Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Don't Let It Consume You (Fear.)
Fear is a poison like no other. From fear, the ideas of the most extreme are composed and exercised like demons preparing for the Olympics. Fear causes people to pursue without ration or the simplest form of a plan. Fear is a disease that is easily spread in an airborne, word-of-mouth sense. Look at what fear did for us last summer, when half of the world was running around like chickens with their heads cut off. While all of the “unholu” souls ran rampid, religious organizations, small businesses with a good enough hook, and (depending on your city) t-shirt businesses and local stands were capitalizing and cashing in on FEAR. It seems that, aside from a few treacherous, heartbreaking, and phenomenon-esque disasters throughout the world, our country (USA), has raised the bar on how we fearful we should be. Yes, how frightful we should be…of NOTHING.
Just a few years ago, you would have thought our country was protected by Mars Candy Company for the way the genius administration of George W. Bush implemented a colored coded terrorist threat level system. AKA the DUMBEST FUCKING INSURANCE POLICY ANYBODY COULD HAVE ASKED FOR. I can understand that system for the weather, how slow the trains in the city are running, what STD a girl has based on what color the condom turns, even the scores on a test I find repulsive, The SAT. But noooooooo! We are America, and we must go Crayola on their asses and come up with a chart that shows just how scared we are; other countries looking in surely won’t recognize that I’m sure. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out that, holy shit, yellow means “we’re so scared we may piss ourselves, blue means we ain’t afraid of you, orange means we it may be hot outside, watch out for danger somewhere around the ozone layer. Then you have the Big Kahuna of them all, RED, and red simply means “We have pissed someone off, and shit is about to get real!” With all of that said, since the system was implemented in 2002 after the horrendous 9/11 attacks not a damn thing has happened, but the threat level has continued to remain at orange until the fizzing out of the juvenile system in 2011. Yet, many Americans are still afraid. I suppose it’s the thought that we were told we should fear the unknown based on what a color always read that determined just how safe each and every one of us was, or is, or will be, or could be.
I would like to make this perfectly clear to any and everybody reading this post right now, and make sure that you understand what is going to be said, no matter if we are made of steel, anything can happen to any one of us just as much as the next person. Our next blink could be our last and a simple blind date could turn into the occurrence of a night that kills a little over a dozen and wounds plenty. With that off my chest, let me delve into the shooting that occurred in Colorado about a week and a half ago at the Aurora Theater. I ironically started working at a movie theater the exact week after this incident had occurred, I honestly thought nothing of it. I had honestly forgot about the shooting and moved on with my life. During the week the shooting happened, all I was hearing about was about how people (Americans) were going to stop going to the movies because of something that happened in a place that already has a history of gun violence and wacko’s running around bored with money and guns, which is also light-years away from most of them, unless you lived out west in a state that borders Colorado.
Fear, funny how one act of carelessness, ignorance, and selfishness stirs an entire country upside down; even if only for a few days or weeks at a time, the effect is felt like the burn after a shot of hard liquor. Everybody is gratified and stunned at first glance, but when we start to feel the slightest bit of discomfort we wish to totally take ourselves off of the invisible path that we no longer wish to walk.
When 9/11 people wanted to stop shopping to local convenience stores and using flying as a mode of travel all due to fear. When the DC Sniper was around, which is the only way I am able to empathize with those who chose to say no to the movies the rest of that weekend, people did not want their kids in school or outside, nor did people want to go out to do anything such as pump gas or even go to work. That was scary because it directly affected the people of the area, and those two maniacs decided to take a brief road trip down the Atlantic Coast and kill a few more innocent victims along the way. Those three weeks were a nightmare that none of us really knew when we were going to wake up, those guys could have been right outside of our windows while we were sleep awaiting their next moment to kill and we wouldn’t have known. Just as we never really know, with anything.
A guy flips out and decides to kill a person, or group of people. Shit happens. A paranoid racist decides that a kid is in the wrong neighborhood. Shit happens. A girl goes on spring break in the Caribbean and never returns home alive. Shit happens. Syria. Shit happens. You catching a flat tire after just having a brand new set of wheels put on. Shit happens. The Bush Adminstration. Shit happens. Rosie O’Donnell being born a woman instead of a man. Shit happens. Michael, Amy, and Whitney drop dead. Shit happens. Shit can and will happen in any moment and at any place in the world, even right where you stand. The fear is what can and will drive you, if you let it, to the point of quitting living your life as it was meant to be lived. Or the fear will drive you to rise above it and live your life in a more safe, aware, and appreciative manner than ever before.
In America, fear is a business model like no other; scare them first, get them to buy product to suppress fear. Only for momentary satisfaction, of course, because they need the consumer to continuously come back. We are all consumers of fear, whether it is in what we drive, to our security system in our homes, to where we choose to spend our time and money, down to education, because we all fear what life is like without knowledge right? Do not let the occurrences of some sick individuals in society ruin how you live your life and go about seeking happiness. At any given time, anything can happen, so why not let life happen and put a halt to fear consuming you.
Monday, July 30, 2012
I've Seen It, Still Not Afraid of Clowns.
Last summer I wasn't afraid of The "Rapture"...it is now 2012, and they're saying that the world is suppose to end. I am not and was not afraid of either of these occurrences, so why would I ever fear another human being, especially one from the area in which I'm from. I grew up off Minnesota Avenue in DC until I was about 8 or 9, then I moved to Silver Spring in a funny little neighborhood called Great Hope. People in this area take Silver Spring lightly because it's apart of Montgomery County, but this specific neighborhood, wasn't tough at all, but it had enough edge and personality to shape what is most of my personality today. I never had any huge fights or been in any real trouble, probably because of all of the bad examples of what happened to the youth in the area who engaged in such activity, but I never feared anybody from around my way or even Mayfair, which is still, and was then a lot tougher.
Today, I am 22 years young, and I am seeing the same shit with a different perspective and an entirely different attitude. I was on the Metro Rail the other day, when I saw these three young dudes get on the train. They were loud, obnoxious, rude, and of course they were immature. Never mind the fact that they were probably those kind of dudes who would label themselves a "original" in their Twitter Bio's or claim a hood in which they are not from at all. One thing I will say I absolutely despise about some of the youth in the DMV is the way the clothes are worn, and how EVERYBODY who thinks they're fashion savvy all look the exact same. It's like a fucking militia of trolls on the bus or trains some days on my rides back home from work. I saw a lot of the tourist and evening commuters begin to clutch tightly onto their book bags or purses, with the mindset that one of these NIGGAS were about to do something really stupid and rob them or make a huge scene out of nothing, but they only continued to make go-go beats on their chests and play fights while yelling out random bursts of broken DMV slang. i think I heard the phrase "AYE MOE!" About 45 times in a matter of five minutes from these dudes. While I'm looking at the passengers on the train and these fools disrupting my ride, I begin to think to myself, "why in the fuck are people afraid of them?" I certainly knew I wasn't. It's not even the fact of the matter that I'm use to seeing shit like this on a daily basis, or the fact that I probably outweigh all of those skinny lil fuckers by 20-30 pounds at least, but I digress. Writing this now, I think I finally have an answer, I am simply not afraid of anyone, especially these young ratchet niggas who feel that it is their civic duty to annoy people for the sake of having a good time, nuh uh, that ain't me. The actions, the fashion, the side-show that comes along with all of the fuckery involved. I have seen plenty of shit that i should have feared or should have been smart to avoid, but I refuse to be afraid of any of these clowns in this area. I can't even tell who's real or fake in this area anymore as far as proving who's tough. In the DMV, the burn outs and unks are more threatening than any of these "thugs" around here.
After Great Hope, my family and I moved to Prince George's County after spending a very tough summer in DC with my grandmother, and then we made our way to a place that I would have a fearful and curious respect for, Largo High School. It was Largo High School that taught me that none of the people or most of the people in the PG area who claim to be "hard" or tough really aren't about that life to begin with. A lot of the people in Largo claiming that they were from a hood were really some music video inspired suburban thugs who had both parents, a big house, along with a two-car garage and a dog named Cornelius. I must admit that I was culture-shocked when I first got there. The day my mom and I pulled up into this school, I thought I was going to prison! The main entrance had no windows! The classrooms had no windows!Then, I got a better glance at the building, and there were windows in the classrooms after all, they were just incredibly small, so still, NO WINDOWS! We walked into the school and the first thing I see besides the stuffed lion, which is probably still there and overly decayed and old, was a girl cursing out an adult who I later found out was an administrator. I could not believe my eyes. Montgomery County had either spoiled me, or I was just not prepared to even imagine such a place. The lobby smelled like Pine-Sol and pee, and there was not a sign of school spirit around. We went into the guidance counselor's office and got my schedule and my first day date, luckily hurricane Isabel was around the corner so I got an extra week to sit at our new house and sit on my ass. A week after the storm, it was time for school...oh joy, oh bliss. My first day, I saw one fight, and that was in the locker room, and it was about some dumb-ass neighborhood beef between Forestville and Largo, rival towns, but suburban nonetheless. I had experienced minimal neighborhood beef in Silver Spring, since the only time there was a "neighborhood beef" in my middle school or around my way was if two people from different neighborhoods ended up not liking each other based on an incident or something like that, no one ever fought or disliked a person based on where they lived or came from; we understood that school was the place for much foolishness, but never for something as ignorant as violence over nothing.
Over the next three and a half years, I would witness many fights, people getting jumped; I even got into scuffles myself. Some dumb fucking punk tried to rob me when I capitalized on selling CD's in school, I use to make a killing to, so I see where the hate came from, but he damn sure knew not to fuck with me anymore. I didn't care how big or tough this dude looked, I knew I was going to walk away fine and with every dollar I had earned. He wasn't getting shit from me, or breaking me down for that matter. From DC, to Montgomery County, to PG County in Largo, I learned many lessons about what should be feared, what should be laughed at, and where lines should be drawn. I'm not an advocate for violence, but if someone threatens you or could possibly bring danger to you, you have the right to stand your ground (no Zimmerman) and kick their ass. Leave those knives and guns at home and in the kitchen. Deliver and ass-whooping, or take one, because the whole killing each other to settle petty differences trend needs to end ASAP! But I digress, after my years in PG County schools, living in the area, and getting out often seeing what the city beholds I have learned that these barks are only as loud of the weed and the bites from these mutts. I fear no man, especially not in this area, the DMV. People here spend too much time putting on a fake ass facade instead of actually dedicating their time and energy to something that matters and can sustain them throughout life. I have seen It all, and I know for sure that I am not afraid of the clowns here.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Middle Fingers to Society
Dear Society,
I hate you. Not as far as having to live in the many realms in which you exist, but the people that occupy you that I, too have to live with. Hypocrites, bigots, racists, irresponsible assholes reside in worlds of their own and claim that they are only acting on what you have been known to do. This past week, a movie theater was shot up (I hate to sound insensitive about the matter, no matter if it was one life or a hundred lives, someone ran into a movie theater and shot it up.), and Penn State went through hell for something that a very sick, disgusting, and pathetic individual chose to do. Both cases are very sad in how they have affected the families of the victims, but I found it relatively peculiar how in each case our SOCIETY chose to make it about the race, occupation, and location of the shooter in Colorado.
Or how about ESPN and it's very "credible" and "unbiased' analysts decided to make the children of molestation and rape seem irrelevant once the university had been punished? It was sad to see how society had more sympathy for Joe Paterno's statue coming down, even though he was probably more than knowledgeable of the actions against those children or was a participant himself alongside assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.Where are your morals? Where is your decency? Where has the logic behind a good heart gone in this damned place we call "society"? Does anyone have any sense left to understand the issue at hand instead of the politics behind it? Or is society so hung up on the whole "what's in it for me?" mentality still?
When Obamacare got upheld in court a few weeks ago, I think I was at my wicks end with this entire damn country and people altogether. I understand the political aspect of it all, but I will never understand why people were so against, or are against a bill that provides some sort of help for people who do not have. It's all greed I tell ya, keep the wealthy can remain rich and healthy, while the poor and middle class remain sick and unhealthy so they can die off quicker so the world can be controlled and maintained by rich folks...I suppose. I think a huge part of Obamacare getting so much dislike is the simple fact that our President, Barack Obama is a black man who exudes nothing but confidence and enthusiasm in his policies. I am not a %100 percent supporter of this man, but he has done many things in his first term that has served society with the greater good. Think about it, how often to you hear society refer to him as President Obama? Instead they call him Barack, they call him Obama, never Mr. President, or more appropriate, President Obama. But, society did just fine with Bush in office, would have done better with McCain? And, I’m sure we'll do light years better with the Klansman himself, Mitt Romney, as our president? This man doesn't even want to reveal his own taxes and other information, what makes you think he won't conceal anything more drastic than that once in office? Sure our economy sucks; it's always sucked, given how much money we had to spend on per day on an unofficial war that some idiot with his daddy's money decided to start out of pure fear and stereotypes. Obama isn’t perfect, but neither are the ones before him, but I digress.
Society I have grown to hate the level of mediocrity so many people are okay with attaining and labeling it as something they've wanted their whole lives. I hate how many kids are still having kids. I hate how young ladies have the mouth foul bodies and mouths and think that that shit is cute. I hate how young men still have to be told to remove their hats, articulate, speak with respect, pull up their pants, and have to constantly be reminded to take care of responsibility. I hate how the media twists words and our weak-minded society is gullible enough to base every word out of their mouths on something they either saw or heard on TV, but still gossip and hearsay is stigmatized? Since when are overly expensive shoes and clothes worth getting shot over? What happened to unity? What happened to people doing for themselves? What happened to community? I lived two doors down from an arms-dealer and serial killer, and had no clue until I saw the guy on Dateline ABC and my house was in one of the frames as my neighbor of whom I had never heard articulate was being interviewed. Know your neighbors folks, it is a very simplistic idea, but has the greatest results and is terribly beneficial in regards to you and your families safety, trust me.
Why is it okay for people to be married and remarried, now, at least two to three times before they find the ONE? What ever happened to the institution of marriage? That's the original form of unity that society has abandoned and left for dead. We live in the child support/paper parent era. Baby mothers and baby fathers? What about husband and wives? Mothers and fathers? Are their any of those around who actually wait till marriage, not to have sex because that shipped sailed with the Titanic and you see how far that got, but until they are ready and responsible enough to conceive and raise a child or children? I hate to seem older than I am, but I miss back in the day when people actually saw being pregnancy as a beautiful time in a couple's lives. Now, all pregnancy is, at least what I have observed, is a burden and cause for insecurity, hell, and a free ticket to The Maury Show. I'm not even going to ask what happened to entertainment. I don't know if I'm watching American Idol rejects, hicks on reality TV, or high thoughts brought to life by movie moguls who are bored with their millions. It’s obvious to see that people don't even bother reading anymore, look at how shitty, basic, and non-creative motion pictures have gotten. Books open up the imagination to create new things, conforming and settling for tasteless and simple "art" has closed society's imagination and ability to create new things. That's probably why people can't let go of prior decades. NEWS FLASH! The 80's and 90's are over! I can appreciate the culture of those time periods, but people need to seriously get over the past and get with the present and try to create something our generation can say was OUR THING and that nobody ever did that before we did it. Instead, we pride ourselves on the achievements of celebrities on social sites, the high STD rate, the fact that the older we get our country's intellectual side plummets, and of course we all pride ourselves on how many people give a damn what we think, say, or do right?
I miss when society was something that people were against instead of so quick to join. I guess society beat the person out of you and turned you into a machine and completely took away the ability to create, feel, think, and do for self. I'm still and will always be against the ways that society has set aside for us to follow. Until society can ask themselves the questions I asked above and answer them through its actions and through change, I have both my middle fingers up to the sky and whichever way society is facing.
Fuck You,
Sincerely,
Those who have not conformed.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Chivalry Ain't Dead!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Remembering Amy: Where Were You A Year Ago Today?
Message from the Editor: New Content Same Home.
#MAJORMUSICKDROPS by muSICK(ceeMAJOR & C Notes)
New music from the homey ceeMAJOR (@CeeMajorMusick) & C Notes "Trippin'"
Get your summertime music fix and jam to it right here!
Where Did the Priorities Go?
Today, the Penn State Lions were slapped hard by penalties and sanctions against their football program over the next 4 years. Their scholarships will significantly decrease, Penn State will not be allowed to play in bowl games over the next few years, and all wins from 1998-2011 will be vacated, decreasing the wins from 409 wins to 298 wins; the school will also be fined $60 million for their acts of negligence during Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky's acts of pedophilia and molestation against young kids and members of the football club itself. What is more shocking than this more than appropriate punishment, is the way the public has reacted. Keep in mind, that for more than a DECADE a perverted man, Sandusky, was touching little boys and everyone who was apart of the Penn State football program knew of what was going on, including head coach Joe Paterno, who is no longer the most winning coach in NCAA Football history after his wins vacated wins. But in the issue of children, the victims, and their families...which is what this is all about, the general public has once again decided to divert it's attention away from the issue at hand, and focus on the school being "penalized too hard". Given, I think that the players who have to suffer the consequence of their coaches and officials negligence is unfortunate and unfair, but the penalty as a whole is perfect. The NCAA made it a point to show that no issue in football, or football itself should ever be placed higher than the well-being of it's players and children who were/are affiliated with NCAA athletics. Taking away scholarships, bowl games, and records fits the punishment accordingly, contrary to the beliefs of the general public, the victims will not be able to erase what treacherous, disgusting acts happened to them, but at least justice was served in the sentencing of Sandusky and the penalization of the football program for years to come.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
My Faith is Never Fully Intact.
Ever since I was about seven, I have always been skeptical on the matters of God and Jesus Christ. I would like to start by saying I do not follow or cling to any religion or religious groups, I am my own religion. I'm a vessel of rights and wrongs, good and bad, understanding and confusion, my own truths and my philosophy's. I am my own religion. Here we are...it's 2012! I hope I live past my 23rd birthday, even though I have dreamt that I don't make it past that age and in honesty I would not be mad at that. Looking at how my generation admires and respect dead youth, I wouldn't mind that kind of glory. I do believe that, even though, I realize the full potential of their life may not have been fulfilled at least they can rest in peace and endure lifetimes worth of praise and nostalgic memories my friends would leave behind. But I digress, I have been doing a lot to try and make myself not so skeptical when it comes to the Higher-ups, but my faith is easily broke, and I guess that would be an attribute to my unwillingness to commit without having some sort of commitment returned. I know Jesus was publicly murdered for our sins, but like the Bible, I don't believe most of that story. Where I am in my life right now, I am in a constant battle between myself and my faith. I believe that there is a God, I don't know if I believe in Jesus. Half of my family members would hate to see this post, but they know I don't even know The Lord's Prayer after years of family members sending many pictures, scriptures, pamphlets, and videos of what religion and faith in Christ could do for me. I would like to interject by saying that I am not bashing religion or knocking anybody who believes in something that could create a better them, that would be out of line and contradict everything I personally believe in. This whole post may even be the result of my demons talking, which everyone has, I don't care how holy or righteous you are; we all have demons, just not all are exercised. I feel like my world has been painted black by these demons and see whatever little faith I have slowly fading away in the midst of everything happening with me right now. I'm far from happy, my confidence is at an all time low because I don't know what's gonna happen next; I'm oblivious to the world around me, and I'm starting to distance myself from a lot of people I thought mattered, but the time away from them has made me realize that I DON'T need them...for shit. I'm apparently 5 people's "best friend"...and right here, right now, I am nobody's best friend but my own. I don't want that insignificant title buzzing around my name anymore because people always expect the fucking world from you when you haven't even arrived at your own shore.So fuck the best friend title...the labels I'm looking for in life are college graduate, a success, husband, and father. Anything other than those 4 titles, I don't want. Hopefully this funk I'm in will soon end, but who knows, it has been a very rough July, let alone the past three years. I have to make something happen with my life that is bigger than anything I could have ever imagine. Luckily, I'm back to writing more often and that should lead to somewhere. At least I'm exercising my creative side and not just these unwanted demons.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
These Are the Breaks, Where is Mine At?
Last week, those demons in the financial aid office hit me with the reality that I may not be able to return to school for the Fall, even after scoring a dream job at school which would take care of room and board, plus food. I felt all of the energy, enthusiasm, and charisma I had fall flat on the ground as I was brought to tears this morning by the reality that I won't be able to go back to school due to finance troubles. I didn't think I would ever see myself literally crying and falling to pieces over something like school. I had prepared myself mentally for what came this morning at the beginning of the summer, but it stings even worse once that reality you envisioned comes to life; and I thought that I was just going around the corner for coffee and a muffin. But back to the tears, I think I cried because this was the first time in a long time that I have been told that I cannot do something, it was also the first time something of this magnitude has been taken away from me in the blink of an eye. This morning I realized how for granted some may take education. I've seen the results of many people, (most of which are "friends" according to Facebook), they either fuck up on their journey back to school, get pregnant, get someone pregnant, and in some cases a lot have died. The tears I shed this morning did not last long after having already mentally preparing myself for the worst. No I have to find a way to make it back to Towson for Spring semester and put in more work than I have ever imagined myself doing at this point in my life. But maybe this is an awakening for me, maybe this will help me take life a bit more seriously so I can really get on the path to what I've been seeking. I'll tell you what. I don't care if I grow to become a poor man or a rich man, when I do have kids way down the line, they will have college savings accounts so they will never have to worry about taking out student loans with ridiculous interest rates or have to deal with the demons in the financial aid office who get pleasure out of making students lives a living fucking hell. The tears have been shed and life goes on, where from here? Only forward I hope, another setback would kill me and I'm not down for dying just yet. Amidst all of this morning time bullshit, still I rise, the tears have left a glossy, I-see-a-bright-future kinda polish in my eyes.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Getting Over & Getting Back
The hardest part of any breakup is not the worrying thought of whop they are with, what they are doing, or what’s on their mind in regard to you; the hardest part of breaking up is getting back together. But what happens when that same thing you’ve yearned for is what you no longer desire because of how much change and growth has occurred since the split? You may miss little things about a person; you may even miss some major things about them that you think no one else on this earth has, but you can’t turn back because you’ve made it too far; far away from what you once felt for them, and far from the person you once were. Backtracking and falling back into those same old habits, with the same old person, going through the same old drama, with a new installation of hope is what you have worked so hard for; you deserve the world on a silver platter, you deserve your sanity, you deserve honesty, you deserve a relationship that you can enjoy and be willing to fight for, you deserve peace of mind because you owe it to yourself. We’ve all been hurt before, we’ve all had a person make us feel lesser than what we know we’re worth, we’ve all been broken…but here we stand, ready. Ready to get out and face whatever happiness lies in your way, whatever smile may brighten up your day, whatever pain you may endure, whatever success is attained just make sure all of this is experienced on a new leaf. There are 7 billion people on this planet (God knows how many in the universe) and there is no reason you should fall victim to systematic heartache and pain by that ONE person who will never do you any justice when there is one in the world waiting to give you just that, the world. The hardest part of breaking up is getting back together…with who you once were. Don’t let them slip away.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Rest in Peace MJ. What A Reminder
Three years ago I was working in an AMC movie theater when I got the news that our King of Pop, Michael Jackson had passed. It was one of the most odd and bittersweet days of my life. I remember thinking that it was a joke, given how Twitter had, then, loved to kill celebrities every other week, I found it almost impossible to believe that such an iconic figure in American pop-culture be dead, especially at such a young age. That day also left me with the small yet complex idea as to where music industry will wind up, or who could even begin to fill such a man’s shoes? The answer to the second question was evident; NOBODY could ever replace MJ's shoes, especially not the ones he had done so many perfect spins and moonwalks in. But, the answer to the first question is evident as well; music had gotten significantly worse over the past years since Michael Jackson has passed. I'm not referring to the deaths of other music legends such as Whitney Houston, Etta James, Donna Summer, Heavy D, Chuck Brown or Amy Winehouse, but the overall standard of what quality music is had been long deceased and killed over a few hundreds of times. I will not get into any specifics about who is responsible for the lack of quality in this noise that they call music today, but I will start with saying that part of the reason such trash is being so heavily supported and endorsed is because of fans lack of knowledge on what quality music is. I can thoroughly understand that we are all different people with very different tastes in very different types of music. I can clearly hear for myself and understand that some of this music is catchy, but it all lacks one KEY thing, and that is substance. What in the living hell are people talking about these days in their songs?! The songs have lovey-dovey titles, but are in no way, shape, or form a love song; all you hear is a guy trying to buy a woman a drink, some red-bottom heels, or drugs to convince her that she should be with this creep. In my world and according to the law, that's called prostitution...and when you have to get someone drunk to compromise them into having sex, well...that's called rape technically. Of course I don't want anybody to go to jail over saying something in a song that they would never do in real life, or haven't done in real life, (which is the case for most of these suckas society chooses to idolize.)but most of these terrible, terrible artists should be put on trial for lack of substance.
It's quite funny how in a society where people strive to be different, shit that sounds just like the last record of another artist always manages to churn out. If you turn on your local radio station today, you will hear no more than 10 songs at a time that will be on repeat throughout the day that all have this upbeat, Americano-dubstep, techno, pop sound. That's all good and fine to hear when you're out at a party or club, but to have artists who were once legendary, like Usher, in my opinion on this type of music CONFORMING instead of creating is an absolute shame and insult to the very rare and few innovators that we have remaining in the industry today, and even they don't get recognition because they have wisely and truthfully opted out of taking the easy way out. I wonder what Michael Jackson would think of today's noise...I mean music. He, Whitney, Amy, Etta, Heavy, and Chuck Brown are probably up above wondering where it all went wrong instead of reminiscing... the music is THAT BAD! On this day, we take the time to acknowledge the tragic loss of arguably the greatest artist of all -time, but we should also take time to take a look around and wonder how we ever let music underneath the standard of MJ become "good enough" or acceptable. I love oldies, I love new shit too, but I really wish that music could get back to the point where it was about creating and not conforming to what is popular or hot at the time. Catchy is momentary enjoyment, but quality lasts a lifetime when it comes to music. I wish some of our legends were still here, but today we remember an extraordinary artist; Rest in Peace Michael Jackson.
Back to Myself
In the past year, not too much has been happening with this blog, and I was not too pleased with my writer’s block. I couldn’t churn out any stories or talk about anything happening in society, the media, in my life because during those long months of writer’s block I essentially did not care. I was in a very dark place in my life because of a few things, and then I realized that writing, aside from other things is therapy for me. I may not create the same vibe that I was able to create once before, but you gotta start somewhere, and mine is right here, back to the blog and more stories to tell!
We never which direction we will go in life. Choosing a path has never been more difficult to choose than while in college nearing graduation. In the years you spend in college, a lot of things happen, not only to you, but to your social circle as well. As times change, people change and it can become very confusing and frustrating when you reach that critical point in your life where you have to cutback on how often you socialize and party, or who you social and party with in general. About two months or so ago, I had a nervous breakdown right in the middle of the floor in my dorm. My roommate wasn’t there to see me at my worst; I was literally a mess from head to toe. Ironically, this happened after one of the most fun weekends of my life thus far, the weekend of stoner’s 4/20.
I woke up that morning very frustrated and rushed. I was up on was up on time, but still I felt as if I had only gotten a few minutes of sleep to make it through what was definitely going to be a very busy Monday. It was gray outside, all I remember hearing was tiny drops of rain hitting the plants that were outside of my window. Waking up in this fashion was already a buzz kill for the day, but it got a million times worse when I looked at my phone and saw that I had twenty-something unread and new texts, and about 50 emails sitting in my inbox waiting to affect my day. I went through each email and text message, and saw that they ALL were demanding me of something…but wouldn’t you like to know…not one of them read anything along the lines of “Good Morning Foster” or a simple “Hey, Foster how are you?” They all began with a demand that had a more than unreasonable time frame to get taken care of. So me, not yet even having brushed my teeth or showered, sat in my room staring at my phone and computer screen trying to figure out how I was possibly going to meet these demands, or some at least.
These demands had come from people whom I had foolishly given my contact info to whenever they may need to be updated on the goings-on of what was happening on campus after hours. I know all sorts of people: party and club promoters, DJ’s, bartenders, etc. You name them, and more times than not I know them, or I will soon get to know them. I don’t know why but I always, always, ALWAYS tend to look out for people to have a good time no matter where they are. But to have such a selfless wish fulfilled, one may bring great injury to self. This I found out in no time. A majority of the text messages and emails that were eagerly sitting in my inboxes were from people around campus or that I had drunkenly met at a recent event during the 4/20 weekend, and all they really cared about was when and where the next big event or social gathering was going to be.
In the midst of trying to figure out how I can get these people what they need to know, I saw that I only had 10 minutes before my next class, and checking my planner…I found out that I had a homework assignment due on top of all this morning madness. I began to sweat, shake, and then I felt my head begin to feel light. The next thing I know, I’m in the middle of my dorm room floor, shaking, sweating, and crying. For a minute, I blacked out, and when I came to, I decided that it was time for me to leave Towson before I literally drove myself crazy. I got my homework for the week done for all of my classes, and sent each professor an email letting them know about my current condition. I packed my bags, packed my car, and left campus without saying a word to anybody, not even my roommate or my family back home.
As soon as I got home, my mother looked at me and knew immediately what was wrong and the first words out of her mouth were, “you need a break.” I had bags under my eyes, I might have been a little pale, but that’s hard to determine with skin so dark, but I digress. I went up to my room, and just laid down for a bit. The first thing I did, was turn off all sorts of communication. I didn’t check my phone unless absolutely necessary, I didn’t bother to tweet for a few days, and Facebook became foreign.
I came to the conclusion, after a few days, that my biggest problem (aside from my terrible anxiety) was that I feel the need to be constantly tuned in or to cater to peoples needs, even if they aren’t a priority. I hate sleep because I feel as if I’m missing out on the world, which is something I’m still working on. And I hate having to stop or take a break…from anything. It’s a damn shame that it took a breakdown to appreciate what rest and relaxation is all about. For the entire week I was home, I had not a worry in the world, and Towson was a place I had momentarily forgot about. I missed two huge events that week too due to my breakdown. The first event was one I had long planned for and set myself up to go see, which was Tigerfest. (Which I have still yet to experience in my two years at Towson) Tigerfest is our annual spring celebration that features a lot of drinking and partying and usually a very dope concert. This year’s headliner was one of my favorite artists, Kid Cudi, who I had seen in the summer already, but I was too excited he was coming to our school! I also missed my friend’s show for a radio music festival, but luckily and thoughtful enough he and my friends showed me much love and support as they shouted me out before their set; at least I could stream the show online which was really cool.
But towards the end of all this madness and bittersweet fulfillment I came to figure out that maybe those who only need me for their usage aren’t really needed by me, so I went through my phone and deleted a fuck ton of people from, old and new people. If you weren’t in any way, shape, or form contributing to my well-being but taking everything you could from it and from myself then I don’t need you around, even in the form of a thought. Not even on a rude note saying “fuck those people” or anything close to that, but I refuse for my sanity and mental well-being to be compromised for someone get what they want from me or my resources.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
You Just Might Be.
I have been in my thoughts about a specific somebody for the past few weeks, and it is driving me absolutely mad. I hate to think that it took a nervous breakdown to realize how much I truly adore and enjoy them in my life, but it is what it is. The thought of them makes me smile, their presence makes me calm, and their laugh...well it's just one of the most adorable things I've ever heard. The only shitty thing about all of these feelings is that I feel it may be too late for me to say what I'm feeling. We had our time in the past, but there was never any initial closure, then you have that whole period where we weren't really talking and that is what is really making this whole ordeal unbearable. I don't know or care too much what her current situation is, I just want her to know how I genuinely and truly feel just so I can be at peace. The waking up with her on my mind, the dreams (and there have been some pretty loopy dreams about her), and the going to sleep with what I want to say is constantly on my mind and tormenting me in a sense. I don't recall what the feeling of loving or being in love with someone feels like anymore, it's been a while, that is why I am driving myself crazy. Have a strange feeling that when we met last December that I may have found exactly what I've been looking for in her, and it scares the living shit out of me thinking that she could be (as cliche as this may come off) the one that might get away; this idea does not sit well with me, my mind, or heart at all. Eventually I have to tell her, I juts hope it's not too late, and I damn sure hope that it is not too soon...too soon too say "I Love You". I've only told one person how I'm feeling, because they can read me like a fucking book and they know what the deal is in how I have been nonstop babbling on about this for weeks. I don't want to call her up or do some impersonal shit like send her a LONG ASS text message with something like this on my heart. I want her to see a man who has let go of all of his doubt, insecurity, and fear just to tell her how she truly feels. Then, I want to see her reaction, but once again that's not what I am concerned with, I'm doing this so I can sleep at night. And if me belting out these three words that have brought some of the strongest couples together or ran a person out of a relationship somehow brings US together, then I am all for it. We work well together. Don't get me wrong, I do speak to other females, but lately my point of focus has been HER and no one else. As crazy as that sounds coming from a college dude, it's the truth. I don't know what tomorrow has in store, let alone the next couple of hours, but pretty soon she will know and we'll have nowhere to hide when love rains the truth, I hope you feel it too.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Alone.
It's when people ask you "are you okay?" knowing damn well you aren't but you say "no" knowing that you just did that person a favor concealing the deep, dark, and violent truth which they will not ever be able to handle. The truth's about ourselves that we tell to someone who thinks highest of us is the ultimate fear. Nobody who cares about you or loves you wants to hear about the monster you've created in your mind of yourself. We all feel a bit down and depressed at time, depression is the common cold of our conscience, there's just no escaping that reality. I hate the world we live in, that's probably the first thing that really blew out my flame. Just knowing that no matter where I go outside of these boring DMV walls, there will be another place where the people are just as boring, just as basic, just as ignorant, and just as evil as the ones I am dealing with now. There is nothing wrong with being afraid, absolutely nothing. Just don't let your fear define who you are and who you become. I'm just tired of being afraid of myself, fuck everybody else, I really am my own worst enemy when it comes to facing anything. I'm always at war with myself. Am I good enough, can I do it, will my dreams come true, can I ever compare to this and that? Insecure much? Who isn't? I think it is the biggest load of bullshit when people say that they have no insecurities, everyone is insecure to an extent. I do not know where I'm going with this, or where I'm going at all to be honest, all I know is that I have no choice but to move forward with each second, each minute, each hour, and each day until something says otherwise. I'm just tired of everything at this point and I am having the hardest time trying to figure out what is and what isn't important to me right now...
Friday, August 12, 2011
My Letter to Amy.
I know it had been almost four years since your last studio album was released and since you debuted in the United States, but I can honestly say that I am going to miss everything you ever did musically. You were truly one of the few truly talented and brilliant singers/songwriters left of my time...in my opinion one of the best ever. I was thrilled when I found out that you were launching Lioness Records and your first artist signed to the label was Dionne Bromfield, your Goddaughter. I was even excited to know that you were headed back to rehab to finally get yourself clean so that you could make more music. Even though, at times I was very selfish at the fact that you were going back into rehab simply knowing that that meant we (the fans) were going to have to wait even longer to hear new music from you, but the music that you created on the Frank and Back to Black album are so awesome that they are enough to last a lifetime, and health is far more important than anything. I hate how the media treated you when you were alive, but I hated them even more when you passed. The media is full of two-faced cunts that's for sure, and it is that reason that I am so happy to be in school studying the media business so I can come in and hopefully put a dent in it and change how they go about talking about troubled celebrities and PEOPLE. That is just not the way to treat a human being. You were TROUBLED, what they NEVER understood about you while you were alive is the fact that you were in fact troubled and were suffering from a disease. People do not understand that alcoholism is in fact a disease and not just taking one too many shots at a party every few weeks, but it is a lifestyle...an unfortunate one, but nonetheless an addiction, I've had enough victims of alcoholism in my life to understand it myself. When you died all of these beautiful pictures that I had to break my neck and spend hours to find are now all of a sudden all over internet. They are showing a full-figured, healthy, and their idea of "beautiful" you, when before all they could show was an out of control and sick person, this is unfortunately how too many people defined you. Your music is now TIMELESS, you are now one of those GREAT artists, you are now WORTHY of public attention now that you're dead, oh the irony of the media. You were always beautiful, your music has always been timeless, and you did not need all of that media attention to show how big of a star you were. I am still in a huge state of disbelief that you are no longer here to give us more of you, but it is also good to know that you no longer have to be here to struggle with the harsh criticism of the media and your addiction and complete assholes in general. I just hope that people let your soul rest in peace and learn how to treat not only celebrities such as yourself better, but people in general. We live in a sick sad world and the last thing we need is for people to bring other people down while at the same time trying to keep afloat in society.
Rest in Peace Amy.
Pointing the Finger.
People fake a lot of things, their sexual experiences, the way they act when they have a little alcohol or weed in their system, how smart they are, and RELIGION. I can't pass judgement on who is real or who is REALLY faking it, but what I can speak on is how people do and say certain things AGAINST religion to appear rebellious or cool. I can say that I know plenty of people who fake their disbelief in order to fit in with a certain group of people or to draw attention. They blatantly say things against holy scriptures and religious figures with uneducated thoughts and total ignorance on the subject of religion all because they feel that religion or believing is dumb. I hate when people have no validation or proof to their beliefs and can only back it by saying "because that shit is dumb." Grow up! If you are not going to like something at least know why it is you don't like something. I personally do not believe in religion simply because of how I have seen it separate families, friends, and nations more than any dollar, infidel, or tragedy could. I am all about peace, happiness, and freedom amongst human beings and I believe that religion is just the opposite. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to know that there has been more blood shed and war over religion more anything else in this sick world we live in. I am not knocking anybody who is religious and is proud of their faith and a strong believer in it. It is ignorant to try and break someone down for believing in something that they believe will better them as a person. This is for the ones who flat out disrespect or bash anything thing simply because they want to stand out and feel accepted somewhere in society simply because according to them "that shit is done". Have knowledge of something before you declare that you don't like it.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
I Tried to Catch Em All...

Gotta catch'em all! Gotta catch'em all! POKEMON!!! In any story I plan to tell my grandchildren in the future about my childhood I would be an old fool for not dedicating at least an hour or two of story telling to Pokemon! When I was in the 4th grade in 1998 these creatures and this boy with a cool ass name popped up on my TV screen and I became hooked! There was nothing cooler than hearing these crazy sounding names coming from these little monsters that came out of these things they called Pokeballs! I will never forget when my mom got me my first set of trading cards. I got the starter pack that came with duplicates of like five Pokemon and a million energy cards! I never understood the purpose of energy cards, I mean I did, but I never used em; those or those little gem rocks that came with em. I will never forget my first ever card trade, uggh I was dumb as fuck! I traded my holographic Machamp card for a damn Onyx and a Jinx card! My mom almost killed me when she found out that I had gotten ripped off by two older guys in my neighborhood. Her and my Dad tracked em down and made them trade me my shit back. After that they had my friend come over and teach me the basic to trading and what certain symbols on the cards meant. In about a month or two I was the fucking man! I had every card I could want, with the exception of a few. I remember my Mom packing up me and my friends in our station wagon and taking us up to J&K (the card trading store) and we would buy packs of cards or trade up with the store owner. Times were so awesome back then. It was amazing how these cards taught us about unity and responsibility and to an extent we even got better at reading...I mean Pokemon was a cartoon, but when it came to playing and understanding the game, you had to READ. I remember the front of my house being our own makeshift version of a Pokemon Trainer's Gym, we would hook our Gameboy's up to each others and battle and trade Pokemon until we had to go indoors. We battled and traded in the hottest of Summer days to the most bitter and chilling days of winter, we went hard! I will never forget the time we setup a tournament to see who could fight Pokemon the best, I won a few matches, but I'm pretty sure I didn't win. I remember one kid, ironically the guy who taught me how to play the game, was getting frustrated beyond all reason because he could not hit any of my Pokemon because I made them all too fast. The student kicked the teachers ass, and it felt good! The Pokemon wave was great while it lasted. I do not know of any Pokemon after the original 151 (I know it was originally 150, but Mew WAS in the intro to the cartoon series) I didn't want to know of anything other than the originals, so that is where I left this awesome game...as a matter of fact, it was not just a game, it was a culture. A culture that I miss but will never forget, shit I just ordered a damn Gameboy Color and Pokemon Yellow Version from Amazon while I was typing up the nostalgically powered piece! You can say "I'm too old" to have one or whatever, I could care less. I just like older versions of what is considered fun...hell, I still have my cards too! Can't wait til I get my package!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Escape Route

Hey Guys! Welcome the fuck back! As of yesterday if you were present in life or have any sense of time at all, you know that August has finally arrived after having 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, & 5 Sundays (WOW!!!)And damn!!! this year is moving too fucking fast for me! 2011 feels like it just started! I'll be 22 in 3 months?! Wow! Pretty soon we'll be singing Auld Lang Syne again bringing in the New Year with all kinds of potency in our systems partying our asses off like it's 1999 again! These past few weeks have been a bit tough for me, but very educational at the same time. Work has been kicking my ass, I got my first day off in like 40 days on Saturday, and it was much needed; went down to Kings Dominion and fucked shit up! Over these past few weeks I have come to the conclusion that I need to get out of here...soon! I already talked it over with my Mom, my Brother, and a few of my closest friends. I have the greatest opportunity RIGHT NOW to explore the world and make myself who I want to be. My mom always said "God made the world for EVERYBODY to see." and I am part of everybody so that's exactly what the fuck I'm going to do. I'm an acting major so I'm def going to start abroad in California and study acting and theater writing there first. I know it's a long way away from home, but I can do it, and the people back home will survive without me...I'm sure. Then after California I plan to go to the UK and study writing and theater there as well. I know people are probably like "ooo big dreams..." or "that sounds easier said than done..." I don't believe that anything is easier said than done, if you can dream it you can achieve it, especially if you're willing to put in the work that is required for you to reach your dreams and goals. Nothing comes easy from doing nothing, but it comes a lot easier when you have actually built a foundation and worked on it. I told myself years ago that I indeed was going to be something and SOMEBODY with a career that I love so much that I cannot even tell it's a job. Your situation, after a certain age, is a result of your decisions that you've made. At the end of the day, if you don't want to be somewhere, or you want to change something about yourself or your situation you can indeed do it. i don't care where you're from, how much money you don't have, or how much support you DON'T have...you can always improve something. Things never happen instantly, well most things we want, but they can in fact happen. Better late than never, baby steps soon progress to giant leaps in success.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Who's Your Daddy?

From the time I concealed my first boner to this day, I will always and will forever be confused by girls these days, I hate our generation some day's...I really do. But can someone please tell me what the fuck is up with girls calling their boyfriends or guys they are talking to "daddy"?!...do not worry, I'll wait! To me, that shit is just whack and pathetic. I asked a few girls a while back why they do it, and one girl said this, which I found incredibly ridiculous and at the same time sensible, she said "girls call their boyfriends or other dudes daddy because every girl...or most want a man who reminds them of their father..." I can see why girls would want a man like their father, understood. Who wouldn't want someone who has taken care of them, respected them, and taught them about men? (still very weird and creepy) But explain the calling them that name during sex, sounds kinda incestuous to me. Now for the girls who call these BOYS "daddy" please do enlighten me? What the hell do you get out of calling a this dude by that name? You don't even call your OWN father that name. If you never had a father figure in your life, trust me, you will still understand a few things about a true FATHER...excuse me...in your case a daddy. A father would never run out on your when you needed it the most. A father would never go out and treat another girl like his daughter or find a replacement. Do you call him daddy because after he hits you he says "this is gonna hurt me more than it'll hurt you"? Is it because he got you pregnant and you call him daddy in hopes that this new title will be a motivator for him to possibly be in this unborn child's life? Do you call him daddy because that's what you hear in every damn song they play on the radio these days? Or do you call him daddy because calling him by his actual name is seen as disrespect and you don't want to face the consequences later? Don't worry, I'll give you plenty of time to go ahead and figure out why you call this grown up with child-like features "daddy". The shit is not attractive or cool by far. If anything, it makes you look pathetic, clingy, and foolish. Ladies, I'm not rights activist or anything of the sort, just a dude with a blog who hates seeing ANYBODY degrade themselves for someone or something that is worth nothing. Stop calling these guys "daddy" and instead call them by their proper names...I'm sure it won't be to embarrassing for them. And if you're dealing with someone who is super immature go ahead and go NY on them and call them "son". I wish a girl would call me daddy...she would instantly be considered a FOSTER CHILD...yea I made that up all by myself haha.
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