Life is pretty cool right now. I am still catching up from missing the first week or so, and on top of that carrying on regular life. I get to play watchdog today and our edit board is grilling UK's president Lee T. Todd today. I think I'm going to take it easy... Ha. Anyways, it's Tuesday which makes me think of music. So here you go:
First, Kanye has a new version of Love Lockdown! It has been mastered and is now on point.
Next up, ATM(Cory Gunz, Smoke DZA, Numbers) ft. Mickey Factz - Swagger Like Us . Mickey Factz, Cory Gunz and two random dudes rap over the Swagger Like Us beat and its a decent effort. Now I normally don't do in depth commenting but here's what I got. Mickey Factz is quickly becoming one of my favorite people to listen to, simply cause he gets it. He isn't on Wikipedia, most people don't know who he is... and when he gets on a track he definitely let's you know he is above and beyond what you normally hear. The second guy used the auto-tune and I didn't even mind it. Actually his verse was pretty hot, but I can't say that he gets it 'cause I have no idea who he is just like the last guy on the track. Cory Gunz did a good job of showing why the vocoder needs to be destroyed and why the auto-tune only should be used by no one.
Rick Ross also jumped on Swagger Like Us. I guess its the new A Millie. Ricky Ross the rent-a-cop really did a nice job on this track, better than most can. Still, I am hoping that Fabolous destroys that track here soon, but even more so that when Joe Budden releases his next mixtape (where he will finally go back to jackin' beats) he will get on beats like this and show people how much better he is than 99% of the game.
Speaking of Tuesday, Royce 5'9 has a new mixtape. Royce's intro on his first album was called It's Tuesday and that track/album was sick. His new mixtape, "The Bar Exam 2", just popped out and I will stake my rep on its hotness.
Below is the Cool Kids new video Delivery Man. Last year they did that song Black Mags, and they definitely have a good sound.
Cool Kids Delivery Man
Jadakiss is about to drop a new album... so he can call himself top 5 dead or a live off three LP's. The first single is called By My Side and it features my least favorite Neyo.
Finally, I will link you to the best mixtape of the year There is No Competition by Fabolous. If only he were consistent and spit as hard as he does on mixtapes when he makes albums :(
Just because this was all music I may post another one today, if not....
Salute
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Officially a fan of an 0-2 team
The Seahawks are now 0-2 which sucks. The sad thing is once they get healthy, they will probably win the division... it's that bad in the NFC West. I will just be glad when we can get a play in the offense that goes for over 20 yards in the playbook. If you don't believe me watch the Hawks play--quite ugly.
Since a lot of people aren't political I'll be a little light today. Here's some good humorous political commentary that anybody can enjoy from Jon Stewart, the video below characterizes the flipity floppity floop nature of the Republican Party these days.
Here is also a story of the McCain marriage that you probably don't know about. CNN did a report on this when they exposed the "real" John McCain and Barack Obama during a special back in August. John McCain was a jerk based on that CNN report. Basically this story exposed that he was dealing with some "issues" and his ex-wife had to deal with all of his antics.
From this report he is an inhumane scumbag, to say that lightly. Thanks to Tarik Pain for finding this. I don't think it is morally acceptable for someone to put another person through that situation especially knowing she has an unconditional love that will not tear you down. Drawing from a similar situation, former President Clinton was scum for extramarital affairs that occurred while he was in office. Right now, we know about extremely dirty misdealings and have the opportunity to prevent such a man going into office. I vividly remember the attacks President Clinton's character took while the sex scandal went on... but I doubt there will be similar actions taken.
In music stuff F-150 face Curtis Jackson bka 50 Cent dissed Kanye, video below. I am by no means a Kanye fan but this is just lame. The fact that people still 50 is a sign the world is coming to an end. Really we need to get it together America.
Ramadan is going well and I am developing the spiritual connection that is essential to growth and development during such a time.
OH! And the San Diego Chargers lost a game today because of a rule... I am thinking we should make sports rule books like the constitution or the Bible and interpret them as living documents. Ed Hochuli (Mr. Man of sports referees) knew he blew the call but because of the rulebook he couldn't make it right. Now the Denver Broncos are 2-0 and the San Diego Chargers are 0-2. What did we learn today? Politics are screwed, music is screwed and sports is screwed... good luck out there in this cold, cold world!
Salute
Since a lot of people aren't political I'll be a little light today. Here's some good humorous political commentary that anybody can enjoy from Jon Stewart, the video below characterizes the flipity floppity floop nature of the Republican Party these days.
Here is also a story of the McCain marriage that you probably don't know about. CNN did a report on this when they exposed the "real" John McCain and Barack Obama during a special back in August. John McCain was a jerk based on that CNN report. Basically this story exposed that he was dealing with some "issues" and his ex-wife had to deal with all of his antics.
From this report he is an inhumane scumbag, to say that lightly. Thanks to Tarik Pain for finding this. I don't think it is morally acceptable for someone to put another person through that situation especially knowing she has an unconditional love that will not tear you down. Drawing from a similar situation, former President Clinton was scum for extramarital affairs that occurred while he was in office. Right now, we know about extremely dirty misdealings and have the opportunity to prevent such a man going into office. I vividly remember the attacks President Clinton's character took while the sex scandal went on... but I doubt there will be similar actions taken.
In music stuff F-150 face Curtis Jackson bka 50 Cent dissed Kanye, video below. I am by no means a Kanye fan but this is just lame. The fact that people still 50 is a sign the world is coming to an end. Really we need to get it together America.
Ramadan is going well and I am developing the spiritual connection that is essential to growth and development during such a time.
OH! And the San Diego Chargers lost a game today because of a rule... I am thinking we should make sports rule books like the constitution or the Bible and interpret them as living documents. Ed Hochuli (Mr. Man of sports referees) knew he blew the call but because of the rulebook he couldn't make it right. Now the Denver Broncos are 2-0 and the San Diego Chargers are 0-2. What did we learn today? Politics are screwed, music is screwed and sports is screwed... good luck out there in this cold, cold world!
Salute
Friday, September 12, 2008
Saturdays and Sundays are gonna suck for a while
I am going to find solace in the fact that "Montlake" Jake Locker will be in Seattle for two more years and Mike Holmgren is retiring... but still it is going to really suck getting thru this football season. I won't even address October--when basketball starts and I have to start being a fan of a new team.
Hurricane Ike hit Texas and pretty hard it sounds like. There aren't official damage numbers or death tolls, but I am sure there will be a significant amout of damage and a far higher number of deaths than should be. For whatever reason some people did not heed the warnings and decided they would just chill. Yesterday, I saw footage on CNN of some guys walking with their dog right up where the water was surging over barriers... bleepin' stupid.
Gas prices rose dramatically, as there are a great deal of the country's oil refineries are located in Texas. Gas has risen 6 cents nationally, I think about 20 cents in Kentucky and certain areas in Texas don't have gas at all. I wouldn't be surprised if gas stays a few cents higher after all of this is resolved. That's what they do.
I would say this is further proof that we need to find something else to do besides drill for oil and build pipelines. The fact that we are having exponential increases in price of gas because of a seasonal natural disaster is even more proof. A pipeline from Alaska and offshore drilling aren't solving this problem either. You cant completely get rid of oil dependency, but you can definitely become less dependent.
For those who are not as cynical as I am, here's a little story about the U.S. Interior Department in relation to oil companies.
It is pretty lengthy, but definitely worth the read. We have so many problems in this country that need exposure... this is a really big step.
Since I took the semester off in Fall '05 I have been more up on what goes on in national news. From that point I have heard quarter after quarter of record profits by the oil companies as prices rose and rose. This article alleges that there were improper benefits, not collecting federal royalties, drug usage, sexual impropriety, and many other ethical practices and actions. This is just plain sickening considering the American people are feeling the brunt of said decisions... and those making the decisions and enforcing rules can't keep their pants on, their noses clean or their minds right.
Back to sports, I didn't think Ty Willingham was on the hot seat going into the season, but considering the field goal attempt before the half with 1 second on the clock, I think he just put himself in that seat. You're down 34 and you need to score points, you gotta go for the TD. The kicker missed the field goal, so it's easy to criticize the decision, but if you're down at that point, you go big or go home.
I feel really bad for this Husky team because the schedule has been tough, facing three top 25 teams in the first three games of the year. Not only that, but the team isn't getting any breaks going back to last year. I keep waiting for them to turn the corner and get back to that prominence that I grew up accustomed to, but it just isn't working. Last year they lost a lot of close games to a lot of good teams and many fans figured this year things would yield a few more wins, but it hasn't worked out that way.
It will go a long way when they get their act together and gain that confidence and swagger that you see from winning teams, but until then Jake Locker & Co. are really struggling with being a young, inexperienced, not good team. Jake Locker is capable of turning in a Herculean effort that will inspire his team to glory and I feel that effort coming very soon. The team WILL be galvanized by these experiences, mark my words!
I still have hope for the Huskies, like I do the country which is in the midst of being dealt a lot of bad breaks, especially politically. If more of the injustices and misdealings are exposed the United States can turn it around. Go Huskies! And Go USA! After November 4th you'll get your leader that will deliver the Herculean effort.
Salute
Hurricane Ike hit Texas and pretty hard it sounds like. There aren't official damage numbers or death tolls, but I am sure there will be a significant amout of damage and a far higher number of deaths than should be. For whatever reason some people did not heed the warnings and decided they would just chill. Yesterday, I saw footage on CNN of some guys walking with their dog right up where the water was surging over barriers... bleepin' stupid.
Gas prices rose dramatically, as there are a great deal of the country's oil refineries are located in Texas. Gas has risen 6 cents nationally, I think about 20 cents in Kentucky and certain areas in Texas don't have gas at all. I wouldn't be surprised if gas stays a few cents higher after all of this is resolved. That's what they do.
I would say this is further proof that we need to find something else to do besides drill for oil and build pipelines. The fact that we are having exponential increases in price of gas because of a seasonal natural disaster is even more proof. A pipeline from Alaska and offshore drilling aren't solving this problem either. You cant completely get rid of oil dependency, but you can definitely become less dependent.
For those who are not as cynical as I am, here's a little story about the U.S. Interior Department in relation to oil companies.
It is pretty lengthy, but definitely worth the read. We have so many problems in this country that need exposure... this is a really big step.
Since I took the semester off in Fall '05 I have been more up on what goes on in national news. From that point I have heard quarter after quarter of record profits by the oil companies as prices rose and rose. This article alleges that there were improper benefits, not collecting federal royalties, drug usage, sexual impropriety, and many other ethical practices and actions. This is just plain sickening considering the American people are feeling the brunt of said decisions... and those making the decisions and enforcing rules can't keep their pants on, their noses clean or their minds right.
Back to sports, I didn't think Ty Willingham was on the hot seat going into the season, but considering the field goal attempt before the half with 1 second on the clock, I think he just put himself in that seat. You're down 34 and you need to score points, you gotta go for the TD. The kicker missed the field goal, so it's easy to criticize the decision, but if you're down at that point, you go big or go home.
I feel really bad for this Husky team because the schedule has been tough, facing three top 25 teams in the first three games of the year. Not only that, but the team isn't getting any breaks going back to last year. I keep waiting for them to turn the corner and get back to that prominence that I grew up accustomed to, but it just isn't working. Last year they lost a lot of close games to a lot of good teams and many fans figured this year things would yield a few more wins, but it hasn't worked out that way.
It will go a long way when they get their act together and gain that confidence and swagger that you see from winning teams, but until then Jake Locker & Co. are really struggling with being a young, inexperienced, not good team. Jake Locker is capable of turning in a Herculean effort that will inspire his team to glory and I feel that effort coming very soon. The team WILL be galvanized by these experiences, mark my words!
I still have hope for the Huskies, like I do the country which is in the midst of being dealt a lot of bad breaks, especially politically. If more of the injustices and misdealings are exposed the United States can turn it around. Go Huskies! And Go USA! After November 4th you'll get your leader that will deliver the Herculean effort.
Salute
Done for the week
This is the third update for the week... I am now therefore done with you people and this blog LOL. Contractually, I guess that's true, but I am sure this weekend I will want to write something about something.
School sucks and not because it's school, but because it takes up so much time. If I could barely get paid and run around and try to fix stuff on campus, I guarantee I would be a much more likable person--and I wouldn't have to make myself blog three posts a week as they would just naturally flow.
Shifting to actual stuff of real quantifiable value Reuters.com ranked the city with the best looking people and Miami came out on top.
Not that it's a bad thing to be good looking (I do it so well LOL), but if you read on further Seattle was ranked #1 for having the most intelligent locals. Again proving that there is more to life than being really, really, ridiculously, good looking. I would much rather go to Seattle than Miami anyways.
My new second city Portland, Oregon was voted the cleanest city in the U.S. another accolade I am proud to claim for my people (Pacific Northwest). Having had the opportunity to visit a lot of places in the States, I think cleanliness is one of the better titles to hold as well... anybody can be good looking, but it takes good home training, discipline, and near obsessive compulsiveness to truly be clean.
If the Republicans have their way, this will be theirVice
Plain and simple, the Democratic Ticket is better than the Republican ticket. Luckily there will be substantive debates and interviews forthcoming to expose these truths... that way when Barack doesn't get elected there will be mass outrage for the injustice done by an uninformed and extremely -ist society. What I mean by that is we have so many societal problems that end in is racist, classist, prejudicedist and other ists in the most negative sense.
Fortunately, I don't believe there is any way Mr. Obama can lose and I won't have to experience the letdown of another stolen election like we have endured the last two elections. Just imagine if one of them had of been won by the other side... especially if it was the first one...
Salute
School sucks and not because it's school, but because it takes up so much time. If I could barely get paid and run around and try to fix stuff on campus, I guarantee I would be a much more likable person--and I wouldn't have to make myself blog three posts a week as they would just naturally flow.
Shifting to actual stuff of real quantifiable value Reuters.com ranked the city with the best looking people and Miami came out on top.
Not that it's a bad thing to be good looking (I do it so well LOL), but if you read on further Seattle was ranked #1 for having the most intelligent locals. Again proving that there is more to life than being really, really, ridiculously, good looking. I would much rather go to Seattle than Miami anyways.
My new second city Portland, Oregon was voted the cleanest city in the U.S. another accolade I am proud to claim for my people (Pacific Northwest). Having had the opportunity to visit a lot of places in the States, I think cleanliness is one of the better titles to hold as well... anybody can be good looking, but it takes good home training, discipline, and near obsessive compulsiveness to truly be clean.
If the Republicans have their way, this will be their
Plain and simple, the Democratic Ticket is better than the Republican ticket. Luckily there will be substantive debates and interviews forthcoming to expose these truths... that way when Barack doesn't get elected there will be mass outrage for the injustice done by an uninformed and extremely -ist society. What I mean by that is we have so many societal problems that end in is racist, classist, prejudicedist and other ists in the most negative sense.
Fortunately, I don't believe there is any way Mr. Obama can lose and I won't have to experience the letdown of another stolen election like we have endured the last two elections. Just imagine if one of them had of been won by the other side... especially if it was the first one...
Salute
Monday, September 8, 2008
Recovery from Sorrow
I have finally recovered from this terrible sports weekend (thanks Seattle)... to be thrust into the life of a full-time student, writer and semi-involved jerk. To add to that, my pockets I decided to fast for the remaining three weeks of Ramadan to experience what some of my friends were experiencing and prepare my mind for whatever it is I am preparing it for. Not to make light of what fasting is like but here is my experience so far.
Day 1 was cool... except I am not sure if I actually made it. I woke up and ate some left over Cool Mint Creme Oreos from last night's SUCCESS meeting. I got up before sunrise, as I later found, but I may have eaten literally minutes before, during, or after.
I also tried to eat a Milky Way... My boss keeps candy in her office and if she is not there I make it a point to eat some--it is a silly habit. Well I started chewing the Milky Way and then realized my commitment to fasting, so I spit it out.
I made it through the rest of the day and promptly broke fast at 7:58 at the College Democrats meeting, which wasn't so bad at all (the fasting that is... I had no problem with the meeting LOL). And I got home and ran for about 2.5 miles and I actually feel great.
I really want to do this, and I will try to make it thru the rest of the week. I wish I would have started when Ramadan started so that I could have enjoyed the entire experience. Oh and by the way I'll say it again. I am not Muslim, but if I were, what would it matter? Really?
Anyways here is a live sample of Kanye Love Lock Down
On to Politics!
David Brickner of Jews for Jesus said that the Jews being terrorized was God punishing them for not being faithful or something like that. Sarah Palin's current Pastor Larry Kroon of Wasilla Bible Chruch wouldn't comment on the statement made by David Bricker since this has become big, but apparently is boys with the Jew for Jesus.
I wonder if this will blow up like Jeremiah Wright? .... Doubt it. You can find that story on CNN by the way. They may be moving more towards real journalism! In fact there's a few more interesting things there about her religion--still, i doubt it will receive much media attention even though there are glaring similarities... I like using the word interesting to describe f'ed up ish and things that are just blatantly unfair, so it is interesting that one person's beliefs are taken in context and as their individual practices, and the other persons beliefs are espoused to their pastor... O beautiful for spacious skies...
Again, Sarah Palin is out there misremembering facts. She is attacking Obama on earmarks, while being responsible for 197 million dollars in requests for earmarks. She was a proponent of the "bridge to nowhere" until it became politically unsavory. More and more will come out, about her--but right now facts are not at all relevant. This is quite sad.
Salute
Day 1 was cool... except I am not sure if I actually made it. I woke up and ate some left over Cool Mint Creme Oreos from last night's SUCCESS meeting. I got up before sunrise, as I later found, but I may have eaten literally minutes before, during, or after.
I also tried to eat a Milky Way... My boss keeps candy in her office and if she is not there I make it a point to eat some--it is a silly habit. Well I started chewing the Milky Way and then realized my commitment to fasting, so I spit it out.
I made it through the rest of the day and promptly broke fast at 7:58 at the College Democrats meeting, which wasn't so bad at all (the fasting that is... I had no problem with the meeting LOL). And I got home and ran for about 2.5 miles and I actually feel great.
I really want to do this, and I will try to make it thru the rest of the week. I wish I would have started when Ramadan started so that I could have enjoyed the entire experience. Oh and by the way I'll say it again. I am not Muslim, but if I were, what would it matter? Really?
Anyways here is a live sample of Kanye Love Lock Down
On to Politics!
David Brickner of Jews for Jesus said that the Jews being terrorized was God punishing them for not being faithful or something like that. Sarah Palin's current Pastor Larry Kroon of Wasilla Bible Chruch wouldn't comment on the statement made by David Bricker since this has become big, but apparently is boys with the Jew for Jesus.
I wonder if this will blow up like Jeremiah Wright? .... Doubt it. You can find that story on CNN by the way. They may be moving more towards real journalism! In fact there's a few more interesting things there about her religion--still, i doubt it will receive much media attention even though there are glaring similarities... I like using the word interesting to describe f'ed up ish and things that are just blatantly unfair, so it is interesting that one person's beliefs are taken in context and as their individual practices, and the other persons beliefs are espoused to their pastor... O beautiful for spacious skies...
Again, Sarah Palin is out there misremembering facts. She is attacking Obama on earmarks, while being responsible for 197 million dollars in requests for earmarks. She was a proponent of the "bridge to nowhere" until it became politically unsavory. More and more will come out, about her--but right now facts are not at all relevant. This is quite sad.
Salute
Friday, September 5, 2008
Funny Stuff
Maybe it’s just me, but when I see college students walking I just laugh. It's not that they look funny or walk strange, but you can kind of tell where they are and where they are going in life.
Some you can just tell aren't getting anywhere because of the lack of urgency they have when getting from point A to point B. Some have that same absence of a sense of urgency, but can afford to (or at least they think they can) because they are amateur athletes at the university. You have those students who are so focused that they miss everything going on around them. That's funny too…just an observation.
The LPGA backed down on a rule that would make all of its players speak English. Now I watch a lot of Sportscenter (purely for the purpose of score watching, PTI’s Big finish, and criticism), and the only players I know besides Michelle Wie, Juli Inkster, and Paula Kramer are foreign. Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, and Karrie Webb speak English, but several of the players do no not, specifically the Korean players who have started to win more and more tournaments.
Now I am not against women having the right to play sports, I am just against having womens sports shoved down my throat, i.e. U.S. Womens Soccer, the WNBA, and golf. Aside: I so wouldn't be mad if they showed more volleyball, indoor and outdoor. Most of the time the women look good and are tall and athletic...the kind of woman im looking for LOL. Anyways, this is one of those times where its important, because its purely indicative of the world we live in. If they are playing well just let them play who cares about what language they speak. I don’t watch LPGA interviews and press conferences. Honestly, very few people are watching anyways golf anyways, that is if Tiger isn't playing.
Last night, Senator John McCain closed out the RNC with his acceptance speech. I watched the majority of the big speeches just like I did with the DNC, and I will say his was the worst. That speech was long as hell and lacked a lot of specifics. He constantly went to that little smile he has that looks so fake and out of place. Like he would say something negative and smile…oh wait that was intentional.
One of the big issues I fundamentally disagree with Republicans that leans me to the left is in opportunities and values—actually it’s just half of that. I will say I agree with a lot of the values that conservatives cling to, but I recognized that it’s not my place to make my values other people. So I cannot expect my religion to be applied to the governing of people who may not believe the same.
On the opportunity side, I feel like there are opportunities if you have all of the available resources, but the GOP doesn’t always realize that some people have a different set of opportunities to make into success. For example, I have friends that have a lot more than I do, and it’s not because I don’t want more, but I started with less and when it comes time to make long term decisions, I have less of a cushion.
Like I have a friend who has been in school for a few years and this friend doesn’t know what they want to do, but everything is taken care of till they figure it out…and if they don’t they got a job waiting. Then I have another friend who has been out of school for a few years and will have to scrape and scrap to get back into school. One probably is more talented or “better” than the other…but the other has a better chance circumstance and starting opportunity.
Speaking of better and worse, in that hour long lecture, John McCain dropped that we need to help those that are less than us. Last time I checked, nobody is better or worse than anybody. The next guy may not have more than me but he most certainly isn’t better. I just found that word choice particularly interesting…kinda like McCain and his wife lying about their ages to each other when they first met. That’s why these kids lie about their age on Myspace and R.Kelly types are always getting caught up.
That’s all for now… tell a friend, show me some love in a link, oh and do the right thing.
Salute
Some you can just tell aren't getting anywhere because of the lack of urgency they have when getting from point A to point B. Some have that same absence of a sense of urgency, but can afford to (or at least they think they can) because they are amateur athletes at the university. You have those students who are so focused that they miss everything going on around them. That's funny too…just an observation.
The LPGA backed down on a rule that would make all of its players speak English. Now I watch a lot of Sportscenter (purely for the purpose of score watching, PTI’s Big finish, and criticism), and the only players I know besides Michelle Wie, Juli Inkster, and Paula Kramer are foreign. Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, and Karrie Webb speak English, but several of the players do no not, specifically the Korean players who have started to win more and more tournaments.
Now I am not against women having the right to play sports, I am just against having womens sports shoved down my throat, i.e. U.S. Womens Soccer, the WNBA, and golf. Aside: I so wouldn't be mad if they showed more volleyball, indoor and outdoor. Most of the time the women look good and are tall and athletic...the kind of woman im looking for LOL. Anyways, this is one of those times where its important, because its purely indicative of the world we live in. If they are playing well just let them play who cares about what language they speak. I don’t watch LPGA interviews and press conferences. Honestly, very few people are watching anyways golf anyways, that is if Tiger isn't playing.
Last night, Senator John McCain closed out the RNC with his acceptance speech. I watched the majority of the big speeches just like I did with the DNC, and I will say his was the worst. That speech was long as hell and lacked a lot of specifics. He constantly went to that little smile he has that looks so fake and out of place. Like he would say something negative and smile…oh wait that was intentional.
One of the big issues I fundamentally disagree with Republicans that leans me to the left is in opportunities and values—actually it’s just half of that. I will say I agree with a lot of the values that conservatives cling to, but I recognized that it’s not my place to make my values other people. So I cannot expect my religion to be applied to the governing of people who may not believe the same.
On the opportunity side, I feel like there are opportunities if you have all of the available resources, but the GOP doesn’t always realize that some people have a different set of opportunities to make into success. For example, I have friends that have a lot more than I do, and it’s not because I don’t want more, but I started with less and when it comes time to make long term decisions, I have less of a cushion.
Like I have a friend who has been in school for a few years and this friend doesn’t know what they want to do, but everything is taken care of till they figure it out…and if they don’t they got a job waiting. Then I have another friend who has been out of school for a few years and will have to scrape and scrap to get back into school. One probably is more talented or “better” than the other…but the other has a better chance circumstance and starting opportunity.
Speaking of better and worse, in that hour long lecture, John McCain dropped that we need to help those that are less than us. Last time I checked, nobody is better or worse than anybody. The next guy may not have more than me but he most certainly isn’t better. I just found that word choice particularly interesting…kinda like McCain and his wife lying about their ages to each other when they first met. That’s why these kids lie about their age on Myspace and R.Kelly types are always getting caught up.
That’s all for now… tell a friend, show me some love in a link, oh and do the right thing.
Salute
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Ending the week on a high note!
First week of school for me, but I had no classes... kinda nice to run around all rogue like. I am actually looking forward to this upcoming year and getting to meet the other half of campus I don't know.
As far as music goes it's been an ok week so all I got is The Dream-Put On Remix. He isn't the most talented, but he hustles hard, keeps it real and has a knack for making hot music, kinda like Jeezy.
The reason I like the Dreams, Jeezy's, Ludacris' and people of that ilk is because they work hard and make it because of their hard work. And that work ethic, combined with some luck has brought them to the top to some extent. It seems like every other week I hear somebody dissin Jay-Z from the outside and from within his circles. Some of it is justified and other disses seem to be like hmm stfu. Ive got 4 examples for you of the varying spectrum. You have Game who is dissing Jay just cause. You had Dame Dash and Jay feuding, which apparently is squashed, you have Joe Budden dissing Jay, and then you have Teairra Marie mad at Jay.
The Game is pretty obvious no analysis necessary. Dame dash is interesting because they know each other and built that empire together, but like I said apparently they cool so that's not an issue because even the best of friends fight. Joe Budden and Teairra Marie are the interesting comparisions. Both "whine" about how they were done by Jay and how he hasn't reached out and helped them. Because I am a Budden fan I can say that man has been working and put out music that showcases his immense talent. Teairra Marie on the other hand I have no idea. It came totally out of left field. Personally, I dont think she is that good and there are others like her(Peedi Crack, Omillio Sparks, Foxy Brown, etc.) who suck and keep blaming Jay for their lack of success.
I know in my own life I am around a lot of people that "work hard", but leave very little evidence of what they do. Basically, they complain a lot, run their mouths, and are always "busy" but never have anything done. Not saying I am the model of success and/or getting things done, but I try. So I tend to root for people who's work can be seen through their efforts, energy and the quality in the result. I will say this till I die, Jeezy is the worst rapper ever, but you have to love him.
Moving on to the DNC which was pretty great....
I enjoyed the full line up of speakers, but I still need to go back and catch Wednesday, with Biden and Billy J. Clinton. Unfortunately, I was at the Kernel copy editing and falling asleep on the couch, so I missed their speeches, which I am sure were great.
Barack made a great speech to bring the convention to a close, and so far the criticisms I have seen from that of the Republicans, the Cornel West types, and Patrick Nally's is that missed/lacked something. Let me assure you, the acceptance speech for the presidency and the inauguration will be the two best speeches you've ever heard. In fact, since I'm like the 4th grade girls on South Park, lets rank Barack's big speeches to date from 5 to 1 (feel free to disagree):
5. The close of primary speech.
4. The speech on race.
3. The DNC nomination acceptance speech '08.
2. The '04 DNC Keynote speech.
1. The inauguration & acceptance speeches.
I had a hard time ranking these because the number 1 speeches haven't happened, but they will be so great. There will be so much that goes into these speeches I can't even imagine what that will do for America. I am going to say that this list is very flawed, because there are at least 3 speeches I can think of that belong on this list, but I don't think they are mainstream familiar speeches.
Finally, if you are reading this, and you are a UK student, pick up the Kernel. I am doing a lot more with the paper hopefully this year and I want to hear people's critique of the paper. I want i to be the best and the only way for that to happen is to get feedback. And those of you who are not in Lexington, don't fret... we have a great newly redesigned website at the Kernel webpage.
Salute
As far as music goes it's been an ok week so all I got is The Dream-Put On Remix. He isn't the most talented, but he hustles hard, keeps it real and has a knack for making hot music, kinda like Jeezy.
The reason I like the Dreams, Jeezy's, Ludacris' and people of that ilk is because they work hard and make it because of their hard work. And that work ethic, combined with some luck has brought them to the top to some extent. It seems like every other week I hear somebody dissin Jay-Z from the outside and from within his circles. Some of it is justified and other disses seem to be like hmm stfu. Ive got 4 examples for you of the varying spectrum. You have Game who is dissing Jay just cause. You had Dame Dash and Jay feuding, which apparently is squashed, you have Joe Budden dissing Jay, and then you have Teairra Marie mad at Jay.
The Game is pretty obvious no analysis necessary. Dame dash is interesting because they know each other and built that empire together, but like I said apparently they cool so that's not an issue because even the best of friends fight. Joe Budden and Teairra Marie are the interesting comparisions. Both "whine" about how they were done by Jay and how he hasn't reached out and helped them. Because I am a Budden fan I can say that man has been working and put out music that showcases his immense talent. Teairra Marie on the other hand I have no idea. It came totally out of left field. Personally, I dont think she is that good and there are others like her(Peedi Crack, Omillio Sparks, Foxy Brown, etc.) who suck and keep blaming Jay for their lack of success.
I know in my own life I am around a lot of people that "work hard", but leave very little evidence of what they do. Basically, they complain a lot, run their mouths, and are always "busy" but never have anything done. Not saying I am the model of success and/or getting things done, but I try. So I tend to root for people who's work can be seen through their efforts, energy and the quality in the result. I will say this till I die, Jeezy is the worst rapper ever, but you have to love him.
Moving on to the DNC which was pretty great....
I enjoyed the full line up of speakers, but I still need to go back and catch Wednesday, with Biden and Billy J. Clinton. Unfortunately, I was at the Kernel copy editing and falling asleep on the couch, so I missed their speeches, which I am sure were great.
Barack made a great speech to bring the convention to a close, and so far the criticisms I have seen from that of the Republicans, the Cornel West types, and Patrick Nally's is that missed/lacked something. Let me assure you, the acceptance speech for the presidency and the inauguration will be the two best speeches you've ever heard. In fact, since I'm like the 4th grade girls on South Park, lets rank Barack's big speeches to date from 5 to 1 (feel free to disagree):
5. The close of primary speech.
4. The speech on race.
3. The DNC nomination acceptance speech '08.
2. The '04 DNC Keynote speech.
1. The inauguration & acceptance speeches.
I had a hard time ranking these because the number 1 speeches haven't happened, but they will be so great. There will be so much that goes into these speeches I can't even imagine what that will do for America. I am going to say that this list is very flawed, because there are at least 3 speeches I can think of that belong on this list, but I don't think they are mainstream familiar speeches.
Finally, if you are reading this, and you are a UK student, pick up the Kernel. I am doing a lot more with the paper hopefully this year and I want to hear people's critique of the paper. I want i to be the best and the only way for that to happen is to get feedback. And those of you who are not in Lexington, don't fret... we have a great newly redesigned website at the Kernel webpage.
Salute
Monday, August 25, 2008
Today was a _ _ _ _ day
It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It just was a day.
I did UK Fusion, which is this huge community service based event designed to get students involved. That was interesting. Then I did my first Kernel Edit Board Meeting. More interestingness. Neither bad by any means, just something new to add to my life experiences.
I did some of the welcome week stuff which was cool and got to see some familiar and new faces... thats always nice. BTW I am sincerely sticking to my commitment to be cool and sociable. I don't know how I am going to do it, but by golly I will.
Today I saw that Daddy Yankee (the guy that did that Rompe")endorsed John McCain. That was interesting...and not in a good way. It reaks tokenism among many other things that will influence an unaware audience into voting making a bad decision. Even if it is just one voter its bad enough. And as much as I think bigger picture, I also recognize the power of the individual, because that uninformed vote influences people in ways that can weave a web of ignorance and singular thought processes that can steal an election(wait...that's big picture). All that said, I would much rather have Young Jeezy's endorsement than Daddy Yankee's. Young said "y'all touch him we ridin'", that's real dedication even though I don't advocate "ridin'" on anybody LOL.
On a positive note, Michelle (Robinson) Obama gave a great speech that Republicans are trying to chop up and say lacked substance. Aside: I NEED to find a woman like that... I dont see it happening, but hey, here's hoping! Again they are using the out of touch perspective that asks for specifics, neglecting that the prevailing desire to make America better, while vague will take shape as we all have our say in this election. Lack of experience, and the theory of Barack being a blank slate have been thrown around, but I look at the two as fresh perspective and careful consideration of issues before making a decision.
A lot of companies hire cunning new thinkers to come up with fresh ideas and keep their business running, why can't politics be the same. Most of our country is a profit driven machine anyways, so why not? Because the fresh ideas include making health care less of a money maker and more of a problem solve.... geez why would we vote for that Obama guy?
Additionally, this whole blank slate thing is BS--although I will say the Obama campaign hasn't really framed this issue well. In representative politics, a politician cannot rush to judgment and make rash decisions. Look at Bush-Cheney's stance on Iraq. Essentially they ran in there and rode on Iraq, because one half of the country wanted to do so based on, I'll go with slanted, intelligence from our guys. That quick decision, among with many other unrepresentative decisions have Bush and Cheney enjoying some of the lowest approval ratings ever by a president and vice president respectvely. Nice. Again, why vote for the guy that considers stuff and makes compromise, gosh thats stupid.
Random song playing in my head: Jamiroquai-Virtual Insanity
I think the internet is giving me virtual insanity, I literally spend more time on the internet than I do being conscious (that's really hard to do).
As I type this a sharp pain is going up my left knee... the one I tore three ligaments in. The right one I just tore the ACL in so it doesn't give me too much trouble. Anyways, since the left knee injury I have wondered where life would have taken me. Like where would I be? What would I have chosen to do? How would I be different? I based my life on being athletic and didn't really think too much of what else there was in life, so when things went sour I had no plan. By no means was I that good, and I never thought past the immediate season and whatever sport I was playing. After high school, I made plans to go into law and be rich... Really, thats it. Amazing how shallow I was and to some extent still am.
Ever since then I have been making plans to do this and do that and nothing ever ends up the way I expect it and its not always good. But I am better for it and I have something you only get from taking a lot of shots on the basketball court... and that's character, thank you Doug T. for that one.
Salute
I did UK Fusion, which is this huge community service based event designed to get students involved. That was interesting. Then I did my first Kernel Edit Board Meeting. More interestingness. Neither bad by any means, just something new to add to my life experiences.
I did some of the welcome week stuff which was cool and got to see some familiar and new faces... thats always nice. BTW I am sincerely sticking to my commitment to be cool and sociable. I don't know how I am going to do it, but by golly I will.
Today I saw that Daddy Yankee (the guy that did that Rompe")endorsed John McCain. That was interesting...and not in a good way. It reaks tokenism among many other things that will influence an unaware audience into voting making a bad decision. Even if it is just one voter its bad enough. And as much as I think bigger picture, I also recognize the power of the individual, because that uninformed vote influences people in ways that can weave a web of ignorance and singular thought processes that can steal an election(wait...that's big picture). All that said, I would much rather have Young Jeezy's endorsement than Daddy Yankee's. Young said "y'all touch him we ridin'", that's real dedication even though I don't advocate "ridin'" on anybody LOL.
On a positive note, Michelle (Robinson) Obama gave a great speech that Republicans are trying to chop up and say lacked substance. Aside: I NEED to find a woman like that... I dont see it happening, but hey, here's hoping! Again they are using the out of touch perspective that asks for specifics, neglecting that the prevailing desire to make America better, while vague will take shape as we all have our say in this election. Lack of experience, and the theory of Barack being a blank slate have been thrown around, but I look at the two as fresh perspective and careful consideration of issues before making a decision.
A lot of companies hire cunning new thinkers to come up with fresh ideas and keep their business running, why can't politics be the same. Most of our country is a profit driven machine anyways, so why not? Because the fresh ideas include making health care less of a money maker and more of a problem solve.... geez why would we vote for that Obama guy?
Additionally, this whole blank slate thing is BS--although I will say the Obama campaign hasn't really framed this issue well. In representative politics, a politician cannot rush to judgment and make rash decisions. Look at Bush-Cheney's stance on Iraq. Essentially they ran in there and rode on Iraq, because one half of the country wanted to do so based on, I'll go with slanted, intelligence from our guys. That quick decision, among with many other unrepresentative decisions have Bush and Cheney enjoying some of the lowest approval ratings ever by a president and vice president respectvely. Nice. Again, why vote for the guy that considers stuff and makes compromise, gosh thats stupid.
Random song playing in my head: Jamiroquai-Virtual Insanity
I think the internet is giving me virtual insanity, I literally spend more time on the internet than I do being conscious (that's really hard to do).
As I type this a sharp pain is going up my left knee... the one I tore three ligaments in. The right one I just tore the ACL in so it doesn't give me too much trouble. Anyways, since the left knee injury I have wondered where life would have taken me. Like where would I be? What would I have chosen to do? How would I be different? I based my life on being athletic and didn't really think too much of what else there was in life, so when things went sour I had no plan. By no means was I that good, and I never thought past the immediate season and whatever sport I was playing. After high school, I made plans to go into law and be rich... Really, thats it. Amazing how shallow I was and to some extent still am.
Ever since then I have been making plans to do this and do that and nothing ever ends up the way I expect it and its not always good. But I am better for it and I have something you only get from taking a lot of shots on the basketball court... and that's character, thank you Doug T. for that one.
Salute
Sunday, August 24, 2008
My thoughts on elitism...
I have heard the topic of elitism being thrown around for several months now and I want to properly focus people on what elite is. (I won't go attacking a guy who doesn't know how many houses he owns, because that's not what I am here for. In fact, I don't think I could accurately describe the situation to really grasp how crappy it is.) Anyways, since sports is my thing I will use sports to describe true elitism.
I'm an American, proud to be here--don't plan on leaving. But I will say we have an elite mentality when it comes to sports. Let's take soccer, which is great. The rest of the world eats it up. The world cup final literally has billions of people watching it... but not many of those numbers come from America.
Take Olympic Basketball and the "Redeem Team," as they have been dubbed. I understand why it is a big deal that we need to win the gold, but we have this elitist mentality that we shouldn't lose. So what do we do? Put together a team with 2 guys that are there for one skill (Tayshaun Prince and Redd), a guy who would be a great counterpunch to some of the crafty power forwards of the international game (Carlos Boozer), and Jason Kidd, whom I will not address because my opinion of him could fill seven, 20k word posts.
Even our spin on the medal count shows massive amounts of elitism. The United States will come out with more total medals than China, but China will have more gold medals. We say we won in real sports and real events. I have also heard the sentiment that if you subtract events that weren’t subjectively/arbitrarily by people, we have won just as many gold medals as China. While I do think the system is flawed, China won and minus the small children in gymnastics, they were better (gold medal wise) than us. We have the same opportunity to play badminton and table tennis like they do. Let’s be gracious.
I want to reiterate the fact that I love America and think it’s the best large place/country ever (the state of Washington is the best place in general). Yet I think it’s worth mentioning this sports elitism because it spills into other aspects of life. The fact that a country turns its nose up to the “beautiful game” and calls it a sport for wimps is a testimony. Or maybe its visible major sports talk radio widely ignoring a world athletic competition, save Michael Phelps, USA basketball and a little Usain Bolt. And for what? To talk pre-season NFL football!
Upon winning the gold medal in Olympic basketball the theme of what the “Redeem Team” did was the first gold since 2000. Last time I checked, the Olympics happen every 4 years. So basically, we didn’t win in ’04 and that’s it. It wasn’t the end of the world. The team didn’t play well, but Americans in general were generally ungracious. When the Pistons lost in the NBA finals a few years ago the media vilified the team for not giving credit to the Spurs for beating them and being better.
The American response to not winning gold in Sidney was quite similar to that of the Pistons who failed, which is funny because the world really has caught up. Argentina has 6 NBA players and one player that was a staple in the league for years. Spain has eight players that have been or will be in the NBA either last year or next year. Aside: Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers abused the US defense, and he made Dwight Howard look bad when he dunked on him. Fernandez was born the day after I was and he plays for my new favorite team so he must be a good guy. Other teams also have NBA regulars and really talented players who can hold their own anywhere. In basketball you only need to have the best five guys on the floor…
In short, well not so much, we have to get a hold of ourselves, realize that there is more to life than America and American sports, and be a gracious people. The elitism we have in sports manifests itself in our media, politics, and lifestyles and I hate that it has spilled to my favorite thing in the world. Please guys let’s just play nice!
Salute
I'm an American, proud to be here--don't plan on leaving. But I will say we have an elite mentality when it comes to sports. Let's take soccer, which is great. The rest of the world eats it up. The world cup final literally has billions of people watching it... but not many of those numbers come from America.
Take Olympic Basketball and the "Redeem Team," as they have been dubbed. I understand why it is a big deal that we need to win the gold, but we have this elitist mentality that we shouldn't lose. So what do we do? Put together a team with 2 guys that are there for one skill (Tayshaun Prince and Redd), a guy who would be a great counterpunch to some of the crafty power forwards of the international game (Carlos Boozer), and Jason Kidd, whom I will not address because my opinion of him could fill seven, 20k word posts.
Even our spin on the medal count shows massive amounts of elitism. The United States will come out with more total medals than China, but China will have more gold medals. We say we won in real sports and real events. I have also heard the sentiment that if you subtract events that weren’t subjectively/arbitrarily by people, we have won just as many gold medals as China. While I do think the system is flawed, China won and minus the small children in gymnastics, they were better (gold medal wise) than us. We have the same opportunity to play badminton and table tennis like they do. Let’s be gracious.
I want to reiterate the fact that I love America and think it’s the best large place/country ever (the state of Washington is the best place in general). Yet I think it’s worth mentioning this sports elitism because it spills into other aspects of life. The fact that a country turns its nose up to the “beautiful game” and calls it a sport for wimps is a testimony. Or maybe its visible major sports talk radio widely ignoring a world athletic competition, save Michael Phelps, USA basketball and a little Usain Bolt. And for what? To talk pre-season NFL football!
Upon winning the gold medal in Olympic basketball the theme of what the “Redeem Team” did was the first gold since 2000. Last time I checked, the Olympics happen every 4 years. So basically, we didn’t win in ’04 and that’s it. It wasn’t the end of the world. The team didn’t play well, but Americans in general were generally ungracious. When the Pistons lost in the NBA finals a few years ago the media vilified the team for not giving credit to the Spurs for beating them and being better.
The American response to not winning gold in Sidney was quite similar to that of the Pistons who failed, which is funny because the world really has caught up. Argentina has 6 NBA players and one player that was a staple in the league for years. Spain has eight players that have been or will be in the NBA either last year or next year. Aside: Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers abused the US defense, and he made Dwight Howard look bad when he dunked on him. Fernandez was born the day after I was and he plays for my new favorite team so he must be a good guy. Other teams also have NBA regulars and really talented players who can hold their own anywhere. In basketball you only need to have the best five guys on the floor…
In short, well not so much, we have to get a hold of ourselves, realize that there is more to life than America and American sports, and be a gracious people. The elitism we have in sports manifests itself in our media, politics, and lifestyles and I hate that it has spilled to my favorite thing in the world. Please guys let’s just play nice!
Salute
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Impulse post...Read it all!!!!!!
Today is a random day so I am going to randomly post about a couple of things.
First thing, I saw a ton of white girls running around for sorority recruitment. I had no problem with it other than there were more girls out than the total population at
I got my lunch before I started working so I went to the hospital cafeteria where I usually eat. I normally don't like to make fun of people (ha), but I saw this guy with a hairstyle that would make LC happy. It was a messy ponytail, with messy bangs and with some $500 highlights, btw I wish I didn't know who Lauren Conrad is--oh the things you for lo... Anyways, to top it off the guy had a goatee that resembled the goatee Dave Chappelle wore as he parodied Prince; basically it looked like it had been drawn on. Pure comedy.
My job is pretty easy laid back and cool. Basically I just chill in an office, get the mail, make copies, run things around, etc etc. I love the people I directly work for and enjoy the opportunity I have to do what I do, which is whatever they tell me to. No, I'm not a slave or anything like that, but I do a lot of different things, which make it really difficult to come up with a job description for a resume, but garners lots of experience. Actually, I’m writing this at work…
A thought to ponder from Bill Maher, of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, from an interview with Larry King Tuesday, August 19, 2008:
KING: You got to be pleased by T. Boone Pickens. He was on this show for an hour, against oil addiction, in favor of wind power.
MAHER: Right, we're trying to get him on our show. I would love to talk to him.
KING: I bet he would come.
MAHER: Yes. And that shows you where we are. When an 80-year- old oil man has to show the government the way. You know, this guy gets it. You know, I just -- I just -- I hate to be despairing. But, again, you know, when I hear two thirds of Americans are for oil drilling, oil drilling which is not going to improve anything at all. Oil companies and oceans never worked out so well before. In fact, the phrase that we have for things not going well together is actually oil and water.
KING: Yes, you're right. Good point.
Oil and water don’t mix...hmmm. I guess we won’t figure it out till we’re all down at the beach washing off the fish.
Salute
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is.
The title of this post is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, Zoolander. As satirical, silly and stupid as that movie is, I think that quote fits my life very well. I like to think of myself as a good looking person…but not by my own merits, but from the praise of others (my grandmamma said I’m handsome LOL).
Anyways, life for me is generally easy when I apply myself and part of that comes from being good looking. It is really, really easy to walk into a room and procure the necessary attention with a smile and a little charisma, the direct byproduct of being good looking.
But there’s gotta be more to life than that. And no, I don’t want to create a Wesley Robinson Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too. But what can a good looking person do?
I definitely don’t want to model…that’s just too much. I think I have too many caveman beliefs about what men should and shouldn’t do.
Television would be ok, but there are three problems with that. One, you wear makeup which goes again goes against the whole caveman line of thinking. Number 2, you have to look nice ALL the time. Sometimes I need to take a day or two off, even the best looking people wake up not so beautiful some days. Finally, if I’m on TV, I feel like I will end up being corrupted and turn to being a lot more pretentious and generally really, really uncool.
What a dilemma.
But that’s not as bad as the whole dating thing, which is a funny topic to me because most everybody I know that takes in interest in my love life cares more about it than I do. And being so good looking these people figure I should be locked up.
And it’s not that there isn’t anybody out there, as I have dated at least two keepers in my short lifetime. We just fundamentally disagreed on how to carry on a relationship, and after a point there was nothing but them us feeling like each other was really, really, ridiculously good looking--at least thats how I looked at it.
Most people can take that type of good looking relationship, I cannot. What makes it worse is I am as deep as a kiddie pool, as far as looks go. I figure what better way to bless the world than by getting with a good looking girl and starting a really, really, big and good looking family.
Help me please find my purpose in life!
If not I'll be stuck being the really, really ridiculously good looking bum with, no car, no money and no goals...Salute?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Beard....
Summer is ending and the beard is about to go. So I figured what better time to explain why I did it then right before I cut it off (etd: 2 weeks from now).
Well the week before finals I was trimming my facial hair and I messed up. It wasn’t all that bad and I think all I would have had to do was thin one sideburn slightly, which is really easy and doesn’t take much skill. But instead of doing something that easy I just shaved it all off. No chin hair, no sideburns, no mustache, and no stubble.
For those of you who didn’t know me pre-beard days—and even for those who don’t know me very well for that matter—I am really image conscious. Meaning I like to reflect keeping my upbringing by keeping a nice presentable appearance. Therefore, a beard of such magnitude is definitely off the wall.
Still, I wanted to do something different so I started to entertain the idea of the beard. My mom has been suggesting a beard for a long time to help reduce skin problems. Former flames have expressed that graduated sexiness could be achieved by a beard. And I kinda just wanted to be lazy and not go to the barbershop so frequently and deal with regular maintenance of neat facial hair.
Initially, I planned to let it go all summer and just see how it would look and how it would be received. However because of Unity ’08, a desire to look somewhat representative of my normal appearance, I trimmed it. Now that the beard lacks amazingness and the love is gone, I have been a little better about trimming the hedges if you will.
It got to be pretty long. Like before I left for Chicago I trimmed like an inch off… and enough hair remained for some high ranking journalism person to remember me as my uncles Muslim nephew, the guy from Philly, or Rick Ross.
And that brings me to the experimental part of this thing on my face. It mostly was to see how people I met would receive me, but quickly it became a study on how people I know changed their perceptions and actions towards me.
The older people like the ones I work with and see around campus said it made me look older and distinguished until it started getting out of control. After that the prevailing comment was “oh, hey. You still have the beard,” in a tone that said, it needs to go.
Peers all come up with nicknames and reference my beard to popular culture, hence the thought that I am from Philadelphia where black men rock beards, and the Rick Ross statements. A few Muslim friends were working on a Muslim name for me, which I think is funny considering so many people think I am a Muslim. (Barack isn’t the only one, but I say if I were, who cares!) One friend even offered to take me to, and pay for a haircut and a shave …hilarious.
My favorite reaction was from the little baby. Loren is that four-year-old little girl my mom keeps that will wow you with her brilliance and then shame you with her terrible ways. She saw me for the first time since February and the first thing she did was touch the beard and then as me about my “shave”. Kids are so cute.
My little brother Kamron picked me up from the airport and his first reaction was to say how I looked like a black Osama Bin Laden and ask how I passed through airport security. Original. Very creative, Kamron. If I had a dollar…
Anyways, I have been receiving so much feedback and am being perceived totally different and completely the same as well. When I go out, girls are much friendlier and open to approaching me, and I think that's because girls like dirty guys, something I generally am not. But I also have been out and seen people I haven’t seen in literal years that still recognize me and didn’t even say anything about it.
It definitely has been an interesting experience and I must say I am glad I did it.
All that said—I really grew the beard because I want a goatee really badly. I have wanted one for years. The goatee is like the coolest form of facial hair ever. Unfortunately, the hair around my mouth on my cheeks doesn’t grow too well. So I figured if I let it grow wildly it my catch up with the rest of the hair.
The strategy somewhat worked and a few new follicles have emerged, but still ain’t where I want it. Oh well, maybe next time.
It’s kind of funny though, because people buy all my BS reasons for growing the beard: it’s a social experiment I am rebelling against that which I normally do, and so on and so on.
I really have tricked you all into thinking I am THAT thought out, conscious, and aware. LOL
Salute
Friday, August 15, 2008
A big beef with sports
I love sports. In high school people thought something was wrong with me for only being able to hold conversations about sports. At work, there is a random lady who only associates me with sports. When I go to my mom's in Louisville and I run into people I know...they ask me if I am still playing sports.
Living in Kentucky makes my sports fandom a little more difficult to enjoy because overwhelmingly I am subject to the sports views of the masses, as opposed to the view of the 14th largest television market in the United States win which I grew up. In Seattle area I was able to watch most every game of the teams I loved. It was nice.
However in Kentucky, I am constantly being force fed an absurd amount of Red Sox/Yankee, LeBron, and Pittsburgh Steelers games, as the media caters to a majority of fans and the supposed national sports interests.
I don't begrudge the networks for that decision, because at the end of the day they are around to make a profit. I don't blame the fans, because at the core most people don't care as much about sports as I do. Therefore I can't expect casual fans to have the deep-rooted fanatical memories associated with the successes, and more customarily the failures, of being a true sports fan. Still, I find it necessary to sling blame somewhere so I will put it on the respective leagues and America.
In reference the leagues, one of the most common statements I hear for all sports, save golf when Tiger is winning, is that ratings are down. I know that if I had the ability to watch, listen to, read or live sports... I would. Easy. But why can't I? This is where America comes in.
This unrestricted form of capitalism is ridiculous. I understand the need to make profit and to further your business interests--but the prices for tickets; the inaccessibility of sports to non-cable television, the limited selection of sports on cable, and the outrageous conglomeration of "inside information" are ruining sports. There is very little a casual fan can get for free to bring them in.
Aside: LeBron made an INCREDIBLE block against China on Sunday. (It was Kenyon Martin back at Cincinnati with two good legs esque). I didn't see highlights of the feat until Tuesday because of the Castro-like grip NBC has on the images. How is that good for the Olympics?
As I said I understand the drive for profits, but at what cost? The reason kids don't play sports, the reason people don't go to games, the reason ratings are down, the reason our nation is growing more and more obese, is because we are selling everything. You don't see the connections?
Part of athleticism that gets kids going is the desire to be like someone. So how can you be "like Mike" or now like Kobe if you only see them once a week and maybe twice after NFL ends? Or why would you want to play baseball if nobody your color played professionally? Would you play football if the only thing you heard about was Brett Favre and his legacy?
Attendance at most games is constant, but the average American family cannot go out and cop $120 tickets for nosebleed seats at an NFL or NHL game, or $80 for a NBA game. Shoot, I haven't been to an MLB game in years, but I bet those prices kill people too. And don’t get me started on the food...
So if you don't identify, and you can't go, why watch if you have to pay to get the premium accessibility to major pro-sports. NBA TV, the NFL network, MLB league, and whatever the hell irrelevant network the NHL has combined with ESPN INsider, and services like rivals.com and scouts.com monopolize the coverage of what you want to see as a sports fan. It's turning sports almost into a secret society...damn near a grand to follow all 4 major sports just on television and the internet.
So what do you do instead of spending that kind of money on sports? Turn to things like World of Warcraft, Halo, the Hills, or the worst VH1... anything to entertain you that you can watch with consistency that is either cheap or free. Instead of activity, we have lazy people who fail to interact.
It is becoming more and more expensive to buy sports equipment, kids have to play on increasingly more teams to remain competitive at the sport they choose to play. And then kids can't play more than one sport because of time, money, injuries etc. The system lends itself to alienating/segregating people before they get started.
Athletes make millions to play games, which makes people want to be like them. But also fosters a hate for people who cannot be like them, which feeds into a lot of racial tension, especially with basketball and the NBA.
I could go on forever about this because I believe sports is one of the places you can assess a lot of the nations problems. In addition to having a screwed up sports system, we place so much value and we strive to profit off things that you just shouldn't profit off of. Hell I have said it before and I'll say it again: making profit off of someone's health (health insurance), general security (insurance), and retirement (social security) is not good. When someone profits, someone else loses.
Salute
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What's wrong with society
There are two things I see that are a big problem with society. One is that value for things is completely f-ed up. Two is that everybody wants something for nothing.
So I'll start with value. You know how they tell you to eat your fruits and vegetables? Well, the recommended fresh fruit serving for a day would break the bank for the average person. Same goes for vegetables, except you can buy a ton of frozen vegetables full of preservatives and sodium. Yummy! But a grease burger and fries is cheap....
How about music. I love hip-hop, but I hate it at the same time. Why? Because the best rapper alive is the best rapper because he sold a million copies in his first week. I happen to be a fan of said rapper and 5-6 years ago when I was in high school, this rapper was much better lyrically than he is now, but now that he is selling and a hot artist he is the best alive, even though the guy who started that whole title is still alive. I just confused myself.
Lets even take sports. I love the sports. But if I were to go to a professional game of three of the 4 major sports (hockey, football, basketball for the slow ones) it would cost about a quarter of my rent. And in baseball there’s 10 million games so you can go on the cheap, but I haven't been in forever so that may have even changed. And no only is it expensive as hell to go to games, its getting more expensive to watch. You have to have cable to watch any pro-sport other than on the weekends.... and even the cable package is limited for the pay per subscription service each season. How that bleep is a game supposed to be our national past-time if nobody can watch it?
There's so many things with messed up value it isn't funny.... well actually it is because it shows how and why our society is so backwards. But moving on….
Now to people wanting something for nothing. I have been raised to earn whatever it is I want so whatever it is I have worked for. I would like for things to come easier, but I know that the best way to ensure the outcome I desire is to work for it. But I see too many people waiting on something or someone to pick them up. And then there's those that plot to get rich easy and quick. And still others go through the motions of hard work solely for self gain. In any form however, its just bad. I have moments where I want things to be better personally, financially, socially, spiritually, academically, and every other -ally in life. But I know nothing worth having comes easy.
So if things have skewed values and people don't work hard what do we have going for us? ....I guess the children are our future.
Salute
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A note to extroverts
I wrote a post a while ago about why introverts need to work on more extroverted characteristics so I think it’s only fair I flip the script. I am constantly surrounded by extroverts and let me tell you they piss me off. Not because of how they are, necessarily, but because the less mature ones do not know when to take a step back and be introverted.
What does that mean? Quiet down. Let other people speak and get out what they have to say. Don't always be the star of the show. And so on and so on.
Let’s use some analogies here to make a point. Look at Superman. As Clark Kent he is an unassuming, quiet, and average man (well as average as you can be at 6'3 and weighing 235 lbs., roughly the size of Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez). He runs around during the day doing modest work as a journalism and when the time comes he is the most powerful thing ever created. If you don't like Superman then for sure you can rock to Spiderman. Pete Parker is a little nerd with problems that dawns a suit and works to keep the world on the right track.
I could continue down the line of superheroes that have secret identities they use to do good, but I wont. You get the point. The thing is people naturally cling to the outspoken blowhards instead of looking at the evidence that’s right in front of them. 'Cause in the case of the super heroes I mentioned and many other of the fictitious saviors of mankind, it doesn't take too much detective work to figure out who they are. Like Superman has a magic curl that hides his identity. WOW. Peter Parker is always on the scene when Spidey comes out and gets great photo's nobody can get, but it's still a mystery. Hmmm....
I guess in my journey to adopting both personalities I have been a little bit too much of both and am trying to find that superhero balance LOL. But seriously, a little humility and less domination never hurt anyone. Every n0w and then on the Jim Rome Radio show he talks about a washed up star playing the "do you know who I am card" as if they are bigger than the situation. I personally only know a couple of people that carry on with the "do you know who I am" demeanor--but many people act as if the world is going to cease to exist when they do. I am saying this from observation and personal experience with being the center of the universe LOL.
In closing, everybody likes Jesus and he was the most humble person ever, according to the Bible that is. He had the power of God and still was a cool guy. Think about that for a minute.... and then put that into perspective in your life.
When will it stop Pt. 2
OK. Before you read listen to this:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/1543021720034390/
This is what should be the last freestyle over the A Millie Beat ever. I have heard way to many rappers get on this beat and try to kill it worse that it was allegedly killed in the beginning so it’s done.
But again this blog is about love and positivity so let’s talk about the real story here which is this little white boy Asher Roth, the author of this freestyle. I have no idea why I decided to click on the link to this freestyle, because I am extremely sick of the redundancy of hip hop and the entire industry from Lil' Mama, to Neyo, even R. Kelly getting on this beat. But I did. Anyways it was worth it cause the dude has a little flow and his message is on point. If you didn't listen to the track he talks about what good is having "A millie" if you ain't helpin' nobody with it. Really? What good is it. While the
Now those two help out a lot so it probably wasn't pointed at them, but a lot of the music industry gets, gets and gets some more, but you rarely hear of their philanthropy. Now I understand that the media portrays blacks in a certain light already and human interest stories don't get covered. But, Plies (the idiot with the name that makes no sense) has been on the scene for 12 minutes and he is already making a name for himself giving back and helping the less fortunate through giveaways, scholarships, and promotions (it sounds bad but it’s better than most).
Back to the where I was going though. It is rare I stumble across something and don't investigate. An example would be the the French, I guess electronica, band JUSTICE. I heard their song D.A.N.C.E. from that guy Sol P who doesn't update his blog and after a little bit of investigation got just about everything they have put out. Another example would be Joe Budden. A friend, who till this day denies he liked Pump it Up, told me to download the song. I thought it sounded cool and decided to hear more... 5 years later I have a second favorite rapper (to Redman).
Again I got sidetracked geez I need some meds. So research. Yeah. I looked up this Asher Roth character and didn't find too much info. Thank goodness I didn't cause I found his mixtape.... cosigned by DJ Don Cannon and DJ Drama. I think I am a little late, so in order to break this story I haven't actually even listened to it yet but I am going to throw my little inconsequential co-signature on that b cause based on what he said over A Millie, his freestyle over Cannon, and the fact that he has a mixtape called the "Greenhouse Effect" cosigned by DJ Drama and Don Cannon is enough for me. I guess we can learn at the same time. So here you go:
http://anonym.to/?http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/or9pgf
Its about 100MB and is a zip file, but I bet its worth it.
Salute
Monday, July 14, 2008
Goodbye Alise somebody will miss you....not sure who though
Sunday marked the end of an era....
I can no longer hang out with Alise D. Marshall. And no, it's not bad 'cause I'll miss her. Nope. Not at all.... I don't have a way to get at her beautiful soror's anymore :(. At least that's how she would tell it.
Alise and I have had a very interesting friendship that will most likely continue down the same interesting path. Although I claim her as my BFF forever, I don't know if the feeling is reciprocated....oh well. (J/K)
I have watched Alise for some time now and it never ceases to amaze me how focused and goal-oriented this young woman is. Whatever venture she takes on will have to look out for her no doubt. The world is her playground and she is the head recess lady. Not to mention, she does it all with respect and care for the people who work for her. As a field organizer I saw a devoted group of people follow her lead with unwavering faith, and it was the first time she had ever done the job. I was one of those idiots lol.
Miss Bigtime aka Oprah #2 aka Michelle Obama and so on and is moving to ATL (why I have no idea, that's a whole 'nother post). And she is leaving behind many friends, loves and subordinates that will all miss her so dearly. If I weren't after the pink and green (LOL!!!!), I would be on that list. Alas, my true motives have been revealed.
Farewell Miss Marshall. May you continue to do great things and be a big fish in a big pond.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Happy Birthday Kaileigh
Today is my little baby sister's birthday and what better way to honor her than to blog about her.
Now if you know me you know my sister is my favorite sibling, really only because it's a two horse race. LOL. Actually, she's pretty cool when she isn't opening up birthday cards the day before her birthday.
In fifteen years, Kaileigh has given me a lot of memories good and bad and I must say I am glad I have a random little sister that came unexpectedly. LOL. The day she grows up we will be cool again, but until then I will be that mean brother who picks on his little brother and sister.
No I won't thank her for all the times (when she was little) she did what I asked for no reason, or be grateful for how her little cute smiling face (a long time ago) kept me level-headed while going thru the trials of adolescence.
Nope.... on a day like today, I will remember the "it won't come out moments", the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches mixed with 9-1-1 d calls, and my favorite, the time I broke her arm (not literally I ain't that mean).
Happy Birthday Kaileigh! And may you have many more.
Monday, July 7, 2008
What I learned on my 4th of July weekend
It had been about 5 months since I last went home so I spent the holiday at home with my mom, my sister, and Loren (the little random baby--inexplicably part of our family). We did the whole 4th thing, watched movies and were a "family" for a few days. And on Sunday I went to church, as I always (and only) do when at home. As usual I got something good out of it.
When I do go to church, I attend St. Stephen Southern Indiana in Clarksville, Indiana. This extension of the St. Stephen Baptist Church is also pastored by Kevin W. Cosby, who preaches at both campuses on Sundays. Thank God he does so, because to be honest, Pastor Cosby is the only reason why I even go to church when I do.
I grew up in the church literally. For an extended period of time, due to my parent’s involvement and my incessant need to cause trouble, I was there almost every day. My pastor was from "the foothills of Mississippi" and was the godliest man I have ever met to say the least. He was like a grandfather, and always worked to instill the godly morals he practiced in my family. I also went to private Baptist School for a great deal of my education K-8 and half of 10th grade, so I learned the Bible as part of school. In short, I have learned and been surrounded by the Bible way too much and I know black Jesus and white Jesus very well. And neither one of these Jesus’ prepared me for what was at St. Stephen, nor any of the other churches I have attended in Kentucky have to offer. No the church isn't bad, quite the contrary. I think it’s on the cutting edge of many things, which is not something I look for when I go to church. That and it is fundamentally different in a lot of ways from what I was taught as a child.
Well I still go out of respect, and out of a desire to learn from one of the most brilliant speakers I have ever heard in Pastor Cosby. Even in my own personal religious struggle, I recognize Pastor Cosby has an inspirational message that transcends religion and is applicable to nearly any walk of life.
On July 6, 2008 (just in case you want to get the tape) Pastor Cosby delivered another great message on the Paradox of progress, which is pretty simple if you think about it: it is impossible to gain something without losing something at the same time.
What does that mean? Personally, I want to do great things and use my abilities to help change the world. So I have to sacrifice some of the things people my age do for building a reputation and rapport with others that shows my desire to help others succeed. Or take that New Balance commercial. The subject is a young basketball player that has a committed relationship with running. After all that running, not partying and spending his time doing things his buddies, all he got was an extra burst in overtime or something like that. He may not even get to overtime to use that burst. But that extra burst is there and it is what sets apart the good from the greats. Not to mention that guy probably is probably in better shape during the game to play at a higher level, with such a focus on what he wants to do. Wrap your mind around that for a second.
Pastor Cosby's message went on to talk about how holding on to things impedes progress in all forms of life. He asserted his message on politics, relationships, friendships, in the workforce, basically anywhere where you can achieve and not fully obtain what is meant for you. A few major quotes Pastor Cosby dropped were:
"It is possible to experience God's good and not God's best" (Self explanatory. You can get some of what is there for you, but by choosing to do other things you'll miss whats right there for the taking)
"Opportunity doesn't come without opposition" & "We focus too much on racism and not the opportunity" (I'm going to let you figure out what he meant, but I will say nothing worth having comes easy.)
"God blesses hustlers" (NO! Not the dude on the block destroying the community. People who work hard and try to make something out of nothing, LEGALLY)
"You are what you are because you had it rough" (Thank God for the struggle, it made you what you are and remember that when you become a parent and want to spoil children)
I understand some people have a problem with God. So substitute God for life, and it would still be a good motivational message you can take something from.
For me church is like the hook in Nas' track "Can't forget about you," off Hip Hop is Dead: "Never on schedule, but always on time."
Sunday, June 29, 2008
To all my fellow introverts
These days, nobody believes me when I say I am an introvert. But its true. I am. To the core. And while I have gotten rid of some of the characteristics that constrain personal growth, individually and socially, I still essentially maintain the introverted spirit.
I have no reason why I am an introvert. Generally, as most analyzers say, there are events, or specific environmental influences that make people introverts. I have small examples, but tend to think thats just a personal preference, in my immediate and extended family I can only think of 3 maybe 4 introverts, because generally my family goes extrovert. On paper, I should be one myself. Just never worked out that way. I don't even have like scarring experiences....I just generally don't like being bothered with people. For a while, I tried to work on it but at that point I was so unfamiliar, and for lack of a better word scared, of dealing with people I just shut of socially. But, right now I am working on it now for several reasons though.
One builds a lot doing things they do not want to do and willingly making choices that go against your own tendencies. Basically a little resistance will go a long way....and a lot of resistance will go even further. So day by day I step out of my norms to do things I don't want to do. And it so far has worked. Hasn't been easy, but I am pleased with my growth and how much I have been able to give as a result of it.
A while back I had a conversation with a wise man, where we were talking getting involved in something or other. His words of invaluable wisdom were that you don't always have to get something out of what you do, think about what you can put into the situation. And honestly that probably has been where I have grown the most. I cannot count the times where I have talked to somebody when I didn't want to or just randomly out of the blue, where we both left the conversation better for it. Not because I preached some wonderful message (as I often attempt to do) or because I got to talk to a human I liked (something that is very rare these days), but because there was genuine interaction that wasn't inhibited by agendas.
If anything I have been terrified of what peoples agendas are for, with, relating to, around, and involving me and the rest of the world. And I tend to place value on people based on what I can get out of them or what I think they are worth to me. However, since I have taken the approach that there is no reason to be terrified of people and just do what is right I have had a lot better luck with being less introverted/terrified with personal interaction. Most people are as generally weary of social interaction I've found. I'm not the only person that rolls my eyes and tries to be inconspicuous when they see somebody they may not want to talk to LOL. And then if you judge ppl before they ever have the chance to act their actions will be scrutinized and weighed without being objective and then you're interacting with somebody you either like or dislike based on a baseless perception.
Joe Budden has a great line to finish up my favorite track of his. It's called "Thou Shall Not Fall" off the Mood Muzik 3 Mixtape and it's about not giving in to lifes pressures. (I have wanted so long to quote this line in something meaningful.) He's talking about a stripper getting a hold of her life which is just there for double meaning, as its applicable to anybody in any walk of life. It says "maybe bend but never let them make you fold, accept your shortcomings baby they gon' make you whole". Having always felt like I was going to do something big on a large scale, not for the limelight, but to make the most difference or have the largest impact, I have known that I will either be made or broken by being an introvert. And for this shortcoming I have bended many ways like singing in front of church, playing organized sports, writing, etc. and I do feel like I am becoming more whole as a person as a result.
But of course everybody has their own reasons for being an introvert or extrovert, but my advice.... critically analyze why it is you do what you do and if that is the best for what you want to do. My little sister wants to be an actress so she does everything she puts herself into the right positions to be a good actress. Since she was little she has had a horrible voice, but I'm sure her desire to be a great actress will lead her to voice lessons.
Consider my breaking my introvert habits personality lessons.
I have no reason why I am an introvert. Generally, as most analyzers say, there are events, or specific environmental influences that make people introverts. I have small examples, but tend to think thats just a personal preference, in my immediate and extended family I can only think of 3 maybe 4 introverts, because generally my family goes extrovert. On paper, I should be one myself. Just never worked out that way. I don't even have like scarring experiences....I just generally don't like being bothered with people. For a while, I tried to work on it but at that point I was so unfamiliar, and for lack of a better word scared, of dealing with people I just shut of socially. But, right now I am working on it now for several reasons though.
One builds a lot doing things they do not want to do and willingly making choices that go against your own tendencies. Basically a little resistance will go a long way....and a lot of resistance will go even further. So day by day I step out of my norms to do things I don't want to do. And it so far has worked. Hasn't been easy, but I am pleased with my growth and how much I have been able to give as a result of it.
A while back I had a conversation with a wise man, where we were talking getting involved in something or other. His words of invaluable wisdom were that you don't always have to get something out of what you do, think about what you can put into the situation. And honestly that probably has been where I have grown the most. I cannot count the times where I have talked to somebody when I didn't want to or just randomly out of the blue, where we both left the conversation better for it. Not because I preached some wonderful message (as I often attempt to do) or because I got to talk to a human I liked (something that is very rare these days), but because there was genuine interaction that wasn't inhibited by agendas.
If anything I have been terrified of what peoples agendas are for, with, relating to, around, and involving me and the rest of the world. And I tend to place value on people based on what I can get out of them or what I think they are worth to me. However, since I have taken the approach that there is no reason to be terrified of people and just do what is right I have had a lot better luck with being less introverted/terrified with personal interaction. Most people are as generally weary of social interaction I've found. I'm not the only person that rolls my eyes and tries to be inconspicuous when they see somebody they may not want to talk to LOL. And then if you judge ppl before they ever have the chance to act their actions will be scrutinized and weighed without being objective and then you're interacting with somebody you either like or dislike based on a baseless perception.
Joe Budden has a great line to finish up my favorite track of his. It's called "Thou Shall Not Fall" off the Mood Muzik 3 Mixtape and it's about not giving in to lifes pressures. (I have wanted so long to quote this line in something meaningful.) He's talking about a stripper getting a hold of her life which is just there for double meaning, as its applicable to anybody in any walk of life. It says "maybe bend but never let them make you fold, accept your shortcomings baby they gon' make you whole". Having always felt like I was going to do something big on a large scale, not for the limelight, but to make the most difference or have the largest impact, I have known that I will either be made or broken by being an introvert. And for this shortcoming I have bended many ways like singing in front of church, playing organized sports, writing, etc. and I do feel like I am becoming more whole as a person as a result.
But of course everybody has their own reasons for being an introvert or extrovert, but my advice.... critically analyze why it is you do what you do and if that is the best for what you want to do. My little sister wants to be an actress so she does everything she puts herself into the right positions to be a good actress. Since she was little she has had a horrible voice, but I'm sure her desire to be a great actress will lead her to voice lessons.
Consider my breaking my introvert habits personality lessons.
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