Sunday, August 29, 2010

Game Show Wednesday-Change of Heart

Dish Network Ch. 116. My TV stays there.


Last week I was thinking about something new and refreshing to add to my site and then I came up with the bright idea to start a blog series. Since I love games (ask about me on the spades table or with dice and cee-lo) and I love tv, I thought what better subject than game shows. I know what you're thinking, "Why would I want to read about game shows?". Glad you asked. Life is one big game anyway. Jayceon Taylor. So as I explore some of my favorite game shows past and present, I'll try to tie it in to real life.

First up is a show you may or may not have heard of depending on how much television you watch you might remember this dating show. The show for this week is Change of Heart. I found it mildly entertaining that a couple would agree to go on a date with other singles because they were having trouble in their current relationship. The culmination of the show is when each person in the relationship decides if they want to "stay together" or have a "change of heart". The sad part is even after all the trouble the relationship may be in, after testing the waters and seeing how green the other side of the fence is and having all your dirty laundry aired on television, one person wants to try to work things out and the other person doesn't.

I mean how bad do you have to feel after this:


Believe it or not this happens all the time in relationships. Maybe not on national television but nonetheless it happens often. Boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Things turn sour. Someone doesn't want to work at it. Someone does. Feelings are hurt. There are no bad guys in situations like this. There are no winners. There are no losers. Just circumstances, bruised egos and feelings.

When a relationship has run it's course it's not easy to end things. Some relationships last a lifetime and some only a season. No one wants to end a relationship when the sex may be good or everyone but you can see "how good they are for you." The life of a relationship depends on the partners in the relationship. If one wants it and the other doesn't, then it really can't be a relationship right?

I've been in relationships where I've held on knowing that my feelings have changed but I didn't want to seem like the bad guy for ending what seemed like on paper a great thing. I just went along with the flow and hoped that my feelings would change. You know what happens when you do that? Resent. You start to resent the person that you are with. Little fights become heated arguments. You nitpick at things that normally you wouldn't be concerned with. Eventually things come to a head and the situation ends in a less than desired manner.

How do you really come out and say that you really don't want to be with a person anymore? What if it's someone you still have feelings for? How have you ended things with a significant other? Would you go on a show like Change of Heart? Talk to me.

Monday, August 23, 2010

If I Ruled the World


As I'm sitting in lab waiting for the western blot to finish incubating I thought I'd write a blog post. Then I had a brain fart. I scrolled through my blackberry to find my list of blog topics. I decided I didn't want to write about any of my ideas yet. They are too personal and the timing of the posts would lack couth. Instead I set my iTunes to shuffle and the first song that came on was from one of my favorite rappers: Nasir din Olu Dara Jones aka Nasty Nas aka Nas. The song in particular is 'If I Ruled The World'. This song is just as powerful and inspirational as it was in 1996. Lauryn Hill lays down her voice for the hook that makes the song that much more great. By the way when is Lauryn Hill going to come out with another album? I'm thinking summer of 2011.

Listening to this song go me to thinking. How would things be if I ruled the world? Let's see.

1. There would be no homeless people and poverty would cease to exist. This summer I've seen an exponential increase in homeless people. They stand on the side of the road selling those homeless newspapers and I just feel for them. Last Friday as I was driving home from the YMCA at about 7am I saw a homeless man with dirty locks standing on the corner wearing a silk bathrobe staring directly into the rising sun. I thought to myself what hardships and circumstances allowed him to get to the point where he was. If you think being poor and homeless sucks in America think how bad it must be in third world countries. Yep this would be the first thing I changed if I ruled the world.

2. There would be no cancer, AIDS or disease period. I'm in school for biomedical research and I know how cancer in particular effects lives, particularly people who look like me. I couldn't imagine my own body turning on me and killing me. Cancer doesn't discriminate. From children (leukemia and retinoblastoma) to young adults (breast and testicular cancer) to older people (prostate and colon cancer). Sure if the world were free from disease there would over crowding because people would live longer but I think that would be a problem I would deal with when I got to that bridge.

3. I'd do away with politics. Pol(i)y is used as prefix meaning more than one or many. Ticks are ectoparasites (external parasites) that live by hematophagy on the blood of mammals. Put the two together and you have politics. Many blood disgusting creatures feeding on the life force of other creatures. I seriously can't stand politicians. It's all about hypocrisy (another thing I don't like) and lies.

4. No more war. I support our troops and all but I don't like war. In middle and high school I was a history buff and I could never understand the point of it. The Hundred Years War. Really a war that spanned a hundred years? o_0 Imagine the death toll in that conflict. War of 1812. Britain really wanted to test our gangsta after we mopped them up in the Independence War (with France's help of course). What year was that war fought in again? Vietnam was probably responsible for more heroin users than any other single event. This Iraq debacle? WMD's my ass. Has anyone seen the movie The Green Zone with Matt Damon?

Those are a few things I would change for the good of all if I ruled the world. Now what would I change for my own personal gains or selfish ambitions.

5. OJ da Juiceman, Plies, Rocko and Ace Hood wouldn't be able to make anymore music. I know I listen to Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti tough but this isn't about them nor does this have to make any sense. I don't like those rappers and my ears bleed every time I hear their songs.

6. I'd be able to marry two women at the same time and they'd both be cool with wanting to please me (and each other). The two women: Gabrielle Union and Keri Hilson.

7. The Wire, Lost, Heroes, Seinfeld, What About Brian and Martin would have never gone off the air. I'm a tv junkie. I love good programing. It seems these days all you see is reality tv. How hard is it to make reality tv? VH1 can have 9 shows running concurrently. I miss the days of good writing on shows. I need to set my DVR to record Boardwalk Empire. September 19th. HBO.

8. Jesus sandals, capris, black lipstick, weaves (especially quick weaves) and unkempt eyebrows on women would be outlawed. Why? because I don't like any of these things.

***on the flip side***

9. Women would get tax breaks for rocking heels, pencil skirts, summer dresses, glasses and having tattoos. I love all these things on women (who I deem attractive) so a reward for making the world a better place you get tax credits.

I think that about sums up how the world would change if I were it's ruler. Now I need to work on making this dream a reality. What about you? What would change if you ruled the world?

How many of you heard the remake of "If I Ruled the World '09" featuring Marsha Ambrosious?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

8 years and counting

The Beginning. Crossing night on the steps of
Thirkield Hall, Howard Univ. August 18, 2002



Today marks 8 years since I crossed into the greatest fraternity known to man, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. In that time I've made some great friends and some friends that I now consider family. It's no wonder that the motto of my fraternity is "Friendship is Essential to the Soul." When I moved to Nashville in 2004, I knew one person and I didn't have a car. If you know anything about Nashville, you know you need a car. All I needed was to meet one bruh and then I was introduced to more and more bruhs. Since I'm the "good bruhs" it was easy to adapt to my surroundings and be accepted with open arms.


60th chapter anniversary with Russell Stansbury.
Last living charter member.

This day is bittersweet though. I actually wish I was home being as I haven't celebrated an anniversary with my line brothers since our first one. I've spent everyone of them since then here. Those 6 guys I love like my real brothers. Some of them I was close friends with before we were frat brothers and we will always be friends. This weekend is our chapter is celebrating 63 years (May 3, 1947) and I would love to go home and celebrate with them and the rest of my chapter but alas I have to be responsible and stay on this grind in trying to get out of school.

At my ace's wedding reception with my dean.

If you are in the DMV area this weekend and want to have a good time, check out my chapter cookout. Details can be found at http://www.piepsilonques.org/ Also, if you want to donate to our scholarship fund the information is there too. The scholarship is named after Russell Stansbury, who is our last surviving charter member. He crossed in SP'47.

I don't know how many times I've done this since I've crossed.


Our first party with our Dean and ADP.

Happy Anniversary SP'02 πE Kiyama

Roo.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Random Musings


1. I think I'm ready to blow my school up. They are messing with people's lives. At this point who knows how long my job will be available. If they take this offer off the table, someone is going to have to answer some serious questions. When I defend my thesis, right after my thank you and acknowledgement slide I'm going to have a grievances slide. I'm not holding any punches. Anyone can get it [] from the President to the Dean to fellow students.

2. I went to the Kevin Hart show this past weekend and had a good time. Show was hilarious. I wish there were more things to do in Nashville on a more consistent basis. This city doesn't really cater to young black professionals. Every venue that is halfway decent turns hood within two months of opening which can get daunting. I need to move back to a more cultured city.

3. I'm a television fanatic. Now that Lost and Heroes are off the air and Steve Carrell is leaving The Office I'm not really looking forward to the fall line up of television shows. The only shows (non reality tv) that I look forward to watching now every week are True Blood and Lie to Me. I am interested in watching this new show Boardwalk Empire. It seems like it might be a mix between the Wire and The Goodfellas. September 19th, HBO.

4. I've decided to step back and re-evaluate all the relationships in my life. This includes ALL relationships. It may be time to purge certain individuals from my existence. If you fall into this category don't take it too personal. It's me not you.

5. I think it's hilarious how certain rappers can try to stretch certain words to try to get them to rhyme. For instance there is no way that Pinocchio should rhyme with truth. With that in mind, I'm feeling three songs this week. Here they are:




6. I was on facebook a couple of days ago and it's interesting the things you find out about people's lives without even trying. I'm now privy to the fact that my ex-girlfriend is not pregnant with her second child and is engaged. She looks happy. I'm happy for her. When you find out information like that your mind can only help but to go one of two directions.

7. One of my closest friends told me that I've gone back to being mean-spirited. When I first got to undergrad I was an introvert and I didn't trust or like many people. It wasn't until my later years of college that I became more outgoing and friendly. Now I don't know if I would disagree with my friend. I think I just need to try harder to get back to being more friendly.

***edited to add*** Today is my six's (and my front) birthday. Happy birthday Kennedy. Also tonight at 2:01am EST marks 8 years in the great world of Omega. Yes, we went into our last night on my LB's birthday. Sucked for him.

That's what's been on my mind lately. What have you been thinking about?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pursuit of Happiness

"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?" ~Pursuit of Happyness




"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~Frederick Keonig


that is all.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Vagina Is For Lovers

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010

I'm back

I'm back (no T.I.). Haven't blogged in a minute. I was actually thinking about shutting my blog down. As I've always stated I don't blog about my personal life as too many people know me in real life that read my site. I guess my multiple disclaimers didn't translate too well with some of my readers. On the flip side I don't like being told to write a certain way or what I should and shouldn't write on. The subject matter of which I decide to write on is my choice seeing as how I'm the only writer for this blog and the subject matter is a direct correlation of my view point.

I would like to thank #oneofmyfollowers for encouraging me to not stop writing. I write because I enjoy writing. It's my release. She suggested that I just take a break but don't let other people dictate what I like to do.

With that said, I'm back!

I'll probably start regularly blogging again next week. I have some topics that I really want to write about but I can't remember most of them since I got locked out of my blackberry and lost a lot of information that I had saved on it. I copped one of these the other day:



I'm also thinking about doing some video blogs. Maybe I'll make it into a weekly series. Tunde Confessions or something like that. I have some hilarious friends and I rarely have dull moments so I plan documenting a few things. **If you see me around with a camera, don't fret, I won't post footage of you without your consent [maybe]** Oh yeah and the camera is waterproof so I foresee a lot of poolside foolery going on as well. If you have any ideas about subject matter on which you would like to see me touch, hit me up.

Stay tuned.