[Mister Analytical (dot) com]: Analytical Acclaim!

Something for Nothing

2011-05-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

First ladies put in a lot of work with no compensation. Who knew? Granted the duties of the First Lady can be viewed as volunteer work by adopting, promoting, and advancing a cause but even many volunteers are able to write off their contributions in taxes. That is because there is value placed on volunteer work. I'm sure I'm making something out of nothing but it doesn't seem like nothing to me. A Google search will show you that other people have wondered the same thing. Sure it's also questionable that I didn't notice this before Michelle Obama became First Lady but it's not a matter of when you or I notice, just that we notice. After watching FLOTUS (try to) keep up with them young'uns, I confess, I got winded just watching. I will add that Laura Bush pushing literacy should have drawn a salary. She was (knowingly or unknowingly) trying to help millions of Americans not end up with a spouse or partner like hers. That definitely deserves some wages.

During the Clinton administration, President Clinton and congress approved to double the President's salary yet nothing was included for the First Ladies. To many, being a First Lady probably looks to be the "good life" with tons of perks but in my opinion, work is work. If there was a way for homemakers to draw a salary I would support it. According to Wiki the First Lady is a hostess, the premiere "homemaker" if you will. She is a homemaker who also works, and for that work she too should be paid a salary. I suppose they won't really address this until there is a First Gentleman.

Cobwebs

2011-04-07T09:10:00.000-04:00

The problem with Trends of Culture blogging is that when the mood hits you to blog again you have to address all of the technical issues that comes with lack of use. First I had DNS issues so I transferred registrars to godaddy.com. Now I'm having Disqus issues and I'm sure it's my fault for tinkering with the design template. I was considering changing the design because while I really like this template it's too popular. I realized that to have a truly unique design I would have to customize it myself which I am not willing to do so the design stays. Unfortunately now I have to change the oil, put air in the tires, and figure out what the hell I messed up before I can attempt to resume blogging as usual and by some strange phenomenon actually receive comments. Smh @ myself.

Too Cheap for Children

2011-04-06T17:21:00.003-04:00

A few weeks back I went to NY to hang out with some of my boys and I had a great time but I also had an odd man out, cheese stands alone moment. All of my boys have spouses or significant others and all of them have children; I on the other hand have neither. So my male biological clock had me on some, "why am I on the Tony Randall track to fatherhood?" Thankfully that clock is digital and I can hit snooze as many times as I like so long as my million men keep on marching. At the time though, I can't front, I was quite irritable at feeling like I was chilling with Wilson on Childless Island. Time went on and the feelings subsided and were replaced with rational thought, one which is that I am not in a financial position to take care of a child anyway. Right?

The funny thing is, unless you're coming from some serious old (or new) money, are you ever really in a prime financial position to have children? Probably not. Yet people with little to no money find a way to make it work. This rational train of thought is what comes to mind once the previous snooze has expired. Some recent conversations brought to light that never mind the financial ability, I may lack the financial willingness to have children. A co-worker told me how she pays tuition for her children to go to private school to better prepare them for college. On top of that, one of her children who is about to go away to college still is short the amount of money needed for tuition and she is trying to figure out a way to come up with the difference. Excuse me? The difference? I ain't tryna pay $15k+/year on top of scholarships and grants to pay for tuition. Hell I ain't even paying the $15k/year for them to go to private middle and high school. On top of property taxes??? What part of the game is this? It's called the parenting game and I may very well be too cheap to play. I completely understand the logic behind paying for your children to go to better schools and finish college with as little debt as possible. I put a dab of Vaseline on every check I write for my student loans and enclose a letter that says, "next month will you kiss me first?" Despite all of that, I can't wrap my head around spending all that money on education. LoL, yeah you read that right. It implies that I feel education is not a reasonable expense which isn't the case. Trust I wouldn't take that $15k and put some dubs and spinners on my Sebring but I feel like private schools are a form of prestige that encourages preferential treatment to the affluent as opposed to investing in improving "regular" schools so that everyone who attends can receive a better quality education (I know that makes me sound like a socialist pig).

I own the fact that I am being idealistic and in the real world you do what you gotta do to make sure you give your children every advantage they can possibly have, even if it means sacrificing, scrimping, saving, and selling butt scratchers to pay tuition. And since I don't think I'm quite ready to do that or can't resolve doing it I declare that currently I am in fact too cheap to have children. At this rate it's going to take a Powerball payout for me to even think of stepping into the Parenthood Arena. Thank God for my nieces and nephew...I can afford them. On your way out, hit that snooze button for me, will you? Thankzzzzzzzz......

Let's Go...

2011-03-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes that's all you have to say to yourself. It's great to be around people that make you want to move. If you aren't around those people, find em. If you can't find em, read about em. Somehow, someway, find whatever it is that makes you go from neutral to drive. Press the gas. Let's go.

Quality of Life - the Reality of Mortality

2011-03-16T17:05:00.004-04:00

As the world pours out some liquor for Nate Dogg I want to take this unfortunate opportunity to talk about something else that came (back) to mind and that is the sobering reality that my generation has turned an all important corner. Some of the joys of youth is the bliss that comes with ignorance, the false feeling of immortality, and the ability to rationalize unfortunate and untimely passings. In hip-hop, we readily discuss B.I.G. and Pac's murders, along with countless other artists who met violent deaths. Trouble T-Roy's death was a freak accident that spawned a hip-hop classic. Same goes for singers like Aaliyah whose plane went down before a couple more terrorist manned planes took thousands more people down with them on 9-11. Even Big Pun and Buffy from the Fat Boys deaths can be attributed to them being morbidly obese. If you think hard enough you might recall many "unlikely" set of circumstances that lead to someone's death. However, as our generation turns the corner of reality, now comes the time when life begins to keep it really real.

Mortality is the reality I'm talking about as well as how we think about our health in general. My co-worker and I were discussing Nate Dogg's death and the fact that he suffered two strokes prior to his death. I started talking about eating habits and maybe passing on them damn honey bbq wings I recently got addicted to. Her response, "you could walk outside tomorrow and get hit by a bus," which is true. "Life's a bitch and then you die...because you never know when you're gonna go." However, my thought process is that while being hit by a bus is tragic, it's a quicker route to death that doesn't allow for witnessing or enduring a slow debilitating sickness and subsequent death. The "anything can happen," mantra is another way to try and justify eating what we want and not exercising, etc. I'm guilty of it myself. I was quick to point out that Dr. Robert Atkins, whose diet was a revolution during the 90's and the early turn of the century, slipped on some ice, hit his head, and died shortly after he fell. So there it is, anything can happen, no sense in worrying about health and quality of life; right? Wrong! Once you witness someone endure illness that slowly takes away one function of life, and then another, and then another, you start to realize that this ain't a game. We'll talk about BIG and Pac but we must keep in mind that Nate died from "natural causes", as did Guru the year before, and we can even go back to Too Poetic who also lost his battle with cancer and that's just to name a few. There is absolutely nothing glamorous or sensational about their passings.

Alright, so we're mortal, what now? Shoot, I don't know. I'm still navigating this thing called life same as y'all but I do think more attention needs to be given to at least increasing our chances of having a better quality of life. I get it Chico, no guarantees, but still with all of the attention we give to Teabaggers and media pundits who give minority leaders a hard time, surely we can direct some attention inwards to focus on some grassroots problems like diet, exercise, physical and mental health issues and how piss poor we handle it or rather don't. When I was younger, none of my friends went to the gym unless they played a sport. We rode bikes and played basketball, that was exercise for us. If you were fat (like yours truly) that meant you were one of the unfortunate few to be born with snake eyes in the form of fat genes. My dudes who were skinny, weren't skinny due to diet and exercise, more like luck. So, we got older and started driving instead of riding bikes and don't even talk to me about playing a game of basketball that doesn't involve some type of game controller and an internet connection. Holla at us when basketball can be played with grocery store scooters, a reach-it-thingy, and a shuttlecock. I know the FLOTUS is taking on childhood obesity and there have been other initiatives targeting minority communities but I'd like to see Al Sharpton picketing outside of Checkers and addressing the issue of food deserts. Reality bites and this getting older stuff is no joke. I'm not holier than though; I am in shape but sadly it's the shape of a swole up angry red bird. We all gotta go sometime but the quality of life one enjoys on that trip to the inevitable is where I want to channel some of my focus. When people who are in my age bracket start passing away I am reminded of the undodgeable bullet and I am reminded that I'm entering the phase of my life where the sand starts falling faster and health is EVERYTHING.

Shake It Up Baby?

2011-02-28T15:07:00.001-05:00

If boredom is the Devil's workshop then what is monotony? I believe that, aside from being a fancy word for bored, monotony is also another word for adulthood. This is of course according to Merriam-Analytical Dictionary, the over-analytical unabridged version. Lives are built on routine and in one breath we'll complain about life being too routine and in the next breath crave some routine and order. So I find myself swinging from branch to branch like Tarzan trying to have some fun while all I'm really doing is revisiting the same damn trees I've been swinging from since birth. When I was a younger man I did this alot with jobs. I got a job, mastered a job, got bored with a job, ~~got fired from~~ quit a job, rinse, and repeat. I loved interviewing. I loved learning the new job. Anything that would make something as cumbersome as going to work exciting and new. I would board this same ship so much you would think Isaac was serving drinks. The same ol, same ol, is the prelude to feeling lame. I sound like a prime candidate to lead a swingers lifestyle but shoot, once you start swinging into a whole lot of unfamiliar, shady looking bushes, you can come away with all kinds of rashes and bruises. No thank you.

Anyway, the whole purpose of this mindless rant is to ask the question, how does one shake things up and satisfy the need/desire for excitement and order? Is it possible? Are they mutually exclusive? Is this quagmire what drove Knievel? How can we rock the boat without tipping it?

Lil Wayne: Credit Where It's Due ("Repost")

2011-02-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

*due to technical difficulties earlier in the week I'm re-posting this.

"So give up the props Hobbes, jealousy's a flaw
If the next man deserves it, earns it, it should be law
So let him pass right through
Because you got to give the credit y'all where it is due"

- Guru (R.I.P.)Credit Is Due

Lock your windows, close your doors; hide yo kids, hide yo wife, I'm giving Lil Wayne some props. I never thought this day would come. For a minute now my man S-Dub has been professing to me how nice Wayne is. I still disagree, but as a professor recently quoted to me, "In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king," and Wayne is that one eyed man. I stand by my assertion that hip-hop is dead but again, S-Dub says hip-hop lives, it's just harder to find and I believe my man Leon agrees. So perhaps my averment of hip-hop's demise was an exaggeration but at the very least maybe it was premature. Hip-hop is like Elvis and Tupac, people can't accept their death and that's understandable when you love someone or something so dearly. I'll compromise and say that I'll entertain the notion that hip-hop is not dead, but at the very least it is in ICU. Pardon my tangent, back to Lil Wayne.

I first heard Wayne perform that 6' 7' song on NYE and it was a travesty if I ever heard one. I thought, I'd rather go back and watch Beetlejuice again than hear that quote over one of his tracks. As far as I'm concerned the majority of Lil Wayne's music is the equivalent of Oscar the Grouch's home; which is fine since they favor one another (sorry Oscar). Thanks to Star and Bucwild I occasionally turn on the radio and I suffered through this song one morning and my nose was already turned up as it played. Wayne said that one line, "real G's move in silence like lasagna..." and I thought, "that's the dumbest thing I ever he......ohhhhhhh." Once I finally got it I thought, "yeah that's kind of clever." It made me pay closer attention to the song the next time it came on. And that is what prompts me to give Lil Wilt Chamberlain his props because I went back and listen to the lyrics. In today's ICU, lyrics are hard to come back and they certainly require little to no scrutiny. The Simple Simons and Sarahs of today need not put too much thought into what they are saying because the bar is so low. Nevermind ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC; these days most rap music is published by Random House. 6' 7" is driven by the beat and the lyrics. It's not really a dance tune, there's no taffy to laugh at, no Dougie sans the Fresh, no blowing money, no hot water cornbread or anything else so simple that Andy Samberg can easily set sail and flip it into a skit. Simply beats to the rhyme. I'm sure this is far from the best Lil Wayne has to offer past or present but I won't get carried away and delve into his catalog. Again, I give credit where it's due. Props to Wayne for writing a song heavy on the lyrics that requires more thought than a speak and spell. I'm hoping that since everyone these days jocks each other's style that perhaps these newly admitted rappers in the ICU might see fit to follow suit. If so, perhaps we (by we I mean the next generation) will see that reverse limbo bar start to inch its way up instead of down.

Lil Wayne: Credit Where It's Due

2011-02-24T11:53:00.002-05:00

"So give up the props Hobbes, jealousy's a flaw
If the next man deserves it, earns it, it should be law
So let him pass right through
Because you got to give the credit y'all where it is due"

- Guru (R.I.P.)Credit Is Due

It'sThe Little Things

2011-01-03T16:41:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year All! I'm pumped about the new year as I am sure most folks are. Sure I have grandiose changes that I want to make but I want to take the time to focus on the little things. Those small steps that lead to larger strides in the long run. Far too often we, and by we I mean I, overlook those small details that can have a bigger impact on the goals that we have.

For example, my first house. I love being a homeowner but as I am settling into my home I see the little things that I didn't pay attention to when I was searching for a house. As I've mentioned before my crieteria was new HVAC, 1.5 baths, and a garage. My home has alladat. However, had I paid closer attention I would have realized that there are smaller details that are related to those larger criteria. I have a garage, but I didn't pay attention to the size of my garage. When I first viewed the garage, the seller didn't use it. As a matter of fact you couldn't even open the garage door. Her realtor said that the seller preferred to park on the straight. Hey, it's all good to each their own. I requested that before purchasing that the garage door be fixed so that I could open it and use it to garage my car. After the ink was dry and I was surveying my house I really started paying attention to the size of the garage and I realized that it wasn't that big. You would think when I viewed the house before purchasing as well as during the inspection I would have paid attention to it but I didn't. I was too geeked about finding a house that I really like. So anyway, I'm looking at the size of this garage and I start to wonder, "will my car even fit in this garage?" Mind you, I'm not pushing a '76 Lincoln Continental you know? Just a regular ol standard Camry. I get in my car and drive around back to the garage and wouldn't you know it, my car is longer than the garage. What the duece? Yes, all this time it never occured to me to pay attention to the garage or even really question why the seller didn't use it. I live in Philadelphia. I need not remind you of the parking situation here, especially in the winter, but if you need a reminder, click here. I was in Delware for the holidays and our first snowstorm hit the Christmas weekend. Upon my return I begin to see these lovely VIP parking spots with their chairs reserved for the people who dug themselves out. We already know this is a peeve of mine but anyway; because I wasn't home during the snowstorm, I had to dig myself IN to a parking spot and I had no intention of trying to claim it as my own with a chair from Sammy's. Digging in and out of parking spots is the nature of the beast, people should learn to deal with it. As I was shoveling I thought to myself, "had I paid attention to the size of the garage and realized my car wouldn't fit, would I have purchased this house?" I can say that more than likely, I would not have. Every snow storm or any time I have difficulty finding parking I'll always think about that little detail, which wasn't that little, that I overlooked. That right along with the abundance of dog hair in the house, another day, another post.

So for this new year I'm trying to focus on the little things. Like waking up at the same time everyday or not waiting 2 or 3 days to fold my laundry. Recognizing when I'm procrastinating and trying to push through. Blog and journal even when I don't feel like it. Cut my hair more than once every 8 1/2 weeks so that I'll look human. You know, the little things. Sure I'd love to be a millionaire and become half the man I am today as far as mass is concerned but for now, I'm comfortable just paying attention to the little things and taking the baby steps. Walk with me, talk with me...Let's do it small now so we can make it big later. Who's with me?

Christmas is like a Jumpoff

2010-12-27T10:38:00.001-05:00

Christmas is like the sex you have in a long distance relationship. Think about it. You haven't seen your sugar pie honey bunch in a looong time; you're scheduled to meet up next month on the pre-determined weekend to re-commit and re-consummate your love; and you can't wait another minute, hi-five's for all at the thought of how happy you'll be once you see each other again. Then the night before you are to see each other again your excitement is at a fever pitch. Luther and Johnny Gill are singing in the background. You got some delicious cookies baking in the oven; they'll be piping hot with a nice 32 oz glass of milk ready for when Santa comes down your chimney and into your house. He's got a list of things he needs to bring, he's checking it twice. Whips, check. Handcuffs, check. Cologne, check. Clean drawers, ky, and condoms, check, check, and triple check. Damn naughty or nice, y'all are trying to get naughty and you'll get nice on NYE (before or after you go to church to repent for tomorrow's night's shenanigans). You both are all set to get your ho-ho-ho on...and once you do, you can't keep your mouths shut from all the tearing, playing, shouting, running, and exclamations of excitement and joy! Whoa Nelly!, it's everything you hoped for and more!!!

Then comes the day after Christmas. See, you're accustomed to living without this person so now their presence is getting on your damn nerves. Lookit this bastid with his unshaven beard with cookie crumbs all in it and with his Biggest Loser size belly hanging out and chopping wood like a lumberjack because he left his sleep apnea mask at home. Dirty ass boots on the rug, unwrapped gifts strewn all about the house. This dude needs to pack up his ish, sober up his reindeer and GTFO! He's looking at you like, those were some damn good cookies you baked, but Mrs. Clause has a feast waiting for him back home. Plus he's got a compound full of children that need support and he ain't got time to be sticking around (no pun) listening to the woman at one of the many houses he frequents. He is looking for the nearest exit and his bottle of smelling salts to use on his boys Rudy and Comet so they can come to and take him home. You look at each other for a brief second you remember all the fun you had. Then the longing gaze fades and the fake smiles appear:

Him: "so er uh, I guess I'll be going now. You know how it is, busy, busy, busy."
Her: "Oh honey, you don't have to explain, I completely understand. It was great seeing you, I can't wait to see you again Big Daddy."
Him: "Likewise my dear, like wise..."

And with that, he's gone. You let out a scream of relief, start the fireplace and prepare to burn every damn thing his trifling ass left. He's stopping at the nearest Gulf station to get a ~~hoe wash~~ jailhouse wash a pair of earplugs, and to slip on his clean drawers before heading home to his loving wife and chilren back at the house you certainly don't have the home number to, nor do you want it.

And next year, y'all gon do it again...Merry Christmas!

Merry Cashless Christmas!

2010-12-25T14:20:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas All! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful enjoyable holiday. I am despite the lack of gift giving on my part. Purchasing a house has granted me "iron clad absolvation" from buying any gifts. However, whenever I check my Timid Doe Bank account I think I would rather buy gifts than feed the bill collectors. I love my house and I love being a homeowner but can I keep a couple of nickels to rub together for myself? Especially considering how cold it has gotten. I wasn't naive enough to think that this whole homeowner thing would be smooth sailing financially but I expected it to be more like a cruise ship tackling serious waves, not white water rafting with a foam rod and some flippers. Every time I open my mail B.I.G.'s Gimme The Loot plays in my head. Cashless Christmases such as these reminds of one of the most infamous Christmases in my house growing up.

The Christmas of '87 was the year in which there was basically NO Christmas in our house. Due to some fancy political-esque, promising but never delivering talk from my pappy, the mortgage went unpaid. I can't recall all of the circumstances and there were many a lean time in my youth but this one was pretty bad and mom pretty much did all she could to scrounge up the money for the mortgage (continuous thanks to my grandparents). As a result, there were no gifts bought. When this happened I was about 12 years old and my brother was 16. We were good. We didn't even care that we didn't get anything for Christmas, our presence among one another is a gift within itself. While I wasn't able to buy any gifts this year, my mother bought gave me the gift of not having to go to the laundromat (a washer and dryer!). She helps us out whenever she can. I still think somewhere she carries some bad feelings about the hard times we had growing up but whenever my brother and I talk about it, it's in a joking way. We joke because we love one another and we know that's all that matters. That doesn't mean we would be happy to endure more Christmases like the one in '87 but it let us know that hey, the bills will get paid and while that may not leave much money for much else, we're good anyway because we've learned what is most valuable to us and that is us. I'll try to keep that in mind as I continue to shell out cash for Monty (my house); and if anyone is feeling especially warm and fuzzy and charitable feel free to contribute to the ACR (Analytical Cash Reserve) Fund.

Happy Holidays!

What's the dealie-o?: Bringing everyone up to speed...

2010-12-18T14:45:00.001-05:00

Whasup everyone?! I'm trying again. It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you, without some blog posts to get through, get through, get through, get through, get through... Even after all this time, my corniness continues. Love me anyway.

First, I'll give the long overdue update.

I copped a house! It was great. There was an open house posted and I wasn't really that enthusiastic about it but once I saw it, I knew it was the one! My mother told me when you walk into a house, a feeling comes over you that lets you know whether it's "the one" or not and that was the immediate feeling I received upon entering what is now my home. I closed on October 28th and my foray into home ownership has begun. I am sure I will have plenty of Handy meets Clumsy Smurf moments to write about. I know this because I've had a couple already.

There was a downside to buying a house this past fall. I was also enrolled in two graduate courses which were the most intense grad courses I have had to date. The professor is excellent but I struggled to keep up with the work. Shoot, I already have a really hard time focusing, add buying a house, moving and trying to play Bob Vila to the mix and you have a lot of things falling by the wayside. It very well may have dowsed my chances of gaining admittance which is another hard pill to swallow but it's a pill I concocted so I have to deal with it. The worst part is I really enjoyed the classes. They were some of the most interesting things I've learned in higher education. Hopefully there's a happy ending and I'm not talking about the kind Brenda gave ol boy in Six Feet Under (although those are nice as well).

I'm sure there are details that I am leaving out but that pretty much sums up where I'm at today. I am going to be more writing intensive in the very near future (I still have some assignments to turn in for school but after that...). I'm going to be collaborating again with my main man Saule Wright on the BeingMisterWright blog. I will also be writing more reviews and entries on Soulections.com, a site dedicated to R&B and Soul music, also ran by my man Saule Wright. Lastly, I'm outlining a book I've had in my mind for five years. I'm not an author and you won't see me tweeting about my writing progress. I feel if I did that I would be undervaluing what I feel is a very serious and special talent and my respect for authors is great. I suspect that writing this book will be a freeing experience for me; I envision it will be much like my blog but with a specific purpose. I'll share more as there is more to share. I hope you'll stay with me, come back to me, discover me and discover with me. Above all else, I wish anyone who took the time to read this a wonderful holiday season.

What happened to peace?

PEACE!!!

My First Home: Firm Biz

2010-09-02T16:08:00.001-04:00

I found a house that I like. Actually I found a couple. The only problem is the list prices are higher than I would like to spend. The one thing I don't want is to have a mortgage that stresses me out the way my student loans do. I want a reasonable monthly payment so that I'm not in a position where I'm wrapped in 3 blankets, eating a can of COLD beans in the DARK. Not a good look. I have the absolute ceiling of what I want to spend and even though I can spend that, I'm trying my damndest not to.

Throughout my search I found these two houses for sale which are on the same block in an area of Philadelphia that I like. Both are priced above my max but you can (and should) offer less than what is being asked and let the negotiations commence. This one house that my realtor and I visited, the owner was present when we got there. The owner invited us in (even though the key is available in the box) and proceeds to give us a tour of the wonderful home he has taken much care to upgrade. This gentleman talked...ALOT. We easily must have spent about an hour and a half listening to him talk. Folks, it doesn't take long to view a house, even with the utmost scrutiny; certainly not that long. This man talked about how good the upgrades to his house are and how poor the upgrades are to the house down the street. He stated he would not drop his price not one penny! In his mind he had already lowered his price because he originally listed the home for $20k more than it was listed at at the time I viewed it. He listed his house based on what he thought it was worth, not what the market dictated. He wasn't open to negotiating, sellers assist, nothing. He said, "if you can't afford it, that's fine you don't buy." He told us he has no mortgage and doesn't need to sell. Of course the logical question is, "then why are you selling it?" I wanted him to come down about $10k but my realtor advised me he's probably not going to budge. I agreed. I discussed this house with my lender who also agreed the seller was being stubborn and also foolish. She said if a person has a house worth $150k just because they buy $3k granite countertops that does not mean the house is now worth $153k. It's market driven. A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Bottom line.

I asked my realtor to reach out to the seller's realtor anyway and unofficially make an offer on the home which was actually slightly above my max. Nothing. Fast forward maybe 2 weeks and the seller's realtor reaches out to my realtor and says for $5k less than the listing price and no sellers assist I could buy the home. Nope, not going to be able to do it. To me that really wasn't a concession. Especially since I saw that the seller actually dropped the sale price by $5k anyway. Yeah, the same guy who wasn't going to budge. He gave a little but remained staunch. With that we move on. It's a buyer's market and I certainly didn't have to buy his house. If he "over-upgraded" it wasn't my responsibility to make it pay off. Other options had to be explored.

The other house on that same block dropped their price into my range but I really wasn't in love with it. I considered pursuing that house or the first (actually second) house that I looked at. If I were to do that I would be trying to buy a house because I could and not because it's a house that I really want. I looked at another house I thought was nice that also recently dropped into my range. It's farther out than I want to be and the basement makes me feel like I'm hiding from nuclear fallout. A little jaded I fell back. I'm despondent and getting a little antsy but I've decided to just relax and see what happens. I know I would need some patience and to be steadfast but sheesh...this was getting bothersome. And once again, the saga continues...

Building Glass Houses 12 Months at a Time...

2010-08-24T23:31:00.001-04:00

This past weekend as I was waiting at a red light I heard this steady pulsating, booming, indiscernible, poor excuse for a rap (not hip-hop) song that was drowning out my thoughts. Some bastid had their volume turned up way past ten and I couldn't be more aggravated. I twisted and turned damn near catching a kink in my neck trying to see where the hell the noise was coming from. While I know that is partially the desired effect, my desired response was to take an air horn and blast that shit in his or her ear until their brain spilled out like a torn sandbag. I thought to myself who the hell drives around with their music blaring so loud?...and then it dawned on me, we (my generation) did. LL Cool J's 1st single from his career saving album, Mama Said Knock You Out, was Booming System. LL's first album, Radio, and the single of the same name was an anthem for members of the generation before mine who strutted down the block with a colossal sized boom box held right to their ear.

There are a lot of cliche things that are less than desireable (i.e. suck) about getting older but one of the quirkier ones I've experienced is my growing hypocrisy. I can't stand these lil bastids and their fashion, music, and mannerisms. I abhor anyone over 30 who shares the taste of someone under 20...hell under 25. Clive "Music Methuselah" Davis is truly a genius because he was able to weather countless generations of changing music. Davis had the ear to pick out and sign Sanatana, Springstein, Joel, EW&F, Whitney, as well as the LaFace and Bad Boy music ventures just to name a few. How he was able to pick out the best of the mess and not earl with each signing is beyond me. As my next birthday looms and I struggle with achy bones, slower steps, and thinning hair, what troubles me most as of late is realizing that I have no right to be the surly old man I am destined to be. I would be one of those people calling the police on the next drug dealer pushing weight tryna feed their daughter. To me everything my generation and the ones before mine did was copacetic and the new generation just haven't had enough ass whuppings in their life. Since they aren't my chilren and I can't beat em, I'm going to save up my pennies (cuz that's what old people do) and buy a bigger booming system. That way the next time some young punk pulls up next to me at a stop light in a red corrolla I will be sure to pump Born to Roll and drown his lil young ass out.

My First Home: Seek and Ye MIGHT Find

2010-08-23T07:30:00.222-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous installment of MFH, there's A LOT of houses for sale and neighborhood knowledge and a good idea of what you are looking for is key. From my searches I've come across mostly flipped or upgraded homes. Brand new kitchens, additional bathrooms, finished basements, all sorts of things to make the home appealing. You would think every person selling a home has appeared on Design to Sell. After a while I realized that there's not too much difference, superficially at least, between one house and another. I had to remember to ask/research key things like how new is the roof, how long has the house been on the market, what are the property values in the surrounding areas, and a few other technicalities. After that is done, with most things being the same, my next issue was how to narrow down my search from all of these gorgeous homes in my price range.

My criteria for a home was relatively simple (to me). I wanted two or more bedrooms with central air conditioning and a garage or parking spot. The reasons are these: First, two or more bedrooms is self explanatory. I would like to have either a guest room or an office. Second, I want central air conditioning. ~~A lot~~ Most of the houses in Philadelphia are row homes with a greater percentage of them being fairly old. Many of these homes have radiators which to me are unsightly in a house and some have window AC units, and well, I'm just too bougie for them I guess (mind you we didn't have AC when I was growing up and the heater was sub par at best...MANY cold mornings). My main reason for wanting central air condition is that it is a good indicator that the HVAC in the home has been updated. Plus after the sweltering summer we just had where even the devil was playing in the sprinklers, central air felt damn good.

Lastly, a parking spot or a garage. Pennsylvanians, specifically Philadelphians and Pittsburgh natives are serious about their parking spots. Remember the parking wars I blogged about this past winter? No, well check it out here. Anyway, parking spots in Philly are such a premium that fights break out over them and, chairs, cones, and baby carriages, complete with baby inside, are placed in parking spots to reserve them for the "owner". I'm not trying to hear all that madness. Last winter was brutal and if a snowstorm is going to hit the city, I do not want to worry about oiling up a rifle and grabbing a spittoon so I can sit outside and protect these here lands from any trespassers (I always reserve the right to reuse my analogies).

So that's it; all I want is a 2+ bedroom house, with central air and a place to park my car. An extra bathroom, preferred but not necessary. A finished basement? Love it but don't NEED it. Sounds pretty flexible to me and thus my search should be NO problem...except for that one, and most important factor, location, location, location. After I blindly went to see that first home with the smokers and the dogs, I decided, never again. I did a google search and printed out a map of the Philadelphia ZIP codes. Then I located a map indicating the names of the neighborhoods. This way I can search for houses in a particular neighborhood or not based on what the latest eyewitness news reports say. Of the 42 or so ZIP codes in philly, I targeted only 10 of them. Some ZIP codes are 7 figures long (read center city) so they automatically were "disqualified." Others are either "too hood" not "hood enough" or make me feel like someone might flat out ask me to leave. This shrunk the pool of potential homes considerably and it wasn't long before I was looking at listings for the same 5 maybe 10 houses that I would even consider viewing let alone purchasing. As of now my search is somewhat stalled. Houses that I like are just out of my reach for a couple of reasons; they're either just outside my price range or they don't meet my my strict yet loose criteria. Even some houses that do meet my criteria and are in a ZIP code that I have cleared for pursuit but are in a neighborhood that I'm not too keen on living (or trying to stay alive) in.

Now any potential homebuyer more than likely has tuned into some of those HGTV shows about cherry popping homeseekers, house poachers, or some variation of the home exchange process and let me tell you, I think those shows SUCK. Yeah I said it. Sure there is some value in them but they treat buying a home like an episode of Law & Order. You get the buyer's scenario (the crime), the search (the investigation), and the purchase (trial) all in an hour or less, usually a half hour. It gives off the false impression (at least to me) of how easy and reasonable buying a home can be. Sure sometimes they showcase the real grunt of searching for a house but for the most part, everyone is smiling at the end. C'mon Son! GTFOHWTBS! Frustrating is an understatement when describing my experience thus far in searching for my first home. I don't smile as much as I would like to. All I need is just a little patience. I mean patience is a virtue, right? That's what "they" say. Whatever. I would like something to give sooner rather than later. The search saga continues.

Next up, the importance of a good realtor and the bothersome stubborn and in my opinion delusional seller(s).

Skinny Genes: Fun at the Expense of Fat

2010-08-12T08:59:00.002-04:00

If you are one of the lucky people to possess skinny genes then you are immediately excused from a form of scrutiny that transcends race, gender, age, class, or any other segment groups. You will never have to feel like you are the only person in the room who is uncomfortable or possibly ridiculed or overlooked for that job or promotion you were desperately hoping to get simply because of your waist size. The Civil Rights act outlawed (explicit) discrimination and provided an avenue to investigate implicit acts of discrimination towards groups of people, primarily African Americans at the time it was passed. The CRA has expanded to provide rights and protection to most other groups of people who have suffered at the hands of discrimination; but not fat people. If you are a fat f*ck then you are f*cked for being fat. There are also laws in place to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities which also include mental illnesses but obesity, well that's your own fat fault.

I'm not making a case to consider obesity to be the equivalent of a mental illness but a greater percentage of Americans struggle with obesity (26.5%) and obesity related illnesses such as diabetes (7.8%) than say Bipolar disorder (2.6%). If you include most other mental disorders the percentage of diagnosed Americans is 26.2% which is still less than the obese percentage and less than half the percentage of overweight Americans in total (63.1%). This topic came to my attention due to a Twitter exchange between Bassey Ikpi on Twitter and HoneyzChild both of whom I follow. I'm a fan of Bassey's like many other people in the twitter circle I frequent and I applaud her disclosure of her bouts with bipolar disorder and being an advocate for people with mental health concerns. When Ron Artest thanked his psychiatrist after winning the NBA finals with the Lakers, some people found humor in it, Bassey praised his candor. It's true there is a stigma attached to mental health issues and any public statement that tempers those stigmas and raise mental health awareness should be applauded. However, in this exchange between Bassey and HC, Bassey was poking fun at a fashionably challenged overweight woman and HC inquired as to why is it ok to ridicule overweight people yet sufferers of mental health issues should not be chastised? Bassey's response was simple that HC should probably just unfollower her. The question went unanswered.

I've thought about this exchange off and on for a few days and I really would like an answer. Not from Bassey but the general public. I konw that obesity doesn't just happen and it's something that can be controlled but 63% of Americans being overweight means there are more things at work than just pure laziness. Of course there are economic factors, healthier food choices cost more as well as the fact that fincancial concerns are a stressor which can also lead to weight gain. Even some people treating mental disorders suffer weight gain due to the medications they have to take. In the area of Philadelphia where I live I see plenty of people running, jogging, walking dogs, frequenting Whole Foods and just overall look healthier. I'm sure there are many factors that contribute to their ability to make their health a priority. We all should, but a greater percentage of us do not, cannot, or endure a combination of both. But this is not about excuses...no excuses, only some insight about contributing factors and the ensuing battles and ridicule. People who possess skinny genes are even quicker to make fun of people who do not. That is disrespectful not only to the out of shape people but also the in shape people who have to work damn hard to stay in shape. I'm sure a lot of people with skinny genes do not get up at the crack of dawn to work out. They can eat whatever they want and not gain an ounce and I tell you it must be nice. Full disclosure, I'm overweight, nah scratch that I'm obese. With every bead of sweat that trickles down my face I have to feel concerned that people will (including myself) attribute my sweat to my obesity and not the 100 degree weather we've had as of late and yes I am aware that the weight is also a factor. I have work to do especially because I was not blessed with skinny genes. My aunt told me once that when my father was a teenager his nickname was tomato and she was telling me this to ~~remind~~ inform me how much I look like him. Mr. Tomato, Jr., yep that's me.

Fat happens, obesity not so much, but a predisposition to being fat is a definite head start to obesity. When Regina Benjamin was appointed Surgeon General by President Obama, as she sweat profusely during her acceptance of the nod, there was much talk about the fact that the Surgeon General was overweight. Nevermind that she was the first African American woman to serve in the role. Nevermind that she can relate to a health issue that 63% of the nation face or that she has lost family members to diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and HIV. Most people wanted to talk about the fact that the person charged with being concerned about America's health was "healthy" and unhealthy at the same time. If the first African American female surgeon general had been say Halle Berry, who also suffers from diabetes and who I also think might suffer from some mental instabilities herself, it would have been all good. As I said in a previous post, Obama was checked for his Special Olympics joke but an accomplished overweight phsycian and anyone remotely close to her body fat index is fair game.

Is this a plea to not make fun of fat people because I'm in the club? Nah, nothing is going to stop that. Plus, whatever bad thing you can say about a fat person, chances are they've said much worse to themselves already. I'm only saying keep in mind everyone is bearing a cross and let s/he who is without flaw or burden cast the first stone. Fat people are carrying a heavy cross and non-fat people are carrying a cross just as heavy but perhaps made of different materials (some of which fat people are carrying as well). HoneyzChild told me about this one woman's weight loss blog and it is inspiring and shows the waist wars, albeit a hard fought one, can be won. Wish me and everyone else battling obesity luck on our mission to lose and hope and pray it's not a mission we lose.

My First Home: Slumlord Dollar-ionaire

2010-08-04T07:30:00.045-04:00

Searching for a house is like whoa. There are A LOT of houses out there and purchasing a home is such a big deal that second guessing yourself will come with the territory. At the same time some things you won't have to second guess at all...sometimes you just know, especially when it's a house you don't want.

The first logical step in a house search is to check out one of the many real estate websites, put in your criteria and see what comes up. Much like online dating, sellers put up the most flattering pictures. Case in point I came across a particular house in my search prior to my pre-approval and based on the photo below (and some others) decided to trek out to see it.

Pretty decent picture right? So were the others, plenty of sunlight, well maintained all of that. That is until you put on your Sunday best, ring the doorbell to see your lovely house in waiting, and you swear you hear wolves baying at the moon while it's still daylight. First off, the house is located in a part of Philadelphia I have NO desire to live in. As a newbie to the area I was (and for the most part still am) unaware of the different neighborhoods and ZIP codes. I had no idea this place was so damn far and situated around some folks I don't think I would quite fit in with. Secondly, the house was currently being rented out. This is a very big thing to know and pay attention to. The listing while presenting the house for sale was also being advertised for new tenants. The tenants at the time had to be out by July 31st and the owner wanted new tenants in there by August 1st or 2nd and I viewed the house on July 15th. Ummm, yeah, just when do you plan on cleaning up the place for the next tenants Ms. Slumlord? You think slumlord is an overstatement? Well when there's a house the owner is renting out and not really involved with, you get some rather interesting people inhabiting a home that the owner is expecting to sell for over $200k. Some tenants will take a house from sugar to sh*t in 6 months flat. Two of the tenants were there when I viewed the house, them and their 3 big ass dogs. In that picture above what you don't see is that to the very left of that television was also quite a few bird cages. Plus the current tenants were smokers and that smell permeated throughout the CARPETED house. There's nothing wrong with tenants having a dog or two, preferably under 35lbs but if they happen to have Marmaduke, Hooch, and Clifford it might be nice to leave some wiggle room to clean the carpets. The dining room area was choc full of crap because remember, these tenants were moving out soon. Upstairs the rooms were a mess and the laundry area had a WHOLE BUNCHA dirty clothes all over the washer, dryer and the floor. I now understood why in one of the photos the doors in the hallway were closed. The photos in the listing were the equivalent of glamor shots and the house was actually more like an oversized, overpriced, porta-potty. Remember when Cliff described the way Vanessa presented Dabnis was as if she brought him in on a garbage can? This was the same concept except this house WAS the garbage can. I don't know anyone who would purchase a home that they wish someone would come by every Friday to pick it up, and take it away.

So keep this in mind when searching. First, get to know your neighborhoods, it's crucial. If you're new to the area like I am, jump in the car and drive. I didn't because I have an aversion to driving aimlessly about but when you have a purpose it's a different story. Take a drive or 4. Then, try to avoid looking at houses that have been rented out (mind you, currently we are tenants renting a house but that's besides the point, we're special). No you can't always know this or predict it but as soon as you find out, move along. Houses that are vacant, recently renovated, or still inhabited by the owners are your best bet because at least there is some expectation that the owners care about the home. Of course if the house is located at 1313 Mockingbird lane, well that might be a different Munster altogether.

Again, I'm no expert in this process, I'm sharing my experience for the clueless, by the clueless. Up next, let's get this search party started, for real, for real...

My First Home: I Pre-Approve This Message

2010-08-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

When the SO and I moved in together we did so in anticipation of getting married. Neither of us were receptive to living together but considering we were to be married about 9 months after we moved in together (which was last August) we thought it was ok to look past our hesitancy. All of the usual reasoning applied, it would allow us to save money and start building our lives together, etc. Long story short, we didn't get married. There was no nasty breakup or anything like that, we mutually agreed to call off our wedding because we realized we weren't ready and we decided to continue dating. Without an upcoming wedding date I set my sights on moving out. I started crunching numbers to see what type of rent I could afford if I were to move out. With some pretty hefty student loan bills and the need to purchase a new car in March, I wasn't so sure I could actually afford to move out. If I did, it was going to be a struggle. Coming up with first and last month's rent, security, the cost of moving, it was pretty overwhelming. At this point many of our expenses are combined and I was feeling like moving out wasn't going to be feasible.

When I thought of all the money I would have to come up with and the daunting task of looking for a place to live I started thinking, "what if I bought a house?" I went online and put in a search criteria for houses between $175k-225k. I saw some decent results and the sites such as Realtor.com and Zillow had these little indicators of how much a monthly mortgage would be for a place in that price range. $809/month; $874/month, $963/month all pretty manageable numbers. I thought, "psh, I could swing that let me keep searching." Mind you all of this is without any real idea of what goes into purchasing a house and what the actual monthly costs would be. I already feel a bit sheepish that at my age I haven't purchased a home prior to now but there's no sense in getting caught up in that. I told my brother I was looking at houses and the sample mortgage numbers and he suggested going to LendingTree.com and seeing what I could be approved for? Approved? Me? My credit? Get outta tahn! Don't ask why was I looking at houses if I didn't think I could be approved for a mortgage; again, I was just "testing the waters." My credit, much like me, while not abysmal certainly isn't in the best shape. After all of the predatory lending victims from the housing market crash, I was leery about falling into the same trap. I thought predatory loans were the primary (read only) options for people with less than stellar credit. I've seen the commercials for LendingTree where they show banks lining up to lend people money. I'm a cynic so they never crossed my mind because I didn't believe them. I was wrong.

I punched in my information for LendingTree.com and it didn't take long for the lenders to start circling me. I'm not implying that the lenders were predatory but they do call you as if you're in collections. Imagine people calling as aggressively as collectors but to try and lend you money. The first call I received was from an area code in Long Island, NY which is the only reason why I answered the call. Come to find out it was a lender and I'm talking to this guy Darren about what I could be approved for. Darren and I spoke at length and he told me I was approved for $170k. Wow. One, I couldn't believe I was approved, and two, I had an actual range of houses to look for. The pre-approval was a bigger deal than I thought it was and I'm glad I found this out by way of actually obtaining one. Darren ~~warned~~ advised me not to let alot of other people (read competitors of his) dip into my credit for fear of lowering my credit score. He said that I should expect more phone calls, and he was right. I had at least 3 other lenders vying for a callback to discuss providing me with a loan. Who me? Yes, me. I compiled their names and started returning calls which really meant I was leaving messages for them. Tag they were it.

The first person to get back to me was a woman named Patty representing a bank out of Chicago. I like Patty. She was patient, informative, responsive, just a really pleasant person to talk to. I felt like in addition to representing the bank trying to approve me for a loan she schooled me on the house selection process and the role the bank plays in the process. I gave her the same information I provided the previous guy and she got back to me and let me know I was approved with them for the same amount as the first lender, with some additional wiggle room if I needed it. My next move was to really start searching for a house. Some of the houses from my initial search were on my radar and I decided that was as good a place as any to start.

Next up, The Hunt Is On! My tales of the beginning stages of searching for my first home...stay tuned.

The Presidential Stain

2010-07-31T11:12:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I was on Al Butler's afternoon radio show and I really dug the experience. There were a variety of topics discussed but one call stood out because the caller voiced his displeasure with President Obama referring to African American's as mongrels.

The caller said that he was ready to remove the Obama paraphernalia from his walls because he thought he voted for the first black president and now that's not the case. Obama's use of the term mongrel is another exhibition of poor judgment when speaking off the cuff (like referring to the officer who arrested Skip Gates as stupid [even if that might be partially true] or referring to his bowling game to be on the level of a person in the Special Olympics). Obama has shown that he likes to crack jokes and sometimes I think he gets forgets his place. By that I mean he relaxes. Obama speaks in a conversational way that he would with you or me or say in a barber shop. As far as this comment goes, I have no idea what it's like to grow up bi-racial. Yeah many of us are a little "diluted" here and there but my race has never been an issue that I have had to continuously address. Most of us don't have to try and appease as many people with something that can be taken the wrong way the way race is. When people have a thing about themselves that they are sensitive about it's not uncommon for people to make light of it in a joking matter. A short person might make short jokes about themselves. Same goes for fat people, dark people, white people, etc. Especially when we are in the company of people who might not relate to the "plight," such as it is. Obama identified himself as black on his census form so when posed with what does he "officially" consider himself racially, he said black. Now he did do something uncharacteristic of a black man in the public eye which is marry a black woman. Unlike some athletes who are considered "all black" he pursued a black woman to be his wife and the mother of his children. I would not be surprised if part of his attraction to her is rooted in the fact that she is black and could help bridge him into a culture he has never been fully immersed in. I'm not defending Obama's choice of words but I also know I haven't walked in his shoes and cannot relate to the scrutiny of "what are you?" It's not like he tries to play the Coleman Silk role.

Much like it was for Coleman, race is an issue that will never go away. Obama was voted in, he's been president for almost two years and Barbara Walters still posed a question to him about race, same as the reporter during the press conference. Obama dedicated an entire speech, and as he said book, to talk about the role racial identity has played in his life. I'm sure for anyone who addresses race on an almost constant basis, there will be some faux paus. If I had an Obama picture on my wall, a mongrel comment surely won't prompt me to remove it.

Let it all hang out

2010-07-19T17:20:00.000-04:00

The NAACP has declared the Tea Party to be racist and I ask, so what's the problem? I'm not saying that I think the Tea Party is racist but if they are, I like my racists blatant and on front street. I see no reason to put them in a position to ~~refudiate~~ repudiate anything or try and act like something they aren't. I think as members of society we all want to be in a comfort zone where we can be ourselves. If the Tea Party wants to be racists within their home that's fine by me.

I know that Tea Party members are lobbying to be a major political force whose job would be serving diverse groups of people and you might ask yourself, "as racists, can they truly accomplish that?" Maybe yes, maybe no. Politicians always serve the base that they need to in order to keep their job. I may sound cycnical (who me?) but I think it's safe to assume that just because a politician makes good on their promises it isn't always out of general concern for the people they made the promises to. Sure, sometimes it is, but not always. It's the same as going to a job that you might not like 100%. There are probably portions of the job that you really don't want to do but hey, you do it. As long as the Tea Party are not breaking any laws, denying access to jobs, tryna keep a brother down, they can talk about whatever they want at their dinner table. Hey, they can talk about it in public if they like (and they do like). If you think they are doing all those things I mentioned anyway and that is why we should be trying to out them as racists, remember, they're doing it anyway. If they're racists well at least we have more insight as to why they support the separation of classes and disparate unemployment rates, etc. They have the right to be racists and we have the right not to support them so we can get behind the people and parties who are aligned with our personal values. At least this way we'll know that we are actually supporting the right people. I've quoted before and I'll quote again, "don't front for me..."

Been There Done That...

2010-07-10T10:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I drafted a post about the Oscar Grant case but from what I have read in most of the blogs I visit, most "bloggers of black descent" have voiced their displeasure over the verdict. I don't think I have anything to add. If somehow you are still interested in my thoughts, I'll copy and paste it and you can catch it after the break. Otherwise, feel free to move on and I'll think of something else to blog about. (Maybe LeBron? Nah, the same situation applies as well as commentary about the media and individuals concern for LeBron's decision, overshadowing the 12 not so angry men and women of Oakland's decision).

Remember the Time...

There was a time that police brutality was just another day on the beat for a cop (slight pun). Those days are long behind us. No more do we endure police brutality and misconduct and as minorities, primarily African Americans, we can breathe easy knowing that the days of fearing the police are long behind us. It's not like unarmed immigrants, soon to be ex bachelors, black police officers, or a black marine who served 2 tours of duty in Iraq are being murdered. We've come a long way. Right? Right?

Wrong, these things still happen but they are more covert. The quiet coverage of the Oscar Grant case began before the verdict was read. In order to know anything about the Oscar Grant murder you either had to be connected via social media with people who were on the pulse of the case or following the trial intently after his shooting was first reported. I vaguely recalled the reporting and can't believe that 18 months have passed since the shooting. Part of the reason I vaguely recall is because it was vaguely covered.

The media has learned from its past mistakes. The Rodney King trial was a media frenzy and this was during a time where there were less media outlets to cover the trial. There was no internet (the way we know it today), no blogs, youtube, twitter, none of that. The media still found ways to cover it every step of the way and make sure that we saw the video of Rodney's ass whupping. The riots that followed caused the media to say, "perhaps we should be more 'responsible' next time..." because we all knew there would be a next time. There have been similar, more grim occurrences since then (see links above) and they usually end with the officers in question being vindicated.

The Oscar Grant verdict was yet another example of placing higher value on the life and freedom of the person who took the life of another simply because the offender was a police officer. Every now and then we get a reminder that while we have come a long way, there's a LONG way to go. Complacency is the catalyst for inaction. If we see that things aren't as bad as they used to be then it's easier to accept that they are still bad but not do anything about it. This verdict is a reminder of where we actually are at in our society. It's a reminder of how dormant civil rights movements are. It is a very big message of "know your place" because the consequences will not be the same for one group of people as they are for another. Plenty of people on twitter made note of the fact that Mehserle will probably serve less time than Michael Vick did. I won't split hairs about the value of the life of animals verses those of people (although that should be a no-brainer) but the bottom line is that Oscar Grant was a man, a father no less, and now his daughter will grow up fatherless and his murderer will probably be free before her 7th birthday. Even if we don't remember the times, there are still current occurrences that should be our wake up call. Forget riots those we can do without but I would like to invoke some of the calls to action from yesteryear. I would really like to know what can we do to organize and rally behind the problem that is police brutality?

Elite U

2010-07-07T15:44:00.004-04:00

Yesterday it was reported that Ms. Mary J. Blige received her GED and would be attending Howard University in the Fall. Twitter was all abuzz about this yesterday. Plenty of folks weighed in on why should she receive preferential treatment based on her celebrity status? Or, how funny will it be when it's proven that MJB can't perform at the college level? She did after all just receive her GED. Other people applauded her for pursuing college at all because as a singer with a successful career she doesn't NEED to go to college. I have no qualms with the commentary, it's to be expected, still, I do have some issues with the underlying reasons for the commentary. Some of which needs to be addressed.

Howard, How Could You?

Some Howard alumni were, I guess you could say, offended that an institution as "grand" as Howard would accept MJB. Conversations ensued about the quality of an HBCU education, the fact that Howard isn't that grand, how did Howard compare to other instituions, how hard it should be and can be to get an education, blah, blah...whatever. Some even went so far as to imply that MJB's acceptance would somehow diminish the reputation of the school and lower the value of their degrees. Again, whatever. First, as twitterers such as Whymelawd pointed out, all school's of all levels, tiers, and reputations have students/graduates that aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. George W. Bush's Yale degree has not tarnished the institution's reputation one bit and according to Wikipedia he's the only president to hold an MBA, which he earned from the prestigious Harvard University. Something to keep in mind about this; most alum of prestigious universities are aware of this thing called Legacy. Legacy is basically preferential consideration for admission extended to the children (or descendent relatives) of the alumnus of a university. While it's not the same as gaining admittance due to celebrity status, in theory it's the same thing; "something" other than your academic performance is taken into consideration for admittance. It happens in Affirmative Action as well so think about it, if you're "pro affirmative action" how are you going to be anti the principle behind it? All that talk of, "how could you?" doesn't mean spit because the question is really, "how could you not?"

Howard, the Black Ivy League

My daddy can beat up your daddy and our people are better than your people. That's another underlying attitude behind why MJB doesn't deserve admittance. She's not "good enough" for Howard. As established above, even ivy leagues extend admissions to some who might not be as "deserving" but still, why are all of these alumn determining who is and is not good enough? That's the equivalent of relying on standardized tests to determine who is and is not good enough to attend a certain school. A practice that many people speak out against. You got your degree, cool, nevermind what the next man or woman is doing and how they are doing it. Life isn't fair, ask Al Gore. Sometimes the chips fall a certain way. I understand evaluating the quality of an institution, I really do. It's necessary not only for for prestige and money but also to identify weak and strong areas. As a university employee I can tell you the value placed on rankings and the perception of an institution weigh heavy...so much so that people are mistreated for not being one of the privileged. What part of the game is that? It's an old part with very old rules. I don't care if MJB was going to Howard, Harvard, or How Come Community College, somewhere along the line pursuing higher education means something to her; how can anyone hate on that?

The problem with elitism is that we all look down on it until we're the ones looking down on others. Nope, I'm not going down the racism, sexism, privileged rabbit hole, but these concepts are intertwined in principle. I'm a native New Yorker, I know all about thinking I'm better than. However, if anywhere in our being we denounce any of those principles, how come it's ok to apply this train of thought to academia and education? I work with a lot of "well educated" individuals and I promise you, conducting an insightful and informative class is tertiary on their list of priorities, behind being published and promoting themselves. So would you rather have the tenured professor who is a Yale grad who can't teach a lick but is considered an expert in their field, or the How Come Community College educated professor who understands the subject and is primarily concerned with you learning and understanding the material? If MJB's acceptance to Howard influences more people to attend college, be it Howard or HCCC, I'm all for it. Any steps taken towards self improvement should never be scoffed at because we somehow think it becomes about us. As a self centered person I assure you, it's not always about you. Be sure to list on your resume, right above your B.S. or B.A. from Prestine U, your Masters in Elitism from the University of Assholes, as well.

Skee-Lo Analytical

2010-07-03T15:02:00.001-04:00

I’m sure at one time we’ve all thought about what we would do if we were granted wishes to change or improve the things we don’t like. Skee-Lo, a Mugsy Bogues sized rapper, dedicated an entire song to it. Sure in the past I’ve wished I was a tall baller with mad females to call but the real wishes I have are mostly personality and skills based. These are the things that could make me a better Mr. A:

iHate You So Much Right Now

2010-06-29T08:24:00.006-04:00

I think hater is an overused term but there are in fact some things that I do hate and hate on, including myself. I hate that my inspiration to write ebbs and flows. I also hate:

-That people still buy gas from BP. Americans are always talking loud and doing nothing (present author included). Nevermind Obama for a second, the only thing in this world that truly talks with authority and a commanding voice is money. If every American decided tomorrow that they wouldn't buy a drop of gas from BP until they stopped the madness, which includes clean up, you'd be surprised how quickly BP would act. They're probably taking their sweet time to allow for us to keep buying their crude so that in all actuality we're paying to clean up their mess. If you add up all the lost revenue due to us boycotting BP, they'd get right. Hey it worked in Alabama...#jordan-kanye shrug #boycottfail

-That hard work and noble intentions are all well and good but dammit some people who don't have and do neither are just plain ol lucky...Don't believe me? Ask Warren Buffets' children.

-Speaking of luck, I hate that I have too many teeth and live in too populous of an area to win the multi-state lotteries. I'm moving to Spittoon, Nebraska to see if I can win some money because 3% raises ain't cutting it.

-Lastly, iHate that Drake, Lil Asthma (weezy), and Nikki Misogyny are killing the rap game...figuratively and literally. In pursuit of Hip-Hop preservation, Hip-Hop needs a commission that issues a license to ill but if your music is more ill-nausea than ill-matic, your license can and will be revoked. All in favor?

(oh and yes, I used hashtags in this blog post and I have even done so in email. The twitter matrix has me, you can hate that too.)

(I also hate that no matter how many times I try to correct the formatting of this post so that it looks half way decent it reverts back to looking like garbage. #bloggerfail)

Don't Always BET on Black

2010-06-28T14:55:00.007-04:00

Prologue:

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the BET Awards. I had no desire to watch them but I was ~~ordered~~ asked by my man Al B. to watch, write, and follow-up on them. Since I'm always wondering what the hell to write about anyway, I am "happy" to oblige. This "review" such as it is won't be a blow by blow, there's plenty of video and blogs to go 'round.

The annual BET awards are held in recognition of honoring what music and entertainment once was and promoting and (further) bastardizing what it currently is. Yes, I'm ornery and contrary and although it's hard to believe I truly do try to be as objective as possible. It's not so much that the production of the shows are sub-par, although that's a part of it, but it's really the low quality of content that hurts these award shows each year. Let's explore shall we?

The Hostess

Queen Latifah hosted the awards and aside from some shaky wardrobe choices based on movies that she's done, as a hostess she was good. Excellent? No, but definitely good. She was beautiful, she had presence, personality, all the things you want in a host or hostess. She even reminded us of the times when women on the mic had lyrics and annunciated their words, even with hip-hop phonics. Yeah she jacked Drake's "flow" such as it is, but she put some decent lyrics behind it. She said that she started her career "doing this hip-hop thing" and as a song on her first album professed, she's a pro.

The Performances

Skipping over the pre-show performances (garbage) the main performances were sweet and sour. Disclaimer: I did not watch all the shows live, I caught some on youtube and some I opted not to watch at all. A silhouette purporting to be Kanye West opened the show performing his single, Power. I felt like I was watching LL Cool J in EPMD's Rampage video asking myself, is that really him? I don't think Ye is beyond having someone stand in for him...I mean being able to have a stand in is a sign of real power to me. I skipped Diddy's "Smokey" Joe's Cafe performance. I read on twitter the smoke was outta control. Nikki Minaj, the heir apparent female MC rapper, lip synced all of her performances out of sync...and the fact that she performed twice (or was it thrice?) shows how shallow the talent pool is. I was happy to see Nia Long and Larenz Tate reenact some Love Jones moments without the reenactment going awry. Nia and Larenz are excellent actors, urban cinematic audiences and filmmakers needed that shot in the ass to remind them what they could be making. I'm not going to run down all of the performances you can check those for yourself if interested. Just know that the talented people exemplified talent and those who are talent deficient showed that as well. Even T.I. and Usher who do have talent stutter stepped. And speaking of stutter steps, in an attempt to rebound from a career threatening stutter step, Chris Brown did Michael Jackson justice complete with crying and all. I don't know if he was crying over the loss of MJ, the fact that She's outta his life, or that he has some improvements to make on the Man in the Mirror; it could understandably be all three. No matter what though, he did his thing. Clearly the sweetest standout performance of the evening belonged to the unequivocally talented diva, Ms. Patti Labelle. Patti's stop and take notice rendition of Purple Rain during the tribute to Prince for his lifetime achievement as an exceptional musician rescued an otherwise floundering tribute. Patti didn't even have to sing any more words beyond the initial verse, she just flexed some SERIOUS vocal muscle. At 66, Patti did (and is doing) what any other stunning matriarch of a family does; show the youngsters how it's done.

The Awards

Eff those awards. The "hip-hop" (such as it is) awards were awarded to "artists" who are brand new or don't even have albums out yet (Minaj-a-Drake). I peeped Drake's poor attempt at humor by saying he doesn't need to read his thank you's from his phone. Dude, you spit a "freestyle" verse from your phone, we haven't forgotten (have we? [quick side note: that video of Drake's freestyle reaffirms his high levels of corny quotient]). Lil Wayne was bigged up all night by Baby Money, despite the fact that quite frankly he's not really tops in the talent or model of respectability categories. Basically the awards were given out to the most popular people in the categories and were basically fillers between the debauchery that was the music performances.

Overall

The award show was ok. There were technical difficulties such as mic problems during Eminem's performance and the excessive train smoke during Diddy's performance but no award show is beyond those problems. Viacom's money is behind BET now and the show was a vast improvement over past year's shows. I think the production was on par with all other MTV/VH1/BET sanctioned award shows (which depending on your age is or is not a good thing). The show was VERY youth driven (understandable), very loud and somewhat out of sync, and very effective at making you wonder why you endured three hours of an award show for 45 minutes of worthy content and performances. It's like buying an album based on a hit single and finding out only 15% of the material is decent or going to a movie and finding out all the good parts were in the trailer. There are so many award shows nowadays that it's very hard for any one to really standout. The BET awards are for the young, the NAACP awards are for the "old", and I think the Essence awards are somewhere in the middle providing a respectable happy medium. I still have no love for BET and disagree with Prince's proclamation that the future is in good hands. He's been watching too many allstate commercials. There are good hands available to the future...however, BET scares me into thinking that we won't use those good hands but rather the semi talented, microwaved produced, and insufficiently prepared hands will be at the wheel...and that's about as reassuring and comforting as a surgeon with Tourette's and Parkinson's performing a triple bypass.

Final Grade: C-

No Brainer Association

2010-06-18T14:29:00.009-04:00

I've always loved basketball. Both my father and older brother were avid ball players and watchers. I remember when I was somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10, rooting for the Lakers to beat the Celtics. I was captivated by Showtime lead by Magic Johnson, who is still to this day my favorite basketball player (and in my opinion the true greatest of all time). Over the past 3 years however, I found myself rooting for the Celtics which is blasphemous for NYers but hey, I love their team. In '08 the Celtics beat the Lakers and last night the Lakers beat the Celtics. This irked me because the way the league is nowadays it only takes 1 superstar and some slightly above par complimentary players to win a ring whereas I felt, and still feel, that the Celtics had the more well rounded team. Basketball has fallen out of favor with me in recent years. I'm a Knicks fan, always have been, always will be, but they're in the rebuild mode and I hope good things are to come.

Parity is not one of the NBA's strong suits. Last night's victory marked the 16th championship for the LA Lakers (1 behind Boston's 17 championships). The Lakers and Celtics alone combine for more than half the titles won in the NBA. This got me to thinking about how "boring" the NBA has gotten. You can put 4 names in a hat and one of those teams will most likely be the champions. I decided to do the math to see how many NBA champions have been crowned since 1980 in comparison to other team sports. Over the last 30 years the NBA has crowned (only) 8 different champions. In the words of Charles Barkley, "That's turrebl." I know 8 champions sounds incorrect but considering LA, BOS, CHI, and SA are responsible for 24 of those championships it's understandable that only 4 other teams (DET, PHI, HOU, and MIA) are peppered in here and there. The NBA has a long regular season, 82 games, which isn't as long as the MLB season but long enough to lose interest in it. Why should I watch that long ass season of basketball and a long drawn out playoffs to match, if I know 1 of 8 teams has a chance of winning? In comparison over the past 30 years the NFL has crowned 16 champions, the MLB has 19 champions, and the NHL has crowned 14 champions. I consider those numbers respectable because while there are some dynasties in there, on average every 2 years or so there has been a different champion. It's enough parity to appeal to almost twice as many cities or more for each sport. Also, if Boston had won last night it would not have changed the number of NBA champions so it's not just me being bitter over a Celtic loss. Watching the NBA is a no brainer because the odds are pretty good you know who's going to win before the season even starts. As professional basketball loses its luster with me, and apparently most of the country according to the statistics in this article, it begs the question, what will it take to bring back the love? The article has some good ideas for solutions. I've had an exchange with my man Saule Wright about it. The only thing everyone can agree on is that SOMETHING has to be done. I would love to see the NBA focus on developing the sport and viable teams rather than this incessant quest to find the next Michael Jordan.

As I wait for the NBA to get its act together, luckily I'm finding other sports to fill the void, namely football. This year I'm going to attend my 1st football game, pre-season but still a game nonetheless. I'm very much looking forward to the football season and not just because of Fantasy Football (although that has a lot to do with it). Hopefully, sometime before I have children, the NBA will get some brains and get its act together and I can instill the same love for the game in my children that was instilled in me. Until then, I'll be shopping for baby Giants jerseys if/when I have some crumbsnatchers.

Caveat emptor, Obama!

2010-06-15T17:29:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama should have taught Property Law instead of Constitutional Law. If he had, perhaps he might have realized how the doctrine of buyer beware could have helped him before going into this whole presidency thing. I absolutely HATED my Property II prof (bastid) but one of the few things I recall from that class is buyer beware. Basically buyer beware is what it sounds like as it pertains to the purchase of merchandise or property, in most cases a house. The United States has gone from melting pot to money pit and Barry should have been more aware. Yeah that Property law sure could have come in handy.

Have you ever seen the film The Money Pit? Here's a clip:

Now when Obama decided to put his bid in for this money pit that we call the U.S., God not only needed to bless America, but anyone who is charged with running it at this point can't receive enough prayer. Yesterday my man Saule Wright posed the following scenario in his fb status :

If you buy a laptop from Best Buy and it burns down your house based on a defect in the laptop from manufacturing, your lawsuit is against the manufacturer, not Best Buy. Shout out to those trying to blame the BP Oil spill on Obama and not the Bush administration.

Setting aside the litigious nature of our country and how everyone can (or at least tries to) sue almost anyone even remotely involved in a loss of any kind, he makes a very good point about who gets stuck holding the bag. In the scenario of Obama and the Free World Money Pit, he should have definitely been more aware not so much of what he was getting into (how could he know?), but the potential for problems and implosion. First he was "bidding on a property" that at the time was controlled by two of the biggest slumlord politicians the country has seen in the past 20 years. You can tell by the way they took care of the place that it wasn't going to be in the best shape by the time it changed "ownership." Secondly, as it was being prepared to sell there weren't any improvements being made. They weren't even trying to front and make the place appear inviting to any potential suitors. As a matter of fact more money was being spent, more troops were being deployed, and there were more loans against the "equity" of the home, including yet another lien on the property with Bank Yuan. It was evident the Design to Sell cast never visited the oval office. The place was falling apart and before putting your bid in, it's reasonable to think to yourself, "do I really want the headache of flipping this 'house?'"

Optimism and desire for change being what it is/was Obama pushed ahead anyway and since he secured the house almost all that could go wrong has gone wrong. The "property" needed bank bailouts, loot for lemons (cash for clunkers), a continued war in Afghanistan, increasing unemployment, a housing market collapse, a huge undertaking for health care reform, and if that weren't enough, now there's this damn oil spill courtesy of Bastard Petroleum. I know the ice packs are on standby, the bufferin is bountiful, and the pepto flows freely. All of these problems, few created by current ownership but their problems nonetheless to address are enough to make anyone ill. All eyes are on this and while Obama is not responsible for many of these problems, if they aren't fixed or at the very least improved by the time this house is on auction again in 2012, someone else may have the winning bid...may God bless them all.

How strong is your foundation?

2010-06-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

I'm consolidating a series of tweets that I made this morning. They aren't rules or directives, just something(s) to consider.

Try to avoid dating s'one who is still trying to get over s'one else. It's a weak foundation to try and build a relationship on.
if you happen to be the person trying to get over s'one, get over them 1st. Don't be selfish & date s'one while pining for another
Relationships are hard when you have a strong foundation. A relationship w/a weak foundation will hold up like a straw hut in a monsoon
With every strong gust of "wind" you'll be constantly trying to repair or rebuild that hut.

Avoiding being a rebound is a cliche but most people trudge forward anyway thinking the feelings the person you are interested in has for another will erode the more time you spend together. Problem is that the foundation established in those early months is weak. You can tell if someone is digging you or when they are only half digging you; or digging you "enough." By the time they come around, the foundation is so weak that what might have been a good relationship is no more than a trailer sitting in front of a house that burned to the ground.

Mr. Almost Visible

2010-06-12T10:36:00.002-04:00

Today is my big brother’s birthday! This is a big deal to me because well, he's my big brother. I had the normal “in awe of my brother” feelings most younger brothers have towards their older brother(s). Due to a limited relationship with my father this awe was compounded. When I was younger my brother and I weren’t that close (Wayne and Kevin had nothing on us). We’re four years apart so that kind of makes sense. We didn’t start becoming really close until we were both entering adulthood.

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What would Mr. A do...

2010-06-11T14:21:00.002-04:00

If I ruled the world and every thing in it there are some "subtle" changes I would make to how some things are done. For instance I would:

-have Raekwon the Chef visit convicted male sex offenders every three months to "lay [their] nuts on a dresser and bang them shits with a spiked bat. POW!!!"

-hold responsible parties responsible. If your company while under your watch, is directly responsible for a natural disaster that damages the environment or liveliehood of anyone/thing, the responsible parties shall be outsed w/out pay. Those parties include the board of directors, CEOs, management, foremens and supervisors on down and they will be responsible to pay out of their own pockets, at minimum 5%, of the recovery costs. Personal and Professional insurance companies will only be allowed/required to pay 30% of the insured's out of pocket costs. I bet if you knew it was going to affect your personal fortune you'd cap that sucker real quick. Each ounce of oil spilled is one less decendent of yours that will have their tuition and inheritance paid for. Nobody is going to accept responsibility if you can keep your job, keep making money, and write something off as basically "shit happens." Lookit here Forrest, while sometimes shit does indeed happen, sometimes, like phospho soda shit is caused, and that oil spewing out is a shit stain on you all. I fully expect when I mess up at work that it very well may cost me my job. If this world were mine, occurrences such as this would automatically nulify any executive contracts and you are immediately transitioned to "at will" status. It would be our will to fire yo punk asses. Get your elitest asses off your high horses and join us down here in the real world.

*note I know BP is not an American company and some of what I say are specific to American labor laws (re: at will) but in this scenario it's my world so on Planet A, this is how it goes.

-have police officers go through some hazing. Since becomming an officer is an induction into a Fraternal Order, would be police officers will be subjected to hazing via the treatment they give. We won't go so far as to raid your homes and "accidentally" kill your children but it will serve you well on the job to know how effective your tactics and levels of force are and gauge what is reasonable or excessive. That means while still a civilian you may randomly be stopped for driving 55 in a 54, be roughed up a bit, maybe detained for a couple hours without counsel things like that. Basically you'll receive enough proper treatment that your body will tense up when you see an officer in your rear view mirror, even when you're doing nothing wrong.

-require Teabaggers to perform said act on the entire roster and coaching staff of the U.S. men's soccer team as an added incentive to step up their game in persuit of the World Cup.

That's just to name a few. I assure you that these simple rules are baby steps towards making this world a better place. C'mon over to Planet A and invite me to your world as well. I'd love to know what your rules and regulations would be.

Watch where you point that thing

2010-06-10T11:11:00.001-04:00

The "gender wars" are at their peak and I hope not to add anything more to that bonfire beyond this entry (unless of course I feel compelled to which is always possible). Instead of the back and forth and trying to decide who is at fault for all of this discord, I'm going to ask everyone including myself to look at themselves. Have we done anything that would contradict all of the back and forth and positions that we state? It's a very serious question because in one breath you might be disgusted at all the outpour of crude verbal muck and in the next breath we're pumping gas from BP. Weird (slightly off topic) analogy I know but stick with me.

It's hard to put forth a message of what we would like to see the youth, and men and women achieve and emulate and at the same time support something or someone completely contradictory to that stance. I beat this point to the ground but it bears re-stating; Jigga man at one point in his life embodied all of the characteristics both men and women within this debate dislike yet for the most part he was and still is adored by both. Jay-Z was a misogynistic, high school drop out, ex drug dealer with a record; he just happens to be able to rap, quite well I might add. Am I trying to make this about Jay? No. I have some of his music I'm not holier than thou. But think about it, if you are pleading that our youth finish high school, further their education, don't sell drugs to the detriment of their community, and love our women as they should, are you ok supporting a contrary message from a celebrity simply because you've deemed them exempt? Because they make music that you like it's ok? We've all abandoned listening and buying R. Kelly's music but when Mystikal, a convicted felon who videotaped his sexual assault on a woman (which lead to his conviction) and was quick to call women bitch in his appearance on Ludacris' Move Bitch, hit the stage at the 2010 VH1's Hip-Hop Honors, men and women alike were screaming (according to tweets I read on twitter) hell yeah! Again this isn't about trashing their material, Move Bitch is on my iPod. Still I have to be honest with myself about what messages I've supported versus the ones I will publicly say is unacceptable.

People can change, we get older and wiser, much better, I get it. I'm certainly not the same man at 34 that I was at 24. However, when Jigga man was my around my age he was making songs (some of wich are on my iPod) with what I consider "questionable content." So here is the high school dropout, ex drug dealer with a criminal record and he is arguably one of the top 5 influential/popular black men in America. A man who interestingly enough is married to Beyonce, arguably on of the top 5 influential/popular women in America. And we love him. I myself am impressed and inspired by some of his more recent accomplishments because I like to see people from humble beginnings making power moves. Still, the same intellectuals that are anti-misogyny and anti all the perils that befall alot of inner city youth are quick to sing his praises because he's Jay-Z. We're happy T.I. is free. The "hip-hop" world is waiting for Weezy to be released so he can get back to the business of making babies. In the meantime our youth support his music while he does his bid. I remember when I was 15 and interested in the music business, I rationalized not needing college because Russell Simmons and Diddy didn't finish college and I looked up to them. Youth are impressionable and oftentimes those imprints are carried into adulthood.

They say don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk. While nobody is perfect and we're all entitled to stutter steps and have things we're ashamed to admit we like or liked, walking the walk also includes watching who and what you support. If I substituted the words to the chorus for H to the Izzo with "N to the Izzo, the browns and the darkies" would you listen? Probably not. So if someone else is spitting a message that supposedly is not in line with your own core values and stance, why are you supporting that? Because it's your right to and I support that right. Just bear in mind ladies if I see you telling men don't call women bitches and hoes, further their education and consider marriage while listening to Sponsor as you drive away in your Infiniti from the motel where you rendezvous with the saved, married investment banker who's everything you want minus that lil married snafu, * breathe * then you deserve a side eye and your credibility may be a little shaky. Same goes for these dudes. If you're talking bad about women, calling them gold-diggers with too high standards and not supportive enough, yet you leave your baby moms and 3 kids to fend for themselves while you over-extend yourself to buy a benz (as opposed to paying child support or better yet being in the home to help raise the children) all in an effort step off with Paula Patton, while also blasting Sponsor in said benz, I will ignore your dumb ass and drown out your bullshit with some Ed O.G.. Do you get my drift? This isn't about good music and messages v. "bad" music and messages, this is about the hypocrisy of pointing fingers at everyone else while refusing to start with that man or woman in the mirror. The bottom line is stop telling people (men and women alike, although the ladies are really bearing the brunt of this war) what they need to do to be better and start aiming those directives at yourself. At the end of the day, that's the only person you can change anyway. Hopefully if enough people point the finger at themselves and try to improve, mass change won't be far behind.

Off The Wall: "Why can't we be friends?"

2010-06-03T06:41:00.009-04:00

I have a good amount of friends, and I consider those friendships the highest quality. We aren’t just friends – we’re good friends, and at this point I'm satisfied to say that we'll always be friends even if we speak only once a month (which has happened). Luckily those friendships have a solid foundation which at this point makes them very low maintenance. I could call one of my friends out of the blue and we'll start talking like no time has passed. In order to have solid relationships like that you have to work at them. It takes time. It takes laughing together, crying together, fighting with one another, and then reeling it all back in. This brings me to the actual point of this post: trying to get off the virtual/social network wall. How do you turn e-friends into long term, solid e-friends?

The virtual world feels a lot like high school. If you aren't popular enough you will find yourself virtually standing on the wall at the spring dance. You know what I mean. We watch the “popular” people tweet back and forth, comment on one another's work, big ‘em up, tear ‘em down, whatever. It's safe to say that some people are “e-popular.” Popularity only matters in high school, politics, media, and sometimes at your job. Social networks have allowed us to relive high school, just check all of those Facebook requests you get. You can try and jump in on a conversation between the Twitter class president and the Captain of the Blogger sports team, but chances are if you aren't popular enough you will not get an @ back. If you were unpopular in high school this will be a familiar feeling. If you were popular in high school but aren't popular on social networks now, be prepared to experience the same feelings as the nerds you gave wedgies to.

If you flex your mental muscle enough and "publish" something(s) "noteworthy," you might be placed on a tenure track to become a full professor of popularity. Until you do, you will remain virtually unnoticed; you might as well skip next year's spring dance. Now, in order to gain noteriety you have to stay on your "A" game. If you say the wrong thing you might find yourself in a circle surrounded by all the popular tweeples telling you how feeble-minded and off base your insight/opinion is. You can make e-enemies. There are e-bullies. There are personalities that everyone wants to beat up, break down, berate, and banish. On the flip side, there are personalities that everyone wants to bed, be down with, and be co-signed by as worthy of their time. Back in high school fights were a big deal because depending on where you went to school they didn't happen every day. In the virtual world, there's almost a fight daily. People Crip-walk to their computers to rep their e-block/clique/set/gender/race/party and they rep it hard. Get down or lay down.

Before anyone accuses me of being bitter about not being e-popular enough, hear me out. Sure I'd love to be more popular--who doesn't--but as I said earlier cultivating friendships is hard work, and that goes for virtual friendships too. I don't think I have the energy or brain capacity to build ‘em up and build ‘em and build ‘em up until they’re solid. I like a lot of people that I've "met," and I am interested in what many of the popular personalities have to say, but oftentimes, much like the popular 90210 folks, I just want to kick it with MY people. I know it's not as serious as I am making it out to be, truly I do. But the days of "oh that's the internet, only certain types of people are on there" are gone. I bet sometimes you read something that makes you feel the same way, almost as if you experienced it in person. We get mad, laugh out loud, sometimes to the point of rolling on the virtual floor. We can even be aroused or have our interest piqued by the people on the other side of the screen. It's real out here and thus more people are (hopefully) acting the same way on screen as they do off screen because a lot of times we're judged by what's on that screen.

So, why so serious? I should look at this like a business, a brand that I am building…and I suppose in some ways I am. But much like a game of the Sims, if you don't work on these relationships like they're a full-time job, the relationships will fade and dangit, it's hard enough keeping up with the relationships we already have without tilling the soil of virtual ones all the time. My peoples are my people, virtual or not. If we connect(ed), no matter what the medium, then I will ride for you and help you promote anything you have going on. I will get off the wall for my friends. Trust that I'm supporting by reading and every now and then I'll chime in, add my ‘lil change, and then fall back. That’s what friends are for, right?

Take It Personal

2010-06-03T05:30:00.001-04:00

I'm getting personal on my Tumblr blog, Meet Mr. A. Stop by sometime and get to know me better.

Hate the game...

2010-06-01T18:30:00.001-04:00

Who are you mad at/frustrated with? Last week there was a back and forth between VSB and some other members of the blogosphere regarding an entry they made regarding how black men feel about humorous women. It gained enough attention that they drafted a post to address the "blog profiling" they were lumped into. I understand the criticisms and frustration about reading what was perceived to be yet another 2 cents in the "this is what's wrong with black women" till but I don't think that was VSB's intent (and they said so). I have a slightly different consideration to throw out there. A lot of people, men and women alike, can't stand or believe that Steve Harvey, a thrice married man is somehow a qualified relationship expert. A reasonable disbelief indeed but perhaps the "problem" doesn't lie with all people who put this material out there but perhaps the "complaints" should be directed at the patrons and supporters. I'm not talking about dateline, abc, cnn, doe-ray-mi or any other network news "specials," clearly they are discussing something with which their insight is limited and input is unwelcomed. Nah, I'm talking about the people who call into Harvey's radio show, cop his books, and log onto blogs, who according to the "more refined" feel, these people should dislike. Which begs the question, who are you really mad at?

It should come as no surprise that there is more push for things with more demand. If you don't like what's being supplied your problem shouldn't lie solely with the supplier, but maybe with those who demand it as well. Now a counter-argument could be, "should we give pimps a pass simply because johns continue to buy into and support the exploitation of women?" Absolutely not, but that's slightly off base because those actions are harmful to the parties involved and their families. Same goes for drug dealers, etc. Illegal activities aside, this is merely a case of supply and demand and being upset about the demand. I promise you, if Harper Collins wanted to throw me a check for a book of my opinions I'd write that sucker and make it do what it do. I know that sounds very uncle tom, sellout-ish but those student loan invoices are sickening and I'd love a legal way to be rid of them. Let's take another occupation for example. There are lawyers who file suit against major corporations for product liability and others who defend those corporations; would we give them a pass because their occupations are "reputable?" I know a lot of them get those same student loan invoices that I do, should we publicly call them foul? Back to the subject at hand, so because Harvey is being uplifted as a guru we're all mad? I seriously doubt before this book came to fruition Harvey set out to be a relationship guru. People started writing, calling, and asking his opinion, it took off like wild fire, someone cut him a check and voila! Think like a man and act like a woman. Plenty of folks love Jigga Man and others support young pocket change despite their subject matter and the avenues they took to achieve success. Why is it "ok" for them and not others? Is it only allowable for people we have sanctioned as ok to get money?

None of what I am saying is to defend or denounce the people in question. I'm not even trying to get into a discussion over the quality or validity of their product. I'm only concerned about channeling the angst towards the demand. If you're tired of these "out of the loop" dudes telling everyone, in this case primarily ladies, what's wrong with them, talk to the people who bring them into the loop. There's no need for gender wars here, talk to the patrons. When fans aren't happy with the way a sport is being played, attendance goes down, when attendance goes down, rules and actions change. Things are done to bring the audience back to the stands. If you're mad at the game, which essentially it sounds like many people are, talk to the buyers, the players are going to play until someone changes the rules. I'm not mad at Weezy (that's not true I am but this is a diff topic) but I give a side eye to the people who ride for him like he's not setting a troublesome example for teenagers. I am mad at parents who aren't doing more to raise up their chilren so as to provide them with better self esteem to the point of not exhaulting pseudo idols. The elephant is in the room, but shit what the hell is wrong with all the people who won't say it's there? Don't (only) hate the player, hate the game, avoid the game, and/or talk with the audience. Don't just criticize the players, help to shift demand and I'm sure the changes to supply will follow.

Xtra! Xtra! Don't Read All About It...

2010-05-30T07:45:00.001-04:00

No news is good news and good news is a good thing, right? I'm not so sure. If we read a little bit more into that phrase, the only reason that no news is good news is because what is news is bad news, and we don't want that. There is also another saying, "idle hands are the devil's workshop." Meaning that the no news which is good news could also be the prelude to bad news. No news is also bad news because it means routine has won the war on life. Sure, during this war we have "battles" which consist of fun filled weekends or vacations to exotic places which upon our return gives us plenty of good news to share; but how can this be if no news is good news?

No news is also the answer to the Timex Social Club's question. If there's no news we have to make news and when we make news good news topics are not the subjects of choice. Rose colored glasses do not exist; optimism is for either boring people or "extremists." We don't necessarily like bad news but it's the type of news that we are compelled to talk about the most. Good news only exists in extreme circumstances. Graduations, weddings, children being born, etc. Bad news happens daily. Water heater broke. Transmission is on the fritz. Crime is on the rise. A house in your neighborhood catches fire. All kinds of stuff like that. Some extreme, some not so extreme, but all "newsworthy." I would like to say that it feels good to report that no news is good news but again, I'm not so sure. That's not to say I am wishing for bad news, never that. I'm not quite ready to to try and outrun the end of the world or befriend a crazy Woody Harrelson. What I really think it means is that I need to go to some extremes so that I have some truly good news to report because there really is no excuse for having no news. I'm open to suggestions and also anyone else's good news.

Plan B - You'll Come Around

2010-05-25T08:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we know exactly what we want and other times it takes time. The same can be said for dating, however, waiting to warm up to a person can leave the situation cold. Forget all the talk about about high standards, gold digging, unwarranted entitlement or anything else that has found its way into the blogosphere, evening specials, and self help dating books. What I want to talk about is the D.A.M. (Delayed Attraction to Me) Scenario. This scenario occurs when somebody, in my case a lady, that I'm really digging plays it cool like I'm that dude to keep on the back burner. The heat only gets turned up when she says so. More often than not, at that point, I'm like whatever. After treating me like a step child with a future not so bright, I'm ready to say good-bye.

This is not a bitter brother situation because there is no change of heart after I've come up on some how you like me now type of thing. I'm the same dude that had interest from day one. Usually the lady who I was digging has some epiphany that gives her the green light to give me the green light. At that point I'm in yellow light mode proceeding with caution. When did I become that guy you have to "come around" too? When did my name become Mr. Consolation? Some of the more significant relationships that I have been in were with women who at one time I was really feeling and the interest was less than mutual. One woman I dated wasn't too interested but we dated nonetheless. Another wasn't trying to hear me until the dude who she had been crushing on and crushing with made it clear nothing more was going to happen at that time. This is usually the case but it's all good because I know that sooner or later the tables will turn and then I will have to make a decision; should I stay? Should I go? I dunno. I'm not trying to let anyone get the best of me.

I can't speak from the ladies point of view but I sure wish someone could explain to me why women tend to do this. Do women encounter this themselves or am I the only that experiences the D.A.M. Scenario?

*While searching for images I came across this article about settling...pretty on point.

Ego Trippin

2010-05-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

The almighty ego is what makes bad good, good great, and great extraordinary. I think without some type of ego there can be no success. Oddly enough we sometimes tend to view being egotistical as a "bad thing," but perhaps it's only a bad thing to those who don't have one (raises hand half-way). Egotistical people never seem to have a problem with other egotistical people because the have an understanding. Picture an exchange between egomaniacs going something like this, "hey, you think you're great? Me too! Let's ease on down the ego road together and make the rest of the world wish they were as great as us!" I've abandoned terms like swagger because it's passe and confidence because it doesn't quite capture the essence of the ego. When you don an ego people will treat you like you are the greatest of all time because you'll act like you are. Sure it helps to be able to back that up but it's not always necessary. Say it loud and people will shout with you.

What are the downsides to having an ego??? Envy from those who don't have one, plain and simple. Who cares what they call you, brush it off your shoulders like one of the greatest egos of modern time instructed you to do. Jigga man got so much ego he became ugly cute...one might even say ugly fine. If your ego is big enough you might even get your own anthem (slightly different ego but it's relative). Your ego might cause you to be labeled a narcissist? So what...it comes with the ego territory. Your ego is your game face and the game is 24/7/365 so you better inject some narcissism or your ego will be flawed and crack. Egos should never come across as a facade; if it does, you'll turn back into Larry Loser or Mudduck Monica before the clock strikes twelve. Losing your ego and turning (back) into a person without an ego is the only real downside.

EVERYONE wants an ego. Watch any movie or television show and you will see people broken down into mostly one of two categories, the alluring egotistical yet enduring citizens of Egomania, Brooklyn or the welcome mat people of Gum-Under-Your-Shoe, Georgia. Steve Urkel had Stefan, both Sherman and Julius had their own version of Buddy Love, Beyonce has Sasha, Sean Combs has Diddy, etcetera, etcetera. Hell Clark Kent is simply Superman WITHOUT the ego. There are entire movies dedicated to encouraging people to get an ego or envying people who have an ego. Ever see Revenge of the Nerds? How about Can't Buy Me Love? All of these media messages say the same thing, get an ego. Have you ever noticed that about 90% of what we do is dedicated to pursuing and perfecting our egos? Career choices, spousal choices, attire, street cred, finance, romance you name it, ego needs it; and you want that ego.

Some say that being egotistical is a bad thing. That's a farce. We love egos. I bet pastor Play on Playa at your church has an ego. I bet that nine out of ten times, at one point in his/her life s/he didn't. What better way to develop your ego and see it thrive than to have an entire congregation looking up to you? It's the American Idol of a spiritual life. Call it what you like, "turning your swagg on," whatever. The bottom line is we all need an ego in this life or we'll never make it. Find your ego. Create your ego. Feed your ego. Shoot, pray for an ego...just make sure you have one...you'll be happier for it.

As days go by...

2010-05-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Not a day goes by that I don't think about subjects that may be "blog worthy" but as you can see many days go by where I draw no solid conclusion...

Theme Park of Life

2010-05-04T17:28:00.000-04:00

I bet that spring/summer fever is about to kick in if it hasn't already. New graduates are also feeling it. You look outside and think to yourself....Are you doing what you really want to do with your life? If the answer is no, do you have any idea what it is that you do wish you were doing with your life? No? Me either. All of the Myers-Briggs, and career aptitude tests in the world won't always help you forge the path you seek. While reflecting on graduate school and what impact it might have on my professional goals I found myself really thinking about where I want to go and what I want to do. A few weeks back I was given some advice and I am paying it forward because it has been enlightening to me and anyone else I've shared it with. Here's what you do:

Write down EVERYTHING you've ever enjoyed doing in your life (keep it clean folks, unless of course you want to make money doing what some may consider dirty. Hey, I'm not judging you). Think as far back as high school up to the present. If you've always enjoyed cooking, write it down. Hosting parties, writing manuscripts, painting murals, following the stock market, telling jokes, building computers, playing computer games, delivering newspapers, selling candy, thinking about social networks or designing computer applications, if you like it, list it. But don't just list it, write in detail what it was and why you liked it. What went through your mind as you did it? What feelings did it stir up inside of you?

Now after you have done all of those things, look for the themes. You may have done different things but chances are there are some common underlying themes. For example one of the things I like to do is talk...a LOT. Now I've had jobs as a customer service rep, jobs that I hated, but I still liked talking. I excelled at it. Employee of the month, reaching goals, even sometimes training others. On the surface if I thought about those jobs I would say I hated them and move on. But again, this is all about identifying the themes. I like talking. As a result I need to really take a hard look at what can I do that will allow me to talk...A LOT. As I go through this self assessment I am now trying to break it down into what do I like to talk about? In what mediums would I like to talk, so on and so forth. There were more themes that I identified. I also like coming up with ideas and helping startup business think about some of the things it would take for them to begin their venture. I won't expand on that but these are examples of how this self assessment works. Let your past be one of, if not the greatest, career assessment you ever undergo. If after doing that you want to incorporate the results from a career aptitude test you've taken by all means do so. I would love to hear some of your themes if you're willing to share.

Contrary Ass Negro

2010-05-02T17:44:00.003-04:00

"You old contrary ass negro" - @SauleWright

I am the ambulance chaser of Pop Culture. Better yet, a public defender of sorts for the under-represented. I am the voice for those without a voice. My man Saule Wright and I were discussing via text my apparent disdain for LeBron James. Truth be told I don't dislike LeBron but I'm riding for the Celtics (NY blasphemy I know but that's the state of basketball affairs these days) and right now, Bron is the enemy so I got nothing but venom for him. S-dub presented the case about Bron's greatness but that case has already been decided via Bron's stats and public opinion. "King James" certainly doesn't need my little 1/2 cent worth of accolades. There's enough gushing over homeboy to last the next five years of his career. When it comes to who is going to get my words of support and applause it's usually reserved for those who go without such acclaim. "B-listers (and below) have the right to receive acclaim. If they are not afforded acclaim due to it being channelled to other stars, Mr. A will provide adulated representation for them." These "stars" don't have to find me, I'll find them. All I need is a black van with a red stripe and a cigar and I'll come crashing through the proverbial walls of obscurity to the aid of the unnoticed.

In all seriousness, this is only half true. I don't have this aversion to all things popular for the sake of having it although it certainly looks that way. My approach is sort of like Columbo's, whereas when everything seems pretty straightforward, sometimes you have to look a little deeper. I try to pay attention to things that are easier to overlook with all the confetti falling and also offer additional scrutiny to those things that are exhaulted and skewed through star struck eyes. Here's a perfect example using the basketball analogy again. My man Bun and I were discussing the greatest NBA players and referenced the list the NBA released on its 50th anniversary in 1996. I disagreed with including Scottie Pippen who was on that list for obvious reasons; he was fortunate enough to have Michael Jordan as a teammate but great does that not a player make. Bun also noted that Dominique Wilkins, a player superior to Pippen, was omitted from the list, probably because he was unfortunate enough to always play against Jordan, not alongside him. Because the Chicago Bulls were the darlings of the NBA in the 90's more attention was afforded to anyone on that squad. Is this wrong like a pig eating ham? Yes and no. It's understandable because that's the way it goes sometimes but at least someone should be willing to state the unwarranted favoritism. Does this mean Bron doesn't deserve the acclaim he receives? Hardly. But can we show some love to Joe Johnson as well?

The attention that I preserve for those without attention has made me not so quick to accept everything at face value and also look for others who deserve some shine and love. I like Alicia Keys on piano, but I loved Zhane on the piano more. Doesn't mean I think A Keys is wack but her stroking the keys isn't as novel as some might think (ask Patrice Rushen) nor am I citing or denouncing those who have said so. On the flipside contrary to what my man S-Dub says I will profess that Nicki Misogny and Drake's cakes are in fact wack. I like the overanalytical contrary parts of my personailty. I have trained my eyes and ears to recognize beauty where others do not, abstain from subscribing to theories and trains of thoughts that others do, and reserve my props and praises for when I deem them appropriate. If I'm showing someone or anyone love, best believe they more than deserve it. And if I'm shooting a little shade to others, it's only because sunglasses and sunscreen are necessary to protect against all that excessive shine. Get your equilibrium right; I'm all about balance. By all means, feel free to disagree, it's only right.

Surely there are some things that everyone loves that you don't think is so great? Channel your inner Joakim Noah. Step to the mic and share some shade.

Welp* So much for that

2010-04-30T17:11:00.000-04:00

Some things you can't leave to chance. Sometimes we want an outside opinion before we make a decision. Think about it, on the Price is Right, the contestants are almost always listening to what the audience is shouting and find themselves flustered trying to figure out what price is right. Let's Make a Deal, same thing. Who wants to be tomorrow's millionaire gon broke, two of the three lifelines involve outside parties. Rotten tomatoes will tell you what movie you should, or should not, go see. There's less and less reliance on our own thoughts when making decisions. We gotta have our peanut gallery.

Well Yelp is the peanut gallery which acts like that damn audience screaming out what you should or should not do and where you should or should not go. Check it, yesterday @tarahesq and I were contemplating getting some sushi. There's a place she really likes (loves) but in the spirit of trying something new she referred to Yelp! to see what sushi places are popping in Philly. It makes sense, sushi has very high potential for poor quality; thus you can't just jump in blindly with sushi, you need some co-signors. So we hit up this one place that plenty of people raved about. Good reviews, all that. After eating we were like, wtf were all those people eating? I mean I guess if your used to eating shitbag soufflé, anything is going to taste good. But damn...It's almost like the raters should be rated and subjected to a tastemakers background check before they're able to tell the world what they think is good. Does Yelp have a feature where you can find people with "similar tastes"? Probably not. Sounds discriminatory just typing it. If that were allowed the next thing you know there will be some viral email written by smart dumbasses professing the possibility of inferior taste-buds of certain segments of the population. Still, there is something to be said about considering the source and its credibility. Regular patrons of the Vomir Bistro should be banned from recommending any places to eat. I need recommendations from people who I know have good taste in food (or any product).

I'm going to start my own rating site named Holla! I'm sure Ja Rule will be happy to resurrect his career as our resident spokesperson.

Confessions of a Rehabilitated "Bitter Brother"

2010-04-29T17:04:00.002-04:00

Man, I so wanted to avoid throwing my hat in this ring but this male v. woman thing is so damn rampant. As we all know there have been recent discussions over the past month (years?) or so about the marginal marriage plight of the black community. It has sparked what I have noticed to be a whole lotta men v. women. I remotely touched on it before and was content to leave it there but it just keeps coming up. The Beautiful Struggler, Sister Toldja, has quite a few posts of late dedicated to this "(un)civil war" of sorts and within her most recent post she referenced others who have addressed the subject of "Bitter Brothers." Very Smart Brothas discussed something similar, as did the lovely OneChele, and many others. Read those blogs for their thoughts on bitter brothers. Most of what you'll read is about bitter brothers or rantings from a brother looking quite bitter. I'm going to be forthright and discuss it from the perspective of the bitter brother.

I was a bitter brother. All of the arguments other bitter brothers and nice guys have made, I've made them too. At one point I was so bitter that back in the days I would make slow jam tapes complete with Jodeci, Intro, SWV, Chante Moore, Mary J., throwback joints such as Secret Garden (original flavor), etc. and the last song on those slow jam tapes was almost always "Bitches Aint Shit" by Dr. Dre. Yep. That was me. I was as bitter as a lemon dipped in vinegar. How did I become so bitter? Well I was, how shall I say, uh...unattractive, point blank. In high school I had a serious baby face; I "was" fat (let's not split hairs), I wasn't (am not) tall (5' 9" if you care), and I had braces (all for nothing I might add cuz I certainly didn't follow orthodontists orders). So while other dudes were growing taller, developing nice physiques, facial hair, etc., etc. I was just sort of there chillin in the cut. I was late every where I went because I couldn't find anyone to give me the time of day. I was romantically unnoticeable. Maybe it's better to clarify that at that time I wasn't bitter, I think sad is a better description. If/when I did try to talk to a lady, she wasn't trying to hear me...cept to be friends.

Fast forward to after high school but before the slow jam tapes. I finally had my first relationship when I was a month shy of 19. Get your late bloomer here! Anyway, she and I dated for about a year and then she cut me loose. Jamie Foxx screech. "The love walked out, pain walked in..." and along with that pain came bitterness. Any lady after her was fair game to f**k over. It didn't matter that my ex actually dug me in the first place because I wrote her off as a fluke and continued to consider myself romantically unnoticeable. The funny thing though is that I wasn't. The more women dug me, the more I didn't notice, the shittier I was to them, and the rest as they say...is cliche (<---worth clicking, sums up the creation of a bitter brother). I am not sharing this to justify being bitter. Although I do encourage anyone who encounters someone with a bitter habit to understand that there are contributory factors, just like anything else. I'm sharing this to add some context and I hope knowing this will help to not be so aggravated when encountering a bitter person because that's their monkey to deal with, not yours. Wish them well (or not) and move on, lest you join them and end up in their makeshift bitter crackhouse.

Fast forward even more to today. I am bitter no longer, but like other rehabbed individuals, every now and then I get a twinge of bitterness. I'm not perfect. How did I kick the bitter habit? It wasn't cold turkey, I assure you. There was no group and I didn't have a sponsor (not a sponsor like that trife song). I kicked through self reflection and my own "three step program." One, being bitter only makes you feel bad. Hell if I have to choose between being bitter or not...I choose not. It's a much happier life. Two, I realized that while every woman I may have wanted didn't always want me back, I couldn't say that NO woman wanted me. On the contrary oftentimes women saw more in me than I saw in myself. And that is the crux of everything. Dudes that are bitter are no different than ladies that are bitter. We're looking for outside validation that should come from inside and sometimes don't accept it even when we do get it. I STILL struggle with this. I finally recognized, acknowledged and embraced the things about me that are attractive and if there were things that weren't that were in my control, I own them. Three, women that don't want me, don't owe me anything and are entitled to pursue who and what they want be it good or not. We all have to live with our decisions whether it's persuing (subjectively speaking) "bad girls" or "bad boys." If the statistics are in men's favor the way they're presented (and they are) then even nice, bitter guys more than likely have a woman or two (or more) vying for their attention. Perhaps it is the bitter brothers being too selective? Who knows? What I do know is that at the end of the day, I realized, I love women (as people, not only sexually), even the ones who I am "romantically unnoticeable" to. What agenda am I advancing being bitter? None. What point am I proving? No point. Who am I getting back at? Nobody. I'm only trying to drag people down with me.

I understand being bitter. I was bitter. Sometimes I'm still bitter. But it's a useless emotion. Just because my pops didn't handle his to the best of his ability, that doesn't give me the right to turn around and do it to my children (when I have some). Just because someone robs my house, that's not an excuse to become a booster. And just because someone does me dirty, that doesn't mean I should be dirty. And yes, I have done some women dirty and I'm actually sorry for having done so. Being bitter is bullshit. If you're bitter, male or female, take issue with the person who is truly making you bitter and that's yourself. Be bitter about being bitter, deal with it, and then work on being happy.

NFL - New Football Lover...the love continues to grow

2010-04-26T14:11:00.003-04:00

In a previous entry I discussed my growing love for football, and that love is still on the rise. I caught some of the NFL draft last weekend and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming football season. The Giants picked up a DE (Pierre-Paul) who looks to be a beast! The entire NFC East is gonna be trouble, trouble. As for the AFC, good luck to any and all who play the Jets. The 2010 season will be the first time I'm paying attention to what's going on from A to Z (although I'm sure to skip a consonant here or there). Watching all the offseason moves, players being drafted, why they're being drafted, the strategies and all that has me charged!!! I know it's nothing major with all that's going on in the world but hey, it's the little things. Now if you ever see me stepping out looking like the dude in the picture above or talking like Marcus from WDIGMT by all means flog me, shoot me, and then burn the corpse. I don't love the Giants or LeAnn Rhimes enough to paint myself blue. Since I know that I won't allow myself to get that bad, all I ask is for a little patience because when Fantasy Football starts, I am going to be borderline committable. First freestyle riding, then Paula Abdul, now this. When I get fanatical, it ain't nothing nice. The source of many fanatics worldwide, said that [I am] not alone; so come on, what are you fanatical about?

Dream Lover

2010-04-22T06:48:00.001-04:00

"I gotta lotta dreams but I'm not really chasing mines..." -DMX, Get at Me Dog (warning: video clip not for the epileptic)

What are your dreams? Did you chase them? How'd you chase them? Are you still chasing them? How'd you hone in on what they are and what you could actually do to make them into a reality? Maybe you haven't honed in on them yet? Do you need some help? Do have some helpful tips to share? Step to the mic. I'd love to hear ideas people are willing to share, tools and tactics you have used, suggestions, and questions.

We're all a lover of dreams but we can only make love to reality. So how do the two become one?

Catching Up is hard to do...

2010-04-18T10:15:00.000-04:00

I'm embarrased at amount of time that passes in between blog posts. Granted a lot of things have occurred personally but I try to shy away from getting too, too personal on this blog. In the interim I guess I should find something to talk about. Expect a more interesting blog entry that is more in line with the theme of what I am trying to establish here. Perhaps I should solicit what is going on in the world. For some reason I feel like I am in a fog. Ever have those moments when there is so much going on you don't know what the hell is going on? Slow motion proceeds at an accelarated pace. What's that all about?

Grade A: Why Did I Get Married Too?

2010-04-06T16:56:00.005-04:00

Synopsis:

WDIGMT begins with the couples re-convening in the Bahamas for their annual(?) marital reaffirmation retreat. Each couple is dealing with some issues and the retreat serves as a reminder of why they are a couple in the first place. All of the couple's issues are pretty straightforward with the exception of Patricia and Gavin because there really is no explanation of exactly what their issue(s) are. It's partially grief from the loss of their son but none of that is ever explicitly stated. Gavin feels unloved and unappreciated, Patricia is hording her feelings and not sharing what is the root of her unhappines and they're coming undone. Terry and Diane's marriage looks good on the outside but like most marriages there's more going on (or not) inside. His wife Diane is uncharacteristically happy to the point that she's glowing like an alien from Cocoon. Their issue lies in exactly why is Diane so happy? Shelia and Troy are together, in love, and struggling financially; not unlike a good number of marriages. Angela and Marcus' issue is clear as day as Angela has no problem shouting out what her concerns are. Marcus is cheating and nobody can tell her different. To spice things up a bit Mike, the "villian" from WDIGM, returns and plays the third (7th) wheel, deep in reflection mode.

Critique:

There are no standout performances in WDIGMT. Angela's performance was great in the first installment but a little much in the second. We get it, she's loud, obnoxious, and unreasonable. However, she has a vulnerable moment in the film that was the most endearing because it provided a glimpse into why she is the way she is. Kudos to Marcus because he has the patience of Job. The other performaces were pretty straightforward, not good, not bad. Janet cried her eyes out but that was understandable considering the year she's had. This film provided the perfect outlet for her to, as Gavin said, purge. I don't think anyone would begrudge her shedding some extra tears. I do feel I have seen Sheila and Troy's relationship before except it was Bird and Lem in Soul Food. Terry and Diane didn't really do too much. In the first installment they argued about real issues. In this film their previous issues are happily behind them and their current issue is handled rather meekly. The inclusion of their characters at all seemed rather unnecessary for the amount of attention they were given.

My other major critique is the absence of the female voice. Most of the marital problems in this film were caused by the women. With the exception of Gavin blacking out, the men all came across as "victims" of their wives' actions. Even as a man who has been known to call women crazy, I will admit that relationship/marital strife is caused by both parties. In some cases one party is more at fault than the other but in this film it was mostly the women causing the men (in the film and watching?) to ask why they got married.

As a film dealing with some serious issues Why Did I Get Married Too is a good start. There's a lot going on, arguably too much for one movie, and thus no one couple's issues are fleshed out enough, nor resolved convincingly. It's like a math problem that was presented and answered but the movie doesn't really show the work. From tumultuous beginnings happy endings just sort of "happen" after each couple's epiphany in the wake of tragedy. In the end all is right with the marital world. If only it were that simple. Despite its lack of depth WDIGMT does a good job of identifying marital issues that exist beyond just cheating. It has funny moments, melo-dramatic daytime emmy worthy moments, and some inner soul searching moments. I certainly did not leave the film asking myself why did I watch this movie? I trust you won't either.

Final Grade: C+ (grade inflation is a mutha) C-

Epilogue:

Plenty of people have problems with Tyler Perry, I am not one of them. I won't go so far as to say that he is producing stellar, awe inspiring cinema, but not every filmmaker does. Just because he's black I don't hold him to a standard above what is afforded to filmakers outside of the Black community. If Adam Sandler can urge (un)funny people not to mess with the Zohan, by all means, TP can get his chuckles and tears in where they fit in. And where they fit is squarely outside of Hollywood. TP bears the burden of being the most prominent black filmmaker but it's a good burden to have. I will also add that Tyler Perry studios definitely needs outside writers. I'm sure there are plenty of burgeoning writers looking for an opportunity. Opportunities that would help diversify TP Studios offerings and make it a vehicle for more black films and not just Perry's black films. Overall though, I don't knock his hustle because unlike other successful black entreprenuers, his hustle isn't detrimental to the community it aims to serve and he is committed to pursuing it with his own dollars.

T-Minus 265, 264, 263, 262...Seasons Change

2010-04-05T13:51:00.004-04:00

You know the old saying, some people you know for a season, some for a lifetime...something like that. Sometimes we forget when the seasons have changed. Cats are wearing goose down bomber jackets, ski hats, gloves and scarves and it's "96 degrees in the shade." Same things go for our friends. The seasons changed and we're still fronting like we cool. Let facebook tell it, I'm a helluva popular guy. I have 265 friends! TWO-HUNNIT AND SIXTY FIVE! I know that pales in comparison to the numbers in some of y'all's cypher but it's a lot for me. If there was a way for me to get a c-note or a grand for every friend on my social network, I'd be adding erybody but right now it only amounts to e-traffic. There's a reason it's called Spring cleaning, and friendship assessment is no different.

FB is notorious for what I call the "curiosity requests." People aren't really your friend, and know that but they request you anyway not because they want to re-connect but they just want to know "how you doing?" Did you blow up on some how you like me now type thing, become Man of the Decade and now people should regret sh*tting on you all through high school? Were you the most popular girl in school and now you are downtrodden on skid row with 8 chilren? That's all people really want to know. I've gotten friend requests and thought to myself, "wtf? I remember us HATING one another." Now I know time passes and we can forget why we were even mad at a person but for those who I can distinctly recall why I didn't like them, why the hell are you hitting me up now? When classmates.com was the leader in re-connecting with people you purposefuly left in the past, that site wanted money and that was the equalizer. Not even $3.99/month was affordable enough to make me want to reconnect with the ghosts of high school past. With the advent of social networks, we're all free to reconnect as we see fit (when's the last time you saw a classmates ad online?).

Twitter is my half exception to this need for Spring cleaning. Every now and then you should prune your follow/follower lists but with Twitter there isn't this "we've been friends forever" vibe. It's moreso, I like what you have to say and am interested in seeing and sharing thoughts. And if you all of a sudden decide you aren't interested any longer, you stop following, no hard feelings. Sure some take it personal but for the most part they don't mind because they probably weren't feeling you too tough any more either.

My other exception is business. If your social network is for business purposes do the damn thing. Shoot, I encourage it. Feel free to be a fan; as I always say, mental patronage is always welcome. I like the connections I have made through twitter and other blogs. I value those relationships more than the pseudo anti-semetic, divisive bastids from first grade I "refriended" on fb. If your friend numbers are through the roof and have a dual purpose of informing the world of your talents, services, and events; make it happen and I am happy to add my support. Maybe for those type of relationships the term should be changed from friends to colleagues or associates. But if you support me same as I support you, you're more of a friend than 85% of my current 265. We should create a GTFOH lists for those nosey Mrs. Kravitz tryna be all in your Kool-Aid folks and give their asses the winter boot.

Deep like a thimble

2010-04-01T18:18:00.001-04:00

I previously posted something similar to this topic and it can be viewed here. Don't feel like reading it, I can dig, let's continue.

This has been a week of Badu's booty, talking bout teabaggers, krazy katts, additional dialogue on inter-racial dating, so on and so forth. Yet all I am concerned about is my coursework, these damn student loans, and the grey anatomy of my foggy mind. I know I need to dig a little deeper but for some reason I get about as deep as a sitz bath. Sure I'm Mr. Analytical, with overanalytical tendencies but maybe I'm just overanalyzing why 2+2=4.

Erykah's video caused quite a stir and many folks were quick to chime in their applause or disdain for it. Me? As I watched it I was only concerned about at what point would she reveal "more of herself." Every analysis I read has valid critiques and insight about the meaning of the video. Me? It's an artistic Bootielicous in one take. When I listen to the song w/out the video, I pay attention to the melody, lyrics, alladat. The video, I guess I "got it" but it really had no impact on me, my concerns, or any concerns that are important in "my world." I feel I know what my group would think and it's not even close to revolutionary or evolutionary.

Teabaggers and all of the back and forth? *crickets* The only insight I have thus far is this previous post on capitalism.

Katt Stacks...I feel some type of way about it which I have commented on other blogs but with an attention span such as mine, I'm already past it.

More talk about inter-racial dating and this seemingly increasing divide between men and women. Blah! I'm not dismissing it but I'm not into animal cruelty so you can continue to beat that horse but I don't want to (re)join in. However, I reserve the right to re-visit...whenever.

So, here I'm is, this is what (who) I am, Lil Analytical Walter, wading in the shallow water that some Bohemians shoved me in. I talk about choices, snow days, philly parking, and lazy media outlets. No riots are incited over here. Epiphanies? I think not. Does this mean I am not worthy of my name? Am I too shallow and topical to double dutch with the geniuses of the world? Perhaps; but then if that's the case I'm too slow to know it, so onward and upward.

What's deep to you? What's your "shallow" focus? Any deep subject suggestions?

I know this may come across as a wtf post...but I had to put something up to keep trying to build momentum. Roll with me...

What? Me Worry? psh! Get outta tahn...

2010-03-30T23:40:00.005-04:00

Worry is like a big ass bully that won't leave you alone. Every day Worry teases me, talks bout my clothes, my appearance, my family, my intelligence. Just an asshole always tryna bring me down. Damn bully bastard wreaks havoc wherever it goes. Worry makes you feel like lil Mac from Mike Tyson's Punchout and he's Mike. Except in this case Worry doesn't blink its eyes before it takes a swing at you to let you know how to counter. Nah this Worry mofo be coming in fast and hard tryna make me look like Martin after the Hearns fight.

There was a time in my life I was about as nonchalant as one could be. Carefree was the life for me. Of course carefree and adulthood go hand in hand like chocolate and mustard. What I have realized moreso now is that I worry...ALOT. When did this happen? What part of the game is this? Maybe I always worried and being nonchalant was my way of dealing with it. Ignorant on purpose. Carefree in an attempt to cover up the confusion of contemplating constant conundrums. I swear Bobby, Bill, and Robin makes it all look soooo easy. I'm worried about school, work, money, health, love, family, tackling grief...you name it, there's some wondering and worrying going on. Shoot, I worry about what the hell I'm going to blog about. I worry about where can I improve and what can I improve. I worry about worrying.

@Tarahesq reminded me of something my mother said, "worrying means that you don't trust God." I'm paraphrasing and I am sure my mother took the saying from scripture but it helps, even if only a little. Perhaps if I can keep Worry in check it will go from Iron Mike to Glass Joe, hit the canvas like Alan, and leave me the hell alone.

Ding!

What do you worry about and more importantly, how do you overcome it?

Daily Analysis - Highway Robbery

2010-03-26T14:56:00.001-04:00

I think State Police departments kickback money to car manufacturers to make sure they design cars that drive as smooth as possible. Back in the day, when cars only went up to 85mph, if you hit 70mph the car started to shake, rattle, and roll. It let you know, "Slow the f*kdown man, whatchu think this is?!" Nowadays, you be driving along and next thing you know, you're doing 90mph and in your rear view mirror you see a trooper doing a buck-ten to catch up to yo ass. It's like a legal, well planned out stick-up.

You have no idea, no warning, nothing that indicates you have far exceeded the speed limit. Meanwhile the chief of police and the CEO of Honda go out for Sushi and Doughnuts...all on your dime.

Capitalist Socialism: What's it all about?

2010-03-23T16:23:00.004-04:00

disclaimer: I know I said I would shy away from political discussions but this one will be sorta different, I promise you.

Let's talk about what's really going on according to A. Health care reform, socialism, capitalism, conservatives, liberals, bayer, tylenol, excedrin. It's enough to make your head spin. I've stayed somewhat purposefully ignorant on all of what's going on. I like to wait for the dust to settle to see what the real outcome is. And while the dust is far from settled, a conversation with @tarahesq prompted me to write about the (obvious) conclusion I've drawn; this is no more than a fight to retain what the country is founded on and that is privilege and elitism.

I'm sure we all know America has an implicit caste system. We don't like to admit it but it's true. See, I'm not mad at the conservatives. They are trying to conserve the integrity of what this country was founded on: stealing, building and retaining wealth, and exploiting the underclass...basically survival of the fittest. Now you might protest and say that many of the founding fathers fled England because they were opposed to this very thing. Au contraire, they fled England so that they could in fact have the opportunity to live like the privileged. You needed permission to own or do almost anything in England. The forefathers and mothers didn't like the aristocratic nature of England and being ruled by the monarchy. When it was no longer acceptable they packed up their shit, got a grip, came equipped, gave the king and queen the finger, then they split. They built and or hopped on some boats and set sail to be the aristocrats of a foreign land. Nothing was going to stop them, not even the inhabitants of said foreign land.

They came, they saw, they stole, and that will not be relinquished without a fight. Every major movement for change in this country resulted in bloodshed. Whether it was the Revolutionary War, Civil War, or Civil Rights movement, blood had to spill before change was accepted. All this back and forth in the media and senate floors is tame in comparison to how it was handled in the past. I say, let em fight. Just realize what is really being debated. In order for privilege to be considered as such, someone has to go without. It's what adds value to everything we have. A home in a "nice neighborhood" is more valuable because there are people living in not-so nice neighborhoods. If everything were the same, your nice home, nice ride, and private school tuition wouldn't be worth squat. What good is having health care, which is another measurement of privilege, if everyone else has it too? If ever you find yourself being offended by this entire health care debate and cries of socialism just keep in mind what the fight is really about; upholding capitalism and retaining value in the properties of the elite. It's not anything new. Just because we feel like it's wrong, someone feels it's right and the wealth of this country are the spoils supporting the conservative train of thought. Both sides have agendas they feel very strongly about and I don't fault either for pushing it. Some people are trying to lookout for the underclassmen and help them come up; others are trying to conserve their status. The funny thing about it, in their attempt to uphold what the founding fathers fought for, some people have turned into what the founding fathers fought against.

Let's see how it all plays out.

Say Word - Forte

2010-03-22T19:35:00.000-04:00

"My forte causes bloggers to say, he sounds demented, blog febreeze scented, if I said it I meant it, bite my tongue for no one, call me anal*, or analytical" - Notorious M.r.A. (props to B.I.G.)

*for the record...I am FAR from anal. Sometimes I wish I was...but I isn't

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About Say Word -
I'm no reFugee and English is my first language but in an attempt to expand my vocab I draft sentences using the word of the day that will help me remember its meaning.

Say Word - Wanderlust

2010-03-19T23:38:00.002-04:00

Wanderlust that I am, with all its wonderful links that whisk me away on a whim, I profess that wikipedia is the rabbit hole of the world wide web.

*I don't know whether to be impressed or offended by the recommendation for ADHD treatment in the google ad on the merriam-webster page for this word.

---
About Say Word -
I'm no reFugee and English is my first language but in an attempt to expand my vocab I draft sentences using the word of the day that will help me remember its meaning.

Say Word - Magniloquent

2010-03-18T22:25:00.001-04:00

If I had James Earl Jones magniloquent voice, I'd record myself having sex and sell the recording on iTunes.

I would call it The Auditory Making of the Magniloquent Money Shot.

I'm no reFugee and English is my first language but in an attempt to expand my vocab I draft sentences using the word of the day that will help me remember its meaning.

I'm Alive! Alive!!!

2010-03-18T14:37:00.001-04:00

hhhhwwwoooo!!!! hhhwwwoooo! hhhwwwoooo!!!

That's the sound of me blowing the dust off of the blog. Please excuse the cobwebs.

Whasup peoples?! I know that nobody is checking for this blog like that right now but that's alright; I'm back on the block like Quincy Jones. I was trying to create a place where you could come through and get a bit of escapism but that damn research paper damn near took me out. Me and academic writing go together like chocolate and sauerkraut. * yum *

So now I'se free! I still have assignments to do and all that but I can blog without feeling guilty about not writing my paper. Don't be alarmed if you see a sequence of posts it's just that I've had ideas of things I wanted to do and I get a little anxious to do them before the sizzle is killed and procrastination sets in.

There you have it folks, I'm happy to be back in the saddle. By all means leave a comment and welcome me back. I have no shame soliciting attention.

Miss Me? But Not Them...

2010-03-02T15:06:00.002-05:00

I find myself in some quicksand in the form of a research paper for a class that I am enrolled in. As a result I've been scarce on twitter (feel free to follow despite my absence) and my premie little blog is shivering from neglect. So I'm posting this quick little entry to let it and everyone know that I have not forgotten about you. In the meantime check out some of the blogs on my roll call. You'll be glad you did.

Here's a brief introduction:

Black N Bougie

OneChele is a wonderful writer with a lovely blog. Whether she's talking about a crazy ex beau, reminsicing about the great buddy flicks or magnificent melanin movies of yesteryear, or raising her beer to the NFL, you're sure to be entertained and enlightened. Bougie Mom and Dad didn't make no mess.

It's Saule Wright Radio

Need a good mix of music to take along with you? Check out my man Saule Wright and download his Press Play Mondays podcasts. He's a great dude with a good heart and on point taste in music, despite the fact that he co-signs Drake. I try not to hold it against him. In all seriousness though, it's good stuff. Check em out.

If downloading a podcast is not your steez or just not an option while at work, point your browsers to cat daddy, Roddy Kat's pandora stations. He has a diverse musical palate and you should be well fed with good music throughout the day. He's also part time (really full time) geek so if you have techie type questions, he'll share what he can.

[fung’ke][blak][chik]

Straight no chaser. I can definitely appreciate opinionated people and [fung’ke][blak][chik] will keep it funky for you, just the way mother nature intended. If you're sensistive or "CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" don't check her out. But if you can handle 151 straight, this is where you need to be.

Eyes on This

For a look through the eyes of one of Philly's best, check out The Urban Perspective. After you peep his portfolio consider him one of the best quality:value solutions the city has to offer; Because he is. Don't need a photographer just yet? It's all good, cop an image, it'll brighten up the place.

The Intersection of Madness & Reality

Madness and Reality have to meet somewhere and here it is. My man Rippa is here for the great debates. He focuses on a lot of political issues but there are plenty of "everyday issues" tackled there as well. There's no padded walls at this intersection so make sure you have airbags if you fear too much of an impact.

Questions

Everyday we're faced with questions, many of which irk the hell outta us. Never fear, Faydra Deon posts a question of the day that you may want to answer. Sometimes she also has giveaways for participants. Logon daily and drop your 2 cents in the bucket. She has a very welcoming personality and she'll definitely appreciate your contributions...plus she loves rocking out to The Show by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew.

Lastly, Get your laugh on! I met Dwayne Perkins MANY moons ago when he was attending the same college as my man Jay. Dude was funny as hell, a regular comedian. Well what do you know, that's exactly what he is. With appearances on on Leno, Conan, as well as commercials, D-Nice is on the come up. He also just released an album. Cop that, the economy is bad but you might as well part w/$10 so you can laugh through the pain. If you're not quite yet able to part with the $10, check his blog, free funny, can't beat that.

Sadly now I must continuing neglecting my blog but check out these other sites and be sure to tell em Mr. A sent you.

*note: that's not me in the picture above although it very well could be...but it ain't.

Non-Credible Witnesses

2010-02-23T12:21:00.002-05:00

We've all seen enough court room drama TV shows to know one of the main tactics used during trial is to damage a witnesses's credibility. In my travels from blog to blog and issue to issue I notice that these tactics are used by everyone with a viewpoint on an issue. Rather than really paying attention to what is being said, "opponents" try to find ways to invalidate the viewpoint of the person "speaking." I'm not pointing fingers because I myself am VERY guilty of doing this very same thing. Someone may be telling us something that we NEED to hear but don't necessarily WANT to hear and we'll go into threatened pitbull mode and try to rip their throat off.

Simple example:
A trash can is overflowing with garbage and John hasn't taken it out.

Jane: John, the trash can is overflowing, will you take it out?

John: You only want me to take it out because you are more sensitive to smells than I am. If you weren't so scent conscious the trash wouldn't bother you.

What??? Whether Jane is "scent conscious" or not has nothing to do with the fact that the trash should be taken out.

Today's specific example is this whole relationship/marriage debate between Black men and Black women. When a woman says something that Black men NEED to hear, Black men get defensive and go on the offensive telling women what's wrong with them. Their standards are too high, they need to lose their sense of entitlement, their success doesn't mean they should seek only a certain type of man, they should lose their attitudes and be more docile and welcoming of black men and all of our overflowing trash. Black women tell men, they must be unattractive, can't get a woman, been hurt too many times before, unaccomplished, want someone to cater to their ego and make the them feel good about themselves despite the fact that they really aren't worthy of a woman's time and attention in the first place. Both sides have some valid points but rather than getting at the root of many of the issues, each side looks for ways to invalidate the other's point of view. If a woman is accomplished and doesn't want to accept a man's bullsh*t that is her right and I would hope my daughter (if/when I have one) will maintain a standard of man she will date/marry. On the flipside, just because a man is shall we say, "less than alpha," that does not mean his points about re-evaluating what women consider to be quality is invalid. They're separate issues that perhaps need separate dialogue but they each have merit and benefits if we're willing to listen to the testimony. The points being made aren't only valid if they come from someone accomplished or someone who fits into our definition of credible based on what or how we feel they should be.

Many times when I am in an argument, I'm not listening to what is being said to me because I'm too busy focusing on what's wrong with the person saying it and how I feel about what is being said. I totally tune out the validity of what is being said. I am prone to being slow out the gate so it can take a long time for me to make that connection. Quite friankly, I don't think I made the connection before I drafted this post. Before we get defensive, and in turn offensive towards one another by attacking the credibility of the person who has the floor, try listening and see if what is being said is something that will actually strengthen your case by giving you something else you should be considering.

Release Yo Delf!

2010-02-22T23:21:00.001-05:00

Ever try to scale back or tone down who you are so as to not ruffle feathers or be perceived as well...an asshole? What if you are an asshole? You gotta be yourself right? I can respect an asshole that knows, accepts, and is not afraid to be an asshole. Just don't get offended when someone calls you an asshole because...well, you're an asshole.

I'm an asshole...sometimes. When it comes to this blog I wanted to try and carve out a lane where I don't chime in on too many issues or offer my take for fear of either being redundant or alienating. Just be a sweet funny guy. But hey, that's not always the case; I gotta be me, right? A self proclaimed, Opinionated Bastard. I've been that for quite some time. My twitter name is Overanalytical. I'm a Virgo...an unkempt one but a Virgo nonetheless (some might say Virgo is the astrological sign for asshole but that title belongs to Taurus...y'all still my peoples tho). Mr. Analytical. Yeah, that's me. So I'm going to switch up just a little and try to jump in this double dutch blogosphere full speed to let y'all know and see me for who and what I am. Who's with me? State your name. Who you are? What you are (sign, or whatever adjective works for you)? Release Yo Delf!

DISQUS to the Rescue

2010-02-21T12:57:00.000-05:00

I never did figure out what caused the comments link to disappear from the blog. I guess it's just as well since it was hard to see anyway. Luckily, Disqus is my saving grace. A lot of other blogs use it and I have a profile so I figured why not? Now that that's out the way, I suppose I should get some school work done.

Be back later.

technical difficulties

2010-02-20T16:29:00.001-05:00

For some reason the blog is no longer allowing comments. There isn't even a section to leave a comment. Now it's not like I got a million comments before but I am BEYOND frustrated....sigh...I guess, stay tuned.

Parables of A: This Beautiful Journey Sucks

2010-02-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time a young man name Murphy took a trip to visit his adoring sister Caron. He begins his journey barefoot with his shoes tied together by their laces, slung over his shoulder. He doesn't always like the feeling of the ground under his feet but the journey is a long one and he wants to preserve the soles of his shoes for the rough patches. While far and tiring, Murphy enjoys these trips. He reflects. Admires. Observes. Contemplates and appreciates. A lovely trip indeed. As the fourth day of his journey draws to a close Murphy comes to a bridge that could wait until tomorrow but despite how much he loves this journey he is also anxious to arrive at his destination. Ignoring his fatigue he puts on his shoes and decides to cross. As he crosses the bridge, a strong gust of wind throws him down causing him to lose one of his shoes which wasn't tied as tightly as it should have been. A second gust of wind picks up the shoe and flings it off the side of the bridge. Murphy peers over the side, in dismay he watches his shoe fall out of his sight and lets out a sob. These shoes have sentimental value as they were given to him by Caron. At this point he is too frightened to go on. The thought of losing his other shoe vexes and paralyzes him. He can't move forward. He can't go back. He can't function out of fear of dropping the other shoe. The wind fades out and he can hear Caron's melodic voice singing from her soul to him. Telling him to get up, keep on moving, don't stop. After some time he rises to resume his journey. He removes his remaining shoe, clutches it tightly and moves on. Eventually he begins to appreciate the journey again but never quite the same as he did before. His surroundings are beautiful and he's getting closer to his destination but in the back of his mind is this nagging fear that the other shoe will drop.

That's how life feels sometimes. Even when we are truly enjoying ourselves, we're scared like Murphy of the other shoe dropping. All of a sudden, this journey ain't so nice anymore. We feel what happened to Murphy is law...and for the most part that's true. We cannot control what will happen; but we must not let it sour the journey. Four shoes, two shoes, one shoe, no shoe. The hard part is learning to walk anyway and still love the journey. The more we love it, the greater our chances are of enjoying it. Bask in the sun for as long as it warms you and admire the stars for as long as they guide you. Nevermind Murphy, we can't control, create, or appeal his law. But we can throw caution (within reason) to those gusty winds and make the most of this journey for as long as we're on it.

Laziness Prevails in Music and Media

2010-02-16T16:34:00.014-05:00

Jigga Man and many, many others are a little peeved about the "We Are The World" remake (link purposely omitted), as they should be. My co-worker said it best, instead of jacking up a classic song these artists should have made their own classic. They should have come together, sat down, put genius heads together and created a song to symbolize these times. Instead they opted to desecrate a song of upliftment that symbolized a different time. See but here's the elephant in the room; we're lazy. I know lazy when I see it (trust ME). These music "artists" are out of practice with all this new fangled technology and low bar of quality that has been established. Why take the time to produce and distribute quality product when the world is more than happy to accept less? Even if you are producing quality material you have to be outlandish and freakish (see Ms. Germanotta) to get attention, otherwise your quality just won't do.

Media heads have thrown up their hands and waved the white flag in regards to requiring creativity. The NARAS and VH1 are always talking about "Save The Music" from online bandits and shrinking school programs. Perhaps, they should start with the men and women in the mirror (you are severely MISSED MJ). The reason school music programs are in jeopardy is because they're devalued. All school programs are costly and music programs have probably been contributory to the quality music of yesteryear. But today, why fund a program when your students can easily cop a $250 piece of equipment and $49 dollars in software and make platinum plus selling songs. Some of these things I am saying were the same criticisms the world had of hip-hop. And those criticisms were valid but nobody can contest that hip-hop required VAST amounts of creativity. Today's music and media not so much. Singers don't need to sing, writers can just rehash what has already been written, and we can bite off of one another and there's no limit to the amount of crap we'll chew. With hundreds of HD channels, internet TV and radio, straight to DVDs and mass theatrical releases, there is no need to be creative. The standards had to be lowered to fill all of this programming space (see Jersey Shore).

I'm not trying to preach to the choir; only ask the question, "why are people so surprised?" This is the way of the world...this is where it's going. I don't see any need for anyone to push the creative envelope further when less will do. Some of the biggest films have storylines and plots that we've seen many, many times over (Avatar, The Blind Side, etc.). All they've done is redo the siding. It's the same house. Music on the other hand is not redone, it's more like pre-fab houses. Mass manufactured with shotty construction and an increased price tag. I proclaimed hip-hop dead last Summer, and I've re-posted an explanation of its demise, here. Either we have to get past our shock and stop living the bobble head life, constantly shaking our heads, or demand more. Mediocore should not do; not when greatness precedes it. GREATER things should come forth...not less than.

*note, that Lazy Genius design is taken from a somewhat dormant blog of the same name. I HAD to give credit for that artwork. It's great

The HOV Lane - Guilty Pleasures

2010-02-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

I am a proud member of the St. Eboneezer Baptist Shalom Mosque of Frugality, A.M.E. (Analytical Monies Eternal) and I try my hardest not to indulge in too many expensive things. I'm plain, simple, and easy like like a staples button. No excessive jewelry, tats, whips, wears, or weathermaking (making it rain). Nope, not I. However, every now and then I see something that makes me think, "man if I had loot, I'd temporarily loose my ever loving mind and indulge in [insert nonsensical foolish rapper activity here]."

Umm...yeah, I'd push the hell out that mofo! I'd drop my insurance coverage, RENT a Toll Bros. house, tell the wifey to wear something low cut, pick up 27 friends I never knew I had, you know, Turtle and em, and roll the f*ck out! I know I'm not alone. Everyone has a guilty pleasure. What are some of the things you would indulge in if Jay and JD were right?* C'mon, don't be shy? Show us your gold teef and share with the world.
*btw everyone, they're wrong and it is tricking whether you got it or not. Join my religion, the contributions are almost nil.

Back to the Future: Man to Man

2010-02-12T14:22:00.003-05:00

My co-worker asked me if I know any men over 60 with a good pension looking for a "companion" and I told her I don't have many friends in Philly. She asked why do I not have any friends here? I explained to her the difficulties men face when trying to make new friends in adulthood. This reminded me of two posts from the previous blog (which is unavailable to the gen pub) and I'm bringing them back for your reading pleasure. If you've read it before, read again, they're still good...in my "humble" opinion.

Friends How Many of Us Have Them? - Originally Posted: Thursday, February 12, 2009

How does a straight man pick up another straight man? Picture it; you're at a bar with Woody serving you drinks as you drown your sorrows next to Norm and Cliff and you see a decent guy sitting two stools down from you. What do you say? "Hey, come here often?" Or do you break out in full vocoder voice ala Faheem and offer to buy him a drank?

Yesterday I was offered FREE tickets to a Sixers game and I had to decline because I couldn't find anyone to go with. All of my peoples are in NY and I am seriously deficient in the male bonding department. I find myself trying to make myself available to men to hang out with. I could make some jokes that are dripping with homophopia but that's really not where I am trying to go here. I know what you might suggest? Church? Gym? Work? Community Organizations? All viable options but there aren't enough hours in the day to go to all these different venues to scope out men. Besides, how do you know you can trust the dudes you meet? Do you know how hard it is to meet people the older you get? This is what my life has come to...living the life and being able to relate to many single black women except I am a 30+ year old heterosexual male pining for the company of men.

Deliver me.

m-Harmony - Originally Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Piggybacking off of the Friends post (see above), I was joking around with Shantastic (co-worker) and I dubbed her new beau whom I had just met at Happy Hour, E-Nice (government name Eric). She said that he and I can be "Man-Friends." I'll put my machismo feelings about that label aside because I know she empathizes with my "plight." During our discussion I came up with the idea that there needs to be a website for guys trying to find guys to just hang out with and be friends. Something like male-Harmony or Chest Bump.com (a google search confirms there is such a website but it's related to sports rightfully so). The Mrs. participates in a Philly Divas group where a group (obviously) of like minded ladies meet up for various events (sometimes organized by a member of the group) and hang out, have fun, get to know one another, so on and so forth. Sounds great, right? Right? Wrong!

Guys can't do that. Imagine me e-mailing some dude I don't know for a rendezvous? Or filling out a "friendship" profile.

Race:
- Black/African - American

(Physical Description) Height & Weight:
- Average Height
- Rotund

You might wonder, why would this matter...well dudes need to know if they are running with other dudes who can or cannot attract women. If one cannot, he has to run point or provide the pick and roll for the other and occupy the less desirable women who are most likely rolling with the cutie Floyd (pretty boy) wants. The less desireable dude can also capitalize off of the the attraction the more desirable dude brings (and thus run point and provide assists or grab some loose balls (ladies) and score as well). If both dudes are attractive they can be Vince and Owen and engage in all kinds of exploitive things dudes like to do.

Sports I like:
- Basketball
- Football

Seeking:
- Compatible dudes within a 10 mile radius of Philadelphia.

Search Results Profiles:
-Lonely Guy Needs Friend
-Dude, Wanna Hang Out?
-Look no further, I'm your guy!
-Drinks on Me
-Carlton Needs a Will

Yeah, sounds great right? Uh huh. Who said it's not hard being a man?

Analyze This: Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time

2010-02-12T12:38:00.007-05:00

(Gin and Juice background music)

"With so much fodder 'bout rap today, It's time for Analyze This by Mister A..."

My man Roddykat linked me to a site listing someone's 100+ Greatest Rap/Hip Songs and he asked my thoughts on the list. Hated It! At first I gave it a D+ but that was after my initital review on my Blackberry. After reviewing on a computer and really giving it a once over, I have downgraded it to an F. It's too influenced by contemporary rap for me. The fact that "Jesus Walks" is in the top 15 ruins any shred of credibility. There were some serious errors and omissions. Raekwons' "Incarcerated Scarfaces" is definitely worth a nod somewhere in the top 100. As Dollmatic pointed out on twitter, "Who Got the Props?" and "Mass Appeal" should at least be in the top 100 as well. 100 is a lot of songs and while there are millions to choose from, the omissions are too egregious.

slight disclaimer: I believe in my bio I said I am an opinion8ed bastard and I meant it. While consciously I know my opinion is subjective just like the author of that list, I try to be objective and I tend to think of my opinion as law in the world according to A. * jordan shrug *

I'm not going to compose a list of my greatest 100 songs...that would just be...well, impossible. I will list my criteria and my top 25. Actually I agree with the criteria from that site: "chosen for Impact, Influence, Lasting Popularity, and Quality in the world of Rap and Hip-Hop."

My list is as follows, and remember this is just the top 25:

1. La Di Da Di - Slick Rick & Doug E. Fresh (then known as Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew): In my opinion the greatest hip-hop song of all time. This pick I do not think is law because everyone is going to have their own pick and they will all be justified in their pick. But I think between being one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop (if I'm not mistaken it's the ONLY hip-hop song to ever be re-made), it's a feel good song, and rap at it's most basic form, an MC and a beatbox providing the "music," it gets no better. I don't think anyone else has done so much in a song with so little "effort."
2. The Message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3. Sucker M.C.s - Run-D.M.C.
4. I Ain't No Joke - Eric B. & Rakim: Choosing 1 song from Paid in Full to put in the Top 5 was HARD. There are way too many classics on that album. Shoot, I just closed my eyes and picked one. I would say I like this song or that song more than I Ain't No Joke but I'd be lying; they are all fiyah! Rakim IS the G.O.A.T. "eff what you heard, [everyone] talking that (other) sh*t is absurd." - Cappadonna

You know what...I can't even give a top 25, hell I can barely resolve myself to a top 5. I was considering "F**k Tha Police" for the 5th spot, but then what about "Rappers Delight"? I overanalyze enough as it is and I can't afford the brain fry. I'm open to anyone else's top 25 lists...hell even a top 5. What is your top any number greatest songs of all time. PLEASE step to the mic.

Do you have a burining question you would like to ask? Feeling inquisitive? Have a situation you would like an "expert" opinion on? Hit me on formspring, I promise the answer will be worth reading.

Parking Wars Revisited

2010-02-11T17:44:00.001-05:00

Remember what I said about Parking Wars?

"Neighborhood justice can be swift -- like in Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh), where someone cleared a spot on Hobart Street and left a chair, but the chair was later moved and another car parked there. That car somehow became buried in snow, and a sign left at the scene said, "Now yinz know not to break the rules." -Pittsburgh, ABC

This is how they got down in Pittsburgh after "Snowmaggedon" and from what I have been told it can get worse than that, in Philly as well. I was told that people have gotten shot over "stealing" parking spaces that were reserved with a signed and notarized fold up chair. When I was told about that I thought to myself, imaging catching a case over a parking spot? Finding yourself in Oz all because someone trespassed on your parking spot while you were away? The chairs and cones placed in a dug out parking spaces are citizens lifting their proverbial legs and pissing in their spot to mark their territory. Having your car buried is tame in comparison to how things could go. I better learn to respect the chair.

Top 5 Good (or Bad) Things About Snow Days

2010-02-10T08:19:00.009-05:00

5. Love Pox. If you're lucky (or unlucky given your perspective) to be snowed in with a significant other , you'll be exposed to every little quirk and oddity that gets on yo damn nerves. You'll probably find yourself saying, "that (insert expletive) makes me sick! I can't stand yo ass!" From what I've been told chicken pox are like that. You live a couple of days in isolation irritated as f*ck. However, nothing helps to boost your immunity like exposure. After a few days and maybe some scarring you'll either be a better couple with a (hopefully) stronger immunity to those quirks or you'll end up like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner at the end of War of the Roses. Good Luck!

4. Rabbit Season. On the flipside to number 5, you just may find yourself christening unexplored rooms in your house. When else are you going to have the opportunity to have sex in that crawl space you've always thought about? Remember that sex move you saw on Smack My Ass and Call Me Master vol. 29 that you've been meaning to try out? This is the perfect time to do so while you're humping like rabbits. Just bear in mind, if you throw your back out or happen to learn the hard way (slight pun) that having sex on a garbage can top as you slide down the stairs may result in injury, the weather will impede the ambulance's ability to get to your home. Oh and speaking of rabbits...don't let all this sex come back to haunt you in 9 months because you were stuck in the house w/out birth control. While everyone else was stocking up on bread, milk, and eggs, I hope you hit up the Rite Aid as and stocked up on pills, creams, condoms, lanolin lotion, and/or all the A, C, D, and 9V batteries you can stand.

3. Grateful for good health. Ever sit at home during the day and watch TV? You'll see ads for all kinds of terrible products, drug medications, and THE injury attorney du jour. There's commercials for the Sham Towel! As soon as you get out the shower, wrap yourself in this towel and you'll be dry instantly. Good thing you stocked up on lotion (see #4) cuz the Sham Towel! will leave your body drier than your aunt Thelma's Thanksgiving turkey. Also, some of the most depressing depression commercials known to mankind are shown during the day. As if people suffering from depression don't feel bad enough, there's commercials for Happify drugs that will supposedly make you feel better. Sure while taking Happify you may experience weight gain, low libido and inability to climax (no rabbit season for you), headaches, hangover type nausea, Hoover Dam Bowel Syndrome (constipation), Lucy in the Sky w/Diamonds (vivid dreams and hallucinations), and possibly suicidal thoughts (hey, you won't be depressed any longer). Yep, even if you aren't depressed you'll feel depressed that you are in the house going stir crazy. It's how the makers of Happify stir up potential future business in the event you were feeling fine prior to this snow day.

Snow days are also epiphany money making days. Remember that shopping cart that ran over your foot 5 years ago and chipped your pinky toenail? Well you may be entitled to money from the store and the manufacturer of the carts. Oh, don't worry that you were the one pushing the cart and carelessly ran over your own foot because you was too busy staring at the cover of Washboard Ab magazine with the hot guy/girl on the cover. That wasn't your fault. The store may be liable for stocking those magazines and you may be eligible to recover damages for your injuries. Call the law firm of Analytical, Ambulance, and Chaser LLP (Local Lunacy Predators). We'll help you get the money you deserve and drive up insurance, legal, and court fees, jury duty summons, and fraudulent disability claims.

Nothing like a snow day to remind you how lucky or blessed you are to not be too sick, too hurt, too underemployed, and/or too bored to depression and frivolous spending on unnecessary products. I'm also reminded why my mother calls me throughout the day. I'd rather she call me than take Happify.

2. Waist Crusaders. You've been on a crusade against cardio way before you made your fake resolutions. What better excuse to be sedentary than a snow day? You can't go for a run and if you're childless and stick-in-the-muddish like me, you have no reason to get your heart rate up via sledding. And unless you're like my friend Dr. Homer (or Doc B as I call him) who has a Bally's Total Fitness in his basement, you can't drive to the gym and exercise. You might as well lounge around in the comfort of your home, eating all the comfort and guilt inducing foods you can swallow, without the guilt. Guilt comes with sunshine and Biggest Loser episodes (which was the night before) and you'll see neither of them today.

1. Time Appreciation. A snow day is a perfect time to clean your home from top to bottom, catch up on some school work, finish writing that brief, organize your office space, do your taxes, whatever. You have a whole day to do, "so many activities!" (Un)fortunately you've invested your time doing numbers 5 through 2. Now the day is gone, the sun will come out tomorrow and you'll feel guilty and upset that you did none of the responsible things you could have today. You'll have to do double time at the gym, you'll go back to bi-weekly sex and avoiding your partner, your cupboards will be bare so you'll have to make another trek to the store, and you'll be so damn stressed out that Happify is in your near future. Enjoy your snow day!

Bonus: WeCare, Daycare. From what I'm told child care is expensive. So much so that sometimes you ask yourself, "should child care be this expensive?!" That is until one snow day with lil Jim, Baby James, pre-teen Paul, and Tyrone. And let's not forget cutesy Caitlyn, colorful Christina, precious Penelope, and boisterous Brianna. Oh yeah! You can't wait to send their funky lil asses back to day care,or school. Your house is louder than a bomb and your walls lovingly have "Picasso was here" or "Tame One" painted on them. There's only so much Dora, Diego, and Wow-Wow Wubbzy you can take before you start having criminal thoughts. You don't want to kill your kids, and blaming their kidnapping on black men is so passé. Nah, you have to weather this storm such as it is and when you pay your child care provider or see the bus driver, I'm sure you'll give them a big ol hug and a fat tip. No Happify for you, that's what Teachers, coaches and daycare are for. Bring on the guilt and the sunshine of tommorrah! You hear that Cinque? Fweedom is calling your name!

Parking Wars

2010-02-09T12:39:00.003-05:00

Snows a coming and do you know what that means in a few choice cities? It means get your forgotten furniture and orange cones ready to preserve your parking spot after you've dug yourself out from under mounds of snow. In the event that someone does not respect the gangster of your seatless chair from 1978, make sure your sniper rifles, spray paint cans, and bricks are fully stocked, oiled, loaded, and ready to bring the pain on any person who dares ease into your spot.

Now I know I've been out of En Why for quite some time and I should just get over it but I can't help it. In NY this concept would NEVER fly. New Yorkers wish a mofo would try and hold a spot with a chair or a cone. We'd take that cone place it where the missing seat pad should be and put yo ass on that cone. If you think your neighbors or anyone else will have your back, you're mistaken. Parking real estate while understandably valuable, we'll be damn if we hand over the right to retain a spot to a person who truthfully, and legally has no rights to the real estate. If you want to keep that space you better get a cardboard box and a pickle jar and live there. Otherwise, move on bish ass.

National Front for Me Day

2010-02-06T14:49:00.004-05:00

*disclaimer, this is yet another Valentine's Day isn't special post. If you've read enough of them already, feel free to move on. I understand where you're coming from.

"Don't front for me..." - Ghostface Killah on Shark [People] from the Only Built for Cuban Linx album

Ghost was talking about artists biting off of one another but I'm talking about sometimey people in general who bite the steez of people who live their lives a certain way, everyday, all day. Twice a year this reaches its peak. Easter Sunday, and Valentine's Day. Easter is a whole other topic, right now I'm talking about the latter. Y'all see how it is. We are bombarded with Valentine's paraphernalia urging us to express our love to someone. Valentine's day should be like love's birthday; an annual celebration of how you feel for a person. It should not be THE ONLY day you express love for someone. If this is you, then you are biting off of a person who expresses their love all the time.

Chris Rock once joked that "[people] want credit for sh*t they're supposed to do." People want credit for doing the regular stuff couples do all the time. Fellas, if the only time you send your lady flowers, take her out to dinner, or have breakfast waiting for her on is on Valentine's Day, you're f*cking up. Ladies, if Valentine's day is the only day you willingly have sex or do something special sexually with your man without a bunch of prodding or theatrics, you're f*cking up. Valentine's day is not a day for us to front for the world ,or our partners for that matter, how in love we are or expect credit for everyday sh*t couples do. No, you don't get credit for cooking dinner. You can and should expect a thank-you whenever you cook (this goes for either gender) but it doesn't mean you get to slack on everything else. Fellas, taking out the trash does not mean you can put your feet on the coffee table and leave a mess for the mrs. I am notorious for making and leaving messes. If I happen to clean up after myself, I don't get a biscuit for that. Moreover, if you aren't handling the things one normally expects in a relationship, you don't get to make demands. Step up your game. Stop being regular or sub-par. Make Valentines day a weekly holiday rather than a national front, "I'll give you what you've been wanting all year" holiday. Because if that's what it means to you...don't front for me.

Daily Analysis...

2010-02-05T08:01:00.000-05:00

Daily you say? Why, there's nothing daily about it (Hence my initial reluctance to try this again*).

As you were.

*on my prev blog I wrote a nightly report on the current day's events. While I liked that, as did the 3.5 people who read that blog, it was too diary-esque for my taste and is better suited for something like a journal, imo. Not really what I have in mind for this blog.

Never Underestimate the Power to Self Handicap

2010-02-04T12:35:00.004-05:00

I'm no Jason Seaver complete with singing son but yesterday while sitting in class I had a personal psychiatric breakthrough. I can't recall what was being discussed; I might as well have been a 12 year old, wearing green tights, and chillin w/Rufio, or tink, and em. I started thinking about self imposed handicaps, what is my crutch, and why. One thing I've always noticed about myself is I have sometimes set low or lofty goals. The lower the standard of achievement, the greater the chance for "success." The higher the standard of achievement, well I shouldn't expect to beat Kasparov anyway when I'm barely smarter than a 3rd grader (a 5th grader was too high). These lofty situations are where it's "ok to fail." I know, I know, what's my point (a common question you'll think to yourself as an Analytical Acclaim reader)?

For me specifically, my epiphany came in regards to weight loss. If you've ever seen the Biggest Loser you've probably noticed every season Bob and Jillian are trying to not only help people lose weight but also figure out why they're fat in the first place. Well for me being fat and unhealthy is a low goal. Doesn't take much to be either...well except much eating and much NOT exercising. What purpose does this "low goal" serve me? Well my Freudian Friends (altho this has nothing to do w/Frued's line of thinking, I take advantage of opportunities for alliteration whenever possible); there are less expectations from people who are fat. Picture it, Super Wal-mart, 2003, you decided to carry 15 bags of groceries from the store to your car because you thought, "carts? I don't need so stinking carts." Five steps from eternity (the store) you realize, you should have kept that damn cart, because you need some help but you're too prideful to go back. You would rather paint the ground with eggs and milk than get a cart now. Who are you going to ask for, or hope will help you? A strapping, fit young man or the fat person waddling from the store already eating one of the many doughnuts they'll consume that evening? Right. In a way, being overweight, for me, sends a message to the world not to expect too much from me. It "minimizes my chances" of failure because it lowers expectations. That inward fear of failure and rejection is so powerful I will do everything in my power to pad the world's white walls in an attempt to prevent injury to my little fat feelings. If I try to talk to a woman and she doesn't like me, hey I have a built in excuse for that, "she doesn't like guys my size anyway," when it very well may have been the spinach in my teeth and disgusting breath from that 3 day old spinach and egg salad sandwich I had for lunch (note: I do NOT eat egg salad...yuck). Lazy ass, brush your teeth before you step to a lady. But I digress. Where was I? Neverland...Wal-Mart...doughnuts...egg salad...oh yeah, I have a built in excuse for failure. This excuse also puts co-workers, colleagues, classmates, friends, family, and loved ones (i.e. the world, et. al.) on notice. "Hey! * whistles * Pay attention! I'm fat here; if I'm not willing to work to be healthy, you can bet your bottom dollar I'm not going to be much help to you either Annie. On the other hand, if I am successful, I can shout, "hey! look at me, I'm Big Daddy and I wipe my own ass!" Does this make sense? Maybe? Maybe not? Well it makes sense to me and I gotta tell you, it was a hell of an epiphany I had at a time I shouldn't have even been thinking about it. Not only because I was in class and should have been paying attention but I wasn't even in a space to ponder such things, like say taking a shower. Whatever, I don't question the light bulbs when they go off; I just follow the lights and pray the house doesn't swallow me. (what??? smh.)

So, now that I've successfully self-diagnosed (one of) my crutch(es), my ailment(s), (one of) the major underlying reason(s) for my handicaps, the "lofty" goal is...how in the world do I correct it? Suggestions? What's your crutch, if any? How'd you overcome it, if at all?

*I apologize for the inference heavy post, I told you I use them ALOT...I tried to stop my self...but I failed.

GPA: January '10

2010-02-02T22:50:00.000-05:00

Sooooo...let's just say that my GPA in regards to my New Years Resolutions is LESS than a 1.0. I feel like I'm 18 and in college again (during one of my first attempts @ school). I feel bad. But not discouraged but rather encouraged. I can't front, I thought about saying eff it. But that's a bish move that I'm not tryna make. Who's going to wish me luck in February? Someone? Anyone? Helllooooo out there...

D.A. Powerless Seduction

2010-01-27T21:15:00.005-05:00

Today's D.A. comes courtesy of a tweet I read written by @elbowknee who said she has never been seduced, every kiss she's ever had was pre-meditated, and she enjoys letting men think they seduce her. I got to thinking, "have I ever been seduced?" The answer is I don't think so. Matter of fact, what does seduction even look like? My attitude towards sex is, if you want it, you go after it and if you don't want it, you refute advances. And thus my so-called seductive experiences are always one of two things, either I'm trying to get some, or I'm trying not to get some because I'm not interested. I don't know if any woman has ever seduced me into doing something I didn't already want to do prior to linking up with her. I think if I was succesfully seduced it must have come from left field and it was totally unexpected. Granted I have had sex and couldn't believe I was actually getting some, but prior to I was still hopeful...it certainly took no extensive effort from the lady of the moment. I don't recall a moment where I thought, "wow if I had known you was going to seduce me, I'd have made sure I brought some condoms." Nah, almost always I had some on me which meant I was hoping to get lucky. No seduction needed. Baby girl could have came over in a potato sack and tap shoes and if I invited her, tapping was definitely already on my mind.

So please...tell me...What does seduction look like? How does seduction differ from coercion? Or does it? Have you ever seduced someone? Have you ever been seduced? Ever made someone think they seduced you when you knew what was going to go down all along? Not to get all in your business but ummm...PLEASE, step to the mic and share. I could certainly use some tips.

Bonus question...Do you think a man can be seduced? For men there are only six deadly sins because Lust and Gluttony are one and the same.

D.A. Deep Concentration

2010-01-26T23:43:00.002-05:00

I've taken 2 showers today and this is also my 2nd entry of the day. So what you say. It just so happens that I do some of my best thinking in the shower. No, I'm not thinking about that...Seriously, I do my best thinking in the shower. All sorts of ideas pop into my head. You would think I'd be more focused about washing my ass than coming up with new ideas but I can't help it. My shower routine is just that, it requires no thought thus allowing me to dedicate my brain cells to more important matters. If I showered long enough or enough times throughout the day, I'm sure I could cure world hunger. Granted I may find myself purple and singing Motown hits but hey, it's a small price to pay to solve one of the world's greatest problems. It could happen. Don't laugh it's not funny. Think about it, did you ever see Wile. E. Coyote take a shower? Nope. All that genius and he never washed his butt. He came up with all of his funky ideas while parading around the desert just as funky. Had he taken a shower or two he'd have had stewed rabbit and Roadrunner soufflé

I'm convinced that we all have weird places that we do some of our best thinking. Scrooge McDuck had his thinking room...nothing weird about that. Isaac Newton on the other hand had the shade of an apple tree. Shooot, I'm sure some ladies do their best thinking during sex, especially if the male (or female) suitor is not on their A game. You can satisfy your partners urges while at the same time figuring out how to reduce your departments spending at work by 21%. You never know when the bulb will go off but it's more than likely to occur in some places or during some task more than others. My place happens to be the shower. How bout yours?

Resolution Solution-What's Your GPA?

2010-01-26T10:58:00.002-05:00

I'm sure a large percentage of people made New Year's Resolutions and by now you've either stuck with them or abandoned them. If you're like me (or even if not) perhaps you like smaller incremental goals rather than seeing the larger over-arching goal. Thinking about those big ol resolutions are like a freshmen agonizing over the degree s/he is pursuing. No matter what education level you have achieved, you know that you have to take it semester by semester and focus on the courseload at hand. In regards to resolutions, I'm going to take the same approach and I'm inviting any and everyone along for the ride. However, instead of traditional semesters, I'm going to treat months as exams and quarters (3 months) as semesters. I may or may not identify the subjects I'm taking (i.e. weight loss, saving money, etc.) and neither may you. All I want people to share are their grades for each exam (month) in each subject and/or your monthly GPA. At the end of the semester I'll tally up my scores, determine my GPA and post it. I hope you'll be encouraged to do the same. Share this with friends, family, @ list, whomever. The more participants the more community feel it will have and the more incentive and resources. If anyone post low scores, we'll encourage them to help them pull up their grades and give them suggestions. If high scores are posted, we'll applaud them and draw inspiration from y/our success.

Grading Policy:

For the grades, pluses are allowed for B's, C's, and D's. No pluses for A's and the only minus allowed are for D's. So your points should be assigned as:

A (4.0)

B+ (3.5)

B (3.0)

C+ (2.5)

C (2.0)

D+ (1.5)

D (1.0)

D- (.5)

F (0)

Whatever your resolutions/subjects are, the means of assessment must be quantifiable. So if the subject is save more money, then the way to assess that is assign a figure or percentage to the goal (i.e. save 5% or $50/week) and then you can see how you did. If your goal is to lose weight, how much per week/month? If you want to increase the number of people you stalk, determine a number. If you're currently stalking 1 person set a goal to increase that to 3. You get the drift.

Exam grades are due on the last day of the month and since I literally just thought of this, with the first "exam" coming up, grade yourselves and consider it your benchmark. Then in February we'll really get down. I may even think of some type of award or recognition for the strongest performers. Who's with me?

*Oh and if I find myself doing this alone, I have no problem continuing and showering all the accolades on myself. Still, I hope that's not the case. Let's get it on.

NFL - New Football Lover

2010-01-25T19:51:00.001-05:00

Football I could take it or leave it...until now...

In case you didn't know, I'm from En Why, the Land of Strong Eyes, Suffer County. Where I come from we love Basketball. Oh, you thought all New Yorkers were mainly into the Yankees and the Mets? ...nah...I don't really dig baseball at all. By default I'll put on for my city but I can't tell you who plays for the baseball teams. My first and true love is Basketball. Ask Kurtis, he'll tell you. The Knicks are still my team but they haven't looked like a team in over a decade. Still, I'm a bball lover and now I sacrilegiously ride for the most melanin rich Boston team ever. Due to the decline in quality basketball I usually don't start watching till the second half of the season which is good because Football has found a new fan in me and the season is drawing to a close.

I confess, before this past season I could give a damn about football. However, a special certain someone put me on to Football and now I'm hooked. This person expedited my addiction via fantasy football. Fantasy Football is the equivalent of rubbing cocaine on your gums. The high is powerful, quick, and easily habit forming. Now that's not to say I never followed football before, I mean I am a Giants fan. When I was coming up the Giants did their thing and won two Superbowls and have since won a third in what I, with my limited credibility, consider the greatest Superbowl upset of all time * kanyeshrug * (The other arguably greatest upset of all time still came at the hands of a NY team so either way, I'm satisfied).

So here I am a new football fan, sad to see the season go, and eagerly anticipating the 2010 season. As for this upcoming superbowl, I'm no Saint but if they march in, I'd be happy for em.

D.A. (Daily Analysis)

2010-01-25T18:57:00.001-05:00

I've been perusing the web looking for a Block Buster that will help me generate some posts and there were actually too many to pick from. So, I am going to implement something I didn't want to (my commitmentus fearus flairs up from time to time) and that's the "Daily" * cough * Analysis. I don't expect D.A.'s to be lengthy...just a quick thing that made/makes me go hmmm (respect to Arsenio)...

I'll scan some headlines or twitter...or draw from something that happened throughout the day and expand on it a little. This way, you will get a little more insight into the Mind of A.

Oh, and the D.A. entries are a 5 day thing...I'm off on weekends.

Temporary Insanity

2010-01-22T09:42:00.003-05:00

I stated this on twitter and fb but it bears repeating, "CSA (Common Sense Announcement) NEVER say, do, or decide something permanent when in a temporary mood."

As my mother would say, "you'll suck sorrow."

Any Given Sunday

2010-01-19T16:23:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday there was a shooting (which sadly is not out of the ordinary). According to the news, the confrontation began when someone bumped into the victim and it escalated when the victim took offense and approached the alleged assailant. The alleged assailant had a license to carry a gun and the rest is in the police report (or the news if you find the story). I am purposely avoiding specific details and I have no opinion (gasp!) on who I feel was right or wrong. All I am saying is, on any given Sunday, you never know what is going on with a person you find yourself having a confrontation with. The end result may be very different than what you envisioned it will be; so do yourself a favor Mr. or Ms. Clarkson...just walk away.

Block Busters

2010-01-19T15:53:00.001-05:00

I have written about the Burden of Blogging before and by far the most universal obstacle bloggers face is, "what the hell do I write about today?" Add to that the parameters, if any, you have placed on yourself or your blog (what will I NOT write about?) it can become quite a daunting task. Are you going to discuss the top national or international headlines of the day? What about local events? How about personal events? Knowing you have an audience, some who know you personally, there is always a balancing act of what to disclose or discuss. For me, if you add to the mix being extremely overanlaytical it's no surprise how quickly the dust begins to settle and the tumbleweeds begin twirling around these here parts. So what to do? What to do? Fortunately there are many tools available to bloggers that will help give us the spark that we need.

If you see an entry about a quirky subject that seems out of the norm (whatever that may be), if it comes from one of these online sources, I will reference where the idea came from (in case you want to check em out yourself) and hopefully it will be a welcome filler. The main idea of course is to try to make sure there are as few gaps in entries as possible. Wish me luck.

p.s. if you feel like sharing the tools you use to overcome Writer's Block, PLEASE step to the mic and share.

Funky Sensation

2010-01-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

When life is all good or at least mostly good, somehow we find a way to present it as all bad, or mostly bad.

Recently I was asked to create a pros and cons list about a situation in which I was on the fence on how to proceed. The list was very much one-sided in favor of the cons. I provided the disclaimer that there are probably more pros that escaped me while I drafted the list. I was then presented with the question of, "why do you think that is?" My answer was summed up with an analogy of the evening news; bad news stands out and good news receives all of maybe 2 minutes of airtime. The same applies to situations that aren't overwhelmingly "positive." I found myself no different than the evening news, caught up in the sensationalism and highlighting of the negative.

Let's look at the news shall we. There's no way anyone can be oblivious to the tragedy that hit Haiti. The earthquake in itself was shocking and the aftermath is even more devastating yet somehow the news still found time to highlight the poverty statistics of Haiti. Is it part of the story? Sure it is, but the poverty that plagues Haiti is not the primary focus here. It almost seemed as if the news wanted to present Haiti as a country to be pitied. Haiti needs our help and we should rush to their aid but not out of pity. Our aid should come from genuine concern for human life. Haitians are a part of mankind and we should extend our hands to our fellow brothers and sisters. I know pity and guilt are tactics used by many to coerce people to donate food, money, and resources but to make it the primary focus is disappointing. If this tragedy were to strike England or France, I'm sure we would still have the same concern and willingness to help but the news would not highlight the negative aspects of the country but mainly the tragedy itself. I won't go into all that has contributed to Haiti's economic situation, one, because that's not the focus of this entry and two, I would most certainly be at least the handle on that black kettle.

This urge to sensationalize the funky things in life is not restricted to natural disasters that strike impoverished countries or my little pro/con list. Let the news tell it and there aren't enough quality black men available to black women and the reasons are underachievement, incarceration, homosexuality, and the hypnotic appeal of white women. That's the negative spin on the effects of the real problem. The real problem being the underlying issue of a nation and its education system failing an entire race of people, perhaps in an implicit effort to strengthen the boundaries of our caste system. We do this with work, school, love, lust, sports, you name it, we're dogging it. I say all this keeping in mind I'm a opinionated and cynical mofo. I'm talking about it not to sensationalize the funkiness of my attitude but to bring it to light to and hopefully turn it around. It's not just me and the CNNs and the ABCs. I know the sour seamstresses that we are never hesitate to weave our tales of woe. When have you done this and what tactics do you use to prevent yourself from putting a negative spin on the situation and truly tackle the real issues that need your attention?

The Choice is Yours

2010-01-10T23:44:00.005-05:00

Yo! Who's a Black Sheep? What's a Black Sheep?... Oh wait, my bad.

This weekend I was watching Wheel of Fortune and there was a contestant who was cleaning up one round. On one spin he landed on the million dollar space. All he had to do to win that million dollars is solve the puzzle. The category was "actual person." He correctly chose all the letters in the puzzle...except the last one.

The puzzle read like this:

COUNTRY SINGER

BRAD _AISLEY

I don't even know who Brad Paisley is but I know the first letter that would have come to my mind if I saw the letters "_aisley" would have been "P." All he had to do was choose a P but instead he chose an "H." Sure it was an honest mistake but, WTF? The next contestant chose P, won the puzzle, and eventually the game. I wonder if his wife will let him back in the house when he gets home? I wouldn't be surprised if she slammed the door and yelled at him, "Stay out there on the "P" for Porch you "P" for Pussy!!!" I wonder if whenever he has a bad day at work and is "P" for passed over for a "P" for Promotion will he think himself, "this is f*cking "P" for Pathetic. All I had to do was choose a "P" and I could have told everyone to kiss my ass! Including my "P" for pain in the ass wife."? I know a million dollars doesn't go as far as it used to but hell, it's a great start and I wouldn't mind finding out just how far it does or does not go. Now, he's just (still) like the rest of us, 'cept he didn't have to be.

Ever reflect on a moment in your life and think to yourself, "if only I had went left instead of right"? What were the circumstances and what do you think the alternative outcome could have been? Step to the mic and share.

Just so you know, I didn't make this up. I even found a clip on youtube. smh. #fail

*edit* I also edited this post to add the Fred Sanford pic because well...it's fitting. I'm sure we've all had moments when we felt that way.

WTTSO Addendum

2010-01-09T12:36:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Dead Prez.

More Talk, Less Rapping: WTTSO (Turn That [censored] Off)

2010-01-08T13:24:00.004-05:00

There's nothing like a nice quiet drive, right? Wrong! Quiet drives suck. Unless you are plotting ways to break out of your cage, pick up your happy go lucky lanky sidekick, and take over the world, sometimes silence is overrated. I don't push a "fly whip" so there is no aux input on my car's radio and yes from that you can correctly presume that I do not have satelite radio. Which leaves me at the mercy of terrestrial radio. Now if ever I switch up and think clean living is no longer the way to go and I lead a life of crime, am apprehended and convicted, I'll take the punishment of 23 hour lockdown over being subjected to radio in its current state.

You can have what you want today. If you want to listen to Pleasure Pedophile (allegedly), Wayne's World, cupcake Drake, Alicia Keys to your man's heart, Gucci Bane of our existence, Chris Boogie Beatdown Brown, or Rip your eardrums Rhianna all day, everyday, have at it. Crank up your iPod, check em on youtube or myspace, illegally download em like most of y'all do. Generation X needs to step our game up. There is absolutely no reason to bombard people who listen to the radio with the same playlist every teenybopper or baby boomer already have in their on demand collection.

What you cannot get just anywhere is interesting dialogue. I know it's an endangered concept but trust me, it works. Howard Stern did not "change the landscape of radio" based on the records he tried to break (or beat you over the head with). People tuned in to hear him and his cast of caucasian coons create calamity (yes I know Robin Q. is black but I was feeling the alliteration...work with me people). Nobody tuned into Wendy Williams, the self proclaimed, "Queen of all media," to listen to music. Charlamagne The God, Wendy's former co-host, who was "relieved" of his morning show duties at 100.3 The Beat in Philadelphia proclaimed that the Star and Buc Wild Morning Show which aired in NY (and subsequently syndicated elsewhere) was the "greatest morning show ever." And I concur. Routinely throughout the show, songs were played because they were required to be to comply with the formatting, Star would turn the music down to the point it was almost inaudible and TALK over the songs. Listeners LOVED his show. So much so that he beat Howard Stern in the ratings. Star "cracked the mic" and talked for the greater part of the four hours they were on the air. It was intelligent, comical, insightful, and respectful of the listener's intelligence. Did I agree with everything he said or some of his "distasteful" jokes? Absolutely not. But I didn't have to like everything he said to like the show as a whole.

This isn't about my appreciation for the SnB show, this is about appreciation for good content and structure on the radio. Not DJ's wanting to be everybody's friend. Not co-signing the (poor) quality of every song played when you know it should be on a barge in the Pacific; but putting meanigful discussions at the forefront of programming and radio shows. If that is done I think the ad revenue would pour in. Wonder why listeners, (i.e. potential customers of advertisers) have tuned out radio? Because Sunshine, they've heard it all before. Been there, done that. Give me something unique with a strong brand and quality content and I'm there. Give me a reason to turn the radio ON, not off.

Oh MY God!

2010-01-06T12:22:00.002-05:00

There is only one God. While walking to work I saw the Darwin symbol that uses the Ichthus Fish on the rear of someone's car. I shook my head. Not because it conflicted with my religious beliefs but because of how die-hard we are about pushing our agendas. I see nothing wrong with being a champion for what you believe, staunchly dedicated to your religion and telling the world how you feel. What does bother me is in doing so how we take that opportunity to imply that another person's beliefs are wrong. Like a certain someone with illuminati theories swirling around him said, "I can't get with that."

See what I believe is God is like a CEO of a major conglomerate and whatever your religion, it is merely the subsidiary or "department" in which you "work." Most religions have many of the same principles in regards to respect for human life, not killing, not stealing, etc...all the things that man regularly ignores for their own purpose. This may sound like I am anti-religion but on the contrary I am not. I was raised Pentecostal (in a C.O.G.I.C. church no less) and I still believe and passively practice most of its principles. If/When I seek out a church now I tend to look for non-denomination churches but that's a tangent I'll leave alone. Back to my point about the great CEO in the sky. All this talk about my daddy (or mommy) can beat your daddy (or mommy) or your mommy (or daddy) is crazy and only my mommy (or daddy) knows what s/he's talking about is ludicrous. Consider this, perhaps there is only one God and we're all defending or denouncing the same entity. If you think about it, most of the time the "department" in which we worship is dictated by the person(s) and place we were "hired." If you were born in Asia chances are you may be Buddhist or Hindu (among many other sub-religions). If you were born in the Middle East chances are you may be Muslim or Jewish. Europe and the Americas, chances are you worship in one of the many subsidiaries (derivatives) of Christianity. In different religions God is referred to by different names. I don't think God is going to damn a whole sector of the world's population just because they were "hired" in the "unworthy" department. What about those who don't believe in God at all? Well, I consider them to be self-employed. They answer to only themselves as far as their principles and it works for them. It's their choice to decide to be self employed or work for a "company."

Still with me? So far so good? This is all pretty standard stuff I know; it's not groundbreaking by any means. My concern is that wars are started and everlasting, aliances are formed and destroyed, and lives are exhaulted or denounced based on the overwhelming need to impose our own beliefs on another. We're quick to abandon those same principles that span each religion to serve our own needs and wants. We're well aware how this has manifested itself throughout history. One may ask me, "why do you "work" for Christianity when you know it's a religion that was forced upon your ancestors during slavery?" The answer is simple, I feel it's the same God and my department has been good to me. It may not be right the way it was forced upon anyone but if you believe in living your life according to a religious principle(s) it's ok to stay in your lane and live your life in accordance to where you work. And if you are happy going to work everyday, every week, every month, or even once or twice a year, don't be so quick to tell someone else they're working for the wrong department and should consider quitting. If someone is self employed and happy, don't tell them to abandon their business and get a job with your company. The same goes for the self employed, do not tell others to quit their job and work for themselves. It's all PERSONAL preference. Treat your religion (or lack of) like a business and mind yours.

Get To Know Me Better

2010-01-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

A person's history is a great way to get to know them. Same goes for blogging. I'm going to link to a few selected posts from my previous blog life. It's not entirely relevant to how this blog will be structured but it will give you a glimpse into an overanalytical mind. Thoughts and feedback are welcome, if any.

Train commuters will be able to relate to this one. This is about my commute from Delaware to Philadelphia. I'm glad that's over. Riding Durty

I'm a cookie monster. Who I Really Am

Ever thought about starting a dating site just to find friends? Nah? Me either. m-Harmony

If you lend money to people who have squandered it in the past and think they'll do the right thing this go round I am happy to let you know that I own the deeds to both the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges and I will sell them to you for cheap! AIG

Blogging is a self inflicted burden. I salute ALL who have been able to sustain the time, dedication, and creativity to trudge forth. Spread some of that fairy dust my way please. Thanks. "Burden" of Blogging

Hip Hop was a GREAT friend of mine and I miss it. It's so hard to say goodbye

To further drive home the point of where not only hip-hop but society has gone, well just look at our youth. I think a call to action is in order. S.M.U.T. Peddlers

Oh and please feel free to read my Perception of Cool entries. I sound like an old fuddy duddie but hey, that's how I get down sometimes.

And there you have it.

About This Blog

2010-01-04T13:27:00.018-05:00

Analytical Acclaim is the blog for different, humorous, insightful, and oftentimes obtuse and ornery opinions that you've always wanted to read, express, or hear...but didn't know it. Follow intently, maybe step to the mic., enjoy responsibly and spread the word. Your mental patronage is appreciated. Let's get it on!

This is How We Do It:

Ah yet another incarnation of Mister Analytical's blog. I'm going to ride this one out. First, one thing you should know about me and this blog, I tend to stray from the status quo. I use a lot of inferences that oftentimes only I may get but I provide links to explain. The choice is yours to explore them depending on how much you do or do not care (you probably won't but sadly I'm tangent prone and tend to think like this). Second, I'm long winded like a mutha, so if you like things in 140 characters or less, check me on twitter. Lastly, things that other bloggers tend to write about or formats for their blogs, I will not do. I'm a middle of the road person so I don't get too political, too religious, or too contemporary. If I do choose to write about a hot-button-topic, more than likely it will be me offering my own take on the topic at hand (check me out in left field).

As for the structure, the labels will dictate the blog. Many bloggers offer certain entries at certain times and I think that is really a good way to go. However, like I said, I avoid stat-quo so for Analytical Acclaim the entries about a specific subject won't be posted at scheduled intervals. This blog is like a box of chocolates, you never know what good or bad tasting thing you're going to get.

The Labels as they stand now are:

Analyze This: My analysis of, "situations [that] arise, in our lives, and [we] gotta be smart about it." I may also present questions to readers that can be answered in the comment sections. Polls will also fall into this category. I definitely accept questions to address as well so please, hit me up. Feel free to use formspring.me (a box is also in the sidebar). I will tag a sub-section to identify the topic being addressed (race relations, business, gender issues, etc.)

Block Busters: By far the most universal obstacle bloggers face is, "what the hell do I write about today?" Add to that the parameters, if any, you have placed on yourself or your blog (what will I NOT write about?) it can become quite a daunting task. Fortunately there are many tools available to bloggers that will help give me the spark that I need. If you see an entry about a quirky subject that seems out of the norm (whatever that may be), if it comes from one of these online sources, I will reference where the idea came from (in case you want to check em out yourself) and hopefully it will be a welcome filler. The main idea of course is to try to make sure there are as few gaps in entries as possible.

Can It Be All So Simple: "Back in the days when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore, but somedays I sit and wish I was a kid again." - Ahmad. I'm getting older, Nostalgia is a beyotch and when ever I find myself thinking back, it's going to fall under this category.

Grade A: My official reviews of things that I've read, saw, or heard. Mostly but not limited to the Disposable Arts.

Disclosure: If I choose to share something personal, this is where you'll find it.

Disposable Arts: Entries that fall under this category will address TV, Film, Music including specific genres of music (mostly hip-hop), and Literature. Basically anything media related.

Everyday Struggle: General everyday ish that comes up that I feel like blogging about. It will be here. Sub section tags will be used in this section as well.

Nails on the chalkboard: If it grinds my gears, you'll find it here...as if you care...

So there you have it folks. This list is subject to change on a whim but I'll try to refrain from letting that happen. Hopefully by listing these things I haven't turned you off to the blog. I'm very opinionated, at times judgmental and narcissistic, other times aloof and nonchalant, but above all I like to think I am humorous and interesting. I truly hope you will enjoy my Analytical Acclaim. Please come in and make yourselves at home.

Greetings & Salutations

2010-01-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome, Welcome, Step right up. If you are new to the mind of Mr. A, I'm glad to have you; If you know who I am and still saw fit to follow me to my digs, I appreciate you more than you know. "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life...for me...and I'm feeling good." -Newley & Bricusse (made most popular by: Nina Simone)

Lean with me, rock with me.

-Mr. A!