off tha dome

random thoughts...

you really don't need for the calendar to change to make changes in your life

top to bottom...GUY's first cd is one of the best R&B albums of it's generation

i'm excited about the NBA being back. as for my Hawks, not so much

during this holiday season, don't forget those who've lost family members or friends this year. sometimes the holidays are a huge reminder of their absence

there are wayyyyyyy too many bowl games

can't believe that people stood in long lines for hours for these...



Kobe Bryant is getting a divorce but he doesn't have a prenup. how much sense does that make?

good to see gas prices under $3. they should STAY there

did you know that Newt Gingrich's middle name is LEROY? i didn't know that. don't believe me...look it up

i can't say that i've ever heard of any white dudes named Leroy.

Kobe's parents told him not to marry his wife. sometimes you gotta listen to your momma. she knows

lemme get this straight...on Black Friday you can buy stuff for significantly less than what it's worth. then a month later, you can buy what's in stock for less than that. makes sense?

i hope that Craig Mack is getting a "cut" for his "Flava in Ya Ear" song on the new McDonalds commercial

70 degree days in December can only mean this summer will be unbearable

man, these video "gamers" are getting younger and younger

i've noticed on twitter that a lotta people use these "check in" applications like foursquare. i wonder if they realice when they "check in" at the mall or the store, they let the world know that they aren't at home

i am growing a beard. i just turned 39 and never had one. hopefully it grows

i think you should take at least ONE day off per month

hard to believe we lost Nate Dogg and Heavy D this year

ok...so i broke down and watched the EBT hip hop awards. i found myself repeating the same question..."hey, who is that?"

speaking of hip hop, thank you Common, The Roots, and Phonte for 3 dope albums this year. we needed it

if you're coughing and sneezing at work, do your co-workers a favor...STAY AT HOME

i like Magic Johnson but he has NO business on tv. he murders subject verb agreements and predicates on the regular

glad to see the troops coming home

fellas...nothing wrong with telling another man that you love him. that doesn't make you gay

ladies...never depend on a man to assist you with your SELF esteem

my 5 year old son Brandon told me the other day..."Daddy, did you know that Frankie Beverly and Justin Bieber are my friends?" guess he knows people. LoL

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let's get physical

Kool Moe Dee once wrote a song about it going to see the doctor.


I'm a firm believer in it.


I also believe that as men...we are the LAST ones to go to the doctor.


Last month, I had my annual physical check up. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't looking forward to it. Not sure why. I guess it was the fear of the unknown. I knew I was in good health. I work out regularly (not as much as I should)...I eat good (still addicted to McDonalds fries)...and I don't drink much (I visit Margaritaville every now and then). Yet, I was still concerned. Nevertheless, the visit came out fine. I'm in good health. The doctor and I discussed among other things...testing for prostate cancer beginning next year, my desire to live to the age of 125 (no lie), and my successful vasectomy last May (4 kids is enough, yo)


One thing that I took from the conversation is that we don't go see the doctor enough. Most women go all the time. And while they may not jump for joy to get that pap smear, they have doctor visits. We have to go. And go often. We're getting older. I've always been serious about my health. But it hits home when you see people your age leave this earth. I lost a teammate (http://the12planet.blogspot.com/2011/09/gentle-giant.html) a few months ago and that really opened my eyes.


I'm committed to my health. That's not a New Years Resolution. That's a fact. You may not find me on the track like my homegirl Latrice (@Rungirl_) or my boy Tee Reese (http://offtrackthinking.blogspot.com/ )but I am committed. More importantly, I'm all for getting my checkups. I need more men to join me. Ladies, send your men to the doctor. He can't be in your life if he's no longer here on earth.

the broken bike

Somebody broke the bike.

Somebody broke the bike and things ain't right. I know it. And you know it.

For the past 13 yrs of my life, I've worked on the bike (the mortgage industry). The bike once rode smoothly. And when it rode well...things were fine. During my years of working on the bike, I saw a lot. While I can honestly say that I never did anything illegal or unethical (nor was I asked to), I've seen some things. Actually, I saw quite a few things. More importantly, I saw an industry crumble. In the process of the bike being broken, I also watched the hood (the nation/economy) change. Things used to be good in the hood. Not anymore. In 2011, the hood is in shambles. The bike was broken...then fixed. But in the process of fixing the bike, the hood went down.

Could it be that that the process of the bike being broken that it single handily destroyed the hood? The lies. The greed. Could it be? Probably! I remember the words of one of my financial management professor when I was in college. Dr Cole said..."Even in a recession, somebody makes money." He never lied. No matter how bad things are in the hood, people are making money. Companies are getting rich. As I go to work each day, I wonder if some of these "new programs" are gonna help people in the long term. As an sr underwriter, I have to make the best financial decision for the company when it comes to approving or denying mortgage loans. But are we assisting people or are we putting a Band Aid on open heart surgery wound? For example, if you're able to lower your mortgage payment from $2200 to $800...would you do it knowing that the value of your home has decreased to the point where you owe more than what it's worth. In a nutshell...you're basically stuck there because you can't sell it and profit from it. These are the kinds of decisions that people have to face. Some face the reality of foreclosure. The hood is messed up. When the bike was broken, it made the hood so bad that the job market ain't what it used to be. If you're not working, you can't pay for your home. It's that simple.

So now that the bike is fixed, running, and back to profitability...how do we fix the hood? We could blame the Bush for creating this mess. We could blame Obama for not having the right people in place to fix it. We could point fingers.

Or we could start giving a damn about EVERYBODY in the hood, mobilize an effort, and try to fix the problems.

facebook vs twitter

Social media

Almost everyone participates in it.

And almost everybody that I know...old and young...rich and poor...has a Facebook page. So do my parents.

Everybody isn't into Twitter. I've been on it since 2008. Long before most had even HEARD of Twitter. I used it to communicate with my fellow blogger friends. This was before twitter BLEW UP. There are some similarites between Twitter & Facebook...buy mostly differences. Here are some observations that I've made...

Facebook - largely made up of people you know

Twitter - largely made up of people you don't know

Facebook - consists of people who you went to school with

Twitter - consists of people who you wish that you went to school with

Facebook - status update

Twitter - tweets

Facebook - long paragraphs for updates

Twitter - 140 characters

Facebook - friends

Twitter - followers

Facebook - you can 'LIKE' or 'POKE'

Twitter - trending topics

Facebook - place where people use hashtags (#) for no reason & they don't realize that's a "twitter thing"

Twitter - place where you can use a hashtag in every tweet

Facebook - friend request

Twitter - follow/unfollow

Facebook - place where people "don't understand Twitter"

Twitter - place where people "retweet" every word of their favorite celebrity

Facebook - place where people will allow co-workers to become their friends

Twitter - place where co-workers can't follow

Facebook - Mark Zuckerburg

Twitter - Jack Dorsey

Facebook - advertisements

Twitter - Thong Thursday

Facebook - if you have more than 10 status updates within an hour...you need Twitter

Twitter - if you have a desire to rant about your cause...you need Facebook



You understand now?

thank you!!!

After celebrating my 39th birthday yesterday, words can't express the outpouring of gratitude that I have for you right now. Thanks for all of the text messages, emails, tweets, facebook wall posts, and phone calls. Thank you for taking a second to think of me.

I also have to give thanks...to God...for allowing me to see 39. In a time when people don't value life, I am extremely grateful to YOU. I hope that YOU grant me 86 more years.

Thank YOU for life

Thank YOU for love

Thank YOU for a family that loves me dearly

Thank YOU for the best parents in the world

Thank YOU for the best friends that a man could ask for

Thank YOU for AIR

Thank YOU for all the blessings. I am eternally grateful!



Special shoutout to the coolest little dude that I know. My lil man, Brandon, turns 5 today!

still love h.e.r.

"The music you listen to is a reflection of how you see the world, and how you see yourself," - Phonte



I heard Phonte utter those words last month when I attended the Foreign Exchange concert last month. I thought about it for a second and it made a lot of sense to me.

If you know me personally...if you've read this blog before...if you follow me on twitter...if you're a friend of mine on Facebook...you know about my love for music. In particular...hip hop. It's not just a love for old school hip hop and the culture. I am hip hop. I can tell you WHEN I fell in love with hip hop! It's a part of my life and it'll always be. Nothing will ever change that. For me it's more than just beats and rhymes. It's that feeling that you get inside. You know...that feeling. The feeling of a connection with you and the music. That's why hip hop will never die. It'll always be here for me.

Some may say that you will "outgrow" the music. How do you outgrow something that is a part of you? It doesn't happen. I'll be 80 yrs old and always feel this way about the music. You never get too old for it. Watch me. Listen to me. Vibe with me. And you'll learn more about my world and how I see myself when you hear me talk about hip hop.

So yeah...you may not understand.

I do. And that's all that matters

I still love h.e.r.

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