Tuesday, December 9, 2008

kennedy center honors

dec. 9th 2008

so i just got finished doing this PA (production assistant) gig w/ the kennedy center honors. it was cool. PA's put in long hrs in tv! i learned a lot. i was stationed in "the (production) truck". where they directors call the show. viewing at least 15 monitors simultaneously ... shouting commands to camera operators, announcers, stage managers, lighting techs, audio engineers and whoever else will make it happen in the way he's seeing things come together. it's a INCREDIBLE process.

of course the celebrities came out to celebrate morgan freeman, george jones, twyla tharp, pete townsend, roger daltry and barbara striesand. i'm not gonna say who performed ... but here are few people that attended: glenn close, denzel washington, jack black, george bush, clint eastwood, ne-yo, garth brooks, beyonce, idina menzel & her husband taye diggs, bb king, george w bush, joss stone, pinetop perkins, koko taylor, randy travis, rob thomas, dave grohl, quincy jones, babyface, aretha franklin, dick cheyene, queen latifah and a host of others. PLUS ... i was there too! you should have seen my tuxedo ... killed em! (i'll get a picture up eventually.) and my homie "munch" did his thing too. dude had a blue/black vintage tux w/ a pink tie ... slayed em w/ flavor!!!

and the icing on the cake ... condi rice had a date!!! i think that's the only comment i can make on that!

but ... the sprinkles on the icing (see ... cats forget about that) bettye lavette!
you gotta watch on dec 30 to see her. that's all im gonna say about that!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

so now what ... i'm smiling ... be careful ...

great ... you voted ...

SO WHAT NOW ...

no matter who wins your community needs help ...

all the ime and energy you spent canvassing, promoting, organizing and the loot you contributed to fundraisers you OWE it to your community to commit at least 1/2 of that to a local organization over the next year!

if you haven't noticed the trickle down theory hasn't been working ... and w/ the finacial climate there's not much to trickle down! we have to invest in our own community fiscally, spiritually and w/ our time and sweat equity. everyone knows someone that organized and/or promoted a fundraiser. make sure those people pick a local organization to do the same type of event for!

hller at me about how you can et involved w/ SOL y SOUL or other great organizations. i've got contact around the world w/ pople that are doing great works. figure out your passion/cause and commit some time to it. even if it's something that's not for the community. do it. but make sure you find a way to provide some good for someone other than yourself in some way, shape, fashion or form when doing "your thing"!

i talked to my 94 yr old grandmother today ...
she was getting dressed whil she was waiting for someone to pick her up so that she could go vote! that' fly!

she knows my voice ... she calls me by different names every now and then but she knows who i am ... my grandmother may be able to witness a black president or a civil war/race. either one will make her happy. i know she;s tired of seeing our people playing the role of the fool. she wants to see us shine. she's love to see a black president. and would also be proud to see us fight back against injustice.

i just want everyone to be careful tonight!

SHiNE

Sunday, October 19, 2008

good morning ... poem

i just felt like writing this morning ...
this is kinda a edited stream of consciousness peace happening now ...

6:09am
it's early ...
dawn has yet to kiss the city
flooded with the smoke of sound & scents ... before light

feet punch street concrete
hopes that one day street will return the licks
in the form a fresh pair of kicks
like lovetaps from that kid that sat behind you in the second grade

that same kid
grown up now
that in the 7th grade grew like plants to the light
now hides from the sun ...
races to night like heart beats on heroin high

life beats from a heart ...
heart beat's life ...
life beats death ...
but "have you ever turned your soul inside out
so that the world can watch you die?" ...
the lifebeats the sun to death

no more exchanges of
orange wedges for cheese curls
lunch bag snacks

just lovetaps

sun to moon ...
life to death ...
streets to dreams ...

***********************************************************************************
ok ... so ... i started writing this@ like 6:08
then i feel asleep w/ my laptop on my chest!
so this is what you get ... i'm done ...

i guess this is a window into how think ...

i see the beauty of the new day anad i'm excited abou the dynamic options life has to offer but i still see my peoples struggle.

selah ...

SHiNE

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

granny

LIFE is ...
Current mood: humble

i went to trenton, NJ and spent time w/ my grandmother this past weekend.
she turned 94 on monday. i'll always remaber her as a icon in her church and a pillar in the community. the baker. the church usher/officer. she owned and ran a little greasy spoon, fried fish spot for a while. it was my first example of a black enterpernuer. she'll always be seenin my mind as that momma on the block that you know not to cut up in front of becasue she WOULD whip your ass and take you home to make sure you got anothe ass whuppin'! these are just a few of my memories of her ...

her memory is starting to go nowadays ... her zest for life hasn't gone anywhere though!

almost as soon as i walked in she started askig about my sister and if my aunt was coming. then she asked me if is was married. i said no. my mother tried to divert the attention and announced that she and my father were talking about re-marrying. she told my mother that a man had proposed to her and she asked if he had any money.

"don't get married unless he has a some money."
i said "granny, that may be why i'm not married!"

we all laughed and inside i let lose a happy poor mans tear, but at that moment watching her laugh was more of a high than any amount of money.

we shared some great moment over the weekend. her telling my nephew he was a pretty little girl & him repsonding in the most asexully, bassless 8year old voice " i'm not a little girl ... i'm a boy."
"but you have such pretty eyes"
"thank you." he said w/ a innocent, appreciative humbling questioning tremblo in his voice. and a smile that i'm sure will have women chasing after him befoer he even gets to high school!

i love the way she told my mother that she needed more money. if she wated to go shopping for groeries she wouldn't have any money.
my mother said "they cook for you. ou don't need groceries."
i know but if i wanted to cook i couldn't"
"you don't have a stove mom."
"i know i just need to have 2 or $300 with me!"
COMDEY!!!

she's gettign hungry so i say lets go get something to eat. she want chinese food. shrimp fried rice! we're on our way and we decide to drive down her old block . i don't want just drive by so ai ask my mother to stop on the block.

i spent summers here on her stoop. just watching people walk by, playing w/ my cousin in the vacant lot that we weren't suppossed to play in, flirting w/ the older girls and sneaking my first kiss behind the bushes between lil granny's and ms. aldores house. this is where i started to learn the rules of the street. it's also where my grandmother was QUEEN! she ruled new rose street w/ matriarical smoothness of a lioness. beautful in motion ... but don't do anything to make her stop and put her attention on you!

"lil granny" sat in the car as i jumped out to knock on the door of the dockery's. they lived across the street form her. their, son & daughter, junie & trudy (my first crush!), were like big cousins to me. making them like my aunts and uncle. mr. dockery was sitting in the back yard and i walked up to the fence & he shouted ...
"who dat there"
" it's weusi"
"way! hey there. did you ring the bell? meet me at the door."

the next thing i know mr. & mrs dockery are at the door sharing love like it was the summer of 78 and i had my tight navy blue shorts on w/ the yllow piping, yellow shirt to match and a green and yellow striped tube socks.

i spy across teh street to see my mother at the house next to the one that used to be my grandmothers, helping mrs aldore outside. now i jdut tought that ms. aldore was really popuar and that she used to sit on the porch and everyone used to talk to her. i didn't know until maybe 5 years ago that she was the numbers lady on the block. she's always ms. aldore to me.

anyway ... they all came out to the car to show respect and share love. and then my 94 year old grandmother decided that she wanted to get out of the car and chill on the block and spend some time talking to old friends. i thought about how she raised her family on this block. she raised other peoples kids on this block. she laughed and cried on this block. new rose street between calhouhn & styvesant ave. here, where i earned the lessonn of survial in the city and was first bit by the bug and taken a fever w/ the love for the hustle and grind! she smiled and chatted w/ her friends. i could see the love. and as she looked around and my mom joked about my grandmothers memory in her eyes i saw hw granny was experincing all teh joys of new rose street in those too short moments. then we were off to eat. i saw her eyes swell as she held back the tears. which in turn caused me to do the same.

i LOVE my grandmother and i could go on and on ... but i'm tearing up.

so not to stretch out this already long blog ...

the breath of life is not a promise ... engage your elders in moments & conversationa as if it may be their last. create new memories for them that they will enjoy!

in fact you should do the same for everyone .. all the time ...

know theyself ... not for your sake ... but to provide a honest, positive, rooted, intellegent and godlike example for your commuity. this is never about you or i.

"we must position ourselve in narrative larger than ourselves"

my "lil granny" is larger than life! she's one of those reminders that this is about so much more than me! i look forward to celebrating her and our love for each other and our commuinty when she's 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106 ... etc., etc. ETC ...

i'm crying now ... i gotta call her now ...
ask me about going to church w/ her sunday! later though

and i want her to see a black president!