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Can I just say that I am so excited to be alive? I can say it. I am fucking happy to be alive and proud to be black. Damn! It is a great day. I'm not a space geek. I mean, I do love Star Trek and Star Wars and BSG but I never did the whole astrophysics nor astronomy . As an adult I have come to embrace the general ideas there but I really don't know anything about those fields of study. Over the last few months, maybe even year, I have heard - thanks to various NPR / PRI podcasts (and the Daily Show ) - physicists and other scientists discuss String Theory and Multiverses and space travel . Much of it has been inspiring but what really made my day was hearing Dr. Mae Jemison dovetailing into a couple of recent interviews I've heard of Neil Degrasse Tyson . Its amazing to hear scientists think this way but what really got me is that I was listening to two black scientists talking about space travel, a topic that doesn't come up too often in most black barbers...

I made a mistake and it is costing my family dearly and I am having a very hard time coming to terms with it. The cost is relative but this decision is causing pain to a loved one, taking money from our very small bank account, stealing time from our finely tuned schedule, and soon it will be a major inconvenience. My dog was diagnosed with heart worms , a highly treatable - although it wasn't when I worked in a vet clinic 25 years ago, highly preventable mosquito transmitted parasite. I should concentrate on the highly treatable part of the equation, right? Well, I'm not. I'm fixated on the highly preventable part of the equation. I was diligently giving Johnders his chewable preventative every month for 2, almost 3 years, of his life. I stopped giving the tablets to him b/c in my analysis - limited and superficial - the risk/$$ ratio said the risk to him was really small but things changed and Johnders got infected. Now my seemingly thrifty decision has become a major ...

Do you know what makes you tick? Do you know how to avoid what makes you sick? Color Me True - Sly & the Family Stone

*****Technical Errors Require this to be reposted***** Recently I have been reminded how extremely difficult it is for me to allow others to be themselves and believe whatever they want to believe. Over the past week I have been involved in 4 conversations in 4 different subject areas where I have had to give up the conversation because it became apparent the other person in the conversation didn't see things the way I did thus didn't believe the same truisms that I believe. This is always tortuous to me because the way I see it is that I am approaching whatever it is from the rational and objective which is universal and easy for everyone to see. What I forget is two-fold. One person's logic is another person's bullshit and two what's logical to me might be emotional to them. This turns it into a three-fold reason but I might not be seeing things as objectively as I think I am. I believe we are all blessed with certain talents, skills, and tendencies which when...

Solomon Burke - R.I.P. King of Soul

The following is a semi-paid (I think I get a t-shirt.) advertisement for SoccerPro.com and their efforts to help Shoes 4 Life.: The World Cup being hosted in South Africa is a big step forward for the nation of South Africa and the entire continent of Africa . Billions of South African Rand are entering the country, and it is getting a lot of media exposure. The World Cup is a great celebration that unites the world. Soccer equipment retailer SoccerPro.com is celebrating in their own way. They're raising awareness of those who are less fortunate in Africa (and throughout the world) who do not have shoes. When a family barely has enough more to eat and provide shelter, the purchasing of shoes can be missed if funds aren't available. The lack of shoes can lead to injuries and infections which are amplified by the poor ground conditions and lack of urgent medical treatment. SoccerPro.com has launched their Shoes 4 Life charity to raise money to buy shoes for those in ne...

No, I'm not into Manolo Blahniks - although I do appreciate a woman in a nice pair of heels. I am talking about men's shoes; men's dress shoes, men's outdoor shoes, and men's athletic shoes. I love them all even when I have nowhere close to the money to afford or justify a new pair and anybody who knows quality shoes knows I'm talking quality price tag too! I think it started with my dad. Although I most often saw him in work clothes (khaki pants and short sleeve shirts), they were meticulously maintained clothes. He had his pants and shirts laundered and pressed, even the ones he kept for yard work and fishing. He shined all shoes except his "working in the yard shoes". When he did get dressed up he looked crisp and clean with a just enough style elements to show you that he really knew what he was doing. My first encounter with shoe envy came when I played football as a 6th grader . I desperately wanted a pair of off-white on white Puma cleats...

To all the mothers of the world let me take a minute to say that I am awed by you, each one. You don't get the credit you deserve. To my mother... Thank you for everything you did for me while I had you. I miss you so much! Jai

I was a Cub Scout . I was a Webelo . I was a Boy Scout . They are different age groupings of the same institution but no matter how young or old you were you were always encouraged and trained to be a kid who did things outside. There are some more cerebral activites or functions like citizenship and religion but in a pinch there is nothing you couldn't translate to the out-of-doors. Reading ? Check. Basketweaving ? Check. Leatherwork ? Check. Theater ? Check. But now in an effort to keep the kids coming they have added Video Games ! This makes me almost as mad as the culture of discrimination and homophobia the BSA continues to perpetuate. I know people will say that the games promote healthy competition and togetherness, or that kids who play video games a lot develop good hand-eye coordination but give me a freaking break Scouting is filled with activities that promote all of that without gazing into a TV screen for hours on end. Scouting is about broadening the ...

Same woman, same reaction . The difference? I had Julia in one arm and a diaper bag in the other. This time, as the woman got closer I ask Julia to say "hi" to the woman. Julia just stared and the woman just ignored.

I talk a lot of cuss ( Fantastic Mr. Fox reference). Its usually factually based but I talk a lot of BS. I have a talent for gleaning knowledge from slivers of information. I am also blessed with a curiosity level that allows requires me to be interested in all sorts of random stuff, very little is uninteresting to me. On the surface that's all pretty harmless but I am discovering that it is actually quite ego driven which isn't so harmless. I am reading a book that is forcing me to evaluate my actions and their motives. The book is The Lost Art of Compassion . The premise is that some Buddhist thought and some western psychology agree that when you are truly compassionate you are happier. I buy that and I want to be that. The book gives some instruction on how to become compassionate and one thing it stresses is that narcissism drives most of us more than we can imagine. Narcissism as the author tells is stealthy and this is where I come in. He talks about things we...

Many of you know that I live in the same house I grew up in. The street was racially mixed when I was a kid but now it is predominantly black. There are a couple of transitional housing places that tweak the "white" end numbers a bit but overall this is a black neighborhood. I just went to my front yard to get mail and retrieve the trashcan. As I got to the mailbox an unfamiliar (a resident or friend of someone in the transitional housing on our street) woman with white hair - white skin too - was walking down the street. I said "Hello, how are you?" but she didn't verbally respond. Instead she went to the opposite side of the street AND put her purse on the opposite shoulder only to come back to my side of the street when she was a full house or so past me. As she did this I wished her a good day, got my trashcan and came back inside. I am not overly concerned about racism ; I tend to see the individual more than the group but it is instances like this tha...

This is an oddball observation. For the past 4 years I have worked hard to get Tara to fold my pants the way I have folded pants my entire life (Tara does most laundry in the house). I learned to fold pants in what I believed was the only (and proper) way, as a prep for hanging. You fold them front to back so that a crease is kept in the front and back center, perpendicular to the side seams. Tara folded my pants like she folded her own pants, the opposite way. She folds along the side seam . I was under the impression that this was a female thing b/c every man I knew well enough to see them fold their pants folded them the way I do. A few weeks ago my brother-in-law moved in with us and he wears - almost exclusively - urbanwear jeans. You know, the jeans that are pressed board stiff and have the fancy embroidery on the back pockets. Well, he folded some of my pants the other day and, to my surprise, they were folded like Tara does it. Now, as I started writing this post I thought...

Those who know me well know that I am a bit of a clothes hound. Those who know me really well know I have no money to buy what I like. Well, I've just found one way to possibly get some soccer jerseys on the cheap...free actually. soccerpro.com is having a "Jerseys for Life" sweepstakes to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup . If you connect to soccerpro.com on Facebook you automatically enter to win your favorite team 's new jersey every year for the next 10 years, crazy huh?!?!?! If you don't win you will at the very least you get a $10 coupon for soccerpro.com . **Be sure to follow the link here or at the end of this post to get to the right spot.** soccerpro.com has a wide selection of soccer gear for fans, players, trainers and coaches and as far as I can tell, pretty darn good prices. It is to my eyes a great online soccer gear store. If you are a coach or are involved in an organized league of some sort I think it would be worth your while to check it ...

There are so many things about my dad that come to mind in relation to Barack Obama . I am constantly struck by the similarity of body movement. Every time I see the President walk I am reminded of my dad, every time I see the President sit or speak I am reminded of my dad. The photo here is from the White House flickr page. I think it is a wonderful photo but looking at the man in the photo I think of my dad. In life and lifestyle Papa and POTUS are very dissimilar but they carry themselves in a suprisingly similar way.We know about Barack Obama's life so I won't repeat it here but I will tell more about my dad. He was born in rural Middle Tennessee , oldest of two boys, his mom was a domestic and his dad a carpenter. If I understand correctly, some of his great grandparents were slaves (I think one of his grandmothers was a Cherokee and one of his grandfathers was a white man). My dad completed high school ( Pearl High School , class of 1936) and at most, a year of col...

I've loved PBS as long as I can remember, going back to ZOOM , Sesame Street , etc. I can always find shows on PBS I love. Austin City Limits helped me keep sanity through the 90s. I haven't paid a bunch of attention to what was on other than Tavis Smiley and Volunteer Gardener but in this first week of 2010 I have seen two of the most enjoyable and interesting documentaries I have seen in a very long time. First was " The Human Spark ", Alan Alda hosts this three part show on what makes humans human, not Neanderthal or chimp or whatever. The first episode was great. He went to archeological sites and discussed what made us, homo sapien sapiens , different from Neanderthal. Why did they die out and we are still here? Really cool stuff. Now I am watching " This Emotional Life " which explores how and why we feel what we feel. Using case studies and interviews, including interviews with lots of entertainment folks. Its narrated by Daniel Gilbert , the g...

I have admitted on several occasions that I have what is pretty close to the perfect life. This is one of those weeks why its pretty close not absolute. I turned 42 on Monday. I've never been a big celebration person, don't like being the center of attention, but I married someone who although she thinks shes an introvert, loves being the center of attention...especially as it relates to her birthday. Tara loves her birthday and loves to celebrate her birthday, she actually attempts to celebrate the entire month. This is not a narcisitic thing - I mean, I guess it is but not in a negative way. She loves gifts and she loves to eat, two things that usually go with your birthday. Also, she wants other people to participate. I live gifts and I like food but I would rather people mail me the gifts and have dinner by myself - usually. Therein lies the rub. How do we manage to celebrate my birthday? Tara knows I don't want to make a big deal but she does. I know that Tara enjoys ...

This last spring Mike from Growild came out to the house and wandered the property with me, a consult. While wandering he spotted a clematis growing in the middle of the yard, I didn't have a clue what it was or how. He suggested I plant it on the fence near where we found it. I did and slowly it climbed. This week was something special, it started to bloom. Since I was unfamiliar with the plant I didn't know what to expect. I am impressed. It grows rather quickly but seems to be quite tame and trainable. I don't think the blooms will get much bigger but who cares. They are lovely looking white flowers with a wonderfully delicate scent. I have found two other clematis plants in the yard, one I replanted and its growing but much more slowly, the other is in the middle of the lawn. I hope to get to it before Johnders tramples it and find a good spot for it. Yea plants! Powered by ScribeFire .

I saw a Phish Halloween show...it was the 96 show " Remain in Light " by Talking Heads . I went with my friend Kevin and the seats sucked. It was the Omni and we were at the top - no tapers tickets for me for that show. The excitement was energizing. Everybody was guessing which album there would be. Then we got inside and they gave out handbills, like the Broadway type, and not being a big Talking Heads fan I didn't understand the cover photo (Remain in Light with Phich members instead of Talking Heads). We trudged our way up and up and up some more. We squeezed into the seats - they are much smaller when you are that high up and I filled Kevin in on the show. He'd never been to one of these type shows (3 sets, etc). So an hour or so later Remain in Light begins and it was intense. I didn't know they album so I didn't know what was going on. I remember being excited to see El Buho , who'd I'd gotten to know in Nashville and I remember thinking how ...

The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Is it Time to Care About Soccer? - Alexi Lalas www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum Powered by ScribeFire .