The movie was okay. It was more educational than entertaining, but I guess that was the point. It gave me a newfound respect for Al Gore though. I used to just laugh when I thought of this guy but now I see that he really has found something he cares about deeply and he is trying to educate the world so we can save our planet. The movie made me at the very least want to think about doing something to reduce the impact I'm having on the global warming phenomenon. I'm not sure if I'm going to flip the switch today and go buy a hybrid vehicle or anything, but the seed has been planted and I probably will try to find at least a couple ways to "reduce my impact." Once you are knowledgeable of these things, it's your choice to make a change or not. So I'm glad I have the knowledge. The next step is doing something with it.
The main point of the movie was that the amount of carbon dioxide (C02) we're putting into the earth's atmosphere is creating a layer of Greenhouse Gases surrounding the earth that keep radiation (from the sun) in our atmosphere, that USED TO BE let out. This creates a situation where rather than escaping back into space and out of the earth's atmosphere, heat rays stay inside the earth's atmosphere and contribute to warmer temperatures globally. Here are a couple videos from the movie (both short) that do a better job of explaining than I can:
This has the effect of changing weather patterns dramatically in different parts of the world, melting polar ice caps, causing severe droughts as well as severe rainfalls, changing the ocean currents that help drive our weather patterns, and also making Al Gore very very scared and worried for our future as a planet. Keep that in mind, as a planet. This is not something that will only affect us or only affect some other country we care nothing about (snobby Americans we are).
More on those ocean currents that help drive our weather patterns:
The amount of C02 we put into the earth's atmosphere from our cars, energy plants, etc. is increasing at a very rapid rate. This in turn, is having a tremendous impact on temperatures throughout the world and it's only expected to get worse if we continue on the path we're on. The consequences of us not making changes soon will ultimately be catastrophic and will lead to many deaths and people displaced from their homes.
The movie is very educational and in a lot of ways inspiring. But its focus is something that most of us have only heard about. You know, the term, "Global Warming". But we don't REALLY know what it means even though we may act like it or use the term from time-to-time.
Go see this movie if you have the opportunity! It will enlighten you as to what the term "Global Warming" really means and how important it is for the world to take notice and move swiftly to make changes that will thwart the many catastrophic events that loom.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
"But since they all fall in my Palm I'll take a TREO!"
Game (feat. Kanye) - Wouldn't Get Far
Definitely one of my favorite tracks off of the Doctor's Advocate. These guys have senses of humor. Gotta love it. (WARNING: Explicit Lyrics)
Definitely one of my favorite tracks off of the Doctor's Advocate. These guys have senses of humor. Gotta love it. (WARNING: Explicit Lyrics)
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Great Video: John Legend - P.D.A.
This video makes the song even more enjoyable.
BHill and I had a couple discussions about how nowadays you are hit with a video before you even hear a song on the radio. So the imagery from the video can draw you into a song that you may not have thought twice about had you heard it on the radio first. But in this case the video complements the song quite well. This may very well be because I don't listen to the radio and heard this song via the CD first.
BHill and I had a couple discussions about how nowadays you are hit with a video before you even hear a song on the radio. So the imagery from the video can draw you into a song that you may not have thought twice about had you heard it on the radio first. But in this case the video complements the song quite well. This may very well be because I don't listen to the radio and heard this song via the CD first.
Dude, your peoples owned slaves! "Yeah, but that was 300 years ago!"
For me at least.
I read this post over at NahRight a few minutes ago and it got me thinking. First, I'll give you the gist of the story (as posted at NahRight):
http://nahright.com/news/2007/01/30/jay-z-supports-slavery/
If Jay knew that the company owned slaves before they agreed to give them the naming rights, then he should have said something at that time to the other MAJORITY owners out of obligation as a Black man who is a descendant of slaves. But the fact he is only a minority owner probably means that even if he did say something, his words wouldn't mean much at all in terms of making that particular decision.
Jay-Z plays himself anyway by fronting like he's the sole owner of the team anyway. But that's just me feeling that way, I guess. So now it looks like he made this decision to go with that company (Barclay's). At least to those who don't know he's just/only a minority owner. It's a REALLY BIG deal for him to even be a minority owner of an NBA franchise, but he's let the whole "I own the Nets" thing ride too far and now it may come back to bite him.
But in general, if the majority owners are cool with dealing with a company that owned slaves, it should probably make Jay question why he's in business with co-owners who don't care about those so-called "facts" of the past. And whatever the controversial dealings were in the 1980s would need to be examined as well. That wasn't that long ago.
The more I think of it though, I am not sure what I would do in this particular situation. I would have definitely stood up and said something about doing business with a company that owned slaves. I think standing up in opposition to doing business with a company that owned slaves - as (most likely) the only Black man to be part-owner of the team - would have been an easy thing to do. Definitely the right thing to do. Whether he did at least that much or not we may never know. But when you are doing business with guys and something like this takes place and you may be forced to re-assess the type of people you are doing business with, what do you do? Stop doing business with them and give up ownership for something another company did 300 years ago or 20 years ago? Or do you let it ride because in the company's recent history there has been no signs of foul play?
The slave-owning took place in the 18th century. We're in the 21st century now. That's 300 years ago! Did it give them as big an advantage in the business arena as slavery gave whites in the building of the U.S. and its class and economic systems? Are the effects/profits of their slave-owning 300 years ago giving them an advantage over everyone else today? Maybe so.
The larger point is that there are many companies that exist today that have directly or indirectly profited from slavery in America and/or slavery in Africa. And, that government corruption is not unique to the South African government and is more likely than not, rampant throughout the world. How many companies in the U.S. have lobbyists on Capitol Hill working on behalf of the company's interests? That's pretty daggon sketchy to me.
Anyway, I'm still gathering my thoughts on this and not 100% sure just how I feel yet. But I found it interesting how Mr. Jigger is so successful in the business arena that a conversation such as this could be evoked because of him and his business ventures/moves.
This would be a great topic for a dinner party.
I read this post over at NahRight a few minutes ago and it got me thinking. First, I'll give you the gist of the story (as posted at NahRight):
"The Jiggaman was all smiles recently when the team announced that its new arena in Brooklyn, Jay-Z’s hometown, would be called the Barclays Center, after UK-based Barclays Bank, which is paying $400 million over 20 years for naming rights. But just after the January 18 announcement, local politicians and journalists quickly rang the alarm on the deal, criticizing the team and its majority owner, Bruce Ratner, for taking money from a bank whose founding family profited from its ownership of slaves in the 18th century and was involved in controversial dealings with the South African government in the 1980s."Post URL:
http://nahright.com/news/2007/01/30/jay-z-supports-slavery/
If Jay knew that the company owned slaves before they agreed to give them the naming rights, then he should have said something at that time to the other MAJORITY owners out of obligation as a Black man who is a descendant of slaves. But the fact he is only a minority owner probably means that even if he did say something, his words wouldn't mean much at all in terms of making that particular decision.Jay-Z plays himself anyway by fronting like he's the sole owner of the team anyway. But that's just me feeling that way, I guess. So now it looks like he made this decision to go with that company (Barclay's). At least to those who don't know he's just/only a minority owner. It's a REALLY BIG deal for him to even be a minority owner of an NBA franchise, but he's let the whole "I own the Nets" thing ride too far and now it may come back to bite him.
But in general, if the majority owners are cool with dealing with a company that owned slaves, it should probably make Jay question why he's in business with co-owners who don't care about those so-called "facts" of the past. And whatever the controversial dealings were in the 1980s would need to be examined as well. That wasn't that long ago.
The more I think of it though, I am not sure what I would do in this particular situation. I would have definitely stood up and said something about doing business with a company that owned slaves. I think standing up in opposition to doing business with a company that owned slaves - as (most likely) the only Black man to be part-owner of the team - would have been an easy thing to do. Definitely the right thing to do. Whether he did at least that much or not we may never know. But when you are doing business with guys and something like this takes place and you may be forced to re-assess the type of people you are doing business with, what do you do? Stop doing business with them and give up ownership for something another company did 300 years ago or 20 years ago? Or do you let it ride because in the company's recent history there has been no signs of foul play?
The slave-owning took place in the 18th century. We're in the 21st century now. That's 300 years ago! Did it give them as big an advantage in the business arena as slavery gave whites in the building of the U.S. and its class and economic systems? Are the effects/profits of their slave-owning 300 years ago giving them an advantage over everyone else today? Maybe so.
The larger point is that there are many companies that exist today that have directly or indirectly profited from slavery in America and/or slavery in Africa. And, that government corruption is not unique to the South African government and is more likely than not, rampant throughout the world. How many companies in the U.S. have lobbyists on Capitol Hill working on behalf of the company's interests? That's pretty daggon sketchy to me.
Anyway, I'm still gathering my thoughts on this and not 100% sure just how I feel yet. But I found it interesting how Mr. Jigger is so successful in the business arena that a conversation such as this could be evoked because of him and his business ventures/moves.
This would be a great topic for a dinner party.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Desultory Variedness
Forgive the title. I'm trying to come up with more creative ways of saying, "this is completely random and pointless".
Inconvenient Truth
Tomorrow night, I'm going to check this out:
Gilbert Arenas: Taking some of those Quality "Hibachi" Shots
"My swag was phenomenal!"
It's great when you have the ultra swag minus the ultra bowlshyt. Even better when you don't even have to swag at all because your that good and everybody knows it...Like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer.
The Big Aristotle still getting his police officer on...
Fidel Castro probably ain't feeling this idea
Barbaro = Euthanized
I'm not big into horse-racing, but this kind of sucks. The horse put up one heck of a fight!
Self-examination: Tall guys get all the lumps
I swear that over the past two years I've grown at least 1 inch. I thought that your growth spurt(s) stopped at like 21? Anyway, I noticed this because I have been hitting my head on stuff that USED TO BE so high that I didn't hit my head on them in the past (like last year or so). It's very weird. This tall thing has its drawbacks fellas. So all you guys out there with the short man's complex should relax and be happy! And stop actin' all rone-ree:
Inconvenient Truth
Tomorrow night, I'm going to check this out:
Gilbert Arenas: Taking some of those Quality "Hibachi" Shots
"My swag was phenomenal!"
It's great when you have the ultra swag minus the ultra bowlshyt. Even better when you don't even have to swag at all because your that good and everybody knows it...Like Tiger Woods or Roger Federer.
The Big Aristotle still getting his police officer on...
"O'Neal, the Miami Heat's All-Star center and a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, followed a driver who allegedly crashed into his Cadillac Escalade and tried to flee the scene"Shaq is definitely one of my favorite personalities in sports. He, Clinton Portis, Tony Kornheiser, and Hibachi/Gilbo/G-Renas (Gilbert Arenas) are on my list as well.
Fidel Castro probably ain't feeling this idea
"The city of Miami is planning an official celebration at the Orange Bowl whenever Cuban president Fidel Castro dies...Discussions by a committee appointed earlier this month by the city commission to plan the event have even covered issues such as a theme to be printed on T-shirts, what musicians would perform, the cost and how long the celebration would last...Such a gathering has long been part of the city's plan for Castro's death, but firming up the specifics has been more urgent since Castro became ill last summer and turned over power to his brother, Raul."At the Orange Bowl though? Dag!
Barbaro = Euthanized
I'm not big into horse-racing, but this kind of sucks. The horse put up one heck of a fight!
Self-examination: Tall guys get all the lumps
I swear that over the past two years I've grown at least 1 inch. I thought that your growth spurt(s) stopped at like 21? Anyway, I noticed this because I have been hitting my head on stuff that USED TO BE so high that I didn't hit my head on them in the past (like last year or so). It's very weird. This tall thing has its drawbacks fellas. So all you guys out there with the short man's complex should relax and be happy! And stop actin' all rone-ree:
He did not die in vain
This past weekend, I lost another friend to violence. Another friend has passed away at the hands of a gunshot. This is friend number 7! Seven times!
But he did not die in vain. None of them have died in vain. We look back and we learn from their lives, their mistakes, and their triumphs. Their deaths help make us stronger. Their deaths, in some way, help us to become better people. And their deaths will undoubtedly help many of us grow closer to God.
Maybe it hasn't really hit me yet. It still seems so surreal. The details of what happened are murky at best. Everyone's emotions seem to be on edge. Everyone's hurting. But everybody WILL get through it. There is a lot of good that will come out of this. I KNOW IT! A lot of good already has! I'm hopeful of (and anxious to see) what the other positive things are...
But he did not die in vain. None of them have died in vain. We look back and we learn from their lives, their mistakes, and their triumphs. Their deaths help make us stronger. Their deaths, in some way, help us to become better people. And their deaths will undoubtedly help many of us grow closer to God.
Maybe it hasn't really hit me yet. It still seems so surreal. The details of what happened are murky at best. Everyone's emotions seem to be on edge. Everyone's hurting. But everybody WILL get through it. There is a lot of good that will come out of this. I KNOW IT! A lot of good already has! I'm hopeful of (and anxious to see) what the other positive things are...
FREE COLLEGE for Black Males!
I was forwarded the information below by a friend of mine. Please read and forward the information to anyone who may be interested.
CALL ME MISTER
Do you know any Black Males who are in Senior high school who want to
go to college out of state for Free. The black Colleges are looking for
future black male teachers and will send them to universities/college
for 4 years FREE.
Read the Mission Statement. There are about 10 different colleges or
universities.
http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm
CALL ME MISTER
Do you know any Black Males who are in Senior high school who want to
go to college out of state for Free. The black Colleges are looking for
future black male teachers and will send them to universities/college
for 4 years FREE.
"The Call Me MISTER program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina's lowest performing schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities."This is for African-American MALES ONLY. Have the parents fill out this application.
Read the Mission Statement. There are about 10 different colleges or
universities.
http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm
Friday, January 26, 2007
SELECT * FROM My_Brain;
Also known as "Miscellaneous Randomness"
They ran up in my offices with the...CANNON!
I'm glad MTV did a spot on this because I wasn't believing errything else I was hearing.GANGSTA GRIZZ-ILLS!
Hibachi makes the starting line-up for the Eastern Conference
Comcast SUCKS again
Not only do I not have home phone service, but even worse... I don't have the InterWeb at home! You guys know I am going through withdrawal like Pookie in New Jack City (CLASSIC)!
WARNING: Topless women in this video!
WARNING: Profanity!
I guess I should be happy that I still have digital cable service and On Demand. But I'm not! Bring my Internet back you monopolistic, bad customer-service-havin', technician outside-contracting, messing up my web design -ish, over-charging (well, the triple play ain't that bad), bad signal having, you know whats! Okay, I'm done!
I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold....
...because of the 30-degree weather today.
They ran up in my offices with the...CANNON!
I'm glad MTV did a spot on this because I wasn't believing errything else I was hearing.GANGSTA GRIZZ-ILLS!
Hibachi makes the starting line-up for the Eastern Conference
Gilbert Arenas pulled out another late victory...The Washington star surged past Vince Carter in the final days of All-Star voting to claim the second Eastern Conference guard spot by 3,010 votes Thursday, the fourth-closest margin for a starting spot.I told ya'll to respect that man. "Get the picture, Kodak man?"
Comcast SUCKS again
Not only do I not have home phone service, but even worse... I don't have the InterWeb at home! You guys know I am going through withdrawal like Pookie in New Jack City (CLASSIC)!
WARNING: Topless women in this video!
WARNING: Profanity!
I guess I should be happy that I still have digital cable service and On Demand. But I'm not! Bring my Internet back you monopolistic, bad customer-service-havin', technician outside-contracting, messing up my web design -ish, over-charging (well, the triple play ain't that bad), bad signal having, you know whats! Okay, I'm done!
I'm so cold, I'm so cold, I'm so cold....
...because of the 30-degree weather today.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
State of the Union
Considering ole' G-Dubya, this might actually...Nah, it couldn't. Could it?
Things to note.
Things to note.
- In China above the flag it reads, "Control Room", in English...In China?
- France is just funny.
- "So now the US is like, 'F--k, we're dumbasses'!" Well, well, well! We might be onto something here!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Guilty Pleasure: No One Ever Really Dies
Not the group, but the same level of intelligence. Not the movie, but the same quirky interests. Not the computer kind, but the Web kind...Actually, I could use the type of bank account the computer kind has...
Pretty much all my life I've known that I wanted to do something in computers as my career. My buddy James Lampkin and I had a conversation in Ms. Hoffman's 6th grade class in elementary school where we both decided we were going to do "something in computers" because even back then, playing Oregon Trail in the computer lab sparked excitement and interest. As I got older, lots of people (mainly teachers and family members) would tell me:
So by the time my senior year of high school arrived I combined the two things I knew - or at least thought - I was good at and enjoyed (computers and math), with the advice so many people had given me, "Be an engineer", and I decided I would major in computer engineering in college. I went on to enroll at the Johns Hopkins University and do just that. I would learn though, that learning Computer Engineering would not make me happy like I thought it would and that I could not see myself pursuing it as a career. So in the fall of my sophomore year I took a class called "The Internet". I remember Leu Beach was the teacher. Leu was one of those teachers everybody wanted because he was cool, laid-back, and his classes were fun. So that's where I believe my love for the InterWeb began. Shaffer Hall, Room 3 on the Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus.
After "The Internet", my interest grew more and more to the point where I would buy books about [relatively] new Internet programming technologies (back then it was XML, PERL, CSS, JavaScript). I landed an internship at the Department of the Interior (thanks to my man Booze) doing web development for a summer. The next summer I taught Computer Camp at the American University in Washington, D.C. And in my senior year of college I worked two jobs: one doing clerical work in the Accounts Payable deparment on campus (work-study jump-off), and another updating a website for one of the departments on campus. Needless to say, I was getting my "experience" the best way I could, on my own. My major was Computer Engineering. Hopkins didn't offer an "Internet" major. The closest I could probably get would have been "Computer Science" but I was afraid of the programming required. So I had to go out and grab the knowledge I wanted. I think this helped build my character.
Upon graduation I took the job I'm still working as a Web Developer and over the past two years or so that has helped spawn more interest, a business venture outside of my 9-to-5, and the blog you are now reading. But in the midst of it all, I've developed my guilty pleasure of being a wannabe WebNerd. I say "wannabe" because I don't know what'll make me official (LOL), but some people think I'm already there (I'm told it's a good thing though). So maybe I'm the first?
"I've been in this game for years, it me an animal. It's rules to this [ish], I wrote me a manual, a step-by-step booklet..." --Shot out to Biggie
So when things like Amazon's refund policy, YouTube's successor, Google's plan for world-takeover, USB air-conditioned t-shirts, multi-touch user interfaces (way before the iPhone was announced, I might add), or nerdy blogger shirts appear on my blog, realize that there's a history to the madness. There's a sort of struggle to gain happiness through the pursuit of knowledge. There's a real love for something that enhances my life in a certain way.
I guess it's like Juelz Santana (I hate to quote him but it fits) said:
Pretty much all my life I've known that I wanted to do something in computers as my career. My buddy James Lampkin and I had a conversation in Ms. Hoffman's 6th grade class in elementary school where we both decided we were going to do "something in computers" because even back then, playing Oregon Trail in the computer lab sparked excitement and interest. As I got older, lots of people (mainly teachers and family members) would tell me:"You're good with math and science, you should be an engineer!"After a while with many people telling you this, it starts to stick. You develop a confidence in your intelligence I guess and you start to think:
"Well, maybe I really can be an engineer one day."So in high school, I took some computer programming classes. Mr. Schlude was a cool teacher. Most of the students probably considered him geeky because he was a short white guy with the typical nerdy looking glasses, cracked corny jokes, and he spoke proper English (ya'll know how that goes in urban settings). On top of that, he taught classes like "Computer Math". But through his classes, I got to learn foundational programming languages like FORTRAN, PASCAL, and eventually C++ (don't worry about understanding that stuff).
So by the time my senior year of high school arrived I combined the two things I knew - or at least thought - I was good at and enjoyed (computers and math), with the advice so many people had given me, "Be an engineer", and I decided I would major in computer engineering in college. I went on to enroll at the Johns Hopkins University and do just that. I would learn though, that learning Computer Engineering would not make me happy like I thought it would and that I could not see myself pursuing it as a career. So in the fall of my sophomore year I took a class called "The Internet". I remember Leu Beach was the teacher. Leu was one of those teachers everybody wanted because he was cool, laid-back, and his classes were fun. So that's where I believe my love for the InterWeb began. Shaffer Hall, Room 3 on the Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus.
After "The Internet", my interest grew more and more to the point where I would buy books about [relatively] new Internet programming technologies (back then it was XML, PERL, CSS, JavaScript). I landed an internship at the Department of the Interior (thanks to my man Booze) doing web development for a summer. The next summer I taught Computer Camp at the American University in Washington, D.C. And in my senior year of college I worked two jobs: one doing clerical work in the Accounts Payable deparment on campus (work-study jump-off), and another updating a website for one of the departments on campus. Needless to say, I was getting my "experience" the best way I could, on my own. My major was Computer Engineering. Hopkins didn't offer an "Internet" major. The closest I could probably get would have been "Computer Science" but I was afraid of the programming required. So I had to go out and grab the knowledge I wanted. I think this helped build my character.
Upon graduation I took the job I'm still working as a Web Developer and over the past two years or so that has helped spawn more interest, a business venture outside of my 9-to-5, and the blog you are now reading. But in the midst of it all, I've developed my guilty pleasure of being a wannabe WebNerd. I say "wannabe" because I don't know what'll make me official (LOL), but some people think I'm already there (I'm told it's a good thing though). So maybe I'm the first?
"I've been in this game for years, it me an animal. It's rules to this [ish], I wrote me a manual, a step-by-step booklet..." --Shot out to Biggie
So when things like Amazon's refund policy, YouTube's successor, Google's plan for world-takeover, USB air-conditioned t-shirts, multi-touch user interfaces (way before the iPhone was announced, I might add), or nerdy blogger shirts appear on my blog, realize that there's a history to the madness. There's a sort of struggle to gain happiness through the pursuit of knowledge. There's a real love for something that enhances my life in a certain way.
I guess it's like Juelz Santana (I hate to quote him but it fits) said:
"You can either comprehend it or complement it. [But] it's all authentic!"
Monday, January 22, 2007
We R Family
This weekend I had several of those "man I love my family to death" moments. So, I gotta share!
Moment #1: I realized that my younger brother is really mature and a gentleman. I've always thought that my parents did a wonderful job of raising my brother and I, showing us how to be respectable gentleman.
But my brother showed me this weekend that he's an even greater person than I could have imagined and that he's as loyal and close to his friends as I am to mine. MAP, what you did was really commendable and special. I'm proud of you!
Moment #2: My mother made this bangin' shrimp salad this weekend and packed a little tupperware container full of it so that I could bring it back home with me. My mom always makes salads and stuff like that. She loves to make pasta salad, chicken salad, and experiment with other types of salads and they all turn out great. So much so that I have had some of my friends make special requests that my mom make her pasta salad for the parties that we have. But every once in a while when I come home, my mother will make one of her salads without telling me that she's making one. So I'll be out with my buddies from 'round the way and when I come back to her house, I'll have a special container in the kitchen waiting for me. It's like her little gift to me that I can take home and enjoy. It's definitely one of those special things that my mother does for me that really keeps the bond she and I have strong. It's definitely the little things that mean the most!
Moment #3: As my mother, stepfather, and I sad in their bedroom and went through my cruise pictures, my mother smiled at all the pictures where I was obviously under the influence of alcohol. My mom knows that I drink but I don't think there's been more than one time when she's seen me dancing under the influence of alcohol. So she gave me that "I'm surprised at you but I know you were having a good time" look. Maybe it's this picture that tipped her off (LOL). My stepdad, never to be out-commented by my mother, asked me about all the young ladies in the pictures (LOL). I also gave my mom (and grandmother) a copy of the formal picture I took (shown on the right-hand column) while on the cruise. She loved it!
Something I learned about my family that I never knew:
My mother proposed to my stepfather. This has been kept on the hush-hush since 1985! I was pretty shocked when they told me this. I really thought it was something they should have shared a long time ago because it's one of those "secrets" that it would actually be good to tell your kids about. I always assumed that my stepfather proposed, but it turns out that my mother proposed to him! Kudos to you mom because you picked a great guy!
This is only the second case of a woman proposing to a man that I have been privy to. It really hit me this time because it was MY PARENTS! Very interesting and thought-provoking stuff.
It's funny in a way because I always joke when people ask me why I'm not married and say:
By the way, P.Y.T. is one of my favorite Mike-Jack songs aside from my number one all-time, "Rock Wit You".
"You gotta feel that heat, and we can ride the boogie! Share that beat of LOVE!"
I gotta get one of those outfits! For HALLOWEEN!
Moment #1: I realized that my younger brother is really mature and a gentleman. I've always thought that my parents did a wonderful job of raising my brother and I, showing us how to be respectable gentleman.
But my brother showed me this weekend that he's an even greater person than I could have imagined and that he's as loyal and close to his friends as I am to mine. MAP, what you did was really commendable and special. I'm proud of you!
Moment #2: My mother made this bangin' shrimp salad this weekend and packed a little tupperware container full of it so that I could bring it back home with me. My mom always makes salads and stuff like that. She loves to make pasta salad, chicken salad, and experiment with other types of salads and they all turn out great. So much so that I have had some of my friends make special requests that my mom make her pasta salad for the parties that we have. But every once in a while when I come home, my mother will make one of her salads without telling me that she's making one. So I'll be out with my buddies from 'round the way and when I come back to her house, I'll have a special container in the kitchen waiting for me. It's like her little gift to me that I can take home and enjoy. It's definitely one of those special things that my mother does for me that really keeps the bond she and I have strong. It's definitely the little things that mean the most!
Moment #3: As my mother, stepfather, and I sad in their bedroom and went through my cruise pictures, my mother smiled at all the pictures where I was obviously under the influence of alcohol. My mom knows that I drink but I don't think there's been more than one time when she's seen me dancing under the influence of alcohol. So she gave me that "I'm surprised at you but I know you were having a good time" look. Maybe it's this picture that tipped her off (LOL). My stepdad, never to be out-commented by my mother, asked me about all the young ladies in the pictures (LOL). I also gave my mom (and grandmother) a copy of the formal picture I took (shown on the right-hand column) while on the cruise. She loved it!
Something I learned about my family that I never knew:
My mother proposed to my stepfather. This has been kept on the hush-hush since 1985! I was pretty shocked when they told me this. I really thought it was something they should have shared a long time ago because it's one of those "secrets" that it would actually be good to tell your kids about. I always assumed that my stepfather proposed, but it turns out that my mother proposed to him! Kudos to you mom because you picked a great guy!This is only the second case of a woman proposing to a man that I have been privy to. It really hit me this time because it was MY PARENTS! Very interesting and thought-provoking stuff.
It's funny in a way because I always joke when people ask me why I'm not married and say:
"Whenever someone proposes, I'm down!"It's not a serious comment because I definitely see myself proposing to some P.Y.T. some day, but it made for some interesting irony in my mind this weekend when my stepfather told me that my mom proposed to him.
By the way, P.Y.T. is one of my favorite Mike-Jack songs aside from my number one all-time, "Rock Wit You".
I Want To Love You (P.Y.T.)More classic Michael Jackson:
Pretty Young Thing
You Need Some Lovin’ (T.L.C.)
Tender Lovin’ Care
And I’ll Take You There
I Want To Love You (P.Y.T.)
Pretty Young Thing
You Need Some Lovin’ (T.L.C.)
Tender Lovin’ Care
I’ll Shake You There
"You gotta feel that heat, and we can ride the boogie! Share that beat of LOVE!"
I gotta get one of those outfits! For HALLOWEEN!
Random things this weekend
The cat must have been on his 10th life
I'm riding down Alabama Avenue in DC Saturday night, on the phone with Woo. The Hummer in front of me has some bangin' rims on it. So I'm riding behind this dude and about 500 feet in front of him (yes, I scan that far ahead on most days) I see a cat about to run across the street. The following is precisely what took place:
[Cat runs across the street from left to right]...
Me [to Woo]: Uh oh, I hope he makes it.
Woo: [silent]???
[Cat makes it across the street with the Hummer about 20 feet or so away from him, but starts to head back in the direction it had come across the street]
Me: No!
[The Hummer proceeds to tap his breaks because he sees that cat coming back across the street]
Me: Ahhhh sh*t!
[Cat runs directly in front of Hummer with little room to spare]
Me: [as Hummer demolishes the cat] OHHHHHHHHHHH! D@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@MMMMMNNNN!
Woo: What?
[Cat is now pretty much crushed after being run over by the left front and left rear tires of this gargantuan Hummer. But the cat ends up on it's "stomach" facing my car]
Me: [as I drive toward the presumably dead and crushed cat with it's eyes staring at me] F&CK!
Woo: [silence]
[As I drive over the cat my stomach cringes as I hear several thumps and then look in my rear view mirror to see a tail waggling in the air]
Me: D@MN Woo! This bama in the Hummer just ran over this cat and I hit that joint right afer him! D@MN!
So after this happens, the Hummer catches a red light and the guy driving gets out of his car to look and make sure he doesn't have cat internal organs splatter on his rims (seriously, he did just that). He looks at his rims, then looks back at me, shakes his head, chuckles, and gets back in his car.
On to the next cat I guess?
The whole situation reminds me of my co-workers old cat, K-Itty. LOL. The cat's name was K-Itty? Is that not hilarious?!?! Anyway, it didn't remind me of anything in particular about the cat, just that the cat's name was K-Itty. I know, so random, but check the title of the post, silly!
Best thing about the Colts and the Bears in the SuperBowl
A Black coach has to win!
Random video #1. Pretty Ricky: Dane, get your jokes ready...
Don't laugh at me too much ya'll, but I think this song is really entertaining/catchy/hilarious/good. Yep, I admit it, I like Pretty Ricky's "On the Hotline". Blame it on the beat!
My personal highlights from this video. I'd much rather just listen to the song but this video is quite entertaining.
Another random weekend video: Certified Gangsters
This video is the best video JimmyJennie Jones ever made. Much better than the We Fly High joint. This song might be the other Jim Jones joint I enjoy. LOL.
Jerri curl juice, braided hair, the color red, pants saggin. Cam's brown outfit really irks me. Game's verse is dope! Jim Jones's verse? What can you really expect from this guy lyrically? The video is HARD though!
Random video #3:Down and Out
This will definitely be my favorite CamRon song ever! It's really just a race between this one and "Oh Boy!" But Kanye really helped Cam out here and it's a good song even if CamRon has to rap on this FIRE beat!
I know some of you guys are probably wondering why I have two DIPSET videos up. Well, they had a DIPSET video marathon on MTV Jams yesterday so I saw a bunch of them. They actually have more songs with videos than I would have guessed.
I'm riding down Alabama Avenue in DC Saturday night, on the phone with Woo. The Hummer in front of me has some bangin' rims on it. So I'm riding behind this dude and about 500 feet in front of him (yes, I scan that far ahead on most days) I see a cat about to run across the street. The following is precisely what took place:
[Cat runs across the street from left to right]...
Me [to Woo]: Uh oh, I hope he makes it.
Woo: [silent]???
[Cat makes it across the street with the Hummer about 20 feet or so away from him, but starts to head back in the direction it had come across the street]
Me: No!
[The Hummer proceeds to tap his breaks because he sees that cat coming back across the street]
Me: Ahhhh sh*t!
[Cat runs directly in front of Hummer with little room to spare]
Me: [as Hummer demolishes the cat] OHHHHHHHHHHH! D@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@MMMMMNNNN!
Woo: What?
[Cat is now pretty much crushed after being run over by the left front and left rear tires of this gargantuan Hummer. But the cat ends up on it's "stomach" facing my car]
Me: [as I drive toward the presumably dead and crushed cat with it's eyes staring at me] F&CK!
Woo: [silence]
[As I drive over the cat my stomach cringes as I hear several thumps and then look in my rear view mirror to see a tail waggling in the air]
Me: D@MN Woo! This bama in the Hummer just ran over this cat and I hit that joint right afer him! D@MN!
So after this happens, the Hummer catches a red light and the guy driving gets out of his car to look and make sure he doesn't have cat internal organs splatter on his rims (seriously, he did just that). He looks at his rims, then looks back at me, shakes his head, chuckles, and gets back in his car.
On to the next cat I guess?
The whole situation reminds me of my co-workers old cat, K-Itty. LOL. The cat's name was K-Itty? Is that not hilarious?!?! Anyway, it didn't remind me of anything in particular about the cat, just that the cat's name was K-Itty. I know, so random, but check the title of the post, silly!
Best thing about the Colts and the Bears in the SuperBowl
A Black coach has to win!
Random video #1. Pretty Ricky: Dane, get your jokes ready...
Don't laugh at me too much ya'll, but I think this song is really entertaining/catchy/hilarious/good. Yep, I admit it, I like Pretty Ricky's "On the Hotline". Blame it on the beat!
My personal highlights from this video. I'd much rather just listen to the song but this video is quite entertaining.
- This video is like a cross between Michael Jackson, New Edition, and some twisted down South rap video
- The group members names poppin' up in the cameo shots. CLASSIC! Their names period are CLASSIC!
- This thing SCREAMS "GREEN SCREEN!" That's so '90s!
- That gigantic phone homie was talking into while he was on the bed. LOL
- How every one of them seems to really enjoy playing their "role" in this video. So funnily entertaining! (Is funnily a word?)
- The guy who raps halfway through the song. With his voice, it's no wonder he says: "I called you 7 times baby girl don't stall me!"
- The dude who hops out the shower looking like he's about to masturbate. LOL. He is REALLY feeling himself! With all that baby oil he has on, Johnson and Johnson's stock price should go up a few cents
- The fact that these guys use the phrase "lust" so many times in their music shows just how young, dumb, and full of Pimp Juice they are.
- Are they all sharing the SAME GIRL? Jeez fellas, hope you sent Trojan's stock soaring too!
Another random weekend video: Certified Gangsters
This video is the best video Jimmy
Jerri curl juice, braided hair, the color red, pants saggin. Cam's brown outfit really irks me. Game's verse is dope! Jim Jones's verse? What can you really expect from this guy lyrically? The video is HARD though!
Random video #3:Down and Out
This will definitely be my favorite CamRon song ever! It's really just a race between this one and "Oh Boy!" But Kanye really helped Cam out here and it's a good song even if CamRon has to rap on this FIRE beat!
I know some of you guys are probably wondering why I have two DIPSET videos up. Well, they had a DIPSET video marathon on MTV Jams yesterday so I saw a bunch of them. They actually have more songs with videos than I would have guessed.
Oh the weather outside is frightful...
Actually, it's not bad, depending on how you look at it.
With the first measurable snow of 2007 hitting the middle Atlantic states, I am realizing that I really enjoy snowy weather. I dislike winter (dare I say "hate"?), but I love the snow!
The crappy driving conditions; the need for layering up clothing; the newspaper on the floor on the inside of the entrances to the house; the sitting of your boots right by the front door to keep from tracking prints throughout the house; the clearing of snow from your car in the morning. All these things suck but they aren't enough to outweigh all the things I enjoy about snowy weather.
I enjoy going to bed watching the snow fall with streetlights as background lighting. I enjoy waking up and seeing fresh snow on the ground. I enjoy walking outside in the snow when there's no blustery wind and it's sunny. I enjoy playing in the snow like a little kid. I enjoy shoveling snow off the steps. I enjoy throwing on the old Eddie/E.B./"Bear" on from high school (please don't rob me, thugs) I enjoy snowball fights and football in the snow. I haven't gone sledding in several years, but I love that as well. All these things make the winter bearable for me and it makes me feel good inside.
I'm not too anxious to go on any camping adventures or climbing any mountains, but in general (though I have probably denied it), I enjoy nature quite a bit. Especially great views of nature (panoramic especially)! Something about it calms me and allows me to reflect on life and all the positive things I've experienced and maintain my hopes and dreams for the future.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
With the first measurable snow of 2007 hitting the middle Atlantic states, I am realizing that I really enjoy snowy weather. I dislike winter (dare I say "hate"?), but I love the snow! The crappy driving conditions; the need for layering up clothing; the newspaper on the floor on the inside of the entrances to the house; the sitting of your boots right by the front door to keep from tracking prints throughout the house; the clearing of snow from your car in the morning. All these things suck but they aren't enough to outweigh all the things I enjoy about snowy weather.
I enjoy going to bed watching the snow fall with streetlights as background lighting. I enjoy waking up and seeing fresh snow on the ground. I enjoy walking outside in the snow when there's no blustery wind and it's sunny. I enjoy playing in the snow like a little kid. I enjoy shoveling snow off the steps. I enjoy throwing on the old Eddie/E.B./"Bear" on from high school (please don't rob me, thugs) I enjoy snowball fights and football in the snow. I haven't gone sledding in several years, but I love that as well. All these things make the winter bearable for me and it makes me feel good inside.
I'm not too anxious to go on any camping adventures or climbing any mountains, but in general (though I have probably denied it), I enjoy nature quite a bit. Especially great views of nature (panoramic especially)! Something about it calms me and allows me to reflect on life and all the positive things I've experienced and maintain my hopes and dreams for the future.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
Friday, January 19, 2007
Miscellaneous Randomness....
Respect this man
Respect this man
Gilbert is the TRUTH
VERY interesting article ladies and gents...
"B*tch Don’t Just Stand There Wit' Your Nose Up"
Wamp wamp!
My lovefest for everything that is Barack-related continues...
More on Obama...You know, like his voting record. This might come in handy (for those who actually vote) if he formally decides to run for the oval office.
"What Obama's record tells voters"
Yesterday I wore pink
A pink shirt to be exact. Collared, ironed, and crisp. I know the CamRon jokes are coming but it's all good. My point is to say the following:
Everybody, I wore a pink shirt.
Women seemed to think it was stylish...Men looked at me as if they thought I was gay... Men who seemed gay to me, looked at me like I was dessert...The shim that works at the CVS by my job looked at me like he/she ALREADY had sex with me and wanted more (ICK)...I looked at myself, and I kinda liked the way the shirt looked on me.
Everybody, I wore a pink shirt.
LOL
Respect this man
Gilbert is the TRUTH
VERY interesting article ladies and gents...
"B*tch Don’t Just Stand There Wit' Your Nose Up"
Wamp wamp!
My lovefest for everything that is Barack-related continues...
More on Obama...You know, like his voting record. This might come in handy (for those who actually vote) if he formally decides to run for the oval office.
"What Obama's record tells voters"
Yesterday I wore pink
A pink shirt to be exact. Collared, ironed, and crisp. I know the CamRon jokes are coming but it's all good. My point is to say the following:Everybody, I wore a pink shirt.
Women seemed to think it was stylish...Men looked at me as if they thought I was gay... Men who seemed gay to me, looked at me like I was dessert...The shim that works at the CVS by my job looked at me like he/she ALREADY had sex with me and wanted more (ICK)...I looked at myself, and I kinda liked the way the shirt looked on me.
Everybody, I wore a pink shirt.
LOL
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Vacation '07: I love it when we're cruising together
So by now you've had time to read about the couple days leading up to the actual cruise. Now it's time to do a re-cap of what happened while we were on the boat. I won't be as long-winded with this post, I'll try to let the pictures talk a little (many of these pictures are courtesy of JAC).
The morning of Jan. 1, 2007 not only meant the starting of a new year, but it meant the day that we debarked on our 4 day adventure on the ocean. Starting from Miami, we headed to Key West, Florida and then to Calica, Mexico.
Day 1 on the boat:
This is actually in Key West, but it's the best shot of the boat
We boarded the boat at around 2pm. There was a mixer for our travel group at 6pm so that was pretty much the only thing on our minds, aside from food. So when we got on the ship we immediately went upstairs to hit the buffet. That's how you start your cruise off right! With a buffet, some complimentary champagne, and lots of new people to watch. Beautiful!
How could I forget about the death drill before we left the Port of Miami? Notice how a certain person with a Ron Jeremy mustache is completely asleep during the drill? CLASSIC!
Day 2: Key West, Florida:
The highlights:
Check out the pictures though:
I guess I can't be mad about the whole Swizz thing, huh?
Kace, me and JAC getting ready to head out.
That's me in the front. I probably look invisible considering how skinny I am.
Before we move on to day 3, I gotta give a shot-out to my man Dane who has one hell of a way of sleeping. If you put your headphones on, turn the volume up real loud, and tune out the TV in the background, you can get a little sound of what I was talking about at the end of my first post about this vacation.
Shot out to my Motorola Q for this footage! I hope Dane doesn't whoop my azz for this, but if something does happen to me, you can find the culprit HERE!
Day 3: Calica, Mexico:
Highlights:
For those of you who cared to notice, this IS NOT the same shirt from yesterday! LOL. Same hat though. LOL.
This is the PRE-FLIP shot they took. LOL.
The remainder of my pictures are going to be from the cruise ship. Mainly the dinners, the formal night, and other random shots. I'll just do captions for them. But before I do that, I'd like to show you a little video of my man Woo trying to hoop on the cruise. It's really nothing special but since he's the only person out there in jeans and New Balance trying to play basketball, I found it quite hilarious!
The rest of the flicks
Formal night started off pretty formal
I got all Gordon Gartrelle'd up
Fellas were looking smooth...
Ladies were looking beautiful...
Dinner was GREAT!
Then the liquor kicked in (LOL). Yes, I'm a bama, but it's vacation. "I'm partyin'!"
The fellas clean up well, I think.
What do you think?
I have to post the picture below because it's the only picture I have with Fool AKA Mike and TC in it (two people on the left):
Last but not least, I HAVE TO give a BIG shot-out to our travel planner, "Aunt Tricie". We (read, Woo) put her though some difficulties prior to the trip and she held us down like a real auntie would.
So we had to show her some love the last night of the trip and get her a bottle of authentic Mexican wine. Woo picked it up but we all presented it as a gift. She definitely deserved it.
I have so many favorite moments from this trip and I want to remember them all so here they are (LOL)...
The morning of Jan. 1, 2007 not only meant the starting of a new year, but it meant the day that we debarked on our 4 day adventure on the ocean. Starting from Miami, we headed to Key West, Florida and then to Calica, Mexico.
Day 1 on the boat:
This is actually in Key West, but it's the best shot of the boat
We boarded the boat at around 2pm. There was a mixer for our travel group at 6pm so that was pretty much the only thing on our minds, aside from food. So when we got on the ship we immediately went upstairs to hit the buffet. That's how you start your cruise off right! With a buffet, some complimentary champagne, and lots of new people to watch. Beautiful!
How could I forget about the death drill before we left the Port of Miami? Notice how a certain person with a Ron Jeremy mustache is completely asleep during the drill? CLASSIC!
Day 2: Key West, Florida:
The highlights:
- Jet skiing
- Kace giving me that call to let me know she found a jet skiing spot in Key West (siced me!)
- Telling JAC I was gonna be up at 6am and off the boat ready to explore Key West with the ladies and getting up right around 10am or so.
- Watching Kacey gun that jet ski like she is a professional stunt-woman
- Trying to explain to JAC where the "towers" were when we we're jet skiing
- Trying to keep my swimming trunks from turning into a "thong-in-the-front" while jet skiing
- Having drinks and chit-chatting with everyone after we got off the jet skis
- Two words: Conch-Fritters. If you have been to Key West, you know what a conch shell is, and I hope you know what conch fritters are too!
- Jet skiing back to the place we rented the jet skis and running into BHill and his friend on their jet ski headed out. You know how you are on vacation and you're a part of the group and you bump into somebody else in your group somewhere and everyone's pumped? Imagine that in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida Keys. BHill even has pictures he took with his waterproof camera. I gotta get those and update this post.
Check out the pictures though:
I guess I can't be mad about the whole Swizz thing, huh?
Kace, me and JAC getting ready to head out.
That's me in the front. I probably look invisible considering how skinny I am.
Before we move on to day 3, I gotta give a shot-out to my man Dane who has one hell of a way of sleeping. If you put your headphones on, turn the volume up real loud, and tune out the TV in the background, you can get a little sound of what I was talking about at the end of my first post about this vacation.
Shot out to my Motorola Q for this footage! I hope Dane doesn't whoop my azz for this, but if something does happen to me, you can find the culprit HERE!
Day 3: Calica, Mexico:
Highlights:
- Stepping off the boat to a bright, sunny day. Not that it wasn't this case in Key West, but it just felt different
- The ride from the port to the ranch we went to for our ATV excursion. The van driver we had was off the hook. Dancing around and talking loud. He made the ride enjoyable though.
- All the Volkswagen Beetles on the road. WTF?
- The ATV excursion itself. We rode ATVs for a while, took a break and 3 black guys (including myself) and a Mexican played volleyball. How often do you see THAT!
- The swimming pool at the ranch. This is the only time on this trip that I was able to take a swim and boy oh boy was it relaxing!
- Carnival runs out of bottled water right before I get off the boat. So I have to cop two Red Bulls to drink. We're in MEXICO! How do they run out of water on the boat when they know we're in MEXICO! I was heated
- Flipping over my ATV. I could have gotten hurt, but I didn't. Thank God! It was fun gunning that thing though. That is until I flipped it and had to propel myself off of it before I was crushed.
- Again, my man Woo did not make it out for the excursion. He went shopping instead. Got some bangin' gifts for his family though
For those of you who cared to notice, this IS NOT the same shirt from yesterday! LOL. Same hat though. LOL.
This is the PRE-FLIP shot they took. LOL.
The remainder of my pictures are going to be from the cruise ship. Mainly the dinners, the formal night, and other random shots. I'll just do captions for them. But before I do that, I'd like to show you a little video of my man Woo trying to hoop on the cruise. It's really nothing special but since he's the only person out there in jeans and New Balance trying to play basketball, I found it quite hilarious!
The rest of the flicks
Formal night started off pretty formal
I got all Gordon Gartrelle'd up
Fellas were looking smooth...
Ladies were looking beautiful...
Dinner was GREAT!
Then the liquor kicked in (LOL). Yes, I'm a bama, but it's vacation. "I'm partyin'!"
The fellas clean up well, I think.
What do you think?
I have to post the picture below because it's the only picture I have with Fool AKA Mike and TC in it (two people on the left):
Last but not least, I HAVE TO give a BIG shot-out to our travel planner, "Aunt Tricie". We (read, Woo) put her though some difficulties prior to the trip and she held us down like a real auntie would.
So we had to show her some love the last night of the trip and get her a bottle of authentic Mexican wine. Woo picked it up but we all presented it as a gift. She definitely deserved it.
I have so many favorite moments from this trip and I want to remember them all so here they are (LOL)...
- Jet skiing in Key West
- ATVing in Mexico
- Staying up late every night talking and walking around the ship
- Yelling "We're not even on the boat yet!" in Miami a million times!
- Laughing at Woo carrying around those silver balloons in Miami
- Yelling Dane's name and replying "YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!" like Lil Jon (Don't take that one out of context freaks!)
- Club Bed's food and partying with the ladies
- The late night talk we all had in Miami
- Dancing in the "Diamonds are Forever" club on the ship. Even when I got caught doing the chicken noodle soup dance! HA!
- Peach Bellini's and Kir Royales
- Dressing up for dinner
- Buying souvenirs for my family
- Seeing The Golden Girl's dad happy on the trip
- TC saying "I know Bone, Woo, ..." at the mixer the first night on the ship
- Beating the crap out of everyone on that basketball court (shot out to my teammates Woo and BHill who proved that's no "I" in "team" but there's definitely one in "winners")
- Fool's joke on the plane ride home:
Fool: Ayo Bone, what does a gay horse eat?
Me: [chuckling already] I dunno man...I know you got some -ish up your sleeve with this one
Fool: [putting on his flaming gay voice] HEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY!
I then proceed to laugh so loud that everyone around us starts looking at me harshly. LOL. I can't help it, I'm corny like that. - Just sitting back and enjoying Woo and his antics. The man is walking entertainment. I love it! If you don't enjoy this guy's company, then something is really wrong with YOU!
- Talking with the fellas about something other than women. We really do have some serious discussions, contrary to what people may think
- Dane and his professional talking. That man has a gift or a curse depending on your perspective
- The view off the back of the boat late at night, priceless. Only a shooting star could have made it better. Okay, okay, stop laughing!
- Getting lost going to dinner the first night on the ship
- The comedy show on the ship
- Getting on the plane to leave cold-azz Bodymore and heading to Florida!
They should have called this Napoleon Burgundy or Ron Dynamite
But I Blades of Glory makes sense...
"I see you still look like a 15 year-old girl, but NOT HOT!"
There is no doubt that after I go see Smokin' Aces, I will definitely be seeing this movie!
"I see you still look like a 15 year-old girl, but NOT HOT!"
There is no doubt that after I go see Smokin' Aces, I will definitely be seeing this movie!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Being THE CHOSEN ONE Barack Obama
"I need you to hate, so I can use you for your energy"
In the past few days I've had several conversations about Barack Obama. And of course, I've touched on him in one of my recent posts because he's a pretty hot topic right now in American politics. So here's a couple snippets I wanted to share from my convos about Barack. I really suggest reading each article before reading my comments so I don't sound like a raging maniac. LOL.
EXHIBIT #1
After reading this article entitled "Who does Barack Obama think he is?", I had some thoughts. Essentially, she uses Barack's extreme popularity right now to justify her stance that a woman could never receive the same acclaim, popularity, or political impetus at this point in her political career. She even gives examples of several woman in comparable positions to Barack at this point. But that was then, and...Well, you can read my thoughts in a second but I'll just say that the media is far stronger today than it was during the timeframes in which she references the female politicians in her articles. But I'll save all that for another post and just put my thoughts in the air real quick like:
After being asked about what's revealed in this article entitled " Obama to form panel to explore presidential bid", by a friend today, I had some thoughts (in addition to my thoughts from yesterday):
Last but not least, after my co-worker sent me this article entitled "Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to be Seen", I had some more thoughts. This one really took the cake though. It's not as scathing as the article in Exhibit #1, but the more I think about it, the more I am disappointed in the fact that people may be searching for a reason to use this man's sincerity against him.
EXTRA CREDIT
My co-worker:
I wonder what Mel Gibson or Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf would do to Barack!
In the past few days I've had several conversations about Barack Obama. And of course, I've touched on him in one of my recent posts because he's a pretty hot topic right now in American politics. So here's a couple snippets I wanted to share from my convos about Barack. I really suggest reading each article before reading my comments so I don't sound like a raging maniac. LOL.
EXHIBIT #1
After reading this article entitled "Who does Barack Obama think he is?", I had some thoughts. Essentially, she uses Barack's extreme popularity right now to justify her stance that a woman could never receive the same acclaim, popularity, or political impetus at this point in her political career. She even gives examples of several woman in comparable positions to Barack at this point. But that was then, and...Well, you can read my thoughts in a second but I'll just say that the media is far stronger today than it was during the timeframes in which she references the female politicians in her articles. But I'll save all that for another post and just put my thoughts in the air real quick like:
Whoever wrote this #1 sounds like a serious feminist. #2 makes some good points nevertheless. But #3, it's not Barack's fault that he's been catapulted into extreme popularity. The man seems genuine and not seeking the spotlight. The media is firmly placing it on him and he is using it strategically but not excessively.EXHIBIT #2:
After being asked about what's revealed in this article entitled " Obama to form panel to explore presidential bid", by a friend today, I had some thoughts (in addition to my thoughts from yesterday):
I think that Barack's announcement pretty much says he's going to run. It gives him the ability to start raising funds "under the radar". But most of all, I think it's a smart move because it shows that he is putting a lot of thought into his moves leading up to his announcement as to whether he'll run or not. By doing this, he can gauge public reaction as to what they think he's going to do while raising money just in case he does run and also using his knowledge combined with other people's knowledge (his panel) to assess whether or not he should run.EXHIBIT #3
Last but not least, after my co-worker sent me this article entitled "Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to be Seen", I had some more thoughts. This one really took the cake though. It's not as scathing as the article in Exhibit #1, but the more I think about it, the more I am disappointed in the fact that people may be searching for a reason to use this man's sincerity against him.
What I don't get is that there has to be an effect because of his candor... A man can't come across as genuine, open, honest, and charismatic in the political world without being questioned. Whereas the effed up [dishonest] politicians come across effed up and they still end up in the oval office for 8 str8 years. This makes no sense! The man should be applauded (if anything) for being as open about his mistakes as he's been. We've had two recent presidents who've lied about having sex with an intern, smoking weed [and/or cocaine], and leading us into a war that we never really needed to be in. On top of that, the latter two took place while the president's occupied the oval office! And yet and still, we seek to either complain or search for potential detrimental affects for a man who's up to this point been honest and given us no reason to think otherwise. GO MEDIA GO!But what can you expect when a man of minority-blood has received such hype and such great expectations have been placed on him not by himself, but the monster that is the media. I guess this is why my co-worker Todd said he thinks that Barack will be eaten alive by the media machine. I think I get it now Toddler, I think I get it.
EXTRA CREDIT
My co-worker:
"Just because there's political excitement surrounding Barack doesn't mean doesn't necessarily mean he'll get shot. who was the last american assassinated? does lennon in 1980 count? otherwise we're back to what? rfk and mlk in 1968?"My response:
Dude, Tupac got killed like 10 years ago. That was an assassination for sure! What about Bobby Kennedy? Martin Luther King? Not president's but serious political swag was wielded by these guys.And of course, I have my thoughts in general about Barack that have found their way onto this blog and been engaged in some great conversations over the past few months. Most of you probably already know that I am really a fan of Barack and I hope good things for him. But at the same time, I fear for him because of all that surrounds the current point of his political career. Too much too early could be very detrimental. While not moving while you're HOT could be even more deadly. I am proud of you Barack, but I don't envy your position nor the stress and ridiculous amount of media coverage and personal investigation that comes with it. Thank God you seem to be comfortable with you are, where you've come from, and wherever it is that you decide to go. You've officially made my list of role models!
The shot that will be felt round 'the hood will have nothing to do with political excitement, it'll have more to do with ethnic background and what some people will fear that ethnic background may mean when-and-if he makes it to the oval office.
My perspective right now. We'll see Hillary as President before we see Barack. Why? Because Barack is going to be viewed by most as Black regardless of what his bio says. Why? Because he has dark skin. People may not want to admit it or believe it, but it is what it is and that's how he'll be viewed. With that said, the politicians will fear him because of that. They don't know if he'll get elected and get in the oval office and start having 40s and blunts every week. They don't know if he'll get in there and go either Tupac or Huey Newton on Congress. They just don't know. But, they probably assume/think that if there's a woman in office that (because of the covert machismo in this country) they'll be able to manipulate her, control her, and/or use her as a puppet. Even if it is someone as intelligent and strong-willed as HillaryRodmanRodham Clinton. So while I may know jack-shyt about politics in the big scheme of things and even less shyt about political posturing and maneuvering, I know he's Black (to most) and she's a woman and people fear women less in this country than they fear intelligent, charismatic, and forward-thinking Black men.
I wonder what Mel Gibson or Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf would do to Barack!
The cost (per notch) of being a "John"
"All this love for free! Better come and get some!"
This picture can be explained by reading this "Cost per Notch" blogpost. And it's not referring to a literal "notch", but the figurative "notch on your belt" that fellas often refer to.
A co-worker of mine sent me a link to the post and I couldn't help but crack up after I read it because this really is an example of how much (or little, or both, depending on your perspective) sense things make when you really sit down and think about them. It's also funny because I would never have thought to have broken down the cost of fine-dining to get some "action" versus the cost of paying an escort (read as: "skunt-rat") for a "good time." The latter isn't even an option in my mind. But, like most men, I have participated in the former even if getting some "action" wasn't my intention. But I guess no matter how you look at it and no matter which way you end up having relations with someone, you're paying in some sort of way.
While I think the "Cost per Notch" blogpost is quite entertaining, I also think it took a LOT of effort to sit back and put a monetary value on the amount of money you spent solely in the pursuit of some azz. But I guess when you're just trying to get some action and not really trying to get to know someone, the money matters a lot more than it would otherwise.
But all I can think of is: "You ni**as ain't players mayne, ya'll some PAYERS!"
This picture can be explained by reading this "Cost per Notch" blogpost. And it's not referring to a literal "notch", but the figurative "notch on your belt" that fellas often refer to. A co-worker of mine sent me a link to the post and I couldn't help but crack up after I read it because this really is an example of how much (or little, or both, depending on your perspective) sense things make when you really sit down and think about them. It's also funny because I would never have thought to have broken down the cost of fine-dining to get some "action" versus the cost of paying an escort (read as: "skunt-rat") for a "good time." The latter isn't even an option in my mind. But, like most men, I have participated in the former even if getting some "action" wasn't my intention. But I guess no matter how you look at it and no matter which way you end up having relations with someone, you're paying in some sort of way.
While I think the "Cost per Notch" blogpost is quite entertaining, I also think it took a LOT of effort to sit back and put a monetary value on the amount of money you spent solely in the pursuit of some azz. But I guess when you're just trying to get some action and not really trying to get to know someone, the money matters a lot more than it would otherwise.
But all I can think of is: "You ni**as ain't players mayne, ya'll some PAYERS!"
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Miscellaneous Randomness....
Obama's smarter than any of us could ever have imagined: Obama to form panel to explore presidential bid
Very smart move! I just hope it's not the panel from those "Man Law" commercials. More seriously though, exactly who is going to make this panel? I'd like to think it would be some sort of Black Brain Trust, but who really qualifies to fill the Black Brain Trust? Really, I'd like to know.
For more of my thoughts on Barack, check here
Use my wireless connection at your own risk: A Singaporean teenager who illegally tapped into a neighbor's wireless Internet network was placed on 18 months' probation by a district court Tuesday
I guess this means I should stop using that "star" network my computer's wireless card finds? Then again, this isn't Singapore. You people out there with wireless networks at home better get on your WEP-key GRIND! And YES, I know this probably should have been a web nerd alert.- God is GOOD: Embryo saved after Katrina is born.
"Sixteen months after being rescued as a frozen embryo from a hospital flooded by Hurricane Katrina, Noah Benton Markham entered the world Tuesday morning and was greeted by his cheering family."
Reminds me of something NaS wrote a while ago. It's not really directly related at all, but I think you'll understand why I thought of it...
I existed in a womb just like an abyss/
Came straight from spirit land my hands balled in a fist/
Punching on my moms stomach kicking on her cervix/
Twitching cause I'm nervous/
Thought my intended purpose/
Was to be born to reign, not in scorn or vain/
But to take on a name, my pops chose for me/
Bloodstream full of indo/
Developing eyes looking out my belly button window/
My father's face wears a frown/
And I'm wondering if they even want me around/
Cause I'll go back to spirit town/
So I could rest longer before I come back down/
The chute again, in the near future when/
My moms and pops can agree on this/
Was here before but my moms saw her gynocologist/
He dumped me off, first they want me then turn around and they dont/
You got a 120 days do what you want/
But as for me coming back this be my last time/
Abort me, keep me, give me away, make up ya mind/
They must wanna keep me, cause 4 months past and I'm still alive/
Guess I got what you call an ill-will to survive/
When I look hard the lights is killing my eyes/
I know when moms is laying down cause I get bored and start to get live/
Move side to side hear loud music and vibe/
All black babies are born with rhythm thats no lie/
Solar energize, mineralize food through my mothers tube/
I'm covered in this thick layer of goo/
Month two was the least most comfortable/
My umbilical cord choking me/
But month 3 was closer, see/
Thats when pops took moms to see the doc at the clinic/
But I was saved cause he changed his mind in the last minute/
Watching 'em yell, heard my moms voice well/
Feared fist fights, so terrified when we fell/
While they broke up furniture and smashed plates on the wall/
I wondered if I am born will I be safe at all/
This place they call the world though my view was so large/
Couldn't wait to get up, grow up and take charge/
Month 5, Month 6 went by, hoping I'm born in July/
But the Lord already figured out a date and time/
Septemeber 14th, 73/
Get ready world, doctors in the front waiting for me/
Arms open cause they know when I drop, alot of sh*t's gonna stop/
See how the goverment will start re-training cops/
Month 9, I'm a week over due, the labor induced/
Pops told my moms to push and take deep breaths too/
Said stay calm, holding her arm, I'm trying to hold on/
Surgical gloves touching my scalp, my head pops out/
Everything blurry, my first breath screams out/
Tears pouring down my pops face he's so proud/
Wanted to hold me, but I was so bloody/
They washed me off and he said "At least that ni**a aint ugly!"/
Placed me in his arms snuggly, laid me on my mother/
Finally, I got to see who held me in her body/
She loved me,and I plan to over through the devil/
Y'all bout to see this world in trouble/
Moth%rfuck%rs/
Friday, January 12, 2007
Ran-Dumb Miscellaneousness...
"Dude, you totally JAC'd that title!"
I'm siced about seeing Maya Angelou
I got the following message in my daily JHU Broadcast email this morning:
For those of you in Baltimore who are reading this, I highly suggest that you make it a point to come out for this speech, especially if you can make accommodations to be there on your lunch break. I'm sure it'll be well worth it.
Double-shot of Thera-Flu, on the rocks!
I'm trying really hard to catch a cold right now. I've felt it coming the last two or three days but I have done everything I can to fight this thing off. This morning, I'm drinking this last packet of liquid hell Thera-Flu. If this doesn't stop this thing before it starts, I may be out of commission by Sunday.
My typical plan of attack for colds is to get them before they get me. So I start drinking cough medicine as soon as I feel myself coughing a few times. And I sip on Thera-Flu whenever I feel like I'm starting to get congested or like a cold is about to come over me. I don't like to take medicine in general so I try to take minor stuff before I get sick so that I never have to take the "real" medicine when I do get sick. But of course there are times when there's really no way around taking the real-deal.
Woo, w-w-woo-woo-woo!
Gotta check out the ode to my right-hand-man Randy over at Zuri She Wrote.
I'm siced about seeing Maya Angelou
I got the following message in my daily JHU Broadcast email this morning:
Poet Maya Angelou will be the keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at noon on Friday, Jan. 19. There will also be a special memorial tribute to Coretta Scott King.Man, I am putting this in my phone right now so I do not forget! This is going to be special!
For those of you in Baltimore who are reading this, I highly suggest that you make it a point to come out for this speech, especially if you can make accommodations to be there on your lunch break. I'm sure it'll be well worth it.
Double-shot of Thera-Flu, on the rocks!
I'm trying really hard to catch a cold right now. I've felt it coming the last two or three days but I have done everything I can to fight this thing off. This morning, I'm drinking this last packet of My typical plan of attack for colds is to get them before they get me. So I start drinking cough medicine as soon as I feel myself coughing a few times. And I sip on Thera-Flu whenever I feel like I'm starting to get congested or like a cold is about to come over me. I don't like to take medicine in general so I try to take minor stuff before I get sick so that I never have to take the "real" medicine when I do get sick. But of course there are times when there's really no way around taking the real-deal.
Woo, w-w-woo-woo-woo!
Gotta check out the ode to my right-hand-man Randy over at Zuri She Wrote.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Vacation '07: Countdown to 2007
If you haven't read Part ONE, you should! LOL.
...You wake up in your hotel on New Year's Eve and you think, "This is beautiful! It's sunny, I'm in Fort Lauderdale, and I know I'll be somewhere in Miami tonight having the time of my life when the clock strikes 12AM! Back home my friends are probably dealing with rain, snow, or just plain 'ole cold winter weather. Man, I wish...
All those wishes may come true one day, but on New Year's Eve 2007, I was pretty happy with the company I was keeping, Dane and Woo.
The plan was to wake up and catch up with Kace to go jet skiing on South Beach. Out of the three of us guys, I was the only one gung-ho about jet skiing and Kace was the only one out of the ladies that was gung-ho about jet skiing. So even though I woke up late, I thought that there was still a chance I'd be able to go jet skiing on South Beach. That is, until we got to South Beach and found out that the jet skiing service was not operating. But before that even took place, we had a little adventure at our hotel in Fort Lauderdale before we left. Mr. Woo ended up talking on the phone while we were at the 7-Eleven across the street from our hotel. Turns out that he would get into an argument and Dane and I would be sitting in the car waiting on him for what seemed like an eternity. In the meantime though, I was able to cop another pair of my 7-Eleven designer impostor stunna-shades for the low-low price of $6.99. Randy had lost my first pair at club BED the night before. Little did I know that this purchase would complete my Swizz Beatz look for the day.
Why did I ever let this picture take place? I think I was just in a good mood because I was with Brandi. These are not the glasses I mentioned above. This picture is just to let everybody get the whole "he looks very Swizz-ish" out of their systems.
Back to the trip though. We made it to Miami, parked, and found the ladies on Ocean Drive where (from what I gather) they'd been eating (take a look at their bill, whew!) and people-watching. Fortunately for US, most of the guys there were fruitcakes so it probably made us look that much HOTTER (don't laught too hard at that ladies)! We talked for a few seconds and decided to head to the beach. But before we did that, I asked Jessie to take a couple pictures of the us. After those pictures were taken, little did I know that I would have my lowest moment of the entire trip.
We headed to the beach and hung out for a couple minutes and then I realized that I lost my digital camera somewhere between Ocean Drive and the beach. Was I blown? YES! Is this the first time I've been in Miami and lost a digital camera, NO! In 2003 I lost my digital camera in a similar situation on South Beach so I should have known better. I should have been paying attention. I should have been more responsible. Isn't that right JAC?
Picture courtesy of JAC. Actually, most of the pictures you've seen so far are courtesy of JAC.
All SMILES!
After searching the path we walked and searching in the area we were sitting, I resigned to the fact that my camera was gone, never to be recovered. I was upset for a few minutes so I went off by myself and stood in the water, letting the sound of the ocean and the view calm my nerves. After that, I was good. Disappointed, but good. I wanted a drink though (LOL).
After we left the beach, I was as hungry as a hostage so Dane and I went to grab something quick at JohnnyRockets on Ocean Drive. We ended up seeing Drew Gooden and Damon Jones there eating as well. I guess the Cavaliers and Heat must have played the night before or were playing soon. We sat and had a couple Heinekens and ordered one for Woo too since he'd left the beach to go do "something" and was going to meet us at JohnnyRockets. By the time Woo got to the table, Dane and I were two Heinekens in and waiting on our food. While we were eating, a few young ladies who went to college with Dane walked past and ended up sitting down with us. They were pretty down-to-earth and talkative, which surprised me a bit, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
As we were sitting and chatting, TC, Kace, JAC, and Jessie came by JohnnyRockets and sat at the table next to us. It was at this point that I noticed a certain NBA player giving me (I should say, me, Woo, and Dane) the straight ice grill. Damon Jones! Cigar in his mouth, few million in the bank, and probably more low-budget-lowered-expectation NBA groupies than you can shake a stick at, HATIN'! What for? Of course I ignored it as I was the only person who noticed it, but it struck me as comical.
After we finished eating, we had to get ready to head back to Fort Lauderdale and change up for the night's festivities (that we'd not yet decided on, LOL). So we left and headed back to Fort Lauderdale, got dressed, and returned to South Beach fresh to def! We met the ladies at their hotel and proceeded to walk toward Ocean Drive where we knew we'd be hanging out walking the streets and partying till the clock struck midnight. Honestly, I don't think we really had any idea what we were going to get into. But we knew that Ocean Drive would be poppin' so we just walked in that direction. And when you have 4 ladies looking like they just came from a Beyoncé (or "Bee-yonce", like Kace says) video shoot, you'd probably have went with the flow too! LOL. But while we were walking, we walked past this hotel and a guy who worked there told us there was a rooftop party and that we should check it out. My reaction...
Let's get it!
So, we did just that. Unfortunately, when we got to the roof we realized that if there was a party there, we were going to have to be "it", because no one was up there. So we did what any quick-thinking, liquor-in-the-bag toting group of young folks would do in this situation. We found ourselves some seats in the corner, cracked that bottle of vodka open, and got to sippin'! LOL.
Doesn't Dane look happy?
We're all ready to go, but we gotta finish these daggon drinks first!
Once we finished taking our swigs, we decided to leave this rooftop "party" and head to the beach. As we walked to the beach I noticed that it was about 11:45PM. So we stepped it up a little bit to ensure that we were literally on South Beach when the clock struck MIDNIGHT! When we got to the beach we quickly popped that champiggity and when the clock struck 12 we all celebrated. As I stood back and just absorbed the moment, I noticed that everybody celebrated as a group but everyone also took a moment to celebrate on their own. It was as if we all needed a moment to reflect on where we were, where we came from, and where we wanted to go in 2007. There was a sort of depth to this celebration that each of us somehow tapped into in our own way. That, in and of itself, was a beautiful thing!
Bye to 2006, HEEEEYYYYYYYY to 2007!
Probably my favorite picture from the entire trip. Definitely in the top 3.
But cracking midnight was really just the start of this night. After we celebrated on the beach, we ended up back on Ocean Drive just walking around, checking out the clubs and restaurants, and we ended up in Fat Tuesdays. What took place inside Fat Tuesdays will go down as one of the funniest moments of the trip for me. There's a little club in Fat Tuesdays and that joint was packed! I mean packed like a Rayful Edmonds crackhouse on the first of the month! Or better yet, packed like the Kobe in that girl out in Colorado a few years back (ouch). Anyway, the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say that ole' boy in the white was not bashful. Not bashful at all and quite entertaining. And Mr. Clean (you'll see) thought he was young, flyy, and flashy...
Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or are you just happy to see a sistah?
Kace trying to ignore this bama but he would NOT go away. LOL!
The next two pictures I MUST put into perspective. This guy 1) had on a velour sweatsuit in the middle of a hot-azz club in Miami, 2) had to be at least 43.5 years old, 3) had on a gold chain with a barbell on it, and 4) thought he was cooler than a popsicle! This is some classic -ish people! CLASSIC!
Lean back! Lean back!
She tripped me out lifting that joint like she was working out!
After Fat Tuesday we ended up hitting Wet Willies where, at the door, I was mistaken by some young lady for none other than Swizz Beatz. She aactually said out loud: "That's Swizz Beatz!"
As you saw in a pic above, Woo found some balloons hanging somewhere (I have no idea) while we were walking down the street after leaving Fat Tuesdays and just held on to them. Why? I dunno. But it became rather hilarious after a while. Imagine seeing one random dude on South Beach walking around with a gaggle of silver balloons. It wasn't his birthday, not even close. This wasn't a silver wedding anniversary party, it was New Year's Day! But Randy will be Woo and Woo will be Randy.
After we did enough walking, we headed back toward the ladies' hotel (fellas, don't get too excited) and sat out in the front of their hotel for a minute. We all decided we would head to the diner across the street from their hotel and we went and grabbed a table. We proceeded to get the absolute worst service I have ever had at a restaurant. But we were on a high of sorts so we didn't even care. It probably took about an hour to get our food, no joke. But we were sitting there talking, some of us in-and-out of consciousness (meaning, sleeping), and some of us just people-watching. It was Miami so people were still strolling through and things were still jumpin!
The ladies did the wonderful gesture of paying for our food (like they had paid for the alcohol for our rooftop binge drinking session and the champiggity we popped on the beach) and headed to their room. Woo, Dane, and I sat there for a few more minutes soaking in New Years Day in South Beach and all of us were probably thinking of ways to avoid being the one who drove us an hour back up 95 North to Fort Lauderdale. LOL. We all agreed that we were having one helluva time and like I'd said the night before, "We [weren't] even on the boat yet!"
I ended up driving to Fort Lauderdale after we walked what seemed like 5 miles from the restaurant to our rental car. It was definitely a rough drive and I am glad Dane tried his best to stay up with me. The worst part of that drive was having no music in the car (because none of us brought CDs) and having to listen to wack-azz radio stations the entire time. But we made it home safely and crashed, knowing we'd have to be up tomorrow in time to head to the airport, return our rental car, and catch the shuttle to the Port of Miami to get on our cruise.
And you guys are probably thinking, "Dag! They've already done all this stuff and he's typed too long-azz blogposts and there's still a cruise to talk about! Jeez!"
Smooches people, I wuv you too! ;-)
...You wake up in your hotel on New Year's Eve and you think, "This is beautiful! It's sunny, I'm in Fort Lauderdale, and I know I'll be somewhere in Miami tonight having the time of my life when the clock strikes 12AM! Back home my friends are probably dealing with rain, snow, or just plain 'ole cold winter weather. Man, I wish...
- I wish they could be here, with me.
- I wish my mom was here to call me at 6am chipper and happy, ready to eat breakfas. Even though she knows I hate being called that early.
- I wish my man Weeze was here wake up at 5AM but not bother me until 10am because he knows I like to sleep in (LOL).
- I wish Jon was here so I could hear him say: "OOOOOhhhhhhh! Ya'll boyz was CLEAN last night!"
- I wish my brother Marcus was here so his first trip to Miami could be highlighted by moments with his brother.
- I wish my stepfather was here to irk the crap out of my mother by not wanting to go out and just sit in the hotel room all day
- I wish my grandparents were here so my grandmom could take pictures of any-and-everything that happened and my grandfather could say "Heyyyyy Mikeeeeeee!" the first time he saw me every day.
- I wish Bay was here so I could show him that there's life outside of Capitol Heights, MD
- I wish Sei and Lionel were here to say "Boney, you and Randy are some wild dudes!" and giggle unstoppably
- I wish my sister was here to sice me up to drink some Mojitos with her
- I wish I could spend a weekend like this with everybody I love.
All those wishes may come true one day, but on New Year's Eve 2007, I was pretty happy with the company I was keeping, Dane and Woo.
The plan was to wake up and catch up with Kace to go jet skiing on South Beach. Out of the three of us guys, I was the only one gung-ho about jet skiing and Kace was the only one out of the ladies that was gung-ho about jet skiing. So even though I woke up late, I thought that there was still a chance I'd be able to go jet skiing on South Beach. That is, until we got to South Beach and found out that the jet skiing service was not operating. But before that even took place, we had a little adventure at our hotel in Fort Lauderdale before we left. Mr. Woo ended up talking on the phone while we were at the 7-Eleven across the street from our hotel. Turns out that he would get into an argument and Dane and I would be sitting in the car waiting on him for what seemed like an eternity. In the meantime though, I was able to cop another pair of my 7-Eleven designer impostor stunna-shades for the low-low price of $6.99. Randy had lost my first pair at club BED the night before. Little did I know that this purchase would complete my Swizz Beatz look for the day.
Why did I ever let this picture take place? I think I was just in a good mood because I was with Brandi. These are not the glasses I mentioned above. This picture is just to let everybody get the whole "he looks very Swizz-ish" out of their systems.
Back to the trip though. We made it to Miami, parked, and found the ladies on Ocean Drive where (from what I gather) they'd been eating (take a look at their bill, whew!) and people-watching. Fortunately for US, most of the guys there were fruitcakes so it probably made us look that much HOTTER (don't laught too hard at that ladies)! We talked for a few seconds and decided to head to the beach. But before we did that, I asked Jessie to take a couple pictures of the us. After those pictures were taken, little did I know that I would have my lowest moment of the entire trip. We headed to the beach and hung out for a couple minutes and then I realized that I lost my digital camera somewhere between Ocean Drive and the beach. Was I blown? YES! Is this the first time I've been in Miami and lost a digital camera, NO! In 2003 I lost my digital camera in a similar situation on South Beach so I should have known better. I should have been paying attention. I should have been more responsible. Isn't that right JAC?
Picture courtesy of JAC. Actually, most of the pictures you've seen so far are courtesy of JAC.
All SMILES!
After searching the path we walked and searching in the area we were sitting, I resigned to the fact that my camera was gone, never to be recovered. I was upset for a few minutes so I went off by myself and stood in the water, letting the sound of the ocean and the view calm my nerves. After that, I was good. Disappointed, but good. I wanted a drink though (LOL).
After we left the beach, I was as hungry as a hostage so Dane and I went to grab something quick at JohnnyRockets on Ocean Drive. We ended up seeing Drew Gooden and Damon Jones there eating as well. I guess the Cavaliers and Heat must have played the night before or were playing soon. We sat and had a couple Heinekens and ordered one for Woo too since he'd left the beach to go do "something" and was going to meet us at JohnnyRockets. By the time Woo got to the table, Dane and I were two Heinekens in and waiting on our food. While we were eating, a few young ladies who went to college with Dane walked past and ended up sitting down with us. They were pretty down-to-earth and talkative, which surprised me a bit, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
As we were sitting and chatting, TC, Kace, JAC, and Jessie came by JohnnyRockets and sat at the table next to us. It was at this point that I noticed a certain NBA player giving me (I should say, me, Woo, and Dane) the straight ice grill. Damon Jones! Cigar in his mouth, few million in the bank, and probably more low-budget-lowered-expectation NBA groupies than you can shake a stick at, HATIN'! What for? Of course I ignored it as I was the only person who noticed it, but it struck me as comical.
After we finished eating, we had to get ready to head back to Fort Lauderdale and change up for the night's festivities (that we'd not yet decided on, LOL). So we left and headed back to Fort Lauderdale, got dressed, and returned to South Beach fresh to def! We met the ladies at their hotel and proceeded to walk toward Ocean Drive where we knew we'd be hanging out walking the streets and partying till the clock struck midnight. Honestly, I don't think we really had any idea what we were going to get into. But we knew that Ocean Drive would be poppin' so we just walked in that direction. And when you have 4 ladies looking like they just came from a Beyoncé (or "Bee-yonce", like Kace says) video shoot, you'd probably have went with the flow too! LOL. But while we were walking, we walked past this hotel and a guy who worked there told us there was a rooftop party and that we should check it out. My reaction...
Let's get it!
So, we did just that. Unfortunately, when we got to the roof we realized that if there was a party there, we were going to have to be "it", because no one was up there. So we did what any quick-thinking, liquor-in-the-bag toting group of young folks would do in this situation. We found ourselves some seats in the corner, cracked that bottle of vodka open, and got to sippin'! LOL.
Doesn't Dane look happy?
We're all ready to go, but we gotta finish these daggon drinks first!
Once we finished taking our swigs, we decided to leave this rooftop "party" and head to the beach. As we walked to the beach I noticed that it was about 11:45PM. So we stepped it up a little bit to ensure that we were literally on South Beach when the clock struck MIDNIGHT! When we got to the beach we quickly popped that champiggity and when the clock struck 12 we all celebrated. As I stood back and just absorbed the moment, I noticed that everybody celebrated as a group but everyone also took a moment to celebrate on their own. It was as if we all needed a moment to reflect on where we were, where we came from, and where we wanted to go in 2007. There was a sort of depth to this celebration that each of us somehow tapped into in our own way. That, in and of itself, was a beautiful thing! 
Bye to 2006, HEEEEYYYYYYYY to 2007!
Probably my favorite picture from the entire trip. Definitely in the top 3.
But cracking midnight was really just the start of this night. After we celebrated on the beach, we ended up back on Ocean Drive just walking around, checking out the clubs and restaurants, and we ended up in Fat Tuesdays. What took place inside Fat Tuesdays will go down as one of the funniest moments of the trip for me. There's a little club in Fat Tuesdays and that joint was packed! I mean packed like a Rayful Edmonds crackhouse on the first of the month! Or better yet, packed like the Kobe in that girl out in Colorado a few years back (ouch). Anyway, the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say that ole' boy in the white was not bashful. Not bashful at all and quite entertaining. And Mr. Clean (you'll see) thought he was young, flyy, and flashy...
Is that a roll of quarters in your pocket or are you just happy to see a sistah?
Kace trying to ignore this bama but he would NOT go away. LOL!
The next two pictures I MUST put into perspective. This guy 1) had on a velour sweatsuit in the middle of a hot-azz club in Miami, 2) had to be at least 43.5 years old, 3) had on a gold chain with a barbell on it, and 4) thought he was cooler than a popsicle! This is some classic -ish people! CLASSIC!
Lean back! Lean back!
She tripped me out lifting that joint like she was working out!
After Fat Tuesday we ended up hitting Wet Willies where, at the door, I was mistaken by some young lady for none other than Swizz Beatz. She aactually said out loud: "That's Swizz Beatz!"
As you saw in a pic above, Woo found some balloons hanging somewhere (I have no idea) while we were walking down the street after leaving Fat Tuesdays and just held on to them. Why? I dunno. But it became rather hilarious after a while. Imagine seeing one random dude on South Beach walking around with a gaggle of silver balloons. It wasn't his birthday, not even close. This wasn't a silver wedding anniversary party, it was New Year's Day! But Randy will be Woo and Woo will be Randy.
After we did enough walking, we headed back toward the ladies' hotel (fellas, don't get too excited) and sat out in the front of their hotel for a minute. We all decided we would head to the diner across the street from their hotel and we went and grabbed a table. We proceeded to get the absolute worst service I have ever had at a restaurant. But we were on a high of sorts so we didn't even care. It probably took about an hour to get our food, no joke. But we were sitting there talking, some of us in-and-out of consciousness (meaning, sleeping), and some of us just people-watching. It was Miami so people were still strolling through and things were still jumpin!
The ladies did the wonderful gesture of paying for our food (like they had paid for the alcohol for our rooftop binge drinking session and the champiggity we popped on the beach) and headed to their room. Woo, Dane, and I sat there for a few more minutes soaking in New Years Day in South Beach and all of us were probably thinking of ways to avoid being the one who drove us an hour back up 95 North to Fort Lauderdale. LOL. We all agreed that we were having one helluva time and like I'd said the night before, "We [weren't] even on the boat yet!"
I ended up driving to Fort Lauderdale after we walked what seemed like 5 miles from the restaurant to our rental car. It was definitely a rough drive and I am glad Dane tried his best to stay up with me. The worst part of that drive was having no music in the car (because none of us brought CDs) and having to listen to wack-azz radio stations the entire time. But we made it home safely and crashed, knowing we'd have to be up tomorrow in time to head to the airport, return our rental car, and catch the shuttle to the Port of Miami to get on our cruise.
And you guys are probably thinking, "Dag! They've already done all this stuff and he's typed too long-azz blogposts and there's still a cruise to talk about! Jeez!"
Smooches people, I wuv you too! ;-)
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