Today was a good day. After doing a bunch of odd jobs and putting in my time at the gym, I headed over to the local java shop for a mocha and some study time. For the first time in MONTHS, I studied and wrote hardcore for 3 solid hours. As I now come down from the 'academic high' I feel like I need a cigarette. That shit was good :)
Am I a weirdo, or just plain nerdy? Whenever I have the time and energy to immerse myself in learning something, the feeling is near orgasmic for me. Have you ever been absorbed in reading, writing, public speaking, or some other academic endeavor and you just get in the zone? I live for that! And the satisfaction you receive when you work on a difficult problem and you all of a sudden figure it out?! PURE BLISS. Sometimes I gotta check myself to make sure i don't need a shower.
Okay it's not that serious :) but for real the quest for knowledge is truly exciting. I wonder how we all can instill this thirst for knowledge in the next generation of the kids? Because frankly, the growing resentment for education and 'book smarts' the young folks give off is truly breaking my heart.
Anybody else could use a cigarette after they do some serious brainwork? We could share one, LOL.
****For the record, I do NOT smoke...ANYTHING...LOL***
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
It's the Little Things
Lemme tell you...it feels GREAT to feel normal again. When I turned in my students' grades last Friday (which marked the official END of my semester from hell) a wave of calm rushed over me. After a year of feeling completely overwhelmed and unsettled, I finally 'exhaled'. And damn, who knew breathing freely could feel so damn good.
It's funny....we take the simple things for granted until we don't have access to them. Friday night I was able to chill with my friends TheBlacks and Trent without having to worry about waking up early the next day. I could kick back and have a few drinks without having to worry about driving an hour home and waking up 4 hours later to start my day. Okay I had too many damn drinks and was showin' my ass but it's alright because I was comfortable and FREE. Well maybe a little too free...the combination of Hipnotiq and Hennesey makes for a DANGEROUS mix, lol. Ehh oh well.
After waking up to an expected hangover, I was able to share a late breakfast with my friend. You would think having breakfast on a Saturday morning as no big deal right? Well for me it was. My typical Saturday morning for the past year consisted of handling my father's financial affairs, cleaning up a week's worth of junk around our house, and getting prepared to study for the majority of the day. The slightly overcast sky, company of a friend, and tasty mushroom spinach scramble with orange juice was pure heaven.
After leaving, I opted to skip my planned activities for the day to go home, nurse my hangover, and veg out. IT FELT GREAT. I spent four hours calling friends and family members I've grossly neglected over the past year, took a cat nap, and watched Charm School episodes (which by the way is a HOT ASS MESS, but HILARIOUS!).
After vegging out, I hit the gym. It's a damn shame how inconsistent my workouts have been, considering I'm the bloody fitness trainer! I could finally go to the gym and not worry about getting in a half-assed workout and cleaning up in less than an hour. I enjoyed an awesome 2-hour session complete with some light cardio, weights, gymnastics conditioning (ugh), a couple of dance movements, a ridiculous stretching routine, and ended with the jacuzzi. Baabbby I was floating on air when I got outta there.
I showered and primped up to meet part of my ol' high school crew for dinnter and a movie :) I giggled like a schoolgirl to the antics of Shrek 3 and was treated to a feast at Cheesecake Factory courtesy of my friend Ms. Moneybags. I was planning on ending the night with a trek to LA to play with the boys, but I was feeling too damn chilled to deal with traffic and tombfoolery. I took my behind home and FELL OUT.
Woke up Sunday morning to birds chirping, mariachi music from the neighbors, and Tony Toni Tone's Greatest Hits blasting from my dad's stereo with him givin' me a HORRIBLE protrayal of Raphael Saddiq....sigh, so much for a blissful Sunday morning. I made my appearance at church after 4 WEEKS of no-shows. I just knew I was gonna get read for filth by a few of my faith friends, so I mentally prepared myself for the imminent tongue lashing. Service was excellent, although I got indirectly read by the pastor with his references to "drinking that wine will have you acting a fool". LOL that fool had me gagging for a minute. The onslaught by the faith friends was minimal, so peace was restored on the church front.
After lunch with my brother, I headed home to chill with my dad and cook dinner. I got a call from my sweet and sexy friend Reggie from New York, a definite treat. I opted to cook my favorites for Sunday Dinner...catfish, fresh cornbread, corn n' okra, and "healthy" sweet potatoes. It felt great to be back in the kitchen again...i cant even remember the last time I cooked a 'real meal'. Had a couple of sad moments because I was using one of my mom's recipes for the okra, but it was pleasant. More like a glimpse of the past that made me chuckle and shed a few tears. After dinner was complete and the hungry-hungry-negroes ravaged my food, I retired to my bedroom for reading and R&R.
I got an early start on my summer reading list by revisiting bell hooks' "Rock My Soul: Black People and Self Esteem." As far as I'm concerned, this book should be passed out to every Black student in America. A phenomenal read! After reading came my "metro session". In an effort to preserve my sexy, stay in touch with my body, and keep this good black from crackin' too early I try to spend a little time each month doing some serious grooming. A lil' self massage (if you're not up on that, get into it!), manicure, pedicure, aromatherapy with vanilla candles, and an attempted facial started off the night.
*** I'm a novice when it comes to the facial, so do any of y'all have any tips/secrets about giving yourself the perfect facial? Any preferred products for chocolate brown, oily skin?***
Since summer is coming and I'm starting to exhibit bear-like tendencies, I ended the session with a shave and clip here and there. There's nothing like slipping under the covers with silky smooth skin. It's even worth the 'new growth' itch that will happen if I get lazy and don't maintain. F**k what you heard, ain't NOTHING getting waxed over here! NO SIR!
The night ended with progressive relaxation techniques I learned in my sports psych class. These techniques had me knocked out and snoring in the middle of class, and last night was no different. I was out within 10 minutes. Peaceful. Satisfied. Restored.
Now that I've cleared out most of the the tension and my schedule is no longer psychotic, it's time to go back to basics. Get my ass back to the gym on the regular. Cook my own food. Contribute quality time to friends and family at MY LEISURE. Get to church every Sunday and don't forget to pray regularly. Get my financial plan and goals back into order. Stop playing and get going with this thesis. Resurrect my social life and get out and about!
Like India.Arie says, "It's the little things....and the joy they bring". Keep it simple, and embrace the little things.
It's funny....we take the simple things for granted until we don't have access to them. Friday night I was able to chill with my friends TheBlacks and Trent without having to worry about waking up early the next day. I could kick back and have a few drinks without having to worry about driving an hour home and waking up 4 hours later to start my day. Okay I had too many damn drinks and was showin' my ass but it's alright because I was comfortable and FREE. Well maybe a little too free...the combination of Hipnotiq and Hennesey makes for a DANGEROUS mix, lol. Ehh oh well.
After waking up to an expected hangover, I was able to share a late breakfast with my friend. You would think having breakfast on a Saturday morning as no big deal right? Well for me it was. My typical Saturday morning for the past year consisted of handling my father's financial affairs, cleaning up a week's worth of junk around our house, and getting prepared to study for the majority of the day. The slightly overcast sky, company of a friend, and tasty mushroom spinach scramble with orange juice was pure heaven.
After leaving, I opted to skip my planned activities for the day to go home, nurse my hangover, and veg out. IT FELT GREAT. I spent four hours calling friends and family members I've grossly neglected over the past year, took a cat nap, and watched Charm School episodes (which by the way is a HOT ASS MESS, but HILARIOUS!).
After vegging out, I hit the gym. It's a damn shame how inconsistent my workouts have been, considering I'm the bloody fitness trainer! I could finally go to the gym and not worry about getting in a half-assed workout and cleaning up in less than an hour. I enjoyed an awesome 2-hour session complete with some light cardio, weights, gymnastics conditioning (ugh), a couple of dance movements, a ridiculous stretching routine, and ended with the jacuzzi. Baabbby I was floating on air when I got outta there.
I showered and primped up to meet part of my ol' high school crew for dinnter and a movie :) I giggled like a schoolgirl to the antics of Shrek 3 and was treated to a feast at Cheesecake Factory courtesy of my friend Ms. Moneybags. I was planning on ending the night with a trek to LA to play with the boys, but I was feeling too damn chilled to deal with traffic and tombfoolery. I took my behind home and FELL OUT.
Woke up Sunday morning to birds chirping, mariachi music from the neighbors, and Tony Toni Tone's Greatest Hits blasting from my dad's stereo with him givin' me a HORRIBLE protrayal of Raphael Saddiq....sigh, so much for a blissful Sunday morning. I made my appearance at church after 4 WEEKS of no-shows. I just knew I was gonna get read for filth by a few of my faith friends, so I mentally prepared myself for the imminent tongue lashing. Service was excellent, although I got indirectly read by the pastor with his references to "drinking that wine will have you acting a fool". LOL that fool had me gagging for a minute. The onslaught by the faith friends was minimal, so peace was restored on the church front.
After lunch with my brother, I headed home to chill with my dad and cook dinner. I got a call from my sweet and sexy friend Reggie from New York, a definite treat. I opted to cook my favorites for Sunday Dinner...catfish, fresh cornbread, corn n' okra, and "healthy" sweet potatoes. It felt great to be back in the kitchen again...i cant even remember the last time I cooked a 'real meal'. Had a couple of sad moments because I was using one of my mom's recipes for the okra, but it was pleasant. More like a glimpse of the past that made me chuckle and shed a few tears. After dinner was complete and the hungry-hungry-negroes ravaged my food, I retired to my bedroom for reading and R&R.
I got an early start on my summer reading list by revisiting bell hooks' "Rock My Soul: Black People and Self Esteem." As far as I'm concerned, this book should be passed out to every Black student in America. A phenomenal read! After reading came my "metro session". In an effort to preserve my sexy, stay in touch with my body, and keep this good black from crackin' too early I try to spend a little time each month doing some serious grooming. A lil' self massage (if you're not up on that, get into it!), manicure, pedicure, aromatherapy with vanilla candles, and an attempted facial started off the night.
*** I'm a novice when it comes to the facial, so do any of y'all have any tips/secrets about giving yourself the perfect facial? Any preferred products for chocolate brown, oily skin?***
Since summer is coming and I'm starting to exhibit bear-like tendencies, I ended the session with a shave and clip here and there. There's nothing like slipping under the covers with silky smooth skin. It's even worth the 'new growth' itch that will happen if I get lazy and don't maintain. F**k what you heard, ain't NOTHING getting waxed over here! NO SIR!
The night ended with progressive relaxation techniques I learned in my sports psych class. These techniques had me knocked out and snoring in the middle of class, and last night was no different. I was out within 10 minutes. Peaceful. Satisfied. Restored.
Now that I've cleared out most of the the tension and my schedule is no longer psychotic, it's time to go back to basics. Get my ass back to the gym on the regular. Cook my own food. Contribute quality time to friends and family at MY LEISURE. Get to church every Sunday and don't forget to pray regularly. Get my financial plan and goals back into order. Stop playing and get going with this thesis. Resurrect my social life and get out and about!
Like India.Arie says, "It's the little things....and the joy they bring". Keep it simple, and embrace the little things.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
I'M BAAAACCCCKKKK!
"I been gone for a minute, but I'm back again..WHAT!" - Lil Kim, 'The Jumpoff'
It feels like forever since I layed some lines down in blogworld. Life in the past month or so has moved lightening-speed, and I've been workin' overtime trying to just maintain. Things will continue to heat up for the next month or so, but it is what it is. All I gotta say is...on June 25th I'll be sooo HAPPY I may have a JOY-GASM....I'm moving out! Yessir, ya boy is officially leaving the nest (once again), this time for good! Kindly accepting all housewarming gifts starting NOW :)
LOL but for real though, I'm looking forward to having a space to call my own and finally living life for ME. My friend Trent has preached to me time and time again "Love them, but don't live for them", and I'm finally gonna listen to his words. I've served as an ultra-dedicated son/brother/cousin/uncle/student/mentor for 25 years, having self-sacrificed more than I'm comfortable admitting. Now it is time to invest some QUALITY energy in ME, as a FIRST PRIORITY. I'm EXCITED!
Having said all that, I now gotta work on contributing more often to blogopia. I'm guilty of being "blog-stingy" and it's time to come clean. I've been slippin' for real, and I've be told (and READ on) repeatedly about keeping the kids thirsty and unfulfilled. I apologize for keeping my thoughts to myself, and I promise to do a better job keeping a glimpse of my live available to all my blog family.
Please believe, DANCEHARD IS BACK!
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