Showing posts with label Randomscity.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randomscity.... Show all posts

7.27.2011

Summer Wants/Needs 2011 (So far...)



Wants:
  • Move into my apartment
  • Go on a Missions Trip
  • Jump into a Waterfall
  • Climb a Mountain
  • Take some pictures
  • Continue loving my love
  • To spread the word of the Word
Needs:
  • Move into my apartment
  • Go on a Missions Trip
  • Jump into a Waterfall
  • Climb a Mountain
  • Take some pictures
  • Continue living my life
  • To travel more, read more, learn more, be more

2.27.2011

11.17.2010

Randomoscity (stoled from Don)

(snatched ever so thankfully from Don @ Minus The Bars...)


5 famous people you'd like to meet.

  • Spike Lee
  • Paul Lawrence Dunbar
  • Jerry Seinfeld
  • Jill Scott
  • Nikki Giovanni

5 books that affected your life.
  • BumRush The Page - Def Poetry Jam Anthology
  • Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler
  • Wild at Heart - John Eldridge
  • The Eyes of Kid Midas - Neal Shusterman
  • Lamb - Christopher Moore

5 favorite movies.
  • Brown Sugar
  • Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
  • Aladdin
  • A Goofy Movie
  • City of God

5 addictions.
  • Chewy Lemon Heads
  • writing for the Father
  • art that transcends
  • Facebook/Blogging
  • ___________.

5 things that turn you On (at the moment...)
  • a nurturing woman
  • a passionate woman
  • a smart woman
  • a Godly woman
  • a funny woman

5 things that turn you completely Off (at the moment...)
  • an ignorant woman
  • a stupid woman
  • a bland, blank woman
  • a conceited woman
  • a lying woman

11.04.2010

...

I think I know what I want to do with my life. I think I know what I want to look like, where I want to be, who I want to be, what I want to be known for, what I'm like. I'm really close to know what all of that is. Close enough to know what color is it. Close enough to smell it, feel it, taste it. It's there. It's close enough to call it Me.

But I'm not there yet.

I have to keep trying, right? I have to keep testing things, pushing buttons, risking failure and misinterpretation and mistakes to get there right? And if this is the case, isn't it worth the risk of being call discontent?

Should I stop trying to get there? Or should just learn to live with where/who I am?

When do I stop trying to get there? Do I get comfortable with the process instead of the destination?

11.01.2010

Unorganized Babbling: Fall Edition

  • It seems that all I have these days are busy thoughts. I'm not entirely sure of where my thoughts are coming from or where they're going. They're just busy as heck. Buzzing, swarming, flying all around me. They tend to have themes of discontentment, but I'm not even entirely sure if that's what the deal really is. I just generally feel that there is more that I want. I've been comparing my life right now to where it used to be. A few years ago, I was a completely different person. I had less hair, no car, no realistic (read: healthy) romantic options, but a wildly diverse social circle. Cool with the skater punks, ball players, emo kids and worship majors, I had the opportunity to dip into a variety of experiences and perspectives. Not the same story these days...and I miss it...
  • ...yet at the same time, I truly love being alone sometimes. Most of the time, actually. There are times where I prefer it. And I admit, a hefty amount of my desire for solitude comes from a learned behavior to protect myself from the possibility of disappointing those around me. Either way, after looking at my life, I have never not had some kind of influence around me. From my parent's house to now, there has almost always generally been some external factor, playing a part in my day-to-day. And I'm starting to tire. It's truly annoying to want to live life a certain way, when those whom you're sharing a roof with are not on the same page. Dirty dishes and Glade Plug-Ins don't mix. Carpet cleanings and weekly party schedules can't live comfortably. It's time for me to transition so I can hear myself more clearly. Especially for the plans that I have...
  • Willow Smith is such a little cutie. I actually wanted to hate on that video SO bad. But seriously. And if anyone can't appreciate it, I say to them: grow up a little. Just be a kid for once, dangit. ::whipshairbackandforth::
  • I would love to be a starving artist...minus the starving part. Seriously, I can truly see myself living an avant-garde type lifestyle. Waking up whenever in the same clothes I wore yesterday, just to create some new daring poem/photo journal/____, smelling like rich cologne and fruit punch. I would live for art and art alone, casting no cares to money or other worldly possession (other than my iPod of course). However...I have bills to pay now. Unless I can run away to another country, change my name, and disregard this life, it's hard to see how I can do it. I would love to do both though. Present pieces in art galleries after my 9 to 5 as a guidance counselor. Visit Paris on the weekend. Photograph and publish my own book...of pictures. Spend an entire summer touring the country with other artsy eccentrics, surviving solely on our earnings from open mics, spoken word slam wins and some random generous strangers.
  • Speaking of which, I opened a tumblr account called Date of Dunbar. Partly out of boredom, but mostly because I wanted an avenue for exclusive artistic expression. If blogging were coitus, my tumblr would be a quickie.
  • Seriously. Why are men generally so anxious/apprehensive/cautious/scurred about marriage, compared to most women? I need thought-provoking dialogue on this one.
  • Whoever is in the mood for a really good scary movie, check out Quarantine. Not much in originality, but I was shook for a good minute. Fo'realz.

10.08.2010

The Cool


The Cool

Spits swag and sneezes smoove. Seemingly effortless in social interactions. Brings the party with him wherever he goes. A constant rotation of activity and unmentionables in his chambers. Knows what the girls like. Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. Eats without having to work. Works without having to sweat. Sweats without having to stink. He is dominant almost everything but, but is allergic to humble pie. Oozing charisma, with a cheek-to-cheek grin. He is the Roc Boy, the alpha male in the pack, and he only concerns himself with those of the same ilk. But don't get it confused, if the need arises, he shall remind all that he is Sir HNIC. He dwells on the surface level. Secretly tormented by his lifestyle. He has insecurities, but uses them as a quilt to protect him from becoming ever facing The Real. However, there is no room for the The Cool and The Real to coexist in the same arena. The only Real that matters is The Cool's Real.

Cool

Inhales and exhales patience and humility. Struggles constantly to maintain a sense balance. Makes the battle between good and bad seem somewhat honorable. Allows his passions to guide his interactions. Common. Works so he can eat. Sweats so he can work. Sweats without having to stink. Knows his strengths and limitations, and uses both for personal edification. Confident without being cocky. Knows what his woman wants. Dedicated to a belief, a cause, a standard bigger than himself. Concerns himself with the needs of others. But don't get it confused, if the need arises, he will be reminded that he is a Man. He digs deeper past the surface. Is aware of his sins, and constantly works to move past, through, over and past it. He has insecurities, but what Man doesn't? There is one Real, and it isn't his.

8.30.2010

The Man-strual Cycle

First of all, let me just state that this post was conceived after some...situashuns. The only disclaimer I offer is that I totally understand, respect and revere the unique plight/treasure of womanhood.

But! I've noticed somethings. A woman on her monthly is usually known for a number of unpleasant characteristics. Why? Basically, hormones are going bonkers. Off the charts. Making absolutely no sense to anyone with the opposite chromosome.

The thing is, I've experienced another phenomenon. This phenomenon usually has some of the symptoms of its former. Just as how women go through that time in the month, I've learned that the same irrationality and just-plain-nonsenseness happens to men. Maybe not all men, and not in the same way, but it happens nonetheless. And I speak on this, because I have experienced these symptoms firsthand.

That's right. I'll be the first to admit that I've been going through my own Manstrual Cycle. Once again, not your typical monthly cycle. Patience becomes shorter. Tolerance becomes limited. Prone to odd flashes of sensitivity and simultaneous violence.

In short? An odd, out of control urge for lovin'.

I mean, it seems like it comes out of nowhere, but it hits with a whammy. You hold your girl extra tight, because your bed seems extra cold at night. If you're listening to your iPod and Trey Songz starts whining about familiarity with his neighbors, your imagination takes a field trip. If you're in a relationship, you start glaring at your single roommates as he gets dressed up for what will probably be a fun-filled, free-willed Friday night. If you're not in a relationship, you are glaring at your happily dating roommate (as he cuddles closer to his lady), as your barricade inside of your room, watching another episode of Scrubs.

It'd be one thing if it were a regular hunger for chocolate or buffalo wings or something with an easy, quick, relatively consequence-less fix.

No.

This is lust, an appetite for the woman-kind. Stacey Dash and Scarlett Johansson's altar. The Land of Sweet Mocha Skin and Thick Lips, Inviting Eyes and Generous Waistlines.

And, as a student in the school of purity, this is a heavy battle to fight. It's not the Grand Sin and it won't toss you and your naughty little mind into a sea of fire and anti-aphrodisiacs. But like I said, it is a battle. It's directly connected to a part of us that is biological, but not necessarily logical. As a believer, our sexual purity is one of the many gifts that God has given us. Not the easiest to manage, but incredibly important. Designed with beauty and passion, sex is one of those things that humanity with continue to dance a dance of over- or underrating.

And during the Manstrual Cycle? The urge to throw all that purity mumbo-jumbo out the window in exchange for some good ole fashioned hanky-panky increases tenfold.

Oh, you think you're fine for a few days. A hug here, kiss there. Everything is still under control.

Then all of a sudden, you're fussy and you don't know why.

Yeah. The freaks don't only come out at night. For 5-14 days at a time, living this life in purity becomes even harder.
  1. First off, this feverish hunger isn't your typical. The smallest struggles tend to expand by ridiculous rates.
  2. However, that support system of other individuals in their Manstrual Cycle is VERY important.
  3. Know that distractions do exist.
I'm not going to use this blog as an opportunity to start talking about my sexual health/activities/escapades/adventures. BUT, I will say that in what little I know, something very strange happens to me. I'm already a basketcase for most of the year already. 

It is my theory that the Manstrual Cycle is a phenomenon for those of the purity ilk, those men who are trying to keep their hands to themselves (or away from?) and maintain Covenant Eyes. It'd be easy to just go buckwild and not care. The simple solution would be to just "get it out of your system" and sow oats like J. Appleseed did, right? Well, imagine fighting that urge constantly. Imagine a struggle to strive for a deeper definition of intimacy instead of luring her with that failsafe "Meeting In My Bedroom" playlist. 

The Manstrual Cycle is something serious. I may not leak bodily fluids or drop eggs and whatnot, but for a certain bit of time a month, my actions may be slightly erratic. I may make lesser sense than usual. But I usually get over it. 

But not by myself. I used to think I could. But a community of prayed-up fellows helps. "When two or more are gathered...", right? 

A couple push-ups and the Die Hard movies aren't a bad idea either.

Just don't play this song any where near me. Things could get ugly.

If you or any man you know suffer with The Manstrual Cycle, please, find help. There is strength in numbers. Join the resistance.

At least until your wedding night. Then you're on your own. But you're probably looking forward to that.

8.25.2010

Posts For You, Truths For Me

I haven't written in a long time.

Mentally, emotionally, physically, vocationally, I've gone to quite a few places, reopened some old wounds/doors, created some new ones. If my current emotion in life would sound like anything, it'd be like Eminem's newest album, "Recovery" meets J. Cole's "The Warm-Up". I'm preparing, yet in-transition. Moving up and towards something bigger, better, fuller in my life. From boy to man, student to teacher, black to Trini-American, lover to beloved, all the while, still being me. 

The question being, how do I scribe all of this? Do I even want to?

I've had to question that. What's point of me writing? What if I don't get props? If I don't get recognition? If I never sell another copy of my book? What if no one likes what I have to write/say?

God gave ME this gift. While there are many other people who can write the way, and have chiseled out a comfortable niche that allows them to be complete, I have the same. Be it a notepad, a blog site or a status on Facebook, for some reason, My God saw fit to give me zen with the pen, a gift of gab grown up.

In this constant dichotomy of me, I'm learning that there needs to be a balance. And I know I'm not the only one. I also know that even to those closest to me still have a ways to go before truly learning anything about me. I'm writing for them, THEM, and Them. 

I believe that someone can learn from my words, my experiences, my diction, my scattered logic and immature sense of humor. I feel that I can use the lemons and oranges and cherries from my life to brew a tropical punch for someone else, to modify a popular say-so.

WIth that being said...let the shenanigans continue!

7.19.2010

M.I.A.

Summer 2010 has already started.

Other than lesson plans, I haven't written a lick.

My life is currently something like a drama/comedy/documentary.

I'll be back when I have the time to actually speak on all that's been swimming in my head.

6.03.2010

Summer Wants/Needs



Wants
  • to feel/be treated like a Man
  • to attend at least 10 concerts/live performances
  • to live life without domestication, un-wasted
  • to cook for my family
  • to reunite with my elementary school's graduating Class of 2000
  • to lose some weight, in an Insane way.
  • to effect some lives and change the future
  • to make up for the lack of writing I've been doing lately
  • to show my dad that he's been right/wrong all this time
Needs
  • to learn how to be a better Man of God
  • to celebrate Good Music
  • to create
  • to prioritize
  • to show my dad that he's been right/wrong all this time

4.20.2010

R.I.P. Keith "Guru" Elam


1/2 of GangStarr
Gifted Unlimited, Rhymes Universal
(July 17, 1966 – April 19, 2010)

4.06.2010

February/March/April: Wants/Needs



Wants:
  • A PS3 w/ God of War 1, 2 & 3
  • latenightlovin'...
  • A Never Ending Tank of Gas
  • A Consistantly Full Refridgerator
  • ...to be a featured poet on SOMEBODY'S album (preferably The Roots or Lecrae)
  • iPhone (or just a whole new cell phone service plan)
  • An AWESOME photography lighting kit
  • All the New GREAT albums of 2010:
    • Little Brother - "LeftBack"
    • The Roots - "How I Got Over"
    • Sho Baraka - "Lions and Liars"
    • Nas & Damian Marley - "Distant Relatives"
    • The Foreign Exchange - (New Album, Fall 2010)
  • MORE. CONCERTS.
Needs:
  • ...to buckle down and start saving some substantial money
  • ...to start paying off my gargantuan loans
  • Connecting strongly with my younger siblings
  • Intimacy without violating standards
  • Good Vibes, Rhymes and Times
  • Showing my Father that I have been listening...

3.09.2010

Unorganized Babbling.

  • I honestly don't know why I don't do this more. Almost every blog that I've visited since I've start blogging has at least one post completely dedicated to disorganization and randomoscity. I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't done it before. At least not like this. I have no idea what's going to come out. I expect some disclosure. So if I end up going off on a tangent about Reese's and Little Brother's Final Album, don't judge me.
  • For the past few weeks, I've been in a really weird place, on quite a few fronts. I work for my campus' multicultural office (Center for Multicultural Enrichment), and I was recently given a hefty bit of responsibility, more than I had been used to. I've only been working there since October, so I figured that I needed more stripes before heading off an event that I basically fathered. The general consensus is that it was a great success, but man.oh.man. It was stress galore. 
  •  
Tiffany Y (who performed "At Last" by Etta James)
Me (I hosted the event, tryna get fresh)
My sister, who helped me handle some technicalities and such...
  
Me, getting my tie straightened by m'lady - she also performed at night, reading an excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God".
My main man, Chris B. who came down for the weekend from NJ. Dude's been my friend since kneehighs...check him over at ArtStar.
Us, once again. Lookin' fly, like Jedi do.
Center for Multicultural Enrichment Staff, Spring 2010 - Not everyone could make it, and they were mad that they weren't in this pic. Sorry kids.
All photos were taken by my man, Reggie L., the smoove cat in the middle with the suspenders. Check more of his stuff at his Flickr page.
 

  • The Book of Love has opened up yet another chapter for me, once again challenging everything I thought I knew or understood. A part of me doesn't even want to talk about it, because I know that something will come up to prove me wrong (or right, in the case of pessimism). Another part of me loves it, revels in it, and desires to dwell it. For example:



    • How can a man speak with love, yet act without it?
    • Is love simply romantic sacrifice?
    • Is love worth any and every kind of sacrifice?




    • I am learning more and more how much of a complex creature I am. I boast simplicity and desires for such, but my efforts for these desires end up being so much more convoluted and complicated. When if comes to love, I realize that I know so little...and that lack of knowledge often makes me uncomfortable and react out of said discomfort.



    • Amid my efforts, I am truly turning into my dad, in more ways than one. I may not be as stocky as him, or as resourceful, but there are definitely some signs that are popping up.



    • I've started say things that only he says. Stuff like, "Let me tell you something...", followed by some really insightful perspective.



    • I'm starting to get comfortable in my thinking that everything takes place AFTER family. Emotion enough to wage war.



    • I know what I'M doing. If you don't get it, get with it. (This is of particular distress, because my personally will typically bend over backwards to change my plan and level of comfort for you.)



    • Practical jokes are specifically in my dialect. If you don't like to laugh as foolishness, get from 'round me.



    • I will own up to any wrong I've done. I've done my share of stupid stuff, but I've grown to adhere to this statement: "You make your bed, you sleep in it."



    • A little over a year ago, I heard of a group called Little Brother. Since I heard them, I've dutifully went and bought/downloaded everything they had to offer, from their debut "The Listening" to their "...and Justus for All" mixtape. However, the end is nigh. Their final album, entitled "LeftBack" is dropping on April 20th, and it is truly a bittersweet affair. Their single, "Curtain Call" has dropped and to hear 'Tay and Pooh spit about wrapping it up and really sad. I've never anticipated an album's release like this before. Especially a hip-hop album. Consider it copped.(Link to Listen/Download)



    • I must be getting old. Because I really want to sleep right now. My more base human instincts (anger, joy, lust, etc.) seem to be peaking, because while sleep is at the tippy, I find myself wanting to cover all of them. At the same time.



    • Ya'll pray for me.




      • 1.25.2010

        January: Wants/Needs


        Wants
        • John Mayer Concert
        • Jerry Seinfeld Stand-Up
        • All A's in Grades
        • Abs like Spla-Dow!
        • Pecs like BAM!
        • to clean my car, inside and out
        • to get my dad to read my blog/like my writing
        • an actual mattress
        • a new iPod Touch 32gb
        • to get out of my contract with AT&T
        Needs
        • To eat healthier
        • All A's in Grades
        • a secure job for the summertime in NJ
        • more discipline

        12.31.2009

        What Did I Do in 2009?



        • Graduated Undergrad with a Double Major in Human Services and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Trust me, it sounds like a lot more than it is...
        • Started Graduate School, focusing on Counseling...
        • Finally accomplished a dream and published my first (official) collection of poetry (which can be found for sale at Great Publishing).
        • Developed a growing interest/passion for photography.
        • Seen the inauguration of America's first non-white President...
        • ...which, coincidentally, allowed me to see a lot of insensitivity within the Body of Christ, as well as this country itself.
        • Performed in front of my largest crowd to date with The Jedi.
        • Finally bought the Complete Series of Seinfeld & The Wire, both for under $110 apiece, thanks to eBay.
        • Spent an entire summer in Golden/Branson, Missouri, doing ministry work by spreading God's love to dozens, if not hundreds of innercity youth across the country.
        • Mourned the loss of my most influential artist/entertainer.

        • Split, then rekindled one of my most treasured relationships.
        • Finally, after years of torturous pain - I got my first car!
        • ...which, coincidentially, allowed me to get my first flat tire.
        • Moved into a new apartment, with nicer features!
        • Met the face of resolution with an old heartbreak...
        • Twisted my hair again...
        • Attended one of the most fulfilling concerts I have ever been to.
        • Got somewhat closer to my siblings...
        • Got lost in my own city...
        • ...and developed more tales in the story of my life, including but not limited to
          • skinnydipping
          • "pre-game" bonanzas!
          • cooking experiments gone right!
          • recording myself in a studio
          • road trips to DC, VA Beach & NJ
          • discovering the social underground of lynchburg's college life
          • a whole bunch of "almost's". Take it how you want it.
          • coming face-to-face with ignorance, on my side of the fence.
          • a few of my darkest demons
          • re: my love life - a deep affinity for John Legend, John Mayer, James Morrison and Little Brother
          • ...and much, much more. Stay tuned for 2010!

        12.03.2009

        Live Random or Die Hard...

        I snatched this one from Don's post...



        saying no to:
        taking life too seriously
        staying in the same place for too long
        another year with AT&T's wack service.


        saying yes to:
        Christ's Saving Grace
        continously learning more about cooking
        loving and living more and more
        the next (final?) best thing in hip-hop/music.


        giddy about:
        LIFE
        starting my own family
        never stopping pushing this pen
        ((????))

        deeply inspired by:
        non-profit and grassroots organizations
        Real Christians who live their lives as Real Christians
        Authentic Artists

        obsessed with:
        My family
        chewy LemonHeads
        Seinfeld&The Wire
        Michael Jackson


        in love with:
        "Pomegranate-Lipped Nile Queen"
        GOOD POETRY/MUSIC
        My God, My God, My God....


        haunted by:
        spoiled milk from last night
        various lies to my parents
        my arrest in 2007




        saved by:
        God's unbelievable, inhuman, amazing, beautiful grace and love.

        11.30.2009

        Wants/Needs-Christmas List 2009


        • A Brand Spankin' New GPS for my Not-So Brand Spankin' New Car
        • A cool bandwagon to jump on...
        • Dead Presidents, but I'm partial to Jackson and Franklin...
        • My First Pair of Jordans
        • A New "Little Brother" Mixtape/Album
        • A 4-Disc Country-wide Hip-Hop Collaboration Album
          • NorthEast Disc
            • No Diss Tracks
            • The Following artists are banned: Cam'ron, all of Dipset
          • MidWest Disc
            • The Following artists are banned: Bow Wow
          • Dirty South Disc
            • The Following artists are banned: All of Slip-N-Slide Records, Interscope Records
            • Only one Lil' Wayne track
          • WestSide Disc
        • A Decent, Well-Done, Respectful Michael Jackson Tribute Album (not just a collection of "My Fave MJ Tracks" or some random iTunes playlist)
        • A Pimp Suit
        • For the news to leave Obama alone and start reporting real news
        • My College Loans, paid off
        • More Opportunities
        • 300 copies of my book, sold
        • A great singing voice
        • For Christians to start acting like Christians

        11.13.2009

        Honest Scrap Award.


        Well, I've been ever so graciously awarded with an Honest Scrap by I.Am.Spoken.Word.

        According to the rules, I have to ante up, so ante I shall.

        The protocol is to be encouraging and inspiring.

        This won't be hard.

        Here are the rules.

        The honest scrap award rules:
        1. Present the award to seven bloggers whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design or who have encouraged you.
        2. Tell those seven people that you have given them the Honest Scrap Award.
        3. Share ten honest things about yourself.

        The Nominees for (R)Evolution's Honest Scrap Awards 2009 are:
        1. Deutlich's "Speak On It"
        2. "Art Star"
        3. Don's "Minus The Bars"
        4. Spoken.Word's "Be Still"
        5. Muze's "She's So Flyy"
        6. B.Yung's "The Mirrors In My Eyes"
        7. Folk's "Black Folks Don't Swim!"
        Ten Honest Things
        1. I am growing to hate politics more and more each day. More than that, I am hating how religious folk USE politics to instigate their own agenda instead of God's.
        2. There is no telling what I would do to perform on stage with some of my favorite artists.
        3. I feel that at this point in my life, I have the same amount of regrets as successes.
        4. I wouldn't mind being famous for something positive and inspiring.
        5. I feel that my life's purpose is to work with children.
        6. I know that God is in control, regardless of how it may look to me.
        7. ...but I just wish I had a clue.
        8. Finally, I am accepting the fact that I know nothing about Love. Absolutely NOTHING.
        9. In another life, I may have been a gigolo. Feel free to ask why.
        10. My life is heading somewhere great, and I can't wait until I get there.