July second week photos

Second installation of my July photo-a-day-challenge images.  I'm using the prompts by the host, Fat Mum Slim on her blog.

11. Letter - I like the handmade signs in Vintage Vinyl with their block-lettering.  I would really like to write a letter to (and get a response from) the crazy person who buys the Richard Marx cassette tape that is on the right picture in brown.  I would really like to know if they are doing it to be ironic or for their true love for Richard Marx.  I would also want to know if they actually have a cassette tape player that really works.  I am assuming that some people do because my kid sisters saw someone with a cassette in their backpack a bit ago like he was going to drop it into his Walkman and listen to it on the DC train or something.

12. Texture - I am still trying to get used to the trend of wearing shoes that look like house-shoes out of the house.  It is something that I will never do myself, something that I will never understand, and something that I will never think is acceptable.  Sorry if this offends you house-shoe-outside-of-the-house-wearers.  This photo was at the chiropractor's waiting room (I have been so many times for my messed up elbow (that seems to be getting worse each week after it starts to feel better) that it is really messing up my summer budget; it is causing me to hemorrhage money!!)

13. Open - I finally opened my Google Reader after forever.  It was up to 1000+ (not even sure the exact number of unread posts from blogs I follow because after it hits 1000 it stops going any higher and just says "1000+").  I successfully got down to 136.  I like to comment as much as possible and read as many posts as I can.  But, for the sake of my sanity, there were some blogs that I didn't read all of the posts and there were SO many that I did not comment on.  I did read a lot, though.  Goal now, is to not let it get back so high.  Perhaps tomorrow I will go back and chop the number down some more... I'm sure it will be a lot higher again tomorrow.

14. Building - You can see this building (Sheraton Hotel) from the highway heading downtown in StL.  Or you can get a better view of it going East on 14th Street from Chouteau.  I go back and forth with loving that all of the stuff is actually painted on the building and not really architecturally present and hating that it is all painted and not real.  Everything (except the windows) is painted onto the building.  Even the stuff below the windows.  The arched windows at the top are painted, too.

15. Finger - The first time I heard the song, "Peace Sign/Index Down" by Gym Class Heroes, I loved it.  Their offer to put up the peace sign and put the index [finger] down is awesome.  I await the day when I have balls (really ovaries) enough to give some one the peace sign with a smile and then slowly turn my smile upside down, lower the index, and flip my wrist around.

16. Sign - Questions that arise after seeing this poster sign:

• Are people actually going to attend?
• Do they have new songs, or will the bands be recapping their 80s "masterpieces"?
• Will the bands still be rocking tight leather pants and cutoff shirts?
• Will the bands don bandanas to cover their balding heads or will they go au naturale?
• Will the audience be rocking acid/stone-washed denim?
• Will anyone in the audience be under 30?
• Will said older audience be able to catch the performers when they try to crowd surf?
• Will I sneak in to the concert for a last listen to "Pour Some Sugar On Me"?

17. Your addiction - I am still a big fan of WWF.  I made this move against my sister and had to take a screen shot of it.  I have scored over 100 before, but didn't have a fancy phone to take a screen shot of the word.  I love that this one was such a simple word, too.

You can see photos from the first week of July, too.

I scream!!

I remember one year when we were in Nigeria, there was a man who kept screaming outside.  "I!  Scream!"  I wanted to yell at him that I can scream, too, but eventually realized that he was just saying ice cream with a lot of space between the syllables in a way that was not conducive to people knowing what he was saying.

When I was younger, we would have dance practices at my parents place.  There would be about 30 kids there on several Saturdays during the summer.  It was great!  One ice cream truck driver happened to stop at the house one day and saw dollar signs.  He continued to come each Saturday.  I actually felt bad for him after we were done with our performance and he came to an empty driveway.

I love ice cream.

Despite my body's often rejection of it, I have found brands that work with me rather than against me and flavors that are deee-lish!

The sound of ice cream truck music has come to not be as ubiquitous as it was in my childhood during the summer.  When I do hear it, I still look out the window to see if is really coming.

Yesterday, I heard the noise and looked out the window to see the truck posted up about 100 meters from my place.  It was just sitting there, as though waiting for people to come through and get their pick of ice cream.

It stayed there, blasting its music for over 20 minutes.

I like the sound of ice cream trucks and the memories it brings, but this was ridiculous.

Twenty minutes!!!

It was so loud!!!

I kept looking out the window to see if anyone showed up to purchase some yummy, tasty, frozen treats.  It wasn't until about 10 minutes into the stake out that a customer showed up.  Then it was another five minutes before more people went to the truck.

After 20 minutes, it finally drove slowly up the street.  I had peace and quiet.

Until about seven minutes later when it came back through the area and waited another five minutes at a corner close to the original spot.

It's great that an ice cream truck comes through the area, but I hope this isn't a summer tradition in my new living location.

How relaxing has evolved

The way I relax has changed over time.

When I was a kid, I loved to just read a book.  Doing so was great.  I could imagine that I was in that the world of the novel, I could let go and just read their story, I could learn about different parts of the world and different time periods in history.  I also played out side or played games or put together puzzles.

In college, I loved to go to parties with my roommates.  It was fun to just relax and dance.  I loved to feel the bass in my bones.  I still find it amazing how music can impact people - how you can really feel it.  When I was competing (track) a lot of relaxation was had just vegging out in front of a tv, or talking with friends or catching up on sleep.

First year out of college and first year teaching, I loved to sit back and watch tv, go to music shows with the guy I was dating, and go to parties and bars.

It was during that time - post collegiate track career - that I started to love running.  I lived in the perfect spot in Columbia, Missouri where I not only had an excellent view of nature, but also had easy access to a trail that was awesome.  I remember how nice it felt to come home from school/work, slip on my sneaks, and hit the road/trail.  I never listen to music when I run for a few reasons.  First, I love to hear nature and my feet hitting the trails, second, I don't want to have some dangerous shit happen to me and not even realize it is coming because I am busy listening to a song in my earbuds.  

I was still in great shape, though it was changing since I wasn't competing, but it was still awesome.  My mind could roam, I could see animals, and I was relaxed.

When I moved back to St. Louis, relaxing became more about television and internet.  And I got into a relationship that was time consuming in a good way.  We watched movies and talked to relax.   I still ran some times, but I still have not been in as great an area as CoMo, and I can't stand running inside or on a track.

I find that now, relaxing to me consists of escaping myself in some way.  This can be by watching tv, by playing around on the internet, watching movies, and sometimes just playing Words With Friends or Unblock Me.  Sometimes it is just a nap.  I love to just drift off for a little while.  Sometimes I actually feel like cleaning house is relaxing - vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen or bathroom, decluttering.  It can even be as simple as a hug from my man.  That is a feeling that can sometimes take my mind off of the daily grind.

Any of these are even better with a glass+ of wine.

They feel good.  

I do want to get back into running, for now my morning yoga is a great way to start the day, but I don't think it has the same effect mentally as getting outside and feeling/hearing the air wiz past my ears as I run.  

Another Stream of Consciousness Sunday post.  Try it out yourself.  There is info if you click the button.

Too tired to cry

I was so tired today that I wore jiggly earrings to work so that if I moved even slightly they would make noise which would hopefully keep me awake.

I was so tired that when I got to school and none of my desk drawers opened (they were somehow jammed shut) I wanted to cry, but was too tired to exert the energy needed to do so and then clean myself up.  Instead, I invested in the help of the resident strong man and the resident tool man.

I was so tired that I semi-stumbled over my heavy feet while walking through the hall to retrieve items from the copy room.  Even though tired, being a formidable (though far from in shape) athlete, I was able to prevent a fall.

I was so tired that I thought I wouldn't make it through class each hour.  Fortunately, I did, and even managed to teach a really awesome lesson on culture.

After school, I went to a scheduled doctor's appointment.

My appointment was for 2:45.  I was in the waiting room and checked in by 2:35.  I watched about three people who arrived after me go to the back before me.  Made me think of this Curb Your Enthusiasm scene.  I was not called into a room until 3:09.  The nurse spoke to me to find out what I needed, and then I had to wait.

And wait.

Why do they do this?  Why the tease?  Why make it seem like you are going to be seen when you leave the waiting room, only to have to sit for another 15+ minutes.

The doctor came in, we talked for about two minutes, and then she left.  For another 10 minutes.

I had a brief laugh when I thought of these scenes from Curb (check out 0:53 and watch Jerry Seinfeld's face... I know the show is non-scripted, but he seemed as though he really was shocked at the turn in the conversation).




Then I played a few minutes of Unblock Me on the cell.  Usually, the game is really easy.  For some reason, today, I was stuck on a puzzle for at least four minutes.  It was really depressing.

I turned off the game.

And then, all of a sudden, I almost cried.

Why?

No, it wasn't because of the depressing ass Tracy Chapman, Hootie, DMB, and Alanis music.

It was simply because I was seriously exhausted and overwhelmed by the intricacies of this and all my decades of doctor visits.

If I hadn't been too tired to search the room for tissues, a trashcan, and explain to the doctor (if she ever came back) what I was upset about, I would have cried.

Instead, I used my yoga breathing and sucked it up... like I tend to do these days.

Wordless Wednesday: Bad lip reading

Hilarity.



Find more at Bad Lip Reading.

Wordless Wednesday: Hello?

Sent to me from my brother.  Lionel Richie always tickles me.

Lauryn Hill is still amazing: Pageant concert review

I know there was incredible anticipation and questioning about how the Lauryn Hill show would turn out here in St.L at the Pageant, but as a good friend put it, "She can show up and be kind of horrible, and it would still sound and be great!"

Well, she definitely did more than just show up.

I got an email a few weeks back that pushed the door opening time back from 7 to 9.  That actually reassured me that she was going to come and that it wouldn't be too late like in some previous concerts.  There was still no official start time on the tickets, but I was feeling good.

The DJ that was on when we entered the Pageant was good.  Played a mix of mostly old-school jams that got the crowd hyped up.  Almost didn't seem like he was on the stage for the whole two hours that he was up there.  Close to 11 (the time the doorman said the show would start around), a second DJ came on stage (onto the actual stage) and started to hype the crowd up even more.  He played for another 52 minutes.  Around minute 40, the band came on.  Bassist even started playing along with the DJ - sounding super cool as he thrashed his locks around to the beat.

About the band, they kind of looked like they had been found by Ms Lauryn on Craigslist yesterday morning.  There was just no cohesive look about them.  One of the bassists kept trying to take pictures of the crowd with his cell phone.  One of the keyboardists looked like he would rather be about 100 different places than on the stage.  When the DJ said that Lauryn would be out soon after the crowd started chanting her name, two of the back up singers gave a look that basically looked like "We'll see if you still want her when she comes out."

From my phone, you can kind
of see the shrug-thing

Well. At 11:52, she came out and told everyone that she was going to "do old music new ways."  And with that the show started.

Set list:
"Forever Loving Jah" by Bob Marley
"Lost Ones"
"When it Hurts So Bad"
"Ex-Factor"
"Final Hour"
"How Many Mics"
"I Only Have Eyes for YOu"
"Fu-Gee-La"
"Killing Me Softly"

And two encore songs:
"Turn Your Lights Down Low"
"Doo Wop (That Thing)"

She changed a lot of the songs up, but I thought it was musically amazing.  She had the live band (Which played better than I expected - way better, though the level of their sound was really high and sometimes distorted.)

The way she played most of the songs was more upbeat and more rocked out.  Kind of a funk-rock fusion of some kind.  It was mesmerizing.  It was still possible to sing along to favorites once you caught on to the new beat and sound.

I'm sure that some fans were disgusted because they are so attached to the old songs (those songs have such strong meaning to me as well as so many other people).  I saw some people leaving and not coming back... not sure if it was their disdain for the music or the fact that it was getting late and they may have had to work on this MLK day.

I feel like a lot of the songs have a really strong meaning to Hill, as well, and that makes it hard to play them the same way she played them years ago without starting to (possibly) feel as vulnerable as she did when she first made them.

The new sound was amazing.  She even did "Ex-Factor" two different ways.  Really, really fast and rocked out, and then more slow and mellow.  Kind of weird, but it was ok.

She seemed really, really sincere and passionate.  She many times thanked the crowd for coming out and supporting her for all this time.

One thing that made the show even better was the genuine looks of enjoyment from her and the band at several points.  It was almost like they were shocked that things were going so well.  The bassist took his phone out a few more times to snap pictures of the crowd.  And the back up singers and one of the keyboardists looked like they were truly amazed by the show and sometimes amazed by Lauryn's singing and rapping and interactions with the crowd.  I even heard later that night that she had stuck around out back in her vehicle saying hey and greeting people.  Very much seemed like the Lauryn Hill that I believed was the most beautiful person on the planet back in her heyday.

She danced a-la James Brown at times, she sang in her trademark raspy voice (now a bit raspier with age), she rapped with such speed and fluidity that I was in awe.  And.  It.  Was.  Awesome.

Several times she got on the band (in jest?) to let them know that they need to "move the crowd."  She even told them once that they needed to not "waste this tune."

I cannot express the vibe of the crowd jumping in unison with the each other and the band during "Fu-Gee-La" as soon as the familiar beat and tones came out to let us know that was the next song.

So glad I got the tickets.  So glad to share that experience with friends, and strangers, and the band, and Lauryn.

Only complaint would be that she didn't take off the crazy shrug-thing that she had to keep annoyingly adjusting the whole night (like, every 20 seconds throughout the night).

I am pretty sure this may be the last time she goes on tour sounding so good.

I hope she makes some kind of recordings of the new versions of her songs.  I would buy that just like her early Fugees, the big Fugees, and her solo stock.

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it

No, this is not a tribute to Jessie Spano of Saved By The Bell.

I love to sleep.  Most nights I don't get enough sleep.  I usually stay up later than I need to doing things that I don't really need to be doing or watching movies like The Shawshank Redemption, which I have seen numerous times, but love and can watch many more times.

Last night I went to bed around midnight.  Woke up today around 5:20 - the usual time.

I left at my usual time to head for work - around 6:15.

The interstate (Highway 40 to locals) officially opened this morning.  It took me 22 minutes to get to work.

That is about 15 minutes less than usual.  Which means, I can now sleep about 15 minutes more in the mornings.  I was so excited driving out here that I didn't even get to enjoy the new route.  The singing, shouting for joy, and rush of it all (plus the fact that it was still pitch black) all made it hard to take in the scenery.

Maybe on the way home.

Off to start my day full of children, the Russian Revolution, and the Enlightenment.

Prince can help you give thanks

I know some people don't like Prince, but he is an amazing musical artist.  Even with the religious changes that make him not want to gyrate on stage anymore, when I saw him in concert a few years ago, he was still amazing to watch live.

A lot of his lyrics have some real bite to them.  One of the songs I was listening to the other day is "If I Was Your Girlfriend".  I think a lot of people sat on what the song was really saying since they were thinking that he must be sending some androgynous/homosexual/transsexual message or something.

The line that really gets me is "If I was your one and only friend, would you run to me if somebody hurt you even if that somebody was me?"

Seriously!?!

That is just the epitome of what a great relationship should entail.

Significant other, friend, parents, siblings, extended family -- that is how the relationships should be if they are ideal.

*** Do not stay with someone who physically hurts you -- get out/away from those relationships ASAFP. ***

People you love can sometimes get on your nerves -- I know I am not the only one.

There should definitely be give and take and there should hopefully be openness to discuss the discrepancies that come up and have the potential to escalate into arguments.

Happy Holidays to you and yours whatever you are doing.

Hopefully, you can find and stay close with those special someones in your life.

Not really enjoying the commute

On the way to / from school I like to complete various activities.

• I can focus on what I am about to teach or what I taught and how it went.
• I can try to unwind after a hard day of dealing with class after class of freshmen.
• I can listen to some really interesting stories on NPR during Morning Edition, or The World, or Talk of the Nation. Usually informative, entertaining, or thought provoking.
• I can listen to the Ricky Smiley Morning Show and Gary's Tea in the morning to catch up on some celebrity gossip.
• I can listen to the hilarious prank phone calls sometimes played on the Steve Harvey Morning Show.
• I can try and find music in the morning on radio channels that seem to think that people want to hear talk. Who started that? I am pretty sure it would be more motivating to listen to some good music on the way to a movie rather than some people who think they are funny.
• I can try and see how many people almost hit me because they are talking or texting on their cellular phones.
• I can debate why I get mad at people for driving under the speed limit. I know they should be able to go slower since the number is the maximum speed they should be going, but it is really annoying when people drive below the speed limit.
• I can try different routes to see if they are faster than taking the Parkway home.
• I can daydream of the day when the highway will be opened.

That last one is really on my most days.

Once the highway is finished it will potentially cut off up to 15 minutes from my commute to and from school. I guess, then, I won't be able to do all the enjoyable activities, but I'm sure I will enjoy being able to sleep in a little longer, or being able to get home faster and do whatever it is I choose to do with my personal time.

December 7th cannot come sooner.

Yo homeboy, I said yo homeboy

The past few days have been filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good:

• My post on the All-Star Game was chosen as the "Local Blog o' the Week" for the local newspaper the Riverfront Times. I guess I'm almost-semi-locally-acknowledged. If you haven't read it and wish to know my views on baseball, check out my point of view on the All-Star Game here. I guess I am one of a very few bunch of people who can be called "baseball-hating". I don't apologize. Thanks to whoever nominated me as well as to the RFT people for picking me.
  
• Weather has been nice, which means I am saving money by not running the AC.
• This year of work, I have been able to limit my spending and save a significant amount more money than I have ever saved before.
  

The Bad:

• The basement floor leaks. I should not really be too surprised since leakages seem to follow me the past few places I have lived, click to see the stories of water past.
• Even though I have saved money on AC, I am having to shove out ridiculous amounts on fixing the basement leak. This house is basically a brand new rehab, but I guess the contractor and constructors of the place were relapsing when they built it because the basement is shit. Concrete is so thin, that when the waterproofers started to demo to put their system in, they reached dirt in less than an inch. That explains the leakage.
• Dishwasher is also broken and leaking onto the floor during the wash cycle. So I have to get a new one of those. Didn't ever use it when I first got here; I have only used it about 5 times in the past year (really 3 months).
  

The Ugly:

• Not only is the basement leaking and I have to pay for that, but the home builders did not have a footer on this house so I have to pay extra for the waterproofing system people to use a different technique than they normally would.
• Then today as the waterproofers took a break from listening to and singing along with Hart, Lisa Loeb, and Mötley Crüe, the foreman came up and informed me that the sump pump is not functional. Explains why the water was not draining.
• The money I was able to save is going to be almost completely gone after this.
  
• I don't get paid again until the end of August. Good luck to me.
  

I am reminded of In Living Color and the fabulous Homeboy seminars the two guys used to present.

Only in my case, it seems as though everyone else is trying to figure out how to get mo' money, mo' money, mo' money from me.

If not music, would they tolerate slavery?

We have stopped the bop. But there is now some controversy over whether all of the money was actually raised.

During the three days of music between classes and before and after school, there were many people who complained about having to hear the song over and over each passing period. There were also students who really enjoyed the song and said they would not give money because they wanted to still hear the song. It was annoying but I could handle it. I am grown. And I like to play some music when the kids are doing independent work or group work to mask some of the conversations of others so I could hear something else to get that mmm-bop out of my head.

There are some teachers here who cannot seem to handle a little bit of light-hearted fun in order to raise money for the local children's hospital.

There were teachers who taped pillows to the speakers in their rooms.

There was even a teacher who unscrewed and disconnected the speakers from his wall.

I remind you that it only plays for the 6 minutes between classes, for only about 5 minutes before the first class begins, and long enough for the song to play one full time after school.

It is said that parents called in complaining about the music. It is said that the SSD teachers complained that their students had the song stuck in their heads throughout their classes. (Because the students who rush to put on their iPods between classes as they walk to their next class, wouldn't have songs stuck in their head all hour -- songs that may be inappropriate or may lead to them repeating the cuss words accidentally-on-purpose during class).

Either way the school this morning stopped playing Hanson.

At lunch a fellow teacher told about a fund raiser that went on in the Troy area until 1996. Until 1995 they called it a Slave Auction.

Yes.

One student could buy another student and for a day the bought student was to do anything the other student wanted him/her to do. They followed the student around and had to carry books, clean up messes, etc for the day. They raised thousands of dollars each year with this. Each kid would go for hundreds of dollars.

In 1996, I guess someone realized that this might have a bad connotation, so they changed the name, but still had the auction.

That year a male student on the auction block had just broken up with a girl. That girl had started dating some one new. The new boy bought the old boyfriend and on the slave-day had the boy follow him outside and proceeded to beat the old boy, sorry to say it, but, like a slave.

Since then, they have not had the auction. I guess that the history of slavery in this nation and the idea of enslaving a person was ok. It raised the school tons of money just as it raised the slave catchers, masters, and traders a ton of money. But when one kid gets beat up, that was too much.

Good friends + Procrastination + Samwell = Pure comedy

There are times in my life when I sit doing work and am distracted by my thoughts/my friends/the sounds outside/my hunger, etc. Today the distraction came in the way of my thoughts and friends. I was preparing my lessons for my world history classes (yes, plural -- I am actually planning for the whole week right now) when I received a call from my man friend. Of course, I took the call. Of course, we get on some random tangents about some stuff he has seen in NYC and some people I have come across today and in the past.

Some how we started talking about people with large rear ends -- not necessarily wide, but the kinds that protrude to the back a lot, the kind that make you say da-amnnn and wonder about basic functions and daily activities that must be difficult for that person.

Then the convo went to where it inevitable goes when the two of us talk about butts -- no nothing graffic or x-rated.

I bring you Samwell.

Please... you must watch the video. The intro is a bit long, but then he gets started in on the lyrics. Some of you may be turned off by the content, but you must stick around to see the special effects throughout the video. And his eye gestures and facial expressions are fabulous.



I want to say that Michelle introduced me to Samwell a few years ago. And I have been entertained and tickled by him ever since.

Props to Gramophone

Congrats to my boy Roo and his wife for their new spot getting "Best New Bar" from the Riverfront Times here in St. Louis! If you haven't been by, check it out. They are on Manchester in South St. Louis just a bit east of Kingshighway.

The Gramophone.

I'm going under the bridge

Two weeks of political ups and downs, many over exaggerations, and too many life stories are finally over.

The song that has popped into my head today is some old Chili Peppers -- Under the Bridge.

Seriously. I don't want to feel like I did these past few days and nights. And I don't want to ever feel anger like I felt after reading the anonymous poster's ignorant statements on Africa (and other nations) and on African Americans conditions and how black people really have it so easy in life. I have almost calmed down enough from those comments to be able to sit down and craft a response this weekend. Stay tuned.

Take me to the place I love.



Looking forward to a weekend of semi-mindlessness. Some house work. Some grading. Some planning of what could turn out to be THE event of the fall.

But definitely some chillin' out, maxin', and relaxin'.

About to go let it all begin with a/several dranky-drank(s) with some friends. Holla at me if you want to help me/you chill out this weekend.

Take me all the way.

A little bit of music and war for the day

In class when the students are working on their own, or in groups I play music for background noise. I've heard many education "experts" say that it is a good way to get students to focus, good for transition times, and good for helping students not be able to hear what other groups are saying, yet be able to focus on their own group's discussion.

I typically use musicovery.com since it is not blocked and since I can select which music I do/don't want to have played. So when students really need to focus, I can select a genre that either won't have a lot of lyrics or will have lyrics the students may not know and be able to sing along with.

Today the song Three Little Birds by Bob Marley (Exodus album) came on. First I was really happy that a few kids in that class knew that the name of the artist. Then I almost became sick with the next student's comment.

"Oh, yeah. This is I Am Legend." At first I thought he was just misnaming the Legend best of album by Marley.

But, no.

The only reference the kid has of Bob Marley is a from that Will Smith movie. I haven't seen it. I looked it up to see what else was on the soundtrack and there are a few other Bob Marley hits on there as well (though the soundtrack cd available on cduniverse does not have the Marley songs on it - just the list on imdb).

I guess I should be happy that they are at least getting to hear the music. And maybe it will get them to hear more of his music and really listen to some of his lyrics.

One I really love is War. Just love all that he is saying and the emotion involved in it. I think it is perfect for not only this election season, but until all this stuff really does happen.

Posted here for your viewing and listening pleasure.



Though perhaps I shouldn't post this song since some may think that since he is saying there will be war "until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned... Until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes... Until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race."

Some may misinterpret that he was a hateful terrorist.

Perhaps this one will be ok instead -- Africa Unite



Have a great day! I am trying to do the same.

No darker than he is??? WTF?!

Wrote this morning about the beauty of brown skin.

Just found this statement made by Young Berg (who I had never heard of until this point)

Please, please, please, click and listen to his statements about brown people I found on Young, Black, and Fabulous.

He does not want any woman who is darker than him. And makes some weird statements about what happens when you get into a pool.

Who is this guy? And what year is it again?

Killer pain, killer rifts

I have experienced few things worse than the back spasm I am enduring now. From just below my scapula all the way down to the hip bones. Hurts to stay in any position too long. Last night it was so bad that I wished for massive amounts of drugs. Unfortunately at the current time I have no insurance, so the thought of acquiring some (at least legally) had to pass just as the idea of sleep had to be let go. Instead I was awake. I continued reading What is the What? I played around on the internet. I tried to eat. I started to pack for the big move. I watched season three of Weeds. I tried to figure out what color to paint the kitchen of the house. All while taking breaks every 20 minutes or so to try and stretch my back and to lay down. I felt like the guy who was on Clean House's Messiest Home in America 2. Not because I am a slob -- because of the back issues.

Today I have been trying to deal with the pain. Trying to run the errands that need to be run, watch episodes from season four, and catch up on sleep, and move as slowly and as gracefully as possible so as not to agitate this here back.

Wednesday on many radio stations is Way Back Wednesday. Now it seems that some of the songs they consider way back aren't that old -- or maybe I am just getting that old, who knows.

Anyway my way back hit of the day is Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls". I tried to find a video I could embed, but I guess he has blocked the sound from the videos that are on YouTube. You can see it on this person's site, though.

There is just something about him that is so wonderful to me. Even as a small child I was amazed by him. What an amazing artist.

I wouldn't even need him to give me diamonds or pearls. I'm not materialistic. I wouldn't need him to do anything sexual to me. I just want (a little) of his extra time. I just want for him to serenade me with his falsetto, followed by talking to me with that deep voice that doesn't match his body. I want to be able to look at him dance in his cool/interesting wardrobe. I wish for him to play some awesome, awesome guitar rifts for me. I wouldn't even bring up Purple Rain or the assless pants.

I just want to be blessed with his presence.

Just let me look at him for a bit.

I would even move to Minnesota for the chance to hang with him and see him in a studio. I wouldn't even be mad at him for not performing his songs in his old manner at the last concert I saw him at. It doesn't matter that I wanted to see him grind with his guitar. I can't be mad at him for finding religion.

If I can't get Prince, then let me at least get Dave Chappelle and Charlie Murphy doing their impression of him. That was hilarious. Almost as funny as the Rick James bits.

Humor makes the pain fade into the background -- until a huge guffaw is released.

Can someone tell me what happened to Lauryn Hill? I've been bumping some of her old Fugees stuff (and solo stuff) and really wish she was still around.

Just a sampling:

Snoop - getting his country medicine

I'm not a fan of a whole lot of country music. I never have understood how every country singer has a southern accent -- even Shania Twain who came from Canada rocks a country accent when she sings. Why can't they sing to the music without that twang?

I remember sitting in the training room before or after track practice waiting to get treatment back in college. That was when I first came to hear some decent country music. Some that wasn't all depressing, or super twangy, or just plain cheesy. It still wasn't what I would want to hear on my free time, but I came to appreciate some of the music.

And I have to appreciate a man of Snoop's status for going out and making a country song. It is probably just a ploy to work with (and get high with) Willie Nelson -- after all, the song is about going to "buy [his] medicine". But I can't hate him for that.

Again, it's not something I would listen to at home on my own, but I have to give Snoop props for doing something different. It doesn't even make me respect him less (that honor goes to almost all the stuff he has done since Doggystyle).

What do you think of this?

Throwback Thursday

Some of my students at school are very retro when it comes to their fashion and the songs that they sing in the hallway. Early '90s, late '80s. It's really refreshing to hear them sing some actual songs with lyrics that meant something rather than Soulja Boy or something.

Though it's not refreshing to see an old hairstyle still on a student with all the gel encrusted to her one side of her head. She is still rocking her prom hair two weeks after the actual dance. I wonder how she sleeps at night. I remember Tokini used to say she tried to sleep with her head in her hands so that she wouldn't mess her dos up. But I guess for her it has all worked out as she is now a professional hairstylist traveling the country for hair shows and getting on tv shows doing the stuff. But I'm hoping she has found a better way to make her hair styles stay.

Back to the throwbacks - the best comment came today when a student came up to me between classes as I was monitoring the hall way to make sure another "fight" didn't start like the one I encountered this morning.

Student: I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to be offended.
Me: Ok. What kind of question is it that might offend me? Are you sure you want to risk it?
Student: Yeah. My mother was talking with my auntie the other day about how she still has that whip appeal.
Me -- start smiling, but try to hold it in with that old school reference.
Student: Do you have that whip appeal? What is whip appeal? How do you know when you have it?
Me -- can't hold in the laugh any more; it starts and almost can't stop
Student: What? (looking confused)
Me -- tries to explain whip appeal to the girl

Wow. Who thought Babyface stuff would come back? Seriously. I guess it's not totally back, but, why is her mother still using the phrase in 2008 when it came out in like 1989?