"The game done changed." Those were the words that were told to me by my close friend Deuce Tre. This was his response to my question to him about the dating game. I wondered why a dude like Deuce hasn't found the "right one" and settled down. He told me that the dating game has changed tremendously since I was in the dating scene. I've been married for almost 8 years. So, I find his stories to be very interesting and sometimes comical.
I've known Deuce since our college days. We've been tight ever since then. And we still hang out at least twice a month. By society's standard, Deuce is a "good catch". He's single, educated, driven, has a very good job, house, car, and women find him attractive (although you'll never hear me say that about him...LOL). He also has custody of his 10 yr old son. But Deuce is one of my boys who I'll probably never see walk down the aisle. He's gonna stay single. While there's nothing wrong with being single, he's happy dating women. He's open enough with them to let them know that he's not trying to settle down with them. You've gotta respect that.
Deuce and I always talk about the stigma that is sometimes attached to a woman who is over 30, educated, no kids, and no man. It's very prevalent here in Atlanta. It's not fair...but it is what it is. Here's the question...is it REALLY that hard to find a good man or good woman? Why is dating difficult in 2008? Is it bad for a man or a woman to "play the field" forever? It doesn't matter if you're single or married. What's your take?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
N too deep
Live at the Barbecue
That was the name of the song that I had first heard him on. It was 1991. And this dude could rhyme!!! I had never heard of him before but I knew where he was from. He was from Queens. On that one song, he laid the foundation for his illustrious career. That song was a preview for his debut which was deemed a hip hop classic Illmatic. For Nasir Ola Daru Jones, better known as Nas, he had arrived. Over his 17 year career, Nas has achieved huge success as an artist and is known as one of the best MCs to ever rhyme. He has enjoyed platinum selling albums, a victorious lyrical battle with Jay Z, and millions of dollars.
As he prepares to release his 9th cd, Nas has created some controversy. He has decided to name his cd...N***ER. That decision has led to public backlash from black leaders like Jesse Jackson. Although Nas has the support of his record label, Def Jam, the heat has been turned up on it's parent company Sony. Nas is adamant that he wont budge on changing the title of his cd.
I'm a HUGE fan of Nas. I've been a fan since I heard him on Live at the Barbecue. That said, this is a bold move. Maybe he missed the memo...but the N word was buried last year (lol). And he's deciding to name his new cd N***ER...in black history month???? Sounds like trouble. Is he wrong? Or is he just expressing his artist value? Have we (the younger generation) become so oblivious to the word that it really doesn't have the same sting that it did for those who came through the civil rights movement?
Give me your .02 on this. I only ask that you do not spell out the word. While I'm not offended by seeing the word in print...some fellow bloggers may be. I ask that you write it like I did or just say the N word. Thanks for sharing your vibe.
12kyle
That was the name of the song that I had first heard him on. It was 1991. And this dude could rhyme!!! I had never heard of him before but I knew where he was from. He was from Queens. On that one song, he laid the foundation for his illustrious career. That song was a preview for his debut which was deemed a hip hop classic Illmatic. For Nasir Ola Daru Jones, better known as Nas, he had arrived. Over his 17 year career, Nas has achieved huge success as an artist and is known as one of the best MCs to ever rhyme. He has enjoyed platinum selling albums, a victorious lyrical battle with Jay Z, and millions of dollars.
As he prepares to release his 9th cd, Nas has created some controversy. He has decided to name his cd...N***ER. That decision has led to public backlash from black leaders like Jesse Jackson. Although Nas has the support of his record label, Def Jam, the heat has been turned up on it's parent company Sony. Nas is adamant that he wont budge on changing the title of his cd.
I'm a HUGE fan of Nas. I've been a fan since I heard him on Live at the Barbecue. That said, this is a bold move. Maybe he missed the memo...but the N word was buried last year (lol). And he's deciding to name his new cd N***ER...in black history month???? Sounds like trouble. Is he wrong? Or is he just expressing his artist value? Have we (the younger generation) become so oblivious to the word that it really doesn't have the same sting that it did for those who came through the civil rights movement?
Give me your .02 on this. I only ask that you do not spell out the word. While I'm not offended by seeing the word in print...some fellow bloggers may be. I ask that you write it like I did or just say the N word. Thanks for sharing your vibe.
12kyle
Friday, January 25, 2008
Are You Too Old??
Old age. It has a funny way of catching up to you. At some point in time, father time will tap you on the shoulder. It'll be that day you realize that you have the volume on the TV at 25...or that day when you're squinting while trying to read the newspaper even though it's 3 inches from your face. We're all over 25. And now you're "officially getting old." However, there's a difference between "getting old" and "being too old" for something.
Ask yourself this question...When was the last time you uttered or thought to yourself..."I'm too old for this". If you're over 25, then there's a good chance you've had that thought once or twice. If you're over 30, then you've probably said it on a few occasions. Was it the time you found yourself "playing games" with your significant other? And you uttered the words..."I'm too old for this. I'm tired of playing these games with her/him." Was it when you did 30 minutes on the treadmill and you were sore for 3 days. And you thought..."I'm too old for this." Was it the time when you went to a club and you're dressed very nice but everybody else in in jeans and sneakers. You spent the whole night waiting for your song to be played but they kept playing songs by some dude named Souljah Boy. And you thought..."I'm too old for this."
For me, it happened last month not long after my 35th birthday. I went to the mall and I wandered into a music store to check out the new music. When I walked in the store, I noticed that the store was empty. The only people who were in the store was the 2 young male employees who were behind the register. After being in the store for a minute or two, I overheard a conversation that they were having that was beginning to get heated. The two dudes starting slinging curse words at each other. There was no regard for each other and none for me, either. One kid walked from behind the register and almost fell down because his pants were baggy enough to fit another body and he had no belt. As they continued to curse each other out with F bombs, I said "EXCUSE ME". And they looked at me like I was crazy. They didn't realize that they were not only embarrassing themselves but their employer as well. I asked the kid to come over to where I was standing. I told him that not only was he being disrespectful to everyone in the store. I also asked him to go purchase a belt b/c "nobody in this store wants to see your underwear." He looked at me real strange. His look said "I can't believe that this old man is talking to me like this." He just simply replied "Aiiight, sir." As I left the store, I thought "I'm too old for this." I can't try to police these young dudes. To make matters worse, he called me "sir"...that really made me feel old!
Ask yourself this question...When was the last time you uttered or thought to yourself..."I'm too old for this". If you're over 25, then there's a good chance you've had that thought once or twice. If you're over 30, then you've probably said it on a few occasions. Was it the time you found yourself "playing games" with your significant other? And you uttered the words..."I'm too old for this. I'm tired of playing these games with her/him." Was it when you did 30 minutes on the treadmill and you were sore for 3 days. And you thought..."I'm too old for this." Was it the time when you went to a club and you're dressed very nice but everybody else in in jeans and sneakers. You spent the whole night waiting for your song to be played but they kept playing songs by some dude named Souljah Boy. And you thought..."I'm too old for this."
For me, it happened last month not long after my 35th birthday. I went to the mall and I wandered into a music store to check out the new music. When I walked in the store, I noticed that the store was empty. The only people who were in the store was the 2 young male employees who were behind the register. After being in the store for a minute or two, I overheard a conversation that they were having that was beginning to get heated. The two dudes starting slinging curse words at each other. There was no regard for each other and none for me, either. One kid walked from behind the register and almost fell down because his pants were baggy enough to fit another body and he had no belt. As they continued to curse each other out with F bombs, I said "EXCUSE ME". And they looked at me like I was crazy. They didn't realize that they were not only embarrassing themselves but their employer as well. I asked the kid to come over to where I was standing. I told him that not only was he being disrespectful to everyone in the store. I also asked him to go purchase a belt b/c "nobody in this store wants to see your underwear." He looked at me real strange. His look said "I can't believe that this old man is talking to me like this." He just simply replied "Aiiight, sir." As I left the store, I thought "I'm too old for this." I can't try to police these young dudes. To make matters worse, he called me "sir"...that really made me feel old!
Monday, January 21, 2008
I'M ADDICTED...AND YOU ARE, TOO!
I am an addict. I have been an addict for a loooong time. I've been an addict for so long that I didn't even know that I was an addict. I can't remember when the addiction started. I just know that I have an addiction. And knowing is half the battle. The addiction has gotten so bad that I start my day with it. I have to have it when I wake up in the morning. I usually get my fix during the day. And I ALWAYS end the night with it. Yeah...if you haven't figured it out by now...I'm a sports addict. I'm a huge football, basketball, and baseball fan. I'm also into golf pretty deep right now. Sports have always played a major part of my life. I started playing football competitively at the age of 8. I was so small that the city made my parents sign a waiver that insured that they would not sue the city if I got injured playing with the bigger kids b/c I didn't meet the weight requirements. It went from playing little league football to high school football to college football. My involvement in football led to a love for the game of basketball. I remember watching some dude named Michael Jordan who became my favorite basketball player and one of the best to ever play the game.
Like most people, I became a true fan of sports at an early age. With the invention of a sports network like ESPN, I was hooked! I don't think this addiction is that bad. I'm not a person who watches a lot of TV. I've never seen Friends. I've only seen one episode of Seinfeld. I love to watch old reruns of Martin, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and My Wife and Kids. If I'm not watching that, I'm usually watching SOME sporting event. I have even fallen into the "highlight syndrome." The highlight syndrome is the phenomenon of watching a game in its entirety then you immediately watch the highlights of that same game. You watch the highlights of the game as if you've never seen it before. That's normal right? LOL
I think this addiction gets on my wife's nerves sometimes. She'll say things like "Can we watch something other than sports?" I can't say that I blame her. But everybody knows that football is better than any show on the Food Network, right? Haaaaa. We've been together since college so she's known about this addiction. She's tried to send me to rehab a few times but I just won't go. I can handle my addiction. Sports don't consume me. It's only a hobby. LOL. I know that I'm not the only addict around here. As a matter of fact, I'm an addict...and so are YOU!!
NEW ADDICTIONS
HD TV- There is nothing better than watching a game in High-Definition. If you don't have HD, you need to get it.
Tivo/DVR- It'll change the way that you watch TV
The Boondocks (Cartoon Network)-If you wanna laugh...and laugh hard. Watch this!!!
The Wire- The best thing on Tv. Period!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_%28TV_series%29
I would write more on this blog...but the game is about to come on. Haaaaaaaaaaa
Like most people, I became a true fan of sports at an early age. With the invention of a sports network like ESPN, I was hooked! I don't think this addiction is that bad. I'm not a person who watches a lot of TV. I've never seen Friends. I've only seen one episode of Seinfeld. I love to watch old reruns of Martin, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and My Wife and Kids. If I'm not watching that, I'm usually watching SOME sporting event. I have even fallen into the "highlight syndrome." The highlight syndrome is the phenomenon of watching a game in its entirety then you immediately watch the highlights of that same game. You watch the highlights of the game as if you've never seen it before. That's normal right? LOL
I think this addiction gets on my wife's nerves sometimes. She'll say things like "Can we watch something other than sports?" I can't say that I blame her. But everybody knows that football is better than any show on the Food Network, right? Haaaaa. We've been together since college so she's known about this addiction. She's tried to send me to rehab a few times but I just won't go. I can handle my addiction. Sports don't consume me. It's only a hobby. LOL. I know that I'm not the only addict around here. As a matter of fact, I'm an addict...and so are YOU!!
NEW ADDICTIONS
HD TV- There is nothing better than watching a game in High-Definition. If you don't have HD, you need to get it.
Tivo/DVR- It'll change the way that you watch TV
The Boondocks (Cartoon Network)-If you wanna laugh...and laugh hard. Watch this!!!
The Wire- The best thing on Tv. Period!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_%28TV_series%29
I would write more on this blog...but the game is about to come on. Haaaaaaaaaaa
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Genesis
Are you ready? I am. Or at least...I think I am. It's time for me to get this blog started. It's something that I was supposed to do a long time ago. I'm not sure what has taken so long. Maybe I've been dragging my heels?? I'm not sure. Nevertheless, I'm here now and it's time to get started.
Welcome to the 12th planet. The 12th planet is a blog not just for me but for you as well. Someone asked me, "why are you starting a blog?" My response... "why not?" I have a lot to say about a lot of stuff. I'm a thinker. Sometimes, I think about things that I want to talk about but I never do. Then, there are other times when I just want to vent about things. This blog will help me do these things. More importantly, it'll be a place where I can discuss things with my friends and family. Through this blog I'll learn more about you and you'll learn more about me.
How often will I blog? Who knows? It just depends on what needs to be said. I'm looking forward to the participation from you. For those that know me, I love to talk and I always have something to say. More importantly, I want to hear what you have to say. This is a forum. As I stated earlier, I'm glad to get started. I've gotta thank Weja and LRenee' for the push. I've been telling my wife for years that I'm gonna write a book. But last year she beat me to it. Maybe now it's my turn to catch up with her. LOL
Welcome to the 12th planet. The 12th planet is a blog not just for me but for you as well. Someone asked me, "why are you starting a blog?" My response... "why not?" I have a lot to say about a lot of stuff. I'm a thinker. Sometimes, I think about things that I want to talk about but I never do. Then, there are other times when I just want to vent about things. This blog will help me do these things. More importantly, it'll be a place where I can discuss things with my friends and family. Through this blog I'll learn more about you and you'll learn more about me.
How often will I blog? Who knows? It just depends on what needs to be said. I'm looking forward to the participation from you. For those that know me, I love to talk and I always have something to say. More importantly, I want to hear what you have to say. This is a forum. As I stated earlier, I'm glad to get started. I've gotta thank Weja and LRenee' for the push. I've been telling my wife for years that I'm gonna write a book. But last year she beat me to it. Maybe now it's my turn to catch up with her. LOL
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