The anticipation arose as time froze

I stared off the stage with my eyes closed
and dove into the deep cosmos
The impact pushed back, the first five rows
-Black Thought

mad busy and mad bored. all at once.

a part of me was released into the cosmos this weekend. I found my happy place and then it disappeared. But I had plenty of time to sit and reflect and just as much time to keep myself occupied with crowds and noise and festivities. you know, all that chaotic life shT.

for starters, i went to a wedding this weekend. well, technically, i went to a wedding let-out.

sidebar: if you are unfamiliar with what a let-out is, please go to a black club.

The wedding was scheduled for noon. I got there at noon. It had ended 15 minutes earlier. Yes, the exchange of vows was just that. I think they dapped each other up and kept it moving. But much love to my man JW for making that commitment. He's a real good dude whom I admire and respect tremendously. Plus he is one funny dude. His wit and sense of humor in the face of anything is unparalleled. The subsequent cookout and the next day's baby shower only helped to reinforce those sentiments.

On Saturday, I attended the opening reception of an art exhibit at The Gallery at the Piano Factory. The artists, Ekua Holmes and Kim Nielssen, had a wide selection of media ranging from painting to collages to watercolors. Since I consider myself an art collector on the DL, I made sure to add the reception in my new PDA's calendar so that I could attend. It was well worth it. I had seen some of Holmes' work before and feel even stronger about the initial impression I had about a few pieces in particular. But a new piece also caught my eye. It is a watercolor work entitled, Bro' Man, and it made me think of an array of faces worn away by hard lives that have either nurtured or tortured me. Faces that bore the pain of their years with every crease and wrinkle. Seeing the gallery replete with images that looked like me on the wall reinforced my desire to share my family's art. I'll have to try again next year to get that going. I already did my "ask" for this year. But I did enjoy allowing the midget to see the art and make minor observations. I often find myself clueless to what he is thinking at times when I feel other parents have a super sixth sense of predicting their child's actions and thoughts. I'm swinging at strikes right now yo.

But, all hope was not lost. Across the Charles River, Cambridge had it poppin. The HonkFest was taking place as well as OktoberFest. The sounds, the smells (some not too nice n the nostrils), and the scenes made for an enjoyable time. We ventured to all of the stages to hear the varying performances from the Grace Kelly jazz quintet to Housewives on Prozac 9they looked the part) to the Mango Blue latin jazz group, to bands such as the Brass Liberation Orchestra, the What Cheer Brigade, and the March Fourth Marching Band. Many of the bands had an undercurrent them of social justice, which I thought was great, yet indicative of the prevailing social justice scene. And while people of color certainly were not completely absent, the numbers weren't as high as i had hoped they would be. But the samosas were mad good yo.

And lastly, I'm trying to learn some basic kreyol to aide my students in their learning, while also trying to make that learning fun. Any suggestions? I actually have to give a shout-out to the person who put me on to the puzzlemaker site. It just so happens to be that I also owe that person a sincere gesture of gratitude for making the sky smile. Happiness made a come up.