So I Didn't Get Fired

That's the good news. The company is still hurting, but I'm all good for now. Had some candid conversations about my future though, so we'll see how tihngs work out. I've got some new ideas that this may just be good timing for them to get tested.

I'm back to doing more site. I'm working on getting one up for Project Hip-Hop, which is a local non-profit for which I serve as a member of the Board of Directors. What's up there right now is just a flyer for a fundraising event we're having on Thursday, May 12th at Fenway High School. Basically, PHH and our students were actively involved in the fight to keep a Fenway HS teacher, Obain Attouman, from being deported. The fundraiser will be a show-and-tell about the effectiveness of the youth organizing training that epitomizes PHH's work and the courage and dedication of the students to their cause. Feel free to come through and bring some loochie with you.

The other site I'm working on is for my barber shop (Serious Styles) and its affiliated businesses under the moniker, Undaground Enterprises. Right now, their site is garbage, but I got some joints ready to wow 'em.

In other news: The NBA sucks ass for suspending Antoine Walker and not retroactively doing anything to Jermaine O'Neal. There was a huge discrepancy in the # of fouls called. Something is fishy in the water on Philly. A lot of crazy stories coming out of there this week. Hopefully, it won't rain too much on Saturday, so I can chill with the lil shorty outside on Sunday. It'll be our last weekend together before he go sees grandma in May. And I am so heated that tomorrow is Northeastern's graduation ceremonies. It's just way too early. Oh well.. I'll have to go hit up Killa's shing-dig in the evening. Peace.

F Reggie Miller

So I'm pretty much a Celtics fan. Reggie Miller is soooo damn annoying. But the Celtics still need to step up their game a little better.

Sometimes things can really suck; simultaneously. My company is financially shalky. I may lose my job soon. And I didn't get into graduate school. The lil homey still yells at night. I'm not gettign engough sleep. I'm horny. I'm not playing ball as much as I'd like. And I still don't read, write, or work out enough. So many tasks; so little time.

Forming, Storming, Norming

So I'm trying to commit myselk to tackling a lot of unresolved tasks and issues that need addressing, while also immersing myself in more worldy matters; whatever that means. In a nutshell, I'm trying to be a more well-rounded POPS. Just not too round with the (love) handles.

My homegirl PNP has the hook-up if you need ring-tones for your celly.

Brazil's President, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, visited 5 African countries and offered up an apology for slavery on behalf of his country. My man Joe wondered if Bush would follow suit. I doubt it. He's too stubborn and narrow-minded for such an act of humility in my opinion.

I'm interested in hearing the real story behind what happened to a little kid that was found hanging in the back of class; literally on a closet hook.

And lastly, the DownTime crew had some good conversations, so I figured I'd post my responses to them.

On why I think is the cause of the low numbers of Black males in America's colleges, I offered this:

Wow. This is some seriously thought-provoking, earth-shattering thinking Nora. I feel you on this. I agree that there are times when being smart and cool was a paradox that was hard to overcome, yet the persistence of your efforts pays off in the long run. Plus, why can’t you be all of those things.

I think it ties into the notion of role models. I came from places where smart or successful Black people were not connected to hood (or poor peoples’ lives), thus their disconnect with being real was a real perception because no one was a “professional” in the academic sense of the word, so the only people to look to were the not necessarily extra smart hard working truck drivers or longshoremen, or the around the way fellas. There are definitely a lot of deep-rooted issues related to the college matriculation and retention issues of Black men, including that same lack of role models, poverty, neighborhood crime and the influence of peer pressure form bad elements, inequitable educational and extracurricular resources, among others.

Back to why can’t you be all those things; both smart and masculine and cool. If the lack of role models who can portray those roles and break the stereotypes and ingrained notions of what is and what should be are not readily available, then what other hope for the future is there. You may hear a story or two about someone who is inspired to become something (astronaut) by the absence of seeing someone who looks like them pursuing that career. But that only works for the pre-ambitious. Some folks need that pushing. If you don’t know the world is big and diverse, then how you gonna even be able to dream of the variety of things you can become. Hear no evil; see no evil. For example, Dwayne Wayne on A Different World was an engineering student. I can’t tell you how much that single image had an effect on the numbers of Black students studying engineering in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Similarly, ChezNiki posde the following:

We were talking about the disapearing Blackcampus man, earlier. What are your secrets to success? What made you stay the course? Was it wanting to have a career/make money? Role-models back home or on-campus? Fear of your mother? What advice would you pass to boys and young(er) men of color to help them reach their goals?

My response:

Stay focused.
Follow your heart.
Be grounded.
Learn the difference between holding someone down and holding someone back.
Identify your core values/beliefs and on what you are not willing to compromise.
If all else fails, tell all the haters to go f*&% themselves and do you because you stand on someone else’s shoulders.
And lastly….“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind”

Catching Up

Or maybe "Playing Catch-Up would have been a more appropos titile. Regardless, a lot of stuff is going onin the world and I seem to have less and less of a life to address anything. For starters, things are just in complete disarray and I'll let you know Friday if I got laid off or not. Yeah...it's real like that, son.

I know you've heard about Esteban Caprio now. I feel very much for the slain officer and his family. Caprio is a criminal. Point blank. But I don't see what's wrong with an investigation into why his face was so F'd up during his hearing. It only makes sense. What I really don't understand is how he can injure more officers. Have they not learned their lesson to cuff his ass? Some things just seem obvious to me. Oh well.

More random thoughts. I'm really feeling Faith Evans' track, "Again." Thug Love is a pretty wack site, but what I want to point out is how fould they are for having a photo of Faith and Tupac on there. That's cheap, dukes. I'm gonna have to cop DJ Kurupt's latest mix tape with some up-and-coming artists. I'm feeling some of them, namely Brix and Quintesence. And lastly, I can't wait to hit up the Paintball course next month. I hope we're able to get a nice-sized group to go out there.