Slowing to a Crawl...

What’s up readers …

It’s about 2:45 a.m. in the morning, and I’m keeping vigil over my grandmother while listening to Cee-Lo’s “Bass Head Jazz”…

Yep, things have slowed to a crawl…

Which, honestly, is how I like it.

Let’s paint some more details…

Grandma (Mom’s mom) is in the hospital because of a broken hip … don’t know the details in their entirety, but what I do know is that I was off today (Wednesday) and the following day, so aside from spending time with Grandma, it allows other family members to rest, which is all good … because everyone knows I don’t sleep, ha ha ha.

Anyway, it’s quiet moments like these where I conjure up some pretty interesting thoughts; it’s only around flowing water that I’m even more creative and reflective than I am now (probably the premise for a future blog, or maybe I’ve mentioned it in the past … )

Anyway, about life slowing to a crawl. In the NFL, it’s often said that a quarterback is most efficient when the game “slows down”, meaning that he’s able to see the field more clearly; not tentative, not frantic, instead making the necessary plays to put his team in a position to win.

I aspire to that type of smooth, you know, the type of smooth that would make Cool Hand Luke’s palms seem clammy by comparison; a business-like approach to life, yet not taking things so seriously that you’re not able to enjoy the blessings of life that God allows us to enjoy at times.

That being said, I guess some folks prefer a faster tempo to their existence, and I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy how frenetic life can be sometimes. It’s just that, I work at a job where deadlines are especially imperative, and on off days like this, I think it’s important that I partake of the alternative.

So, what am I planning with this free time (I’m keeping watch until 6 a.m.)?

Well, you’ll just have to keep reading…

The Good Doctor

P.S. Mom enjoyed a birthday on Nov. 18, and I just realized I didn't let you guys know...well, send your regards nonetheless...

The Price of Heroism

Pretty good read, methinks.

Philly embraces young heroes

Enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend!

The Remakings of You (No Mo!)

Ahhh yes, the remake…a decided lack of originality.

Exhibit A:
Curtis Mayfield’s “The Makings of You”, recently “re-mastered” (wanted to trade in ‘mastered’ for ‘fatherless child’) in Monica’s “A Dozen Roses (the Makings of You)”

Oh boy.

It would be too easy for me to just post the lyrics of both songs, and let you be the judge…

Actually, I’m going to make things easy.

Let’s get it.

Curtis says:

Add a little sugar
Honey suckle and
A great big expression of happiness
Boy you couldn’t miss
With a dozen roses
Such would astound you
The joy of children laughing around you
These are the makings of you
It is true
The makings of you

The righteous way to go
Little one would know
Or believe if I told them so
You’re second to none
The love of all mankind
Should reflect some signs
Of these words I’ll try to recite
They’re close, but not quite
Almost impossible to do
Reciting the makings of you

The righteous way to go
Little one would know
Or believe if I told them so
You’re second to none
The love of all mankind
Should reflect some signs
Of these words I’ll try to recite
They’re close, but not quite
Almost impossible to do
Reciting the makings of you

(Bless you, Superfly.)

Mo says: (courtesy of some inferior lyrics site, you know I Don’t Capitalize Everything In a Sentence)

(Curtis sample)
Boy You Remind Me, Remind Me Of My Gucci Shoes
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| |

(Editor’s note)
Whoa, whoa, whoa…
And here I was thinking we’d gotten past comparing significant others to apparel?
Guess not.

|>
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Everytime You Walk Past, All The Girls Be Looking At You
You Got Style Just Like A Bentley Coupe
And I Be Losing My Mind Everytime I Get Next To You

I Think I'm Falling In Love With You
Baby Caught Up In Something That’s Moving So Fast
Never Been With Nobody Else
You And I Tighter Than The Jeans On My A--
You Remind Me Of This Thing
Something Like R. Kelly Singing ‘Bout A Jeep
Boy You're Everything To Me
And You're My You're My Property

Boy You Remind Me Remind Me Of The Ice On My Wrist
Boys You Remind Me Of This
(Curtis sample)

You Remind Me Of The Very First Time
You Remind Me Of The Time We Made Love
Just Like The 25th Day Of Christmas
Waiting For Santa Claus To Show Up
You Got A Heart Of Gold Baby You Should Know
Baby You Remind Me Of So Much
And Baby You Always Stay On My Mind
‘Cuz Like My Rims You Shine

Boy You Remind Me Of 26s On My Ride
Complete Spinning Around Looking Like A Superstar
Boy You Remind Me Of How Life's Suppose To Be
This Is What You Remind Me And You’re My You’re My Property

Looking At You Looking Another Baby I Don't Need Another Brother
Sex Time Around You I Feel The Same My Body There’s No Pressure Baby
You Know I Keep It So Real
I Can't Help You Got The Whip Appeal
What’s The Deal?
Tell Me How You Feel
Could It Be Me

Like The Ice On My Wrist A Sidekick On My Hip
Mac On My Lips
Armor All On My Whip
Butter On My Shrimp
I'm The Gladys You The Pip
I Keep My Hair Flip The Way You Like To See Me Strip
Keep A Money Clip You Remind Me Of A Tip
Like A Pair Of Jeans
From Ambercrombie When They Rip
Like A Glass Of Wine Everytime I Take A Sip It’s You It’s You

Boy You Remind Me, Remind Me Of My Gucci Shoes
Everytime You Walk Pass All The Girls Be Looking At You
You Got Style Just Like A Bentley Coupe
And I Be Losing My Mind Everytime I Get Next To You

(Curtis sample)

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Wow…nothing to say, but…

Where the soul went?

The Good Doctor

Losing It

“It’s not hard to be an artist, it’s just a matter of how honest you are with yourself and the canvas,” – The Good Doctor

See, and for a minute there, I thought I was losing it.

I almost had *gasp* writer’s block.

I know, I know, I know. You? YOU?!?!?!??! Good Doctor, who always has something to say in real-time, couldn’t even think of anything to say with time to think?

It was almost that way. I guess that’s what I get for neglecting the Blizzle.

Blizzle, BLOG, Black Love, One Growth, call it what you will.

First of all, let me say I’m grateful for the gifts.

The gifts that God’s given me, and the gift of friendship.

Friendship?

Yeah, Friendship.

Think about this for a sec.

We all have friends that will end conversations by saying “Call Me”, or something of that nature.

But how many friends do you have that say something like, “I’ll Call You?”

I thought the heck out of that the other day, and man, the numbers are low.

That being said, I don’t want to make this about the associates. This is about my Friends.

I was talking to a Friend of mine the other day, and it seems that we’ve become a society that looks for love (aside from the wrong place) in the opposite direction of those that show the most affection to them.

What we have, in turn, is the effect you get when you have a bunch of unconnected railroad tracks; no connectivity, and a whole lot of crashes and chaos.

This realization also inspired more thought; thoughts of how I chased Jane (you remember Jane, don’t you) so vigorously while Lady L (c’mon, it hasn’t been that long) had more than MAD LOVE for the Writer of this Blog.

The “House of Cards” poem for Lady L felt like a happy medium, and that’s what I aspire to achieve; in turn, I don't spend so much time chasing something that I already have nearby.

Focusing on Friends.

Got it?

So do I.

The Good Doctor

Speaking of Friends, maybe we should make the 9 a team blog after the thrilling finale. Any thoughts from you guys out there?

Nine for Ya Mind, Part 2

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Open Pamphlet says:

For friends concerned about the 9, I recognize my fault in the holdup. Life happens, right? It got busier and busier, and now i'm whelmed (I refuse to claim overwhelmed...b/c that would imply I couldn't handle it, and that's not truth). Recognize that this anger at black folks that I have ain't goin nowhere, its just on simmer. But the ish doesn't translate as poetically for me...so you get real talk. "It’s a heavy burden we carry" says the Dean of Student Services. "We as minorities?" asks the pissed off student. Uncomfortable giggles pass through the room of minorities students gathered to talk a/b grievances and suggestions. Uncomfortable hemming and hawing by the Dean who expects minorities to do everything from recommend minority teachers to recruit minority applicants. Am I making folks uncomfortable? Good.

The Writer of this Blog knows how I feel a/b education. But that burden gets heavier at each new level of education that I achieve. So why do so few of us step up? Myself included. Any why doesn't that shared burden lead to collective action? Instead, we see ignorance, pettiness, and backstabbing heifas. Drama and rumors, posturing and politics are the rules of this new game. But at this level, are the stakes higher...or just different? Are the folks more important...or just richer? And by richer I mean poorer (Doc - is that a line from one of your poems?). Dollars taking away from family time, from community, from the very soul of the black man and woman. Folks measure themselves by who they rubbed elbows with last night instead of whose elbows they rubbed - I'm thinking their 5 year olds with lotion, get your mind out the gutter! I'm not sayin I'm turning away dollas - that's something hard to ask and I ain't that strong. But I keep folks in my life that keep me humble - dollas + humble, anger + power - that would be one heck of a combo, yes?

There's this recurring theme in my life (for folks who missed it): Angry Black Woman. All my white friends think its entertaining (yea, I said all - I'm not racist, I have white friends). I'm not talking bout white folks right now on purpose (sorry Doc) - don't want to scare you away because my anger at them matches my anger at us. But why isn't anger the recurring theme of all Black folks? Anger, not indifference, which I see so often. And don't mistake anger for violence. I'm still feeling the King. But one pissed off person isn't going to cut it. Two might - somebody wanna join me? Oh, and Doc, lol @ thinking race ain't the problem. One day maybe - but until I can stop differentiating actions and treatment based on race, its a problem. Until other folks stop looking at us differently, its a problem. Until more than just equality in name exists, race is a problem.

The common bond amongst the black folks that I knew in a past life and the folks in this life: The Itis and CP Time. Ice asks "when an individual is given poor options, what can they do but make poor choices? Poor choices is another common bond - But in my past life it was poor options. What is it in the present?

-Open Pamphlet

Sidenote: I was walking down the street minding my own business last night. This restaurant I pass usually has its specials on a chalkboard sign on the sidewalk. Last night, one of the specials was: "Chicken Noodle Soup (soda not included)." Enjoy that, doc. Nope, not black-owned.
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*short intermission*
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Iceman says:

Why is it so hard to just get to work?

It all began when I was playing too much Final Fantasy, neglecting my work. Then, I would realize that my schoolwork as unacceptable, and grades lacking, so I stop playing FF altogether. Not only that, I have a difficult sleep pattern, a lack of appetite, and no interest in socializing (like hearing “How are you doing?” when you know they really don’t want the details).

During this point, I actually want to do my work…but I am in such a bad mental and physical shape that I have to struggle just to accomplish nothing. However, when I finally begin to feel normal again, where I can eat, and am ready to enjoy more balance, what’s the first thing I do? That’s right, cop out of responsibilities.

I know I want to do better, I know I have this great opportunity to succeed, and would be a moron to pass it up. But I still can't shake the laziness that I've instilled in myself. As I continue to grow, and meet other people with my situation, and see them convince themselves that up is the way to go, I'm hoping that this positive peer pressure will steer me in the right direction.

So to you, I ask please keep doing you, waking up blessed each morning, doing big things for yourself. Real black people understand that it's going to take a few success stories for us to improve the situation for all of us, so I am jealous of nobody else. Leave that rap battle mentality for the industry.

Iceman aka Bobby Drake











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*short intermission*
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11th Letter says:

A friend recently asked me the following:

Will we step up and do something or will we continue to sit back and laugh (at Chicken Noodle Soup, Fry that Chicken, etc.)?

I responded with:

Why be angry with isolated thunderstorms when the world is raining cats and dogs?

I believe that Christians understand what the world's problem is; it's the fact that the world and its inhabitants are separated from Him and what He wants for each of us.

It's the above statement that transcends race, class, money, all of the things that put this world in the dire state that it's in.

I believe that we are blessed in the fact that we have outlets, whether online or otherwise that we are able to encourage a dying world, and even moreso blessed when we take advantage of those outlets.

Truth is, some of us that aren't laughing, and haven't laughed in a while.
I recently washed down a day of adversity with a viewing of Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke", a cold, wry view of the events of Hurricane Katrina, which only accentuate my belief that this can't be life, we can't be so absolutely powerless as not to be able to help the helpless, to depower a powerful government.

But in some ways, we are.

We are because our faith is shaken at times by the fact that it's raining cats and dogs in this world, but aren't as effective as we can be because we worry about the isolated t-storms.

Yes, it's raining, but I believe the solution is to continue to trust God and to work that much harder to bring people out of the rain; into a warm shelter where they can find the love that they search for in a pair of shoes, a nice haircut, a warm plate, or sexual relations, just to name a few outlets that people look toward for their little piece of mind.

I hope you all don't take this as an attack on your beliefs or anything of the sort; in fact, I applaud your passion and desire to do something.

I only hope that this serves to inspire you and renews your faith in God.

I love you too much,
(11th Letter)
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Perfect Backdrop

Adversity.

I know, I know, does not make for the perfect backdrop.

Or does it?

Check my Tuesday night.

Figured to take my lunch break at work today around 6, 6:15…and normally, I get ticked post-DST (Daylight Savings Time, No. 6 and Joe Knee) because it gets dark around that time, and there’s nothing more depressing at work than missing a beautiful day.

Well, I refused to let this be a depressing day, ha HA…

Not that I haven’t had the reason to be angry/frustrated/whatever else goes into that little box of discontent, but I figured Pandora can make you feel one of two ways:

Really, really angry…

Or really, really cool.

And tonight, I really didn’t need that box at all…

Check this scene:

Lovely night, with a little drizzle and a cool air…beautiful for just seeing the city…I’ve really been getting into swing and big band music, so I had a little Ella, a little Coltrane…you know, quiet music that makes your soul roar like the Twenties…fitting for the writer at this time…and I even had the outfit to boot.

Didn’t even plan it like this, but I winded up wearing some dress shoes, black slacks, black button-up and a mean tie, black tie with small silver diamonds…

Yep. Like the lead singer of my own one-man swing band…my own personal Kenaissance.

(Interesting how I didn’t address my apparel from head-to-toe, but then, I like working from the bottom-up…from the roota to the toota, true?)

Not to be too cocky, because I wasn’t feeling that way at all…I was just feeling right.

So, the backdrop was set.

First order of business? Figured I’d catch up on some phone calls…

So I call up a Miss Lady, and not so much for her to be a swing partner just so much as to return a call and be a good friend…

Well, the conversation is good, then better, then took one of those bad U-turns where you think traffic is far away when it isn’t, and all of a sudden you get hit out of nowhere.

Well, in the Swing of Things, what she was saying went a little like this:

“You think you know me, but you can’t possibly know me because I never allowed you to know certain parts of me…”

Well, baby, that’s not the way I jam, well, not anymore.

The way I see it, and especially with her, I’ve always tried to dance whether she’s had two left feet, couldn’t keep up with the beat, or if she’d rather run the streets.

My perception of her (since I never knew/didn't know her) was a non-factor to me, because well, I was just trying to be her friend.

It’s funny, really, that’s how Iceman and I got so cool because mad heat was coming from elsewhere, and I guess, that’s how the beat goes sometimes, which I’m cool with.

Long story short, I’ll have to catch up to Miss Lady later, because no matter how Beautiful she is, or how Precious she was, the Renaissance is now, and well, if you’re dancing the same way, you might not be able to keep up with the New Swing…

(And that’s going for a lot of people right now…it’s helped me to be more accepting and free with things…don’t get it twisted, I’m always looking for a solution, but I’m content with the present as well…)

So that’s where I was…

Right now, I’m really looking forward to these two days off…I might go visit a Queen’s City, or something like that, who knows…I figured, though, that I’d let you guys know what’s going on, and the Planet is about to experience the Rebirth of Slick, heh heh heh…

‘Cuz I’m cool like dat, I’m cool like dat…

The Good Doctor

Wow, this was my 100th blog. It’s a celebration…