some fellow bloggers have been conducting there own version of Truth or Dare through blogger. Since the game was pretty soft I jumped out there and decided to take part by asking what I felt was a more interesting question than the ones I had already heard. Well the question I asked was answered and thanks to my inquisitive mind I now have to do the same and answer a truth or take a dare. Naturally I took the truth. JAC said....

Tell the world what qualities you would take from each of your past girls to make the woman of your dreams.

Well this one is kinda hard for me and took quite a bit of thought (which is why it has taken so long to respond to it). I havent' had a lot of girlfriends so it is very possible that there may be some things I haven't seen yet that I may like in a mate and it is also possible that I could end up with one of them in the future (anything can happen) and that one wouldn't encompass everything I would take from them all....??? Needless to say I was probably overthinking this one so I am just gonna wing it.

From my first girlfriend it's pretty simple...she was probably the nicest person I have ever met. One of those people that is genuinely just kind to everyone. I know it's a simple thing but something like that really makes a difference in a person. Other than that there isn't much else that stands out in my mind about her since it was such a long time ago. Well at least nothing that isn't superficial. LOL.

From my second girlfriend I would take her maternal instincts and her cooking skills. Keeping it real, she was my first love and I am one of them dudes where food really is the key to my heart....LOL. And during our relationship I always admired the fact that she seemed to be the motherly type and really good with kids (specifically her 10 year old sister). Now if everthing else would have been in order the relationship may not have ended so badly....LMAO!

From my third girl I would take her confidence. When we met she was in a class with me and she had this way about her that made you take notice and it wasn't just her style but it was in the classroom also. She was one of the top students in that class and she had a style that was killa....you know I had to go at her!!! LOL. I swear there is nothing like a woman who knows how to carry herself properly.

From my fourth girlfriend I would take her sense of humor and her accepting/understanding qualities. First and foremost I love to make people laugh and she and I shared a very similar sense of humor so when I opened my mouth she laughed....LOL. I know it sounds like it would seem fake but it really wasn't. The part about being so understanding and accepting is huge also because I have never met a woman (friend or family) that had the ability to just let someone be themselves and not feel ANY kind of apprehensions about it. It was almost refreshing to have....for real.

And last but not least my fifth relationship. Well this one is actually someone that's already previously listed but the second shot at "us" was so different than the first (due to growth on our parts) that it is worth naming what I would take from this woman also. I think the things that I would take from her are her heart and her beauty. She is easily the prettiest woman I have ever dated and it is a natural beauty (although I don't mean the fact that she rocks a natural...LOL). Type of woman that has on no makeup and everyone still says she is pretty but when she dresses up she can be breath taking (I'm sounding real soft on this one...maybe she needs to read this since I'm kissing so much a$$...LOL). And when it comes to her heart I have found that she has grown into a woman that will love you hard and strong. So much that I don't even understand it sometimes. And at the same time she can seem so soft and make you just want to protect her. Ladies it may seem weird to put it that way but every man wants to feel like you need him that way even if it's not all the time. What man wants a chick who is as hard as he is...we are the providers and protectors by nature.

JAC that's about it....I hope I covered all you were expecting in that question.

Hello, my name is Dane and I'm an addict.....

2006-10-13T13:49:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not a member of Narcotics Anonymous or Alcholics Anonymous so please don't get it twisted. But I am beginning to realize (even though I honestly already knew...LOL) just how bad my one true addiction is.....

COMICS:

Most people who know me for an extended period of time eventually discover my love for comics. The initial reaction that I normally get is that weird look because I don't fit the profile of what a comic geek looks like in their minds (I love that freaking look....LMAO!). Second I get disbelief followed by a line fo questioning (that usually lasts for a few weeks to a month...LOL). And eventually I get acceptance and even some interest at times (depending on how weird it is to that person). Now of course, I am not paying the person much attention because what they think isn't gonna change me but it's just interesting to see people always react acoordingly. LOL.

Back to my addiction.....
The reason that I'm coming to realize just how bad it has gotten is due to the upcoming North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (AGGIE PRIDE!!!) homecoming. For the first time since my freshman year at the esteemed university it looks like I will not be attending homecoming. This is pretty low for me so I need a moment..... But the crazy thing about it is that I still get my comics from the same shop I went to in NC (just once every 3 months now). So not going to homecoming means not getting my comics either (AAAAAHHHHHHHH!) and that's all I can think about. I'm not missing the ladies I will see (you know they come out for homecoming!!!), not missing the fish sandwich vendors (MMMMMMmmmmmm!), not even thinking about all the friends I won't get to see....yep all I keep thinking is how I wish I could still get my books. To the point where I want to go for the books and not go party just to save money....LMAO (I gotta laugh at myself). I know I sound weird to a lot but I swear it's not my fault. Let me explain....

The History of Dane and Comics (a love story):

I started reading comics when I was 4 or 5. Back then it was all about the pictures and how cool the heroes looked but it was something my father wanted me to get into since he read comics as a kid. So as I got older and my father wasn't around anymore (at 6 years old) I held onto that cause I knew that when I did see him I would have something to talk about with him (as I became a man I realized that love was one of the few things he passed down to me). As I got more and more into it growing up my attention went totally towards X-men comics because I always thought they had the best characters and at 11 when the cartoon came out I WAS DONE (LOL).

Now up to this point my relationship with comics was based strictly on an availability basis. If we went to a 7-11 or any store that carried them and moms had a dollar available she would buy me one...LOL. But after my mom remarried and moved to NC when I was in highschool I got pretty secluded for a while because I basically hated my situation (didn't fool with step pops or NC). Now my house had 4 kids instead of 2 (I have a sister) and every weekend my steppops would drop us off at the mall with $10 and tell us to have fun...great parenting style, I tell ya. Well that's when I discovered my first comic shop located in that very mall directly next to the main entrance (it was meant to be...LOL). And from that point on my $10 went to 5 comics every week and that turned into my regular subscription of all of the X-men titles once I got my first job at 15. See the comics were like the only thing that wasn't changing in my environment so I began to clinge to them more. It's funny how we attach ourselves to things in an effort to feel some kind of security.

Well from that point the love of comics only grew. So when I went off to college into yet another foreign environment what was the first thing I did.....yep you guessed it. Went straight to a phone book and found the nearest comic shop and THEN went and found a job (LMAO...yeah in that order). As I have grown into an adult it's a lot different now. I can appreciate the stories a lot more as well as the art. Since I'm a self proclaimed writer now I respect the craft a lot more plus I'm not cognizant enough to follow specific writers. Most people don't even realize that a lot of the folks who write comics write some of the movies we love to watch...they really are good writers in a lot of cases.

So you see, I have really had a growing relationship with comics and they are something that I hold dear...LOL (I know, it sounds funny to write it too). The problem I have now is that the shop I have been going to for 9 years is in NC. I am truly friends with the dudes in that comic shop in Greensboro NC and they take care of me when it comes to making sure I have all my books and introducing me to new stuff by my favorite writers or even just new stuff in general. You have to build up to that...they know what I like. It's sorta like a relationship with a girl in how well they know me. BUT I HATE LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS!!! So this once every three months thing HURTS and when I miss a visit (like the one for homecoming) it really really hurts....

(yeah I can name everyone in this picture LOL)

Someone please help me! I'm gonna go pray about it. LOL.

"Today I didn't even have to use my A-K...I gotta say it was a good day"

2006-09-29T18:39:00.000-04:00

Actually it's been a pretty good couple of days. Unusually good for normal circumstances. Well there are a few things but let me start by saying that this upcoming Monday is my 27th birthday and that alone is a real blessing because a lot of black men from my generation will never get to see that many years. And to be honest...last year my birthday was pretty lame so since nothing bad has happened as of yet it's a good day. LOL.

This time 2 days ago I spoke to my father for the first time in like 2 or 3 weeks. Yes the Father I am referring to in the last 2 blogs. See, he has been locked up in jail and it has really been worrying me. Not so much that he will get raped or any crazy stuff like that but more that someone will try something and he will end up hurting them and making his situation worst. He's being held for not paying child support when I was a kid so I really am not sorry about that one I just don't want anything bad to happen and when he called he said everything was good with him. That made me feel a lot better because he even told me he is hooping again (I've been trying to get him on the court forever) and when he comes home in a month he is trying to see me....LMAO. Hey when I was 7 he used to kick my ass and I guess he needs to prove he still can :-) (too bad he's wrong). The crazy thing about that whole situation is that it reminds me just how much of that little boy who used to want to be around his father is still in me.

Yesterday I went to work as usual and at lunch I signed a contract to place a bid on a home that I found with my new agent earlier this week. A three bedroom townhouse in Bowie (the area I was really trying to get into even though it is ridiculously expensive). The part that makes it really good is that my new agent had connections with a lot of financers so when the first one didn't work out on Wednesday and I was told I couldn't get the home I was blown...she found another one and he saved the day so to speak. Then later that day when I got home I got a check in the mail from Allstate because they overcharged my car insurance when I used to be with them. On top of all that it was the season premiere of Smallville (one of my favorite shows) so yesterday was really a good one.

And then there is what's been happening so far today....
I woke up and went to work like normal and when one of my coworkers came in a little later she brought me a bunch of balloons and a cake with my name on it. Completely surprised!!!

(Not the actuall cake but it looks like my name so....LOL)

I had no idea she was even really paying attention when we spoke about my birthday so I was really pleased that she went ou of her way...you think she trying to get my draws? (she is gonna fight me if she reads this LMAO) Nah I'm playing, we are real cool and she did put up this little birthday sign on my desk so I guess I should have known. Along with that I got confirmation on tickets to see the Ravens and Chargers play this weekend in Baltimore (SICED LIKED SH*T) and I know that will be a good one with one of the best offenses and defenses in the league. And tonight I put together a last minute gathering to go bowling in Crofton. Now that's not much but I have been dying to go bowling for a minute so I'm just glad I was able to get some folks to come out with me.

Man this birthday is turning out pretty good so far...I'm praying that my blessings keep on coming.

Sharing My Space again

2006-09-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

This is the second part to "Lessons from the Father" from my Myspace blog. if you haven't read part one you need to check that one out first to get the whole story.

Lessons from the Father (part 2)

Coming back to Maryland I find myself facing my worst fears

Cause now I'm living in my grandparents house just like my father has done for years

It's more than that, ever since the age of 16 I've found being alone frightening

Because that's the way my father's life has been and I'm so afraid to end up like him

So dispite him being around I'm faced with other difficult challenges

And day by day I continue to search for ways to try and handle this

So I try to simplify the situation, go into it without any hesitation

I just gotta remember my love for you is based on our relation

And accept the differences we have and learn to be more patient

But it's constant reminders of why you weren't around that I'm faced with

Cause sitting around the basement just wasn't getting it for me

But when I got my job I knew I wasn't about to re-live your story

So then you became that lazy nigga that did nothing when I wasn't home

And I became good at holding back resentment when my grandparents left us alone

But it was never hard for me cause all of my life I had to play it cool

Plus I had to much respect, just off principle, and you never acted a fool

So I did what I do and you...you continued to do you

But no matter how hard I would avoid it our conversations still grew

Started to notice some similarities we had between us two

Wondering how I picked up personlity traits when I wasn't ever around you

Now I listen to you talk and try to learn about you from these crazy stories of the street that usually leave me in surprise

And get sad when I realize that half of the memories you carry about me don't make it past when I was only five

Time passes and I look up and see that even when we forget about them God can still answer our prayers

Cause now we watch sports, talk about women, play games, talk about houses, and do my car repairs

So if you say God answers prayers then I really can't deny

I just wish I knew why it had to take almost 20 years for me to get my reply

So I'll never forget the day my sister called me about her graduation

Overcome with joy until she told me she had no intentions of inviting you to the celebration

I hear her talking about the invite and in her voice I can feel her pain

But it's true what they say, you can learn about yourself from where you came

And I just don't look at her father the same even though he still living life without a plan

I took what I could from this situation and let it make me a better man

I've never really been big on forgiving but living with you made me realize I can

And I see now that was something God had in store but I just couldn't understand

So now I find myself on the wrong side of our one time common fight

My sister cursing in my ear, I know she's disgusted by my reply

But I knew just how much he wanted to be there, so I knew he would probably die

And I couldn't let the pain of my past allow me to be evil, not even just one more time

But with that said and done I'm still living with when you occasionally lie or deceive me

Coming to the conclusion that the best thing you ever did for me in this life was to leave me

I mean, you got a good heart, you're just a weak minded individual

And had you chose to stay around we'd probably be indivisible

Which means in the physical, I'd probably be weak like you too

But I would rather be the man I am today than to end up like you

Instead I choose to be an honest, fatherly, responsible, loyal, forgiving man that's willing to work hard

And I'll pray that you learn about the one thing that could change your whole life around.....GOD.

The End.

Sharing My Space

2006-09-25T13:05:00.000-04:00

Since I got such a warm reception with the last thing I shared from my Myspace blog I figured I'd do it again. This one is more of a poem and is the first part of 2 that go together and must be read in order (posting part 2 in separate blog). I chose this one based on some conversations I had with my mom and my boy Mike in regards to the topic although I wrote this about 3-4 months ago....

Lessons from the Father (part 1)

In 5th grade the kids joked me cause I had on no-name shoes

And I couldn't joke back cause I felt the same way too

I got picked on thru middle school but never learned to fight

Never taught how to throw a ball and my aim still ain't right

Didn't have the tools to answer back to that pressure from my peers

So I spent my time watching TV throughout my pre-teen years

Just another way to avoid dealing with my self esteem and fears

But that episode of "Fresh Prince" constantly kept me in tears

Got to the age where I could deal with my pain and stopped crying

Cause no matter how much I wanted to believe, he just never stopped lying

I've never been fishing before, never learned to work with my hands

Had to learn from a woman the best way to be a man

He never taught me how to treat young ladies with respect

He was never there to stop me before I would do those things I'd regret

See I was raised by women so I was a little bit different than the average dude

So I never had anyone to tell me how to properly deal with an attitude

So I went thru the heartbreak, I guess it was meant for me to learn the hard way

Just wanted guidance, he could've told me how to handle relationships the smart way

Though it should have been easier, thru the years I acquired my knowledge

And at the age of 17 I went straight to college

A new challenge to face in life with no man to look up to

By this time I knew your truth so my attitude was F#@YOU

Was always the one to overlook the bad inside of people

But by the time I approached adulthood your BS became see thru

And just when I think I'm tough on the outside and in

I hear Will Smith sing to his son and hear comes the tears again

And I know every man has times when you can't help but let your father's actions bug you

But what else can you do when you realize that he's never once told you he loved you

Filled with frustrations from my past and my sister's future anguish

With a mind set that makes excuses for my derogatory language

Cause now I taught myself to hoop and learned about cars from a girl

And my mom is my bestfriend now, so I don't need you in my world

And that was how it would be with us until an unconrtollable shift

I had to come back and live in a home with you for the first time since I was six...

Childhood Revisited (The Universals)

2006-09-20T19:56:00.000-04:00

This one is dedicated to all the cartoons that were (for lack of a better term) unisex. The ones that were just as popular for little girls as they were for little girls. And based on some of the responses from the other cartoon blogs I'm sure that the ladies with like this one. I can't cover them all so here's a mix of some of the best ones and some you might not expect...

Fraggle Rock:

I know this one isn't really a cartoon but it was so popular at it's peek that it actually spawned a cartoon. I want to throw that intro up here too but it's the same thing so no need.

The Smurf's:

Mythological creatures and a wizard practicing witchcraft...everything a young child needs. LOL. You know, some of the things we watched as a kid were crazy. But one thing above all else still puzzles people about the smurf's...why was Smurfette the only woman?!?!?!

Heathcliffe The Cat:

Heathcliffe was off the chain. He was like a cartoon from the hood to me. LOL.

The Muppet Babies:

A lot of dudes would probably act like they weren't into this one but they would be lying. I used to sit in my man's apartment every morning with 5 other dudes waiting for the bus to come....EVERY MORNING. You know we still thought we were hard though. LMAO!!!

Duck Tales:

Man this was the other show we used to watch while waiting for the bus along with Muppet Babies (yeah real hard...LOL). I think it's funny that the entire planet consisted of ducks and dogs. How do you come up with that combination?!!!!? And are Huey, Duey, and Louie really Donald's nephews and Scrooge's nephews...where the hell are there parents?!? If you know please tell me.

Gummi Bears:

You know I had to show much love to the disney afternoon. Gummi Bears was so like that back in the day! I wish I had time to show love to all of them but Goof Troop, Chip and Dales Rescue Rangers, and Dark Wing Duck aren't forgotten but I had to show the best of the bunch.

Also, I didn't forget The Flinstones, The Jetsons, Care Bears, and Winnie the Pooh but I had to pick and choose and those four seemed too obvious to me.

Now I'm done, hope you enjoyed.

Visiting My Space

2006-09-20T00:51:00.000-04:00

Most people who know me know that I like to write just about everything including lyrics and poems. I usually keep the writing that I share on my blog on Myspace but a blog by a friend of mine (shout out to J.A.C.) inspired me to share some of that writing on this blog too. I just wrote this one on Monday September 18 2006, let me know what you think.

It's called "A Conversation on your Birthday":

Normally don't write in the Blog unless I'm rhyming/ but a day like this I find it hard to confine/ my mind onto these simple lines/ cause I sense a feeling underlying/ that I try ignoring but when I ignore them/ the words that come out just sound boring/ so it's probably best if I explore them/ but already know what the issue is need a tissue for this sh*t/ cause the fact that you're gone has really hit/ cause this is the first birthday you never had/ should have been 71 instead you've been part of my past/ used to count from your birthday to mine/ we were born two weeks apart 44 years inbetween that time/ So now I spend this day to reminisce/ cause for the last 2 months I been acting like I really let go of this sh*t/ but I still got your house key on the ring/ and I still have your phone number in my phone waiting to hear it ring/ then I look at my hand and I see your ring/ you know a part of me hates that I now wear this damn thing/ but a bigger part of me is proud when I put it on/ cause I got you right here with me as I try to carry on/ grandfather around my neck and you on my finger, a matching set/ and I need you both to help me with my everyday stress/ cause once again I'm seeing struggles and disrespect/ wishing I could do more than what the family expects/ confinements are hard to handle and separation is worst/ and since I can't physically help I release it all in a verse/ put my energy into work cause I have to live on for you/ and allow my parents to handle life just as you would do/ but I get a little more protective when life is derailed/ damn I'm not looking forward to missing that birthday card (from you) in the mail/ but when you passed I had to just let life work things out/ so I guess when I struggle I have to let God in the room to get out/ I know that's what you would want me to do....let God.

Happy Birthday Grandma

Childhood Revisited (The Forgotten)

2006-09-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

This one is dedicated to the cartoons that were on back in the early 80's/late 90's that most of us forgot when we were trying to be grown. I mean in most cases no one forgot the cartoons I posted as "The Majors" but these shows were either short lived or just supporting cast to those so a lot of us (including myself) forgot most of them.
In the last cartoon blog I talked about Thundercats and how dope that cartoon is and one of my biggest points was that the creators made a duplicate cartoon (Silverhawks) that was very popular even though it was basically the same cartoon. Well what most people don't remember is that the creators actually made two duplicates (AND I LOVED THIS ONE TOO!!!)...

Tiger Sharks:

They already had the land covered with Thundercats, the air with Silverhawks, why not cover the ocean too. LOL.

And while I'm talking about land, air, and sea....the next cartoon that isn't normally remembered by most encompassed them all in one.

The Centurions:

I remember this one because when I would go to Jon's house on the weekends I brought my toys from this show because together we had the whole set....LMAO!

The next one is probably the most forgotten but again the toys helped me out. I would probably call it a mix between Transformers and Centurions.

M.A.S.K.:

I will be very surprised if anyone remembers that one.

Back in the early 90's the country went kinda dinosaur crazy with a climax in the Jurrasic Park movies but what some don't remember is that it was in the cartoon world too...

Dinosaucers:

Is it just me or does the dude singing this joint sound just like the guy who sings the "Real Men of Genius" commercials for Budweiser. LOL!

I was actually surprised when I asked my cousin about the next one and he didn't remember. If not for that I probably wouldn't put it on this list because in my opinion it's the best one of this group.

C.O.P.S.:

This joint siced me! With the crap that they put out these days like Yugio and Pokemon I think this joint would be the best cartoon out if it came out today.

Okay, almost. Ladies if you are looking at the first two in disgust you should probably enjoy the last one a lot more. LOL.

Childhood Revisited (The "MAJORS")

2006-09-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

Last week I was having a conversation with one of my boys (shout out to AB) about an old cartoon that I was in love with as a child and it had me reminiscing about a lot of the cartoons that I loved growing up in the 80's and early 90's. I'm talking back when it was actually worth rushing to get home after school so you wouldn't miss the new episodes and you got up at 8 a.m. on Saturday by choice, back when you knew exactly who the bad guy was and who the good guy was, back when they gave us entertainment and actually thought it was worth while to sneak a good lesson in there for the kids.
Now this is probably gonna be a little bias toward what little boys enjoyed but I'm sure the ladies can relate in some shape, form, or fashion. When I first got into cartoons as a kid when I really began to understand what they were about and know the characters it was about '83 - '84 when I was 4 years old. Back then the cartoon world (for boys) had a "Cartoon Trinity" (not to be confused or compared to the Holy Trinity, just used for emphasis purposes). These 3 cartoons RAN SH*T in the cartoon world for a solid 3-4 years.

GI JOE:

I know you smile just like I do whenever you hear someone say "and knowing is half the battle". That's why I had to give you both intro's...

Action, Adventure, a lesson at the end, and even a little patriotic brainwashing. LOL. You gotta love it.

He-Man:

Probably the most loved of the three, it still has people wondering today whether She-Ra was his sister, cousin, or girlfriend....LOL.

The Transformers:

Just incase you haven't heard there is a Transformers movie on the way next summer. Go 'head and search for the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.

During the run of these three dominant cartoons we also got another classic and unforgetable cartoon to grace the days of our childhoods.

VOLTRON:

Them punk ass power rangers did this joint an injustice!!!!

With the way that I regard the "Cartoon Trinity" you would think that there was none better but in my opinion the next joint not only was a suitable replacement for all three after there reign on top (I know I am so EXTRA...LOL) but was the SINGLE BEST CARTOON EVER.

Thunder Cats:

If you don't agree with me I really don't care what you have to say cause Thundercats is DOPE...so dope that you could call any character your favorite except Snarf and no one would argue, so dope that you know each one of the names (Lion-o, Cheetarah, Tigra, Panthro, Wiley Kit & Wiley Kat, Linxo, Pumyra, AND Bengally), so dope that 13 years after it ended they made a comic book for it, so dope that the grandfather on The Cosby Show was the voice of the black thundercat Panthro (Yeah he was black!!!), so dope that they made a spin off duplicate that was basically the same damn cartoon and that sh*t became one of the dopest cartoons of our childhood too....

Silver Hawks:

All I wanted as a kid was to see the Thundercats and Silverhawks together in one cartoon. These joints were LIKE THAT!!! LOL

I hope you are enjoying going back as much as I am but I ain't done, this is just the end of the major joints. More to come...

Village Mentality

2006-09-15T08:57:00.000-04:00

Anybody who has ever sat down and had a conversation with me about kids, siblings, or anything of a personal matter you probably know that I am big on family. I'm close to my family and my family members have always been some of my best friends. So as I get older the idea of being a father one day is something that I want to happen more and more. I am just concerned with the way society is bringing up our kids these days.

I'm a strong believer in the fact that the direction a child takes starts AND ends with what the parent does in the house. What I mean by that is as a parent you tell your kids what they need to know, they go out and are affected by the world anyway, and then you reign them in and tell them how they messed up and what they need to learn. It's really not the hardest thing in the world but it's amazing how hard it is for some people to simply instill and reinforce good judgement & morals into our children. I personally think the one of the biggest problems people have in their way is the need for dual incomes. Ladies I am NOT saying you should stay at home because I don't believe that BUT we can't deny that it does have an affect when no one is home with the kids.

Since it's not realistic in most cases for one of the parents to be at home and we know from experience it's possible to turn out good kids with only one parent in the home there must be something else that's missing. Well, spending most of my childhood in a single parent home (including the time my mom was with my father) I grew up around my family (which is why I'm so big on family) and now that I am older I am a big believer in that old addage "it takes a village to raise a child". For me it was my family (and family friends who I thought were family...LOL) and my village spanned SW D.C., SE D.C., and all across Prince Georges County Maryland. I really think this is what's needed for us to get a better hold of our children. There is five times as much stuff on television and radio showing our kids what's negative in the world these days. Why not have five times as many people reinforcing the morals parents are teaching. But in order for it to work you have to trust the people in your "village" and they have to know the standards you expect for your kids....that's why I think family is the best for this. That's where you were taught and the people you will trust with your kids (in most cases). But I think it has to extend to all of us to have a sense of responsiblity to keep an eye on these kids.

I know this is probably left field for most reading this one but something I saw this morning made me think about it so I had to write it.....I was leaving out of the house this morning and just like every other morning there were about 10 kids waiting for the school bus at the end of my block. These kids are elementary school age so they are really young and they are normally out there making a lot of noise and running around playing with each other. It's harmless but the fact that they sit in the street playing like that always looked dangerous to me. Well this morning someone from one of the other blocks stopped as they were driving past the bus stop, rolled down there window and started screaming at the kids. At first I was startled and was wondering why as I stopped the conversation with my grandfather to listen. What the woman said was for the kids to stop running around in the street before they got hurt and to pick there jackets and book bags up off of the ground and put them on and MOST IMPORTANTLY she sat there and waiting for each one of them to do it. Now it may seem like much to some of you but these kids are really reckless sometimes so it was needed. The problem is that none of us "good neighbors" have ever stepped up to say something to the kids before this woman. I don't even think that she had a child out there because she didn't call out anyone's name or anything. After she pulled off they stayed quiet...at least until I was gone....and I noticed that a couple of other neighbors on the block saw what happened too.

I say this all to say that she made me look at myself and realize that I need to start being part of the solution. So from this point on I will try to make a point to be a part of the "village" and not an addition to our messed up culture. And as far as this blog goes.....

Let me know what you think.

Oh My DAMN!!!!

2006-09-14T16:48:00.000-04:00

Although I am assuming this was done for comedic purposes this is probably as bad if not worst than the ignorance displayed in the "Chicken Noodle Soup" craze and I can't be mad at anyone who is completely offended by it. Sh*t after I was done watching it the first time I started feeling like Dave Chappelle when he talked about eating fried chicken around "others". BUT I don't know of a time that I had to restrain my laughter so hard (I'm at work). So we can discuss it or we can just laugh at it but I'm sure it will be a little of both with this one....

Funny or Ignorant.....Let me know what you think.
????

Black Men and Church (long article)

2006-09-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

This article was emailed to me by a friend and it was so interesting that I had to share. I really want to know what everyone thinks about this one. I don't know the original source to give credit but this needs to be read....

WHY ARE MANY BLACK MEN STAYING AWAY FROM THE CHURCH, AND WHAT WOULD BRING THEM BACK INTO THE FOLD?

Come Sunday, Marcus Austin will rise and, dressed in his Sunday best, head to the Word of Faith Family Worship Cathedral near his home in Douglasville, GA. This has been his routine since moving here from Vacaville, Calif., a month ago. Not so long ago, though, the 23-year-old would've been curled up under the covers like so many other men. Or like the scene in the 1959 Norman Rockwell print, "Sunday Morning," slunk down in an easy chair reading the newspaper as the wife leads their children out the door.

"As long as I believed in God," he said, "I felt I didn't need to be there."

If you've ever wondered why so many men, and black men in particular, share that view, you're not alone. The question has been raised in countless studies and dissertations, newspaper columns, books and, yes, even art. Lucius Felder of Decatur, GA thinks he knows the answer.

"The church today, in my opinion, is not about helping black men," he said. "It's a moneymaking business."

Those who agree with him also argue that the "black church" is no longer relevant, that it offers "no discernible message for what ails the 21st-century black male soul." That perception, said the Rev. Fredrick Robinson, pastor of Mount Gilead Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, is perhaps the biggest problem the church faces.

"You've heard the saying that the black man is in jail waiting for justice and the black woman is in church waiting for Jesus," he said. "Well, until the church projects the image of speaking truth to power, of being serious and aggressive about community uplift and economic empowerment, a lot of black men will remain uninterested."

But some who've studied the issue, who acknowledge that to a certain extent the men may have a point, say the problem isn't so much the church as it is man himself, which begs that age-old question God asked in the Garden of Eden:

"Adam, where are you?"

According to the Barna Research Group, a Christian research firm based in Ventura, Calif., more than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christian. But only two out of six attend church on any given Sunday.

"I've preached at megachurches that seat 8,000," said Jawanza Kunjufu, author of "Adam! Where Are You? Why Most Black Men Don't Go to Church" and the more recent "Developing Strong Black Male Ministries." "I'll ask the men to stand and 2,300 to 3,000 brothers stand up," Kunjufu said. "But if you ask the sisters to stand, now you're talking 4,500 and you can't even see the brothers anymore."

Robert Franklin, a professor of social ethics at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, said the relationship between men and the church "has been historically and is now a lovers' quarrel." But he said, "The problem isn't the church. The problem is with [man's] own spiritual journey and identity."

Institutional and personal

It's not exactly clear when the schism began. In that ancient garden? The migration to the inner city? Or in more recent years? What seems certain, however, is the impact of the mass migration of African-Americans to urban areas.

"In a more rural environment there was a closer percentage of men and women in church and more youth," Kunjufu said. "As more of us became urbanized, fewer men attended and mothers didn't require their sons to attend."

Five groups, Kunjufu said, generally have the greatest problem believing in Christianity and Jesus: those who are male, those who are educated, those who are young --- and Afrocentric, and those who are wealthy. "And don't let a brother have all five," he said.

More than two decades before Kunjufu posed the question, Franklin had written his senior thesis at Harvard University on why black men leave the church. The answers were both institutional and personal.

For instance, Franklin said, many men were turned off by the promotion of virtues like humility, sermons that advocated turning the other cheek rather than resistance, including, if necessary, violence. "Malcolm challenged Martin on this very issue," he said.

In addition, the men said the services were too long, that there was too much emphasis on money, and moral hypocrisy by church leaders. Many men, he said, also focused on their own moral failure.

"They didn't feel worthy to return to the church," he said. "But they still believed in God and were willing to return to a different kind of church."

Men at MegaFest
If men are absent from church, there was no shortage of them recently at T.D. Jakes' MegaFest conference held here last month.

Marcus Austin attended with a friend, Louida Martin. Darryl Groves of Orlando was there with his wife and youngest son. Fifty-four-year-old John Sheppard traveled there with a group from Baltimore, as did 64-year-old Francisco Raphael of San Antonio.

All of them said they attend church regularly. All of them had an answer when asked why women outnumber them on Sunday mornings. "They don't see the need for spirituality," said Groves, who has a Ph.D. in education. "They think if they get enough women, a little bit more money, if they play a little harder, it'll fill that empty place in their lives that only God can fill."

Groves said that many of those who attend the conference year after year are members of a church.

"Some come because their wives say, 'You're coming,' and when this is over," Groves said, "they go back to their community and don't do anything until the next conference."

But Groves, Sheppard and Raphael, who is a member of Cornerstone Church, a megachurch headed by John Hagee, all agreed the absence of men at church is hardly unique to the African-American community. "It's a universal issue," they said.

'A deep suspicion'

Submitting to a strong male moral authority figure was absolutely a deal breaker for Lucius Felder.

"The pastor asked me to submit to him," Felder said. "That means I give up who I am." Felder, 58, grew up in the church and has many family members still active in the church. "My oldest brother pastors a church in Kansas City," he said. "My stepfather was a pastor." And he himself played an active role, holding several leadership positions at his church, including chairman of the board of directors and as a member of the deacon board.

But by 1995, he'd grown discontented with how his church operated and perpetuated misconceptions about who Jesus Christ is, he said. He also found it difficult to reconcile Christianity with slavery and lynchings.

"Look at how many people we've killed in the name of Christianity but we call other people terrorists," he said. "What are we?"

Still Felder said God "is first and foremost in my life and I always give reverence to him."

Franklin said African-American men like Felder are keenly aware of the long history of neglect of certain issues, principally dealing with slavery, as well as outright manipulation and falsehoods propagated by churches.

"There is a deep suspicion implanted early on," Franklin said.

Said Robinson: "Black men detest phoniness. And nothing is more phony than the notion that race no longer matters in America. Too many Word preachers and nonpolitically inclined traditionalists believe because we are all saved we no longer see race."

Prison ministry essential

Reversing the exodus of men --- especially young men --- from Christianity will take a cultural shift on the part of church pastors, who can not only preach but put the Gospel to work solving the social problems plaguing their communities.

At Mount Gilead, Robinson said, men can participate in a variety of ministries that allow them the chance to discuss issues of importance to them, including drug outreach and mentoring youth. And plans are under way to begin a "speaker series" that will focus on such issues as joblessness, drugs and crime.

"You have to meet people where they are, on the street, in the public schools and the prisons," said R. Drew Smith, a scholar in residence at Morehouse College. "You can't carry on business as usual when we're dealing with unusual circumstances."

They might begin, Kunjufu suggested, with Monday night football.

"If you know that men are logical and visual, and we live in a country that is capitalistic," he said, "hold Bible study on Monday night."

But in addition to Bible study, provide a room just for watching the game and sharing a meal, a room for those who want to learn about the stock market, another for those interested in physical development, and still another for former inmates having problems getting their record expunged and are in need of jobs.

Because one of every three African-American males is in the penal system, either in jail, state or federal pen or on probation, it's imperative for churches to have a prison ministry.

"Seventy percent of those are there because of drug possession," he said, "so what are you doing about drug addiction, which is wiping out black families."

To attract and keep youth, he suggested a "holy hip-hop" Saturday night lock-in to keep kids off the street and on the premises for church on Sunday morning.

Kunjufu said studies show that if a child gets saved, 4 percent of the family will follow. If a mother gets saved, 17 percent of the family will follow, but if a man gets saved, 93 percent of the family will follow.

"When you save a man, you save a family," Kunjufu said.

Smith said churches that emphasize self-help and personal economic development tend to draw and retain black men in greater numbers.

He said, however, middle-class messages about prosperity and working your way up the social ladder don't speak to young black males who've been socialized on street violence, on broken homes, drug culture and underground economies.

"What we have in the African-American community is at least two societies growing up side by side," said Smith.

One half is developing well, taking advantage of professional growth opportunities in faith organizations and half are growing up outside the influences of our church and community institutions.

When churches commit to reaching people where they are, Smith said, they will see progress.

He cautioned, however, that "progress should not be measured in Sunday attendance, but in relationships fostered and lives changed."

Some Funny Sh!t

2006-09-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

Ghost Face Killa a.k.a Ironman a.k.a Pretty Tony is one of the few members of the Wu Tang Clan that is actually successful in his solo ventures. He is a good rapper but he is also one of them dudes that will say some things that you just won't ever understand no matter how many times you listen to it. You know like your homie that will blurt out a dead serious comment that makes no sense and everyone just starts laughing.....THAT'S GHOST FACE KILLA (LOL). Based on this hilarious video my friend sent me I'm not the only one that thinks so....

The crazy thing is I can't tell if he's serious or joking in this joint...LMAO!

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs

2006-09-01T13:14:00.000-04:00

Okay so last night the MTV Video Music Awards came on, hosted by Jack Black (who is usually pretty funny but sucked a$$ last night), and during the show you got basically everything you would expect from a normal MTV/BET awards show...Jayz clean as ever in the audience, a bunch of shots of Kanye after he doesn't win another award, a Beyonce performance (which was actually dissapointing this time), a ballad from either Mary J, A. Keys, Aguilera, Madonna, or Janet (depending on what channel it is and who's got the best single), "The King of the South" or "The Best Rapper Alive Since The Best Rapper Retired" or whoever the hot southern rapper is at the time, and of course P. Diddy...

Now I didn't turn to MTV until about 5 minutes into the award show but I didn't miss much of anything that happened on the show but when P. Diddy hit the screen all the MTV VJ's could talk about was how he was acting during the red carpet pre-awards show. Normally the red carpet just consists of everyone walking up trying to show off how nice their ugly a$$ suits are, show some skin, and do some interviews and Puff is always in front of the camera. So it didn't surprise me when I heard a VJ say he interviewed Puffy but the fact that Diddy never responded seemed weird. Yeah it doesn't make sense at first but P. Diddy did an interview and never spoke a word but answered every question. How you ask...well it seems Puff has done it again, yep you guessed it, another "Man Servant" (which is f*cking hilarious all by itself). LOL. This nigga Puff allegedly pointed to the unnamed man after every question and the "servant" instantly knew the proper response...talking about good service! LMAO.

Now this is some funny sh*t to me so you know the first thing I did this morning was go onto youtube and try to find the video.....unfortunately I had no luck (aawwww). But in my search I have found some videos of what looks to be a new reality series being taped about Puffy and the sh*t is f*cking classic!!! Please check this out....

Did that bama do a hop while he was taking a piss....LMMFAO!!! And if that one isn't already enough to laugh at look at this fool when he gets drunk....

Man this sh*t made my day during Ernesto's Revenge...LOL.