New Updates Coming Soon!!!

So I’m still taking time to get used to the new space… New updates will be coming soon!!!

-C.

What If We Think Outside of the Box...

Hey guys,

Ok so I always start off by saying I love my readers because you guys are some of the most devoted people I have ever seen. This being the case, I need to apologize for not being on top of things and getting more entries up. So to make up for it, I will be putting up at least 3 entries this week (not including this one). I'm hoping that this will make up for some, if not all of my absent entries... Expect to see me touch a little of love, politics, education, computing, and whatever randomness happens to come out of my head.

Ok now to get into tonight's blog... it's amazing how things happen. I am one who believes that everything happens for a reason. We may not immediately know what that reason is but if it's meant for us to find these things out, then we'll find them out. And so I'm thinking about the idea of making changes in my own life... Not so much the idea of making changes but the power to make change.

So many of my friends are experiencing hardship, whether it be job, love, family, or just life related. As I sit back and hear things, or even think about some of my own personal dilemmas (because I certainly am not immune) one of the things that constantly sits in the back of my mind is the idea of changing my outlook on things. It's very easy to say "Oh I have a problem," or "Oh I don't know what to do. I don't even know where to begin." However, I realize that a lot of times we don't think about possible solutions.

So my message tonight is to challenge yourself. If you have a problem that you think is so insurmountable that you have absolutely no options, take a second look at it from a different perspective. Try one so out of the box and see where it takes you. The idea behind this is to challenge yourself to do something differently than you did before you had the problem. Because in order to get to places you've never been, you have to do things you've never done.

All too often, I think we as a people complain about the have nots and don't think about the haves. And so with this challenge comes a different way of thinking. It introduces the idea of living your life the way you choose. While this does not make you immune to problems, it definitely helps reduce the amount of stress in your life. I can personally attest to this.

As I leave you guys, I wonder if this helps you. This being the idea of thinking out of the box and how it impacts your decision making. Let me know if you think this is all complete crap. I love hearing different reactions, and would rather read them as opposed to listening to you guys as you call and leave messages on my cell phone (or in our conversations). So you know what to do.

Until next time,

-C.

<P.S>Head over to Seattle's Top Model Contest and vote for Ericka Sherrell to win. We're trying to get her up to number 1 and out to the Top Model casting call in LA. Thanks guys.</P.S>

I'm Black & I'm Proud

Hey guys,

Wow so here we are back at it... I gotta tell you all these last 2 days have been really emotional for me. The changes that have begun to take place here in America, I think, have made all Americans take a deeper look at ourselves and our country. This being the case, I don't know where to start tonight.

I'll start with Barbara Walters. Now I know a lot of you are wondering, "What in the blue hell is he about to say???" Yeah, Barbara Walters and her show, The View, on ABC has got me to thinking.

<side note>As a fan of people expressing themselves and being open to sensible persuasion, I am an avid fan of The View. If you're laughing right now, Shut up! LMAO</side note>

So The View has a segment called Hot Topics, where the panelists talk about the current events. You have to understand there are 5 different women including Barbara Walters, from different backgrounds & walks of life. So it's really interesting when they disagree. Nevertheless, I digress... Barbara made a comment today, in regards to wondering how President-Elect Obama's victory impacted Black men in and around the country. Moreover, how his victory affect our ability to aspire.

Well I can't speak for all men, but I sure the hell can speak for myself. A lot of people who know me know my personality to be that of a progressive person... An independent thinker who has gone through many trials & tribulations and continues steadfast towards achieving any goals I set for myself. Let me step back and give you a bit of background.

I lost my mom at the age of 3, and have a gang of siblings. Combine that with coming up in a lower income neighborhood, and it'll give you some perspective on my life. To add a bit more substance to this picture, I (being the 4th out of 6 kids) was the first one of my siblings to graduate from college. It's not to say the others have not tried or that college is for everyone. It's to say that college was so important to me that I continued to push to make my dream a reality. Alas, not only did I get to go to the culture rich institution that is Howard University, but I completed my degree and was able to achieve a goal that I had not seen others around me attain.

Let's add some more substance to this... Hearing this background could make one think that I had opportunities a lot of other people don't have, and I do agree to some degree. However, let's make no mistake about it. I grew up in the same country where injustices and prejudices occur everyday (on a multitude of levels). While I have not limited my aspirations because of this, I have had to endure through the same situations that many others have had to. Ok so now let's introduce the Obama factor...

I have always aspired and continue to aspire today to reach greater heights. The Obama factor tells me that I'm doing something right. I believe a common theme is to tell people to continue to dream, but being a Black kid and hearing that message at one time meant dream as much as "they" allow you to dream. (I won't go into detail about who "they" are.) And God bless Sherri Shepherd as she cried on ABC's The View when recalling how she told her own son that now we as a people have no limitations thanks to President-Elect Obama...

Let's take a moment to understand what that means. For a long time, people preached the message of being responsible for your own actions and working together as a people to achieve a common goal. For a long time, kids were taught they could be doctors, lawyers, politicians, engineers (and probably still are today)... But as a Black kid, it never "really" seemed possible. That world wasn't the same world I lived in, so it just never seemed like that message was directed to me. Well thanks to the Obama factor, I can remove the words "never really" in the previous sentence because it is so much of a possibility today that there are no excuses... no limitations.

There are probably some reading this thinking, well if anyone set those limitations it would be me doing it to myself. And I say that I disagree. Being a part of a disenfranchised minority in America for so long produces this way of thinking. Not validating its correctness, more so stating the effects of living in this country. Of course, it will take time for the Obama factor to seep in (so I don't expect everything to go away over night) but I think about what's changed between yesterday and today and I know the answer.

For once, I woke up and felt a bit better to be a Black man in America, because the significance of this change has touched everyone in a different way. For me as a Black man, I can't put to words all of the different dimensions in which this has touched my life. But in the words of the original Godfather of Soul, I woke up today ready to grab a megaphone and shout out, "I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD." God, what a wonderful feeling....

So tonight, I'm not looking for reactions or responses from you guys. I love you all for reading and I hope that from this, you take a moment and think about this idea that we have "no limitations" stopping us from being what we want to be... doing what we want to do... growing in ways that we never imagined because President-Elect Obama has joined the others (and I won't run down the names)who've paved the way to create a bigger, brighter future for the youths behind us. God Bless America!!!

Now some of you may feel the urge to comment, and go right on ahead because I love hearing people's responses.

Until next time,

-C.

Change We Will Believe In

Hey guys,

I have to say that I come tonight with a heavy heart because the tide has certainly turned in the world. As we all know, Nov. 4th was Election Day for the United States. It was revolutionary... It was historic... We had an African American & a Roman Catholic competing against a former Prisoner of War & a female Vice Presidential pick. Tonight America made history. Tonight we took giant steps towards the future, in electing Senator Barack Obama the first African American President of the United States of America.

As I sit here tonight, I can't help but shed a tear. I am crying for too many reasons... I don't even know that I can get all of them down here... But I'll damn sure try.

First, I remember what it was to be a little black boy hearing stories of Martin Luther King and of the oppression African Americans have faced in this country. I think of the graphic images of Emmitt Till... Of Rosa Parks and her ordeals... Of MLKand his struggles while pursuing the mission of influencing change and uniting people... Of the videos of people being viciously harrassed, attacked damn near to death (if not there already) because of the color of their skin... I could go on and on.

I remember hearing from my teachers, "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. Maybe even the President of the United States." I also remember not believing it  because there was no example for me to follow.

You see, growing up where I grew up, there weren't too many images of people aspiring to do things with their lives. Where I grew up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, there wasn't a lot of success around for me to see as an example of what success could do for me, for my life. And my story is not unique, as I'm sure a lot of people of color can read this and express similar sentiments. But I always remembered those images because it is those images that make me understand that what has happened tonight is bigger than me.

If it had not been for those people who received the beatings, who endured the persecution, who persevered through the injustice, I don't know where I would be. I'm sad because I wish that they were here to see the glorious day that has come, where America has come to accept African Americans, so much that they have entrusted the role of being the leader of the free world to a Black man.

I wish that my mom were here... That my grandmothers & grandfathers were here... That my aunt were here... Because this is bigger than me. Had it not been for my parents and their parents and their parents... Man I need a moment!

I am for the first time in my life excited to say that I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. I am proud of the opportunities that have been provided for me by my ancestors. I am elated to dream of a future that will come for me, as I don't know what's in store but I do have faith that our new leader, our current President-Elect Obama, will lead us down the path of new beginnings.

I can't go on... But I will end by saying this. For everyone who reads this, I want to hear from you. What does our new President-Elect Obama's victory mean for you?

I'll be back with more later guys, after I compose myself...

-C.

What Ever Happened To... Beat Street???

Hey guys,

So you guys know I love my readers, because you guys are some of the most devoted people on the face of Earth... So devoted that I was shocked as all hell when you lambasted me for not posting for the past couple of days lol!!!

I gotta tell ya I really appreciate the love but can't a brother breathe? HAHAHA I really want to thank you all for your dedication and so I'll say this is all a part of my plan... Get content up so you guys can read and then come back as I have more to write about. And thus, another blog tonight....

So tonight's blog is inspired by Beat Street. Anybody from Brooklyn in their early to late 20's and older should remember Beat Street. That spot on Fulton St in downtown Brooklyn that had everything on vinyl... That spot that all the artists would go to whenever their albums dropped... That spot that had all of the latest music for ridiculously cheap...

Yeah I miss Beat Street. More than that, I miss icies from the icy cart on the street. I miss quarter waters, in those plastic containers with the green caps.

<side note>Those containers have been deemed unsafe now. I wonder what that means for my health.</side note>

And riding on pegs on bikes in and out of Brooklyn streets. Oh oh oh... I can't forget Blimpies sandwiches. I miss those little Marino icies that came in the paper cups (not those plastic things they have now) that made ya hands sticky.

Ya know what else I miss??? Coney Island amusement park. Screw Six Flags. Coney Island was where it was at... And I miss Toys R Us in what used to be Albee Square Mall. OH OH OH... And, while I didn't personally shop there, I miss PC Richard & Son (remember the theme song... "You'll saaaaaavveeee Save Money Mooonnnneeeeyyyy... You'll saaaaaavveeee at PC RICHARDS LOL"). And Woolworth drug stores.

Yeah I'm getting a little home sick as you can see. As Dorothy said back in the Wizard of Oz, there's no place like home. No matter how dirty Brooklyn gets or how noisy it is at all hours of the day or how bad it smells when you cross the Verrazano bridge, there is just no place like home. And while I love the fact that I'm getting older, there's something that I'm leaving behind. That something... is home!

I love Brooklyn, but I can't be the person I believe that I was meant to be if I stayed home all of my life. And still, I miss it. So tonight's blog is in honor of Beat Street because Beat Street was one of those things that made me appreciate Brooklyn in my youth. And while it may not be there anymore, anytime I walk down Fulton Street across from what used to be Albee Square Mall, I'll remember what it was to be young and growing up in Brooklyn, NY.

Ok time to open it up. I want to hear from you guys. What are some of the things from your childhood that you love? That you miss? What about my NY people? Let me know if I missed anything or if you had other experiences that made you fall in love with Brooklyn all over again.

Until next time,

-C.

I Got Nothing...

Hey guys,

So tonight, I got nothing lol! It's been a long weekend of looking at furniture, doing research for work, enjoying the Seattle weather, and yeah now I'm wiped out... So I guess I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow night.... Same time... Same place... Same channel.

Until next time,

-C.

Joy...

Hey guys,

So originally, this was to be an article about Joy & Pain, because I really wanted to vent about the kids who tried to take me and my girlfriend out while at the mall earlier. But I'm so overwhelmed with the happiness that I'll forgo the venting for tonight.

To get started I guess, day after day I go through things that make me realize that I am truly getting older. Yesterday, I was at home with my girlfriend (mind you we moved across the country together) and just looking for something to do but not really trying to get into anything too active. It's a Friday night in Seattle so of course there are things to do. There was just too much going on for me after the long week I had at work. After coming up and shooting down a bunch of options, we decided to stay home, get the fireplace going and just have a romantic evening. Just the 2 of us... Oh yeah, that's my fireplace above. Aint it pretty??? LOL I grew up in a lower income neighborhood in Brooklyn. I have never had a fireplace in my life. But now I do... That's sign number 1.

Then today I get a call from a friend of mine saying 2 people who we went to high school with back in Brooklyn are now engaged to be married. The thing about it is these 2 people have been together for what seems like forever; so I was happy to hear the news. But there's more... My boy proposed on MTV. Click here to see the video on MTV.com. Ok now if that's not touching, I don't know what is. And I haven't done a good job of keeping in contact with folks, but to Damien & Kelly, I wish you guys the best on your pending nuptials and really your life together. I look at that like wow, people I went to high school with are getting married... What's that mean? We're growing up man... AKA SIGN NUMBER 2!

Then, I'm driving from the furniture store earlier today and just taking in the scenery and thinking to myself, I moved across the country from everything I know to Seattle to pursue my dreams... my happiness... and I'm truly happy. You gotta understand that I wasn't exposed to a lot of success. In fact, I would dare say I was underexposed to that thing. And a lot of people I know never leave New York. A lot of people I saw were going to work just to get by, but now I live and work with people who are in their careers doing what they love. (AND THERE IS A DIFFERENCE LET ME TELL YA). So here it is again another sign that I'm getting older.  SIGN NUMBER 3! Oh and this picture to the left here is a view of the Seattle skyline from West Seattle, seen as we were going back home. Pretty aint it?

I'm so happy with how my life has turned out... I have followed my dreams and with hard work, no food or money some days during college, discipline (thanks to Lindsay forcing me to do my homework before we would hang out to watch House), determination, finding my passion... Having support from great friends, very close family, and the various people who have come and gone helped drudge things along as well. I just can't be happier with where my life is right now. I've got my love with me, I've got a career on the up and up, and friends & family who are trying to be successful in their own endeavors.

Being the first one of my immediate siblings to graduate from college, I truly believe everyone should be living their dream. When that happens, life just doesn't seem as hard any longer. So my advice: Ask yourself what makes you happy, and if that's not what's in your life, do what you need to in order to get it into your life. Keep pushing and like Damien & Kelly, or even my sister who just got married a couple of weeks ago, it'll make life just that much more happier. The signs tell me I'm getting older, but I don't recognize it because I sure am having a lot of fun living my life today.

Ok, time to open up the floor. Tell me, if you're on the path to making the things you want happen in your life, how does it feel? If you know what you want but can't pair the two, tell me what's stopping you. If you have attained success and just want to impart wisdom from the other side, share with us.

Until next time,

-C.

P.S.: So I got a comment from someone saying that they felt uncomfortable putting their comments online here. Please, if you do, let me know (either on this page or via email) and I will work as hard as possible to make this the most neutral zone I can for everyone to comment. Because everyone's perspective is a valid one (as long as you don't disrespect others on this page).