Wednesday, June 30, 2010

My latest article
I know I have written about this before, but I think the situation is dire enough for me to write about it yet again. My barber, a straight, 50 year old with locs, who loves the music of Bob Marley and Rare Essence, has a Sex and the City ringtone. It is baffling to me still, and I've known about this for two months. He was edging up my goatee, and talking about his cousin who was drafted by the Wizards, when his phone rang.

Now I know the Sex and the City theme because of fiancee and other women who attempted unsuccessfully to make me fans, so let me just get that out of the way now. So when his phone rang, I instantly looked at the phone, then I looked back at him, then the phone again, and I just shook my head. When a barber has given you 2+ year of great service the way mine has, you don't bite the hand that cuts you by clowning his ringtone. But something ain't right. If he just likes the music, I can think of at LEAST, five shows that have better theme songs

1) Taxi (which happens to be my current ringtone)

2) Barney Miller

3) Frasier

4)Season 4 of the Cosby Show

5)Seinfeld

I'm sure there are more, but that's a start. Perhaps I'll make him a mixtape of TV theme songs or something.

I would also like to shoutout Tiffany, who works for the church where my lady and I are getting married in December. I know I've heard horror stories about how slow church folks are, but I chose not to believe it, because you come highly recommended by my mother. But I am revoking the benefit of the doubt I foolishly and prematurely gave you. You told my fiancee and I that all emails and queries would be answered within 24-48 hours. I thought that was a little pompous, but I don't know your schedule better than you do, so I stayed quiet.

But guess what Tiffany? We are working on 96 hours now, and we haven't heard a peep out of you. And you're lucky my lady has banned me from picking up the phone and peppering your ear with antagonizing banter, because I'd let you have it. This is not professional, and if it wasn't such a pain in the ass to start over and find a new spot, I would bail. Step your game up and act like the professional you pretend to be. I almost hope you google me and stumble on this blog.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Here's the list of things I'd be willing to stand in an insanely long line at 6am for:

1)Seeing Michael Jackson in concert
2)Prince backed by the The Roots

That's it. That's the list. I damn sure would not be in line at 6am, in 80 degree heat, just for a damn phone. Yet as I type this, there are about 70-80 people lined up across the street at the AT&T store on 14th and New York Ave, waiting to get their grubby little hands on an iPhone4. The intensity on the faces of each one of this individuals was downright scary. There was no smiling, no talking in the line, no offers for a coffee run, there were just mean mugs, and occasional glances towards the front of the line to see if the doors to the store had finally opened.

What drives people towards this type of behavior? Why the rush to get a phone that could quite possibly be upgraded and surpassed in a year or less? Its just a damn phone. If someone could explain this phenomenon to me, I'd really appreciate it.

I've written about my lack of air conditioning in the building I reside in, and I am happy to report that it is finally working the way it always should have been. It went out for several hours on Saturday, but it magically righted itself that night. Still, there were approxmiately 10-14 days when it was not working AT ALL. As a result, I tried to organize a coup attempt in my building, by contacting several tenants via email, and suggesting that they request rent reduction next month. I realized it was a long shot, but given that I fried in that apartment when the temps were well over 90 degrees I thought it worth a shot. But yesterday, one of the other building tenants said that she spoke to the rental office, and our request has been denied because the cost to fix the A/C was allegedly so expensive.

I think that's bullshit, and I am investigating my other options. But that is not the real inconvenience here.

The real inconvenience is that now, as a result of these wonderful emails between tenants, I cannot just go in and out of the building without speaking to anyone anymore. This morning when I came back from my run, and while I was sweaty and out of breath, one of my fellow building mates asked me if I was Rashad, started talking to me about the A/C (I was too tired to pay attention), and talked to me non-stop in the elevator until she thankfully got off on the third floor. Yesterday during my walk home, one my other neighbors just started talking to me about our A/C situation, and it took me a minute to figure who the hell she was. The days of me going in and out of that building with me giving little more than a head nod as acknowledgment, are long gone...

That being said (yeah I'm on a tangent now), I think the tenants talking and uniting is a beautiful thing, and I think we should take this one step further. I think everyone should take a picture with their name and the apt number, and we should put the pics in the lobby yearbook style. That way, I won't feel pressured to remember everyone's name all the time, and we take this communal atmosphere to a higher level. I wonder if how much support I could get for that..

Doin' It Again - The Roots feat. John Legend
This is a great song to a)workout to and b)pump loud at your desk or as soon as you get in the car.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Please read my latest article by clicking here.
For the second time in two months, I had the distinct pleasure of appearing on Fox Sports Radio last night to talk about the NBA. And as usual I was nervous and sweating uncontrollably. Hopefully you can't tell.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

You can hear me and my main man Ryan talking about the NBA draft by clicking right here.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Here is an interesting NY Times Op-Ed piece on the Culture of Exposure.

Friday, June 25, 2010

You know what annoyed me the most about Michael Jackson passing away last year? It was the millions of "fans" in this country who jumped back on the bandwagon once he was gone. During the last several years of his life, MJ got minimal love in this country, which was one of the main reasons he was going to start his "This Is It" tour in England. Now I'm sure the allegations and his odd appearance didn't exactly make it easy to root for MJ, but that sure as hell did not stop people once he passed away. Meanwhile, loyal fans like me, never left the MJ bandwagon, and were forced to carry the torch in the leaner years. So now when I see alleged MJ fans talk about the depth of their fandom, I want to smack them with hose full of sand. I'm glad they still appreciate MJ's music, but where were you when needed you? Where we you when Invincible came out?

Damn I sound like a creepy groupie. Only one of those words is an accurate description of me though.

Anyway, tomorrow I will be helping my brother, my sister-in-law and my nephew pack their stuff and move out of the area. They are moving on up in the world, and they will now call Brooklyn, NY their home. If I take my own selfish needs out of it, this is a good move for both of them. My sister-in-law will be teaching at a good charter school, and this will allow my brother to pursue his side ventures with more vigor. But the big brother side of me will miss being able to drive 15 minutes down the road to Largo, MD, to see my nephew. I'll miss calling my brother after work and meeting him for a drink (or 2 or 9). I'll miss giving my lovely sister-in-law yet another chance to poison my fiancee and I with her awful macaroni and cheese (true story, she gave us REAL bad food poisoning two years ago). These are priceless memories, and its not like they can't be created in Brooklyn, its just not as convenient for me--and that's ultimately who its all about...me. But seriously, I will miss all of them, and I have no problems visiting New York more often. Happy trails to you all, and if I throw my back out while helping you all move in the 145 degree heat, there will be hell to pay.

In this MJ/Jacksons video below, pay special to attention to the 53 second mark when he spins three times, and still sings on-key without missing a beat.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I had a beautiful entry in my head, that I was going to type out for the world to see. And then I realized that I left my cellphone at home, and now I'm grumpy. F**k a blog entry man.

I'll be more excited tonight, when my beloved Washington Wizards pick John Wall in the NBA draft. It is quite an exciting time to be Wizards fan my friends. Feel free to hop on the bandwagon. I'll be right there at the Verizon Center tonight and again tomorrow, so I shall have interviews, audio, video, etc.

But no phone today.

Check these photos from my main man Neil

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I would like to personally thank the Kennedy Center for wearing me down and finally convincing me to give money to become an official member. For two years now, the beautiful men and women who work for you, have been bombarding me with phone calls and emails about joining your establishment. I usually listen to the pitch, momentarily consider pulling the trigger, and then I change my mind at the last minute. It always seems like a good investment, and then I look at the upcoming schedule and I get underwhelmed and turned off.

But my dear Kennedy Center, you stepped up your game tremendously this past weekend, and you went directly for my heart. You sent out just the jazz schedule for the next year or so and included some heavy hitters that I listen to often:

Bassist Christian McBride
Violinist Karen Briggs
2010 Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling
Roy Hargrove (trumpet) and his Quintet
Terence Blanchard (trumpet), Branford Marsalis (sax) and their respective quintets AT THE SAME TIME IN THE SAME SHOW.

So yes, I will become a member, I will attend these shows as well as some of the other wonderful plays, musicals and educational experiences you have to offer, and I regret that it has taken me so long. All I ask is that you send me some type of gift for becoming a member.

I would also like to thank the property manager at my place of residence, for paying attention to all of the emails sent by his tenants, and finally coming to the building to feel the non-working air conditioning. You claimed it was now working, but then you were bombarded with emails to the contrary, so like Obama did with the oil-filled Gulf, you visited each apartment in the building, in an effort to assuage the anger that increases as the temperatures do. I especially liked how you came to my apartment, got distracted by my neighbor who peeked into my apartment with a wife beater, no bra, and short shorts, and then tried to leave without acknowledging what I had to say. Luckily for me, I stopped you and made you talk to me, even though I know you were itching to get to my neighbor's building to see the show. What you don't know is that she's a lesbian and is not thinking about your dumb ass, she simply desires functional AC like the rest of us. I suggest you identify the problem and fix it!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

If you love marriage and blogs that discuss them, this is your lucky day. I have two wedding blogs to recommend.

My friend Dana and her wedding blog is right here.
My friend Faye and her wedding blog is here.

I will not be doing one of these, but if my lady starts one, I'll be sure to link that one too. I should record her watching one of the 34 million wedding shows she has tried to hook me into watching, and put that in a blog entry. How is it that I never knew any of these shows ever existed, and now, I can tell you what channel and what time each and every one of them comes on the television. Thank God the NBA draft is on Thursday.
As you may or may not know, the title of my blog is Synchronicity, and although that phrase has many definitions and interpretations, there is one in particular that I like. It is the definition that says things happen, occur and exist at the same time during the same time period for some reason. A version of this happened to me yesterday within a seven hour span.

On my day off yesterday around 2pm or so, while I was flipping back and forth between soccer and tennis, I decided to catch up on blogs that I have listed on the right side of my blog. I had a busy weekend, so I was behind, but usually I try to read every one's blog, so I scanned the titles and skimmed the blogs, and I stumbled on this one by my friend Brian. Brian does PR for the Wizards, and just awhile back he was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer., but he fought it, and he is now cancer free. Now, instead of blogging about treatments and pain, he's able to blog about his health and father's day, so it was good to catch up on his blog.

Then around 4pm or so, the Washington Wizards sent out an official email (sent out and drafted by Brian) about an upcoming clinic that would be given in New York City. The NBA is conducting a series of clinic (called NBA FIT) designed to help kids stay in shape and learn the value of health. Joining the kids and the NBA, will be Justin Freelander, who is a 13 year old kid diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Justin has founded something called Justin's Quest designed to raise and awareness and money.

I read that email, thought it was a good cause, and then I closed it. 10 minutes later my editor sent me an email, asking me to write a brief article for Hoops Addict, and I did so here. We usually write articles strictly about on-the-court activities, so it was nice to switch it up a bit. After I wrote the article, I laid back down on the couch, and resumed my relaxing day.

Then last night around 9:30, my brother called me and told me that a friend of ours who we both went to high school with, had died of brain cancer. He had actually been diagnosed a few years back, but he had been fighting through treatments, and up until I got this phone call, I was under the impression that he was supposed to be in remission. He died yesterday morning and left behind a wife and young child. I wasn't that close to him anymore, but when we were in high school, I was a senior and he was a freshman. And because our names are so similar(his name was Rashaa), when people called his name, I thought they were calling me and vice versa. We would joke around about that all the time, and that's how we got to know each other. I've seen him a few times since I left high school in 1992 but that's it.

So I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do with yesterday's events. I know I'm supposed to appreciate life, my health, my blessings, etc. Beyond that, I'm still thinking about what I should/can/will do.

Monday, June 21, 2010

i promise this is the last Roots-related item i'll post and/or mention today.
First off, let me gloat a little bit and say that I am off today, which means I am in the bed with my laptop. The remote is just a few inches from my hand, and I am switching back and forth between Portugal/North Korea World Cup soccer and Wimbledon which started today. Sure the air conditioning is broken once again after being up and running on Friday and Saturday, and sure I was so nauseous last night, that I'm hesitant to eat right now. The point is I'm in the bed watching sports, so I can't complain about much.

So my son is officially spending the next several weeks in Cleveland, Ohio with my mother. As I type this, he is probably getting registered to camp at Case Western Reserve University, and he will be knee deep in orientation and activities soon. I dropped him off at the airport yesterday morning, and he was excited about the whole experience, while I had mixed feelings. On one hand I know this experience will be a great one for him, but I knew I'd miss him on father's day, and I did (thanks my brother, my father and my boy Cliff for lifting me up) Still once he called and told me he was there safe all was well. He's a big boy (who apparently had a girlfriend now) so I need to trust he can handle these things because he can.

And finally, this may seem completely random, but the next time you are cooking out and searching for items to place upon the grill, put this on there. I brought some of that over to my brother's house yesterday and he grilled it and it was fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that I don't think I shared it with anyone else.

Go buy the new Roots cd.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Back in 1985, when I was 10 and my brother was 8, my parents sent us to Akron, Ohio to stay with our grandparents. My mother was working on her dissertation, and my father had to go London for several weeks, so they just dumped us in Akron. My brother and I loved our grandparents (still do), but to us, spending extended time with the grandparents meant church and lots of it. They made us attend Sunday school, long 11am services and bible study on Wednesdays. Considering we lived in a church-free state when we were at home with our parents, we knew we were headed towards some serious culture shock.

Once we got to Akron, our grandparents had lined up an entire summer worth of plans for us, that went beyond the scope of just church. There was day camp, there were cookouts and parties with cousins, lots of ice cream, basketball at the park, etc. We still longed to be home, but suddenly Akron seemed like a respectable home away from away home option. When our parents rescued us from Akron in mid-August, we appreciated what our grandparents did for us..and we also vowed to never have to stay that long, and we never did..still, we appreciated it.

I say all that because tomorrow morning, my son will be on the plane to Cleveland, Ohio to spend a month with my mother. This is his summer-with-grandparent rite of passage, and the poor kid has NO idea how annoying (and loving of course) my mother can be, but he will learn. He will be in a athletic/academic camp by day, and he will learn at the feet of Dr. Mobley by night, and he will have a ball.

Later on today, when my son arrives v, I will interview him on camera to get his feelings on this matter.

Oh and go buy the new Roots cd that comes out next week

Friday, June 18, 2010

1) The Lakers won, and even though I was rooting against them, I appreciate the greatness of Phil, Kobe, Artest and the rest of the team. Here is my discussion about the game last night.

2)I got the opportunity to watch John Wall workout yesterday, and here is my article based on that.

That's all I have right now.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

When I got home yesterday, there was a note in the elevator that said the AC will not be working for another 2 to 3 days. The property manager, who of course does not live in the building, explained that he and his staff were working diligently with contractors in charge of fixing it. Now, far be it from me to question the property manager or the contractors and the extent of their diligence, but that's not cutting it. Allow me to list the temperatures for the next 3 days: 90, 90 and 94. When the temps are that high, it doesn't do a damn bit of good to have the fan on, because it feels (but not smells) like morning breath being blown all over the place. To make matters worse, this is the THIRD summer in a row that we've had to deal with such matters. Now I am forced to unleash the loosely tied up a-hole in me, and write a diligent letter to some higher-ups about the high level of inconvenience I am forced to wallow and sweat in, as a result of this egregious negligence.

I feel like I'm bitching and moaning like Uncle Leo, so I'm stopping now. But I'm unhappy and I'm hot, and I don't enjoy going home the way I should. However, that little sentence I wrote yesterday about it being too hot to get some trim? Disregard that please.

And if you hate Kobe the wy I do, please join me in rooting for the Celtics tonight. Please.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I just heard from Carlton's (my son) teachers, and he made the Honor Roll this quarter. So he went from a terrible progress report in March to honors at the end of the school year. I couldn't be prouder of him. Now he just has to maintain it in 8th grade next year.
You can hear me having a great discussion on last night's not-so-great Celtics/Lakers game by clicking here

The air conditioning wasn't working in my house last night, which just totally jacked up my evening and my morning for that matter. I couldn't watch the game comfortably, I couldn't drown my sorrows in wine, because that would have made it hotter, I couldn't get any trim because that would have made things even hotter, and this morning after I ran 5 miles, I couldn't come back to a cold apartment, so I was sweaty when I left the house, and I'm still a bit sweaty here at work while I type this blog. And for you people saying its never too hot to have sex, you come stay at my house and try, and let me stay in your air conditioned place until its fixed. How 'bout them apples?

Also, if your father is alive, and you have a decent relationship with him, please show the man some love on Sunday--actually show him love everyday, but kick it into high gear for Father's Day. I'm sure he deserves it, and I'm quite sure he's tired of receiving Old Spice, ties and socks and corny plaques. I know its tough because you can't just resort to the bailout gift (flowers and candy) that works like a champ on Mother's Day, and I know older men make it damn near impossible to buy gifts for them. They've been wearing the same clothes and shoes since 1992, they refuse to convert their CDs to IPODs, and they won't watch or even take season one of Mad Men out of the box, even though you raved about how good it was over and over again. Still, you should dig deeper and make your father happy.

And once you come up with some ideas for Father's Day, please share them with me, because in the words of the great Joe Namath, I am struh-ga-linng, to come up with something good.

And one more thing. If the cleaners mistakenly gave you an article of clothing that fit perfectly, would you keep it for yourself or take it back so it could be returned to his rightful owner? Just curious.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

So this morning I am walking to work, and I am forced to stop at 15th and Massachusetts NW. That is a moderately busy intersection, that features a few hotels, a one way street, people walking to work, joggers, bikers, etc. I enjoy this particular part of my walk, because its quiet and serene, which is in stark contrast to the loud commotion I hear once I hit 14th St (I know this is DC inside baseball, but bear with me).

So while I'm waiting for the "walk" sign to allow me to cross the street, I hear a car playing this Mobb Deep song at incredibly loud levels. I looked over to my left, and I noticed a Black Chevy Suburban with all the windows down and the sunroof wide open. The guy in the car knew all the words, and was yelling them out of the window almost as loudly as the blaring music. At one point he looked over at me and yelled out of the window, "What you know about Mobb Deep son?", and I just pointed at my headphones, shook my head, and mouthed, "I can't hear you." Then the light turned green, the walk sign came on, he drove away and I crossed the street en route to work.

Now, I will admit, if I was about 10 years younger, I would have been mouthing the lyrics to that Mobb Deep song right along with this gentleman. In fact, I might have even run up to the car, and given him some convoluted man dap to let him know how much I approved of his musical selection. I am even willing to admit that if it was 11am when this encounter occurred, I'd have at least given him a nod of approval. But it was 7:30 in the damn morning. 7:30!!! Who wants to hear all that garbage en route to work, especially in a relatively quiet neighborhood. And if you need to motivate yourself that much to get amped for work, why not just roll the windows up and go crazy, instead of subjecting me and everyone else to all that cursing, all that bass, etc...

I felt like a cranky 50 year old man after that encounter, and I spent the rest of my walk to work muttering to myself that these kids have no respect at all. Then it occurred to me that the song that guy was playing came out in 1994, so there was a good chance this guy was close to my age, and not a kid at all, which made it worse. What's my point here? I don't really know. I just think as we (we meaning me) get older, we become more sensitive to disrespectful actions..even if its something as simple loud music at 7am. Or maybe its just me

I'd like to send a shoutout to Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics for his usage of the phrase "comfortability spots" in the clip below. I know "comfortability" is technically a word, but I still find it funny.

Monday, June 14, 2010

So yesterday morning around 10am or so, I made my way to the barbershop with two items on my agenda. The first, and most obvious agenda item, was for me to get a haircut before the weekend crowd arrived. But the second reason I went at that particular time, was so I could watch some of the Ghana/Serbia World Cup match that was on television. Four of the six barbers in my shop are from Ghana, and I knew they would be pumped up, so I decided to thrust myself into that atmosphere, and of course it was worth it. I only watched the first half in the shop, but they were hanging on every shot, miss, and near-goal like their lives depended on it.

So as I got ready to head out of the shop, I noticed one of the barbers (not from Ghana) had a picture in the lower left hand corner of his mirror. His station is right by the door, so I usually don't look too carefully at it, but on this day I just happened to glance over and see it. It was a picture of the masterful boxer from the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao. But it wasn't a picture of him fighting in the ring, and it wasn't a picture of him fully clothed, but it was a picture of him at the weigh-in before the fight.

Now if you know anything about boxing and weigh-ins, you know that they are typically done the day before the fight. When the fighters weigh in, they strip down to their drawers, boxers briefs, or their tighty-whiteys, so that they can get the most accurate weight assessment possible. I don't really watch these things for that very reason, but some people do, because a fight or some type of drama can break out. It's not my cup of tea, but I get the appeal.

But for an (allegedly) straight man to have a nice sized picture of another grown ass man in boxer briefs a at a barbershop workstation, is highly suspect..highly. Now I know I've been accused of being a homophobe by people who read this blog, but I'm not (insert the some of my best friends are gay line). I just know this man is married and I've seen him openly flirt with other women in the shop (that's not snitching is it?), so I just found it highly odd for him to have a picture of his favorite boxer with his franks and beans all on display. On the way out, I had this short convo with the gentleman

Me: You're a Manny Pacquiao fan huh?
Him: Oh yeah yeah yeah, that's my man right there, he's a beast
Me: Oh ok

I wonder what my lady would think of me if I had a picture like this hanging on my side of the bed in our bedroom...

If you didn't watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals last night, you missed a hell of a game. But if you'd like to me discuss it, go here and listen. I'd appreciate it.

Get The Bozack - EPMD

Sunday, June 13, 2010

The bad news? I have a a terrible case of writer's block that is preventing me from writing about a press conference I attended on Thursday. Actually, now that I have analyzed this for a few days, its not writer's block, its bad reporting on my part. Instead of taking good, diligent notes during this press conference, I relied on my recorder--meaning I just planned to transcribe the audio later, and write my article based on that. But between me moving around and photographers snapping pictures all around me, the audio I obtained was not as clear and audible as I hoped. The bottom line is, I have nothing, and it sucks. This happens to me twice a year, and this is the second time, so I have 6 more months of error free living to live where my writing is concerned. By the way, during that press conference I saw Sheila "The Billionaire" Johnson, and she is a MILF..

The good news? All the non-writing I have been doing this weekend, has allowed me to get knee deep in the World Cup this weekend. I watched each and every match this weekend, and it has me longing for the days of old when I was a superstar soccer player:


I need to find a 35 and over soccer league now.

State of Shock - Michael Jackson featuring Mick Jagger

Friday, June 11, 2010

Here is the discussion Ryan and I had after yet another thrilling NBA Finals game. I must admit I sounded pretty good considering I was 2 and a half glasses of wine deep and it was almost midnight. Also, the Hoops Addict site has a new design, so please weigh in on how it looks.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

As passionate as I am about newspapers and their sad, yet inevitable demise, I care much much less about the magazines that are seemingly headed in that same direction. Newspapers (especially on Sunday) just have a wealth of information that cannot possibly be covered on the 700 cable news stations who attempt to do just that. Magazines are filled superfluous ads and pictures, and once you sift through all of that b.s., there are really only about 10 minutes worth of articles worth reading. And since I love sports, almost ALL of the articles in sports mags are either a)dated beyond belief or b)leaked on the internet before the magazine is officially on newsstands. There are some exceptions of course (like GQ and Cigar Aficionado), but for the most part, I only read magazines when a)I'm in the barbershop waiting or b) when one of my lady's subscriptions comes to the house...which brings me to my point.

My lady subscribes to a number of female magazines, and since I get home from work earlier than she does, I'm the one who removes them from the mailbox and eventually puts them on the kitchen table with the rest of the mail. I have a whole routine where I look at the cover to see what articles are in there, I casually thumb through for good articles and scantily clad women, and then I put it down. I don't really read anything per se, I just power skim.

So the other day, my lady's Essence magazine came and Jada Pinkett Smith was on the cover. There was no other mail that day, and I was in the middle of cooking dinner, so I decided to do my usual skim through the magazine, and it took all of about 10 minutes. No harm there right? Wrong. The lady walked in, saw that I had skimmed through her magazine, and she said, "I don't want you reading my Essence before I read it." I cracked a joke about it, she repeated her stance, and then we dropped it.

But last night, when the aforementioned Essence had found its way to the coffee table, she reiterated her desire for me not to read it before she did. She said that it was her magazine, and that sometime I ruined it for her by discussing the articles in there before she has even had a chance to read(guilty as charged). She also said that it is a ladies magazine, not a magazine for men (I responded by saying that sometimse there are scantily-clad, to naked women in there, and that's something I need to see). So basically we did not see eye to eye on the matter, and I made a fake promise to honor her wish.

I remember when I was in high school, my father had to get on me about stealing the Washington Post Sports section before I left for school. He would tell me that I could read it before I left, but to take it to school like it was mine, when HE paid for it and had not read it, was disrespectful. That I understood. But to be told I can't skim a magazine that I have graciously removed from the mailbox, then gently placed on the table for the lady to see, is horsesh*t. And the lady was positive that if I wrote about this today, everyone would take her side and not mine..so we'll see.

By the way, you'll recall that last week I mentioned a friend of mine was getting married and needed a name for her blog. Well she decided on Still Blushing Bride and you can check it out here. You should also check out that Redman video right below here.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

It is not at unusual for me to see approximately 5-10 homeless men and women during my 30 minute walk to work. They look to be 50-60 years old, some are white, some are black, some are men, some are women, some are chatty and effusive, others are crotchety and irritable, and a few are just plain crazy. I have no problems admitting that I walk by some without even batting an eye, and then with others I stop and chat and give them whatever money I have in my wallet. I know that doesn't even come close to solving the numerous problems that these individuals have, but its more than they had before. Plus it helps assuage my guilt about the whole situation.

But for the past two weeks, I've seen this woman sleeping across the street from where I live, who does not fit the normal profile. She looks to be around 20-25, she's Hispanic, and she seem to speak limited English. Whenever I run or swim around 5:30 or 6 in the morning, I see her sleeping or just lying there peacefully right next to this new, hastily-built restaurant. But when I return from working out, she's always gone. She must pack up her blankets, put them in her backpack, and then roll out somewhere, because I never see her again until that next morning. One day last week, I saw her nestled up in that same spot with a woman who looked just like her, but I have no clue whether that was her sister or not.

I'll admit that this is the first homeless person that I actually want to do more than just give money in passing. I want to know why she just started sleeping here a couple weeks ago, where she came from, what she does during the day and most importantly, why is sleeping on the street? I know full well that the language will be a barrier, but I'm sure I could find someone to bridge that gap for me. I know I don't want to invite her in my home and help her myself, but I also know that it feels inadequate to basically just step over her and tell myself, yeah that's a shame. I'm sure I'll figure out the right thing to do soon, but until I do, I felt like writing about it was the way to go. Maybe it'll light a fire under my ass. And I can add it to the list of other things fighting for space in my head (wedding, summer camp, basketball, sex, work, smacking people, etc)

I can't rap, but if I could, I'd do so over this beat.

Monday, June 07, 2010

Since its his birthday, I thought I'd link to this nasty Prince solo.
Apparently I don't blog anymore, I just plug my Hoops Addict ventures. Sorry. Here is the podcast from last night.

Today is/was my off day, and it was 77 degrees, and slightly breezy. That type of weather doesn't exactly lend itself to being in the house and on the laptop, so I wasn't. I highly suggest an off day when the weather is like this. It makes everything alright, even if it really isn't.

Oh and if you're in DC this week, please support my main man Brandon's festival, entitled, Can A Sista Rock A Mic? I ran into him today, and I realized I hadn't mentioned it on my blog yet.

Sunday, June 06, 2010

My latest article on Mr. Kevin Garnett. Read it before tonight's game, so you'll have something to look for while you watch.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

No words today, just a link to an article I contributed to in Complex Magazine. Click here to see it, and like these two men would say, thank you for your support.

Friday, June 04, 2010

Please click here to listen to me and my main man Ryan talk about Game 1 of last night's NBA Finals. I ask you to listen not just because its me talking, and I've been asking you to support all things Hoops Addict-related for two years. I ask you to listen to this, because Ryan and I recorded this right after last night's game which ended around midnight. That type of dedication has to be slightly rewarded.

Also, I finally finished all five seasons of The Wire last week and it was fantastic. I laughed, I cried (just once), I was angry, I was aroused (the Season 1 girl-on-girl scenes were epic), and most importantly, I was forced to critically think. There were countless times when my lady and I had extended discussions immediately after an episode. Not every show can consistently provoke that type of thought, and The Wire did that and then some. The show also amazingly knew when enough was enough, and they stopped after five seasons. One of my other favorite shows, "The Office" has failed to grasp that concept, and they've gone on WAY too long. But I digress..

The WORST part about finishing The Wire, is finding another show that gives me the same kind of high. I like Mad Men and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but they are currently on hiatus. I keep hearing that I need to watch Breaking Bad, Justified and True Blood, but it takes me awhile to warm up to new shows (which is why I started The Wire, 8 years after it came out). I also keep hearing I need to watch Lost and 24, but I tried those shows and they sucked. So I have settled on a three show rotation to fill my Wire void:

1 -NewsRadio: a great show from 15 years ago, that I never get sick of watching

2 - Treme: I haven't started this yet, but I keep hearing it is good, and it has some Wire cast members, so I can't go wrong there right?

3 - The Tudors:: A friend of mine recommended this a couple of years ago, and I just forgot about it after I got rid of Showtime. Then once I got Showtime back, I was knee deep in Californication, so I didn't care about any other show on the network. But now I shall revisit it, plus I hear it has lots of sex, which is right up my alley.

I'm up for suggestions if anyone has any other shows.

The Mission - Special Ed

Thursday, June 03, 2010

A friend of mine is getting married in October, and in true narcissistic fashion, I would like to take full credit for it. My fiancee and I are spreading our love over other couples like glitter in a Jacksons video. Anyway, my friend wants to start a blog about the countdown from the engagement to the wedding, and she asked me to think of a name for her. I assume she asked me because I write, I have a blog and I appear to be creative. Allow me to debunk some of that.

I do write, and I do have a blog, but I have little to no creative bones in my body. I take experiences that happen to me, I process them in this convoluted brain of mine, I write them down in my own unique fashion, and after 15-20 minutes, BOOM, an entry is born. I called my blog Synchronicity, after listening to the Police song for the millionth time, and deciding to look up what it meant. When I saw the definition, I was like hey, that applies to me.

I say all this to say that I have no idea what to title a blog for a woman about to get married, so I figured I'd do the next best thing and ask the 4 people who read this blog. My friend wants the title to center around the fact that she's going to be an older bride (she's 35). So if any of you creative people have ideas, please have at it, and post them up in the comments section. I will be sure to steal your ideas and take all the credit.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

My parents were married to each other for 19 years, and when they divorced my father got remarried for seven years, and my mother remarried for eight. Since then, they've both been knee deep in the wonderful dating pool that so many people of all ages navigate through with varying degrees of success. Per the mother/son agreement I made my mother sign, I do not hear any of her dating stories directly, but I do know that she has mostly struck out on that front. My father and I have no such agreement, so I hear about his tales, but he's not as fulfilled as he'd like to be either.

When I talk to my parents about the challenges they face in dating, they both discuss how difficult it is to work someone into their lives. My mother and father are 58 and 59 respectively, and along the way they have picked up some good and bad habits I'm sure. Unlike people my age and younger who are will to change and conform a bit when someone new comes along, old(er) people are less flexible (literally and figuratively). And when two stubborn people attempt to connect for an extended period of time, there can be some difficulty. That's not to say that older people (for the purposes of this blog entry, older is defined as 55 and over) don't date, because I am quite sure they date, have kinky, sweaty sex, and do all...ok most of the things the youngsters do. That's just to say that based on my informal survey, not only do older folks have more challenges, but they have the "I don't want to die alone" issue hovering over their heads like an umbrella.

Which brings me to the Gores. Now, I understand that when you're married 40 years, it is quite possible that you both have had to deal with all issues great and small (shout out to James Herriot) and there have probably been some minor separations along the way. And the fact that they are separated and not yet divorced, means reconciliation is always a legitimate threat. I even understand that they were probably separated a lot longer than was made public. I get ALL that.

But come on man, you both are in your 60s, nature and gravity have started taking their toll, and nobody seriously wants either one of you. In 10 years or less, Al and Tipper Gore will spend the majority of their time talking about how things USED to be, and they will bore anyone within earshot about how their wonderful accomplishments and achievements. So why not do that with someone who was actually there? If you're Al Gore, don't you want you wife of 40 years around you when you're telling the other bingo participants that you invented the Internet? If you're Tipper Gore, don't you want Al Gore around when you tell the other members of the geriatric women's club that you tried (and failed) to take on rap music 25 years ago, but its now profane and nastier than you ever could have imagined?

Its one thing to divorce and separate in your 40s or early 50s (like my parents) when you still have a good 20-30 years of sanity left. But in your early 60s? Really Al and Tipper? I will say this though, if you both get remarried and let some sex tapes leak further cementing your happiness, then I will type a passionate rebuttal. I'm not holding my breath though.

If you have some time today, click right here and listen to me and my main Ryan talk about the upcoming NBA finals.

Love Will Find A Way - Lionel Richie

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

There's that moment after Memorial Day weekend, when all the liquor has been imbibed, all the food has been eaten, and you've rested as much as humanly possible after doing all of those things. You wake up that Tuesday morning for work, you shower, you brush your teeth, you look at your face in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you are, and you may even flash a smile at your reflection and recite Stuart Smalley-isms. In fact you may actually be feeling so good, that you tell yourself that it is ok to step on the scale and see if those good vibes will somehow magically show up in the form of weight loss.

But it doesn't. Not even close.

So you step off the scale, and step back on it three or four times, because you're worried that maybe your electric scale has not properly warmed up, but each and every time it gives you that same, depressing, inflated number. So in disgust you push the scale out of your sight, and you mope around and slowly put on your clothes. You ignore the snugness of your pants and the belt holding them up, and in your mind you come up with magical workout schemes designed to have you losing 100lbs in 20 minutes, and you vow to stick to it...for a week. You're just so distraught at your weekend of improbable irresponsibility, that you start holding yourself to unrealistic expectations, and it can get unbelievably depressing.

But then you get to work and you hear your co-workers (some bigger than you, some smaller) talk about how they too ate and drank too much, and they too are on the 100lb/20 minute workout plan, and you don't feel so bad anymore. You realize that people all over this fine nation of ours have veered away from the healthy beaten path, and there's no shame in a little long weekend slippage. Then, you click on Rashad's blog, and you noticed that he has addressed this very issue, and everything is ok. You amend your 100lb/20 min plan and you vow to pursue a more manageable 40lbs of weight loss in 40 seconds and everything feels alright...for now.

When Will I Ever Learn (Part I) - Lewis Taylor