Here I am on the radio

One of my high school teachers used to tell me that it is imperative that we as humans do something to take us out of our comfort zone at least once a month. It can be speaking to someone who intimidates you, or applying for a job you think you have no chance to get, or something more extreme like hang-gliding. According to her, challenges like this keep our minds sharp rather than dying a slow, mundane, boring death. My first foray into the discomfort zone involved me learning to swim, and that has been going...well swimmingly. My fear in the water is minimal now, I am spry, svelte and getting much stronger with my stroke (that's what he said), and oddly enough, it is making me feel confident in all aspects of life. My second step in the discomfort zone will come this evening.

This guy named Mark, who attends the University of Nebraska, and is a part of a show called the "Sports Dude", asked me to come on his college radio program tonight at 8:30 to discuss the NBA playoffs. I have been on recorded conference calls before for work, but this will be the first time I have been on a live radio show, and even though these are college kids I'll be doing this for, I am still absolutely nervous. Writing about sports is easy for me, because I love to write, I love sports, and I hate people, so its a win, win win. Sure I have to interview and talk to athletes and coaches to write an article, but it never bothered me before. But now I have been summoned to TALK for at least 10-15 minutes(maybe longer if I'm good) about the NBA playoffs.

I wonder if I'll come off as smart, arrogant, timid, uninformed and all that. My lady says I'll do fine, because I love sports, and I want to believe her, but I'm still panicking a bit. By the time they call me, I will have played over at least 1000 scenarios in my head, sweat like Patrick Ewing, and had at least 3 glasses of wine. I am both looking forward to and dreading this at the same time, but there's no way in hell I'm backing out.

The fact that this is going to take place at the very end of my day (8:30pm) is also bugging me. Its akin to being an 11 year old child who is at a cookout with his parents and lots of family. The child does something stupid and his dad finds out, and promises to spank him terribly later, but he can't do it now, because too many people are around, and he needs privacy to spank you. So you live in fear all damn day of the ass whipping coming to you later, and you never really fully enjoy yourself, because you are scared. That's where I am now.

But yeah besides that everything is lovely!

If you care to listen, here is the site where the audio streams live. I'll be on around 8:30pm..that's Eastern Standard Time.

Watch Out - De La Soul

As a huge Michael Jackson fan, I can't tell you how much it pissed me off to see Prince sitting on Tavis Smiley's couch last night and the day before. Gone are the arrogant, standoffish days for Prince. Now he's funny, reflective, thoughtful, spiritual and humble. He can actually have a regular conversation, dress in regular clothes (for him) and it makes you appreciate him much more. Oh and by the way he's still a talented musician. Meanwhile Michael Jackson doesn't do interviews, he never talks or opens up (although given that creepy interview from a few years back, I kind of understand), and he never gives his fans a glimpse into his creative process. He's just one big ass mystery, and quite frankly I am tired of it. You're 50 years old buddy, try to be normal, and give fans a reason to love you again. Or if that doesn't work, just get some competitive spirit and try to outdo Prince. But do something dammit. These London concerts better be damn good, and at the very least we better get a concert album out of it.

That's all for today. Here's Tom Petty, Dhani Harrison, Prince and others doing a cover of late George Harrison, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". At the 3:32 mark, you'll know why I posted this video for the second on this blog

Good article on De La Soul

I'm slipping in my old(er)age..

Normally, I am able to see someone in advance who I know, but don't want to talk to, and avoid any conversation no matter how innocuous it may ending up being. Today, thanks to the entertaining podcast I was listening to, I was caught completely off guard by a lady I used to talk to, who came up to me at a crosswalk, while I was waiting for the light to change. She came up on my right side, tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked over, and then I am quite sure my facial expression said, "Man you gotta be f**king kidding me!". The following conversation ensued:


Her: Hey Rashad, how are you?
Me: Hey
Her: Oh my god, you look smaller, have you lost weight?
Me (with a smug look): Yes I lost a bit
Her: You look good
Me: Thanks. Hey the light changed, I'm going to head on to work
Her: Hey wait, talk to me man, what's been up with you? Lots has been going on with me since the last time I sa-
Me (interrupting): I dont meant to be rude, but I do need to get to work, its almost 9.
Her: I see you're still an asshole
Me: Now is that nice?
Her: Whatever Rashad. Well can I at least get your number, I don't think I have
Me( turning to walk across the street): NOPE! (see the video below)


Now, there are a couple of things wrong here. One, I am quite sure that this particular person reads the blog, so she knows damn well that I have a girlfriend, so why you would think I would take your number is beyond me. Second, you clearly don't need my number, because every now and then, you either ask mutual friends about me or you email me. Either way, we don't talk, and that's by design. Thirdly since you read my blog, you should pretty much know and understand, that I will talk about your monkey ass almost as soon as I sit down to my computer. I am in the midst of a crippling case of semi-writer's block, and when an opportunity like this reveals itself unto to me, I will pounce on it like Lifetime does to sad movies. That's what I do. And lastly, how am I an asshole, just because I don't give you a chance to bore me with the details of your life en route to work? Seriously man, that's what girlfriends, parents, hair salon stylists, and blogs are for..not someone you used to date. I could go on, but I don't want to be mean(er) this morning.

My lady makes fun of me for carrying my shirts and slacks to the cleaners, instead of putting them in a dainty bag. Sure it looks sloppy to have 10 dirty shirts in my hand(or sometimes on the ground), but my walk is short, and why get a bag, that right after I drop my clothes off, I'll have to find something to do with. It is a waste of time. Well this morning when I walked in the cleaners, there were 4 other guys en route to the cleaners, and 3 of them had their clothes balled up and around their arms much like me. The other had a tote bag that looked like this, and judging my his mannerisms, his hand motions and his attire, he definitely had a touch of the ghey. I rest my case.

I am posting this video not because I love it or the song, although it is solid. I am posting it because of what transpires between the 17 and 19 second mark. The way he says, "nope" is that way I said it to the woman I used to date. I doubt this will be funny to anyone except m'lady and my brother, but I find it to be quite hilarious.

There are a few things troubling me this morning...

1) It bothers me a great deal to see dog owners who wrap their dog's jaw closed. You see these dogs trotting along unable to properly show any emotion except for a tail wag and maybe an eyebrow. What kind of a life is that? It seems to me that if the owners went the extra mile to train and discipline the dog, no jaw wrapping would be necessary. That's lazy to me. These are the same people who put their kids on a leash, rather than explaining to the child, that failure to stay close to your parent's hand will result in a beat down of epic proportions.

2) This swine flu business scares me. So far I'm treating like seeing a woman breastfeed on the train. I wish it would go away, but I also want to watch and learn more. This morning at the pool I coughed because too much water was down my throat, and the two people there whipped their heads around to look at me. I felt the need to say, "Water got down my throat, I'm swine flu free!". They laughed, but still..I could see this being THE issue for a couple of months.

3) My Alma mater was in the news for something negative. Apparently a disgruntled former student shot himself and two other gruntled individuals. This all took place in the dormitory I resided in as a freshman 17 years ago. I'm wondering what the back story on this is...

Talib Kweli featuring Res - Too Late

I was in a serious funk for about 60% of the day yesterday, and it was all because of an argument my lady and I got into. And yes it was my fault. I never realized how much havoc an unstable home can cause on other aspects of your life if you let it. I didn't do much talking on the phone or email; I damn sure did not feel like blogging or writing at all (although I did write this article), and I was not being a very nice person to the various people I come in contact with during the course of my day. Then, I'd say around 2 or 3pm, I finally snapped out of it, my lady and I made up, and all is well with the world again. Besides, the weather is way too nice for me to be walking around looking someone stole my bike.

But I am convinced that when you are in a relationship, there have to be some argument guidelines laid down. When you're with someone you don't really care about, you tend to let any damn thing come out of your mouth (or at least I do), because you know that 1)this person could be replaced, and you could be with someone new in a jiffy and 2)you've been planning your escape anyway, so you have nothing to lose (shout out to all my exes). But when you're with someone you love and care about, not only do rules of engagement have to be laid down, but both parties have to make a genuine concerted effort to consistently follow them. This won't eliminate this necessary evil we call arguments, but it damn sure makes them more efficient. Now if I knew what these rules were, I'd write them out right here in this damn blog entry. But I dont..well maybe

1) No yelling..I was going to put no cursing too, but I've found that its not the cursing that gets you in trouble, its yelling the curse word with significant voice inflection that gets you in the doghouse

2)No condescension - as tempting as this one is (for me especially) I am learning that this just may get you slapped..repeatedly

3) No words like "whatever", "whatever you say" or "I don't care"- That non-comm ital bullshit is annoying

4) No hitting

5) No pulling your genitals out in the middle of an argument, in hopes that the appearance of your phallus will segue things from an argument to an all out sex romp...I haven't tried this yet, but I almost did

That's all I have for now

Last night on Jeopardy...

Answer: William Herschel used a Newtonian telescope to discover this planet & its moons Oberon & Titania


Question: What is Uranus?


Tell me that's not funny!!!!!

There's a series called Noisemakers with Peter Rosenberg which takes place in New York, which is basically hip hop's version of Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton. There have been three installments of this so far. The first one was with DJ Premier, the second one was the Questlove of the Roots, and the most recent one, which was recorded a few days ago, was with Q-tip from A Tribe Called Quest.

During this series, the artist sits on the couch and talks about their journey in life and in the music business for a good 2 hours or more. For a music junkie like me, its absolutely fascinating to hear these artists wax nostalgic about how they got started. I just listen to Q-tip's interview yesterday, and it had me longing for the days when A Tribe Called Quest was still together and making good music. And then that got me to thinking, what are my top 10 favorite ATCQ songs. Which brought me to the following list starting with...

10) Get A Hold.

9) Bonita Applebum (Hey Hon remix)

8) Everything is Fair

7) Push It Along

6)Footprints

5) Jazz (We've Got The)

4) Butter

3) God Lives Through

2) Keep It Rollin

1) Lyrics To Go

If you asked me tomorrow, I'd probably give you a completely during 10, but I'm sticking with these. And now, a clip from ATCQ (along with the Leaders of the New School) on Arsenio Hall back in 1992.

The last time I did some serious shopping was back in November when I visited the vast outlet malls in Williamsburg, Virginia. At the time, I'll say I weighed between 212 and 215 lbs (I'm 5'9), and I wasn't necessarily fat, but I was pudgier than I should have been, so I was buying sizes that I had never even dreamed of wearing before. My fragile ego chose to blame my weight gain on the fact that my back was bad, and I wasn't able to workout as regularly as I usually would. In reality, it was my less than stellar diet that was the problem. Anyway, I bought a great deal of clothes that weekend, and they had served me just fine until very recently.

If you've been reading my other blog, you know that I have been working out much more regularly as of late. I've been running, swimming and playing basketball for the past 2 months, and my weight is down to 196 and its getting lower by the minute it seems. I feel healthier, my face is a lot less chubby, and I want to have sex 25 hours a day, so something is working. BUT the downside is that my clothes are getting progressively baggy. Pants that used to straddle the line between hugging and fitting, are not just plain baggy, and it is starting to look like I raided Shaq's closet for clothes. At first I tried to ignore, but now I'm pulling my belt tighter, and I'm noticing pants and shirts that are fitting much differently.

A lot of love and care went into picking those clothes in November, and since I don't like shopping, that was a big deal to me. Now I have to do some significant shopping, and I'm dreading it. Do I wait a little longer to see where my weight eventually bottoms out? Or do I buy some clothes that fit now and anticipate the weight loss? Or do I do nothing, and keep acting like the clothes I am wearing now don't belong to the BFG?

I hate to end my entry on a sad note, but I came across this clip last night, and it just struck me as both sad and fascinating. Its a 9 minute clip that took place right after Mike Tyson's last fight. You can fast forward to the 2:42 mark of this clip, and watch until the 5:29 mark.

Yesterday one of my co-workers happened to see my lady and I walking together, and by the look on his face, I knew I would hear some kind of comment when he saw me alone. Sure enough, this morning while I was heating up my tasty gluten free organic oatmeal, he came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "Young man your girl looks GOOD, you have some good taste." Now, when someone says that to me, I know I am supposed to say thank you and keep it moving. But something about the way he stressed the "good", with a faint hint of a gleam in his eye, troubled me a bit. It also troubled me that he assumed I was in love with some unattractive girl (not that any thing's wrong with that). So I asked why he was surprised, and he told me that I seemed so quiet, and so passive that he didn't think I could pull an attractive girl, which made him sound even dumber. He started talking some more gibberish, but at that point enough was enough, so I just interrupted the bullshit he was talking, and I said thank you for the compliment.

I've had friends and family members who have been with attractive women, and I don't compliment them in such a way that makes them think if their woman was single, I'd be all over them. That's just tasteless. I'll say something like, "Good work!" or "You did good" or "She's cute man" or "Does she have friends?". But I don't dare rub my hands together, get an eager look in my eye, and say, "Man she looks GOOD." Perhaps I am overreacting.

On a lighter note, my lady has scored us free passes to see The Soloist with Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr, and Catherine Keener (who in some odd way has always been sexy to me) so I am excited about that. Based on the commercials, the tear/cry factor will be alarmingly high. I won't be ashamed to admit if I cry, but it definitely will be more fun to count the number of times my lady does.

Beauty Is Only Skin Deep - The Temptations

This blog entry is a rant, bear with me..

My doctor's appointment this morning was at 7:30 am, which meant I did the responsible thing, and I walked into the appointment at 7:20. The receptionist took my insurance and my co-pay, then took my blood pressure, temperature and heart rate, and sat me in a room while I waited for the doctor to see me. Before I left the receptionist's desk, I peered over the counter to see if anyone had an appointment before I did, and there were 2. One person had a 7am appointment, and the next person had a 7:15, so I was pretty encouraged that my wait would be a brief one. Not so much.

I sat in that damn waiting room for exactly 32 minutes waiting for my doctor to come see me. I heard him making small talk with every damn body but me. I heard him walk in and out of the other waiting rooms, but he never so much as poked his head in mine to say hello, we're running late, or be right with you sport..I got nothing. I was simply there for a follow up visit, which meant all he had to was look at my blood test results, determine if my cholesterol and blood sugar were more normal, if not give me corrective action, if so send me on my merry way. I was highly upset by the time he did come in my office, but I was encouraged because my numbers are moving down precipitously, which is a relief. Still, if I'm early or at least on time (early in the morning no less), I think I deserve a little on time service. If I rolled in 30 minutes late, my appointment would be pushed to another day, or my wait would be 2 hrs.

On a lighter note, the following conversation went down between myself and a lady on the train

Her (adjusting her umbrella): Its a mess out there
Me: yeah
Her: I should have worn jeans
Me: yeah me too
Her: A lot of people complain about this weather, but I like when its wet and sloppy like this
Me: That's what he said
Her: Excuse me?
Me: never mind

I wish my friends, family and blogging audience had been there to share my joy with that conversation. I don't know if reads as funny as it actually was...to me at least

Good Love - Anita Baker

I took a two day break away from my laptop, to spend time with my family in Ohio. I saw my mother and her gigantic apartment right outside of Cleveland. I spent some time with my aunt, and I talked sports with my 3 uncles. One of my uncles was even nice enough to take me by LeBron James house (he lives 1 minute away from my grandparents). But the MOST difficult and fulfilling part of the trip was my trip to the retirement community to see my grandparents.

This retirement community my grandparents have been in since the first week of April, is very similar to a bed and breakfast. You get three meals a day, they give you new sheets, they clean your room, and everyone is very very friendly. But the reality there is that everyone is easily over 75, and they have come there to die. My grandfather is battling high blood pressure, diabetes and prostate cancer, and it has clearly taken its toll. He moves slowly, the medications he takes make him sleepy all the time, and he was to wear Depends. Still, he is the perfect gentleman to my grandmother, and he made it a point to talk to EVERYONE he came in contact with in the cafeteria, which just amazed me. Despite his afflictions, I could tell he was at peace for a man who had been born in 1925.

My 76 year old grandmother is in the early stages of dementia/Alzheimer's, and although my mother hinted at it before I got there, I just was not prepared for what I saw. She asked the same questions repeatedly, she seemed to talk incoherently for 15-20 minute intervals, and she wasn't as meticulous about her appearance as she had been the last time I saw her couple years back. I could tell she has not adjusted to the idea of living here, and she wasn't as comfortable as my grandfather.

But the lasting image I will take from the visit is my grandparents sitting at the dinner table, drinking coffee and eating ice cream, after everyone else had gotten up. They didn't look two people in the twilight of their life, they just looked like a "regular" couple enjoying each other's company. What else could you ask for?

This past weekend also had caused me to re-open discussions with my parents about what kind of arrangements they want as they get older.

I don't know if you have noticed or cared, but I have been stuck in what may quite possibly be the worst writer's block of my writing life. It has affected my blog, its affected my Hoops Addict articles, and it is absolutely frustrating. I'd like to think of myself as an above average writer, and this stretch has just taken my ego and stomped it. It could be burnout from the combination of writing a blog and about basketball; it could be all of the wonderful writing ideas I have for this summer; or it could just be that my brain is tired and needs a rest. I have no clue. But I do the perfect place to free one's mind from the shackles of writer's block: the airport.

The amount of stimulus in an airport is just plain golden. You have folks reuniting, people separating, kids running wild, pilots looking focused, flight attendants looking hoeish, airport staff acting mean, luggage being thrown. And I won't even mention the airport bars where magical language and behavior are on display. If you just sit down with a pen, some paper or a laptop, you can EASILY find something to get the creative juices flowing and then some. I am headed to Cleveland, Ohio for the weekend to see my mother, grandparents and others, which means I will have TWO chances to emerge from this writer's block. I think I'll start with an airport bar, and work my way out.

And no writing about how much I have writer's block doesn't mean I don't have it anymore..although I certainly gave it some thought. Also if you haven't already, I'd like for you to visit Hoops Addict (now in HD) and watch the videos, read the articles, and then read mine. My main man Ryan has worked hard at improving the look of the site, and even though I personally am having a tough time adjusting to it, I still would like to hear feedback from you, the customer(s).

And now, in honor of the writer's block I am having, I thought I'd link a song from a rapper/writer who seemingly never had writer's block(except for the past 9 years he hasn't released anything) and that's Rakim. THE best rapper of all time..no arguments.

Know The Ledge - Eric B & Rakim

Please read my article.

Isn't the expression "dry humping" eventually an oxymoron for both parties involved?

Today, instead of writing a blog entry, I will fill this space with words from my father, Mr. Michael Mobley, who is in the business of financing small businesses in Howard County, Maryland. He sent this to me last night, and I could really care less whether anyone gets anything out of this, I am proud of the man who I consider to be my hero, my best friend and my mentor.

Without further ado...

The United States, and, indeed, the world, is in an economic crisis not seen since the Great Depression that began 80 years ago. Venerable financial institutions have collapsed, the automotive industry is confronting bankruptcy and unemployment is approaching 10 percent. The Federal government has committed, as of this writing, nearly $800 billion to jump-start the economy. Most economists and politicians seem to agree that the government must take some action, but, both economically and politically, there is disagreement as to the viability of this stimulus package and its ultimate impact.

Unfortunately, it appears that the status of small business in this crisis has been virtually ignored. As these firms struggle to stay afloat, it is not clear what, if any impact the economic stimulus package will have on small business owners and entrepreneurs. In this environment, and as always, “Cash is King” for businesses large and small. Consequently, access to capital is a major determinant of the success to any business.

As large banks struggle to recover from major losses, they have tightened their credit criteria and, in many cases, are only making loans to those in the top tier of credit-worthiness. Small business owners have painfully discovered that these large banks are not as receptive to their requests for loans and lines of credit as in past times. Smaller, community banks, however, are active in the market, albeit with more restrictive credit criteria. Still, small businesses often face gaps in their ability to finance their ideas and activities.

Since 1992, j-ref has provided financing to entrepreneurs that were unable to obtain all or part of the capital required for their businesses. The mission of j-ref is even more important during these dire economic times. We continue to see entrepreneurs with ideas to start and grow their businesses. Many of these deals have the potential to create new jobs and contribute to the economic viability and overall quality of life in Howard County. Clearly, j-ref, consistent with the banks, engages in greater scrutiny of each loan request to accommodate the higher risk in the market. That said, though, we see excellent business models and talented individuals who require and deserve capital.
We, therefore, reaffirm the mission of j-ref. We continue to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in Howard County. Our commitment is unwavering because the need is on-going.

Michael Mobley has just been named, “2009 Maryland Small Business Journalist of the Year,” by the Maryland SBA. Michael will be honored at the Maryland Small Business Week Awards Breakfast in May.

Seeing folks you went to high school is a much weirder experience than I could ever imagine. You meet these people who you connected with in your most awkward of stages, and you have think you have this weird bond, when in reality, you don't know jack about them anymore. In my case, I was a quiet, athletic, borderline nerd weirdo in high school. I played basketball, ran track, wrote for the newspaper, and played in both the jazz and marching bands. I got no women until my senior year, and I had a core group of friends (including Kevin and Cliff who I am still tight with almost 20 years later), who I hung out with. My grades were just ok, which is sad, because I was very smart, but when that intelligence is coupled with a less than lackluster work effort, you have wasted talent. Yet I have no regrets.

I say all that to say, that when I meet folks via facebook, on the street or face to face, and they act excited to be talking to me, I am like, "Are you f**king kidding me? Its just me!" I don't have low self-esteem by any stretch of the imagination, but damn, reconnecting with me cannot possibly be that exciting. And these people tend to prove me right, because right after the initial re-connection is made, the forget about me, and our conversations fade into Bolivian to quote the great Mike Tyson. I like meeting and re-meeting high school buddies because 1) I am nosy and I want to see what they are up to 2) I am insecure sometimes, and I use their success/failure as measuring stick. I felt kind of pitiful typing that...

Speaking of Mike Tyson, there is an excellent documentary coming out about him very soon. The trailer is below:

Today is the last Washington Wizards home game, and I would like to say thank you to each and everyone one of you who have read my articles. Additionally, I would like to thank all of you who visited Hoops Addict in general to read the articles of the hard working staff over there. I know how annoying it can be when someone is constantly shoving their writing down your throat in hopes that you will provide criticism, feedback and accolades, but some of you have graciously done it anyway and I really appreciate it. The excitement that I had about covering the NBA this year, has not subsided one bit, despite my significant decrease in productivity. In the next few months, I'll be covering summer workouts, the NBA draft, and the Wizards introduction of a new head coach, so stay tuned, and keep reading please. Once I become big and famous, I will surely turn into an ass, and act like I don't know any of you, but that's how it goes, y'all understand right?

As usual, I have nothing significant to say on a Monday.

Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac

I finally cancelled my subscription to the Sunday Washington Post this morning. Last week I had no inserts, and this morning, there was no paper and there were no inserts. The whole reason I started getting it delivered was so I could wake up, and get the paper, without ever having to leave the comfort of my building. But the past two Sundays, I've had to wake up, look around my lobby, then step outside the building to make sure my paper wasn't possibly hiding in the bushes. I calmly called the Circulation department, and asked them to cancel my service. Of course they dazzled me with promises that will ultimately turn out to be empty down the road, and I did not fall for it the way I did the other 4 times. So that ends that relationship.

So I went across the street to the drugstore and bought a Washington Post, but then I saw some intriguing articles in the New York Times as well, so I picked that up too. When I got to the counter, the gentleman rang up the Post, and it was $1.50 as I expected it to be. When he rang up the Times it was a whopping $5 even. I said to the man, "$5 are you kidding me?", and he said that was right. After I read this New York Times, I better be armed with a special kind of knowledge, because $5 is ridiculous. If the USA Today was $5, I'd understand it, because o their gratutious usage of color throughout their pages. In just a few short hours, I went from a convenient delivery service not appearing on my doorstep, to spending damn near $7 on two newspaper purchases. Unbelievable.

So naturally, my next move is to call the New York Times, to see what kind of sweet delivery deals I can get.