CHANGE

Track: Adele: Melt My Heart to Stone

Mood: Relaxed

CHANGE

Greetings blogworld! I pray this post finds you all in the nest of health and the highest of spirits. A new friend of mine (SHOUT OUT @ CHAREICE) asked me to write about "Change". She wanted to know my perspective, so I thought I'd share. It requires a little background on my personality.

My life is very calculated. The moves I make are very meticulous and strategic. I have to have a reason for everything and I have to know the next move before I make the first one. Have you ever made plans to hang out with friends and then fall through. Either people flake or life gets in the way? Yea, that happens to me all the time.

I've made plans for my entire life. At this age, I should have a masters degree, making 100k a year, self employed, and living a life of luxury ... and yet none of the aforementioned things are happening. There is a quote that I enjoy, but can't remember who said it "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans". For me, this rings true. I was tired of making plans that never work out.

Obama won his historical election based on the idea and the concept of change. No, not that stuff left over after you break a dollar. Real change.

One day I sat in front of my computer and thought..."Something different has to happen IMMEDIATELY!" Now, I don't recommend everyone do what I did, but it worked for me. I logged on to Facebook and posted as my status "Where should I move: Florida, Georgia, DC, New York, or Virginia?" The people spoke and I listened. I began looking for a job and a little over a month later I was living in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Positive change is always good. Sometimes you have to do something different if you expect different results. I wanted different results, so I didn't PLAN, I just DID. One thing you have to keep in mind is that, sometimes things get worse before they get better, but they ALWAYS get better. Until be meet again, be blessed.

Peace and love ...

Track: The Black Keys: Tighten Up

Mood: Numb

WHY

Greetings Blogworld?! I hope this post finds you in the best of health and the highest of spirits. It seems like ages since my last post. I'm working on consistency. I'm just gonna jump into this post...

On Saturday September 4th, I was leaving work and an acquaintance was walking out in front of me. When I got to my car, she called me over to hers.

She said,"Anthony, you know I appreciate all you do, right?"
I replied,"Of course."
She grabbed me and gave me a tight hug and said, "I love you. Have a good weekend."
"I love you too." I said. "Have a good weekend also."

On Monday September 6th, with a gun as her accomplice, she took her own life. Because I wasn't there I will never know the true details of what happened. One can only wonder what would cause a seemingly happy teacher, mother, wife, and daughter to turn a gun on herself and pull the trigger.

Of course when the news broke at work everyone and their mother had a theory as to what happened. "She was really stressed and just could take it anymore." Okay. "She was on heavy anti depressants and you know suicidal thoughts and behaviors are side effects." Okay. "Her husband was trying to divorce her." Okay. Again, because I wasn't there, I refuse to believe the stories that people conjure up.

On some level, I think suicide is selfish. You brought us joy and you took that away from us. Or maybe that's just me being selfish. I wonder about the child, husband, grandchildren, mother, and friends that she left behind. The church was at capacity during the funeral and the funeral home was standing room only during the visitation. She was loved. I can't help but think that had she known how loved she truly was, maybe things could have been different. Maybe not.

A smile can hide a lot of pain. Again, I don't know all the details to this situation, but I do know that suicide is nothing but a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There's always another choice.

Until we meet again,

Peace and love...

Track: Lauryn Hill: Light My Fire

Mood: Anti

Hip Hop...

Beat box some hip hop back in my heartbeat
And gimme the rhythm so I can tap my feet.

Freestyle some freedom back in my mind,
Cause I can take these tired lyrics time after time.

Graffiti the word "LOVE" all over me,
So I can remember how I feel about thee.

These days I don't know what's going on,
But the hip hop I used to know seems so far gone.

I don't think you realize how much you mean to me.
Now you're just a vacant shell of what you used to be.

I wanna lace up my Adidas again and tip my Kangol,
And rock steady to the beat so hard it vibrates my soul.

I wanna break dance battle. I don't wanna lean and rock,
I wanna two step with my lady, she don't wanna pop, lock, and drop.

Music's met a foe called capitalism and conformity.
We need a hip hop hero with a sick flow over a dope beat.

Once upon a time music's all that seemed to matter.
Now I'm desperately seeking my happily ever after.

When you say something worthy of being placed in a song,
Then and only then will I put my headphones back on.

Track: Destiny's Child: Free

Mood: Relaxed

SWEET FREEDOM

Greetings Blogworld! I hope this post finds you all in the best of health and the highest of spirits! Now, I'm goin in!!

Have you ever met someone who is everything you never knew you wanted? Have you ever found what you thought was love even when you weren’t looking for it? Ladies, have you ever been swept off your feet so quickly that you didn’t even notice when you lost your footing? Have you ever dove so deep into love that you don’t even remember taking the leap? I have.

Love is a blind leap of faith. You’re basically dropping all inhibitions and restrictions in order to give someone all you have to offer. We take this leap in the hopes that the object of our affection will reciprocate the feelings and leap with us, or at least catch us when we fall. It’s beautiful when love works. It’s powerful when someone loves you as much as you love them. It’s soothing to know that someone has the power to crush you, but won’t.

But what if they do? What if the love you thought was the most powerful thing in the world wasn’t? You call that person your “other half” and now it’s over. How do you cope with that? It’s simple. You mourn the loss of your relationship and you move on. Cry if you need to. You do whatever it takes, within reason, to feel whole again. This journey from love to loss and single again is a difficult one and it takes people different times to cope with this newly found freedom.
A serious breakup is a lot like death and grief. In a sense you are mourning the death of a relationship. The five stages are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually acceptance. You’ll tell yourself that you all will get back together. Denial. You’ll get mad and perhaps even take it out on his or her clothes, car, etc. Anger. You’ll suggest you all remain friends and you may or may not mean it. Bargaining. You’ll feel sorry for yourself. You’ll blame yourself and not want to eat, sleep or go out. Depression. Eventually, you will be okay with the break up. Acceptance. Getting to that acceptance is a difficult process.

Your friends will try to hook you up with new people … new people that you will compare to your old love. They say that the best way to get over an old love is to get under a new one. That won’t work. You’ll often look at old photos, old letters, etc and old feelings will resurface. The pain is still there. They still have the ability to control how you feel. They can ruin or make your day based on how they treat you.

At some point, you will be okay. At some point, you will look at the same old photos, old letters, etc and feel NOTHING. No feels of wanting to get back together. No feelings of inadequacy. No feelings of depression. No feelings of pain. NOTHING. You’re free. This person no longer has the ability to control how you feel and you’ve never felt better. SWEET FREEDOM.

Until we meet again ...

Peace and love ...

My Other Half?

Track: The Script: The Man Who Can't Be Moved

Mood: Aloof

MY OTHER HALF?

Greetings blogworld! I pray this entry finds you all in the best of health and the highest of spirits.

So, I was thinking today, why do people call their significant others their "other half"? I don't know about you, but I'm a whole person. I don't want to date a partial woman. I'm a LIBRA and according to the sign, I'm seeking balance in life and love. I also don't like when people say stuff like "you complete me".

I see relationships as more of two strong entities coming together to become a force. I don't think it's healthy to rely on another person to come into your life before you feel complete. Perhaps this is why I'm single. Who knows. What do you all think? Sound off.

Until we meet again ...

Peace and love...

Get Some Power...

Track: Michelle Williams: Purpose in Your Storm

Mood: Chill

Greetings blogworld! I pray this entry finds you in the best of health and the highest of spirits.

Ok, I'm just going to dive in with this topic. I don't go to church. I haven't gone to church regularly in a long time. Honestly, there is very little that I miss about it. I miss the people that I've met and I miss singing on the choir, kinda.

Now, don't think that I'm some heathen who doesn't acknowledge God because that is not the case. I pray often. I read the bible. I meditate. I give God his 10%. There are many things I used to partake in that I choose not to now. I just don't attend church regularly.

My friends and I were talking candidly with a preacher who may have gotten a little too comfortable and made a statement that didn't sit well with me. He said, "I hope church is packed Sunday. I need a new watch." Initially, I laughed and then I got offended. I questioned his statement and he claimed to have been joking. I believe all jokes have a core of truth. As we continued talking, my friends made plans to go to a club the following weekend and the preacher asked if he could meet us there. Again, this didn't sit well with me and I posed the question, "can preachers go to clubs?" He replied, "preaching is my job. I gotta have a life outside of church." I was speechless. I think that once God calls AND chooses you, your life is now to bring souls to HIM. There is no "clocking out" or "time off". This is a large part of what deters people from going to church. Crooked preachers preaching nonsense for personal gain.

I have met the biggest hoes, liars, thieves, crooks, drunks, and everything else you can think of in church. And this is where I should go for spiritual growth? I'm not saying that there are no real dedicated people in church, but I've met some real characters. I've seen too many people do that same thing too many times. I'm over the whole "lets give God the glory" while we're in HIS house and act a foolish mess when they leave. I'm not perfect and never claim to be, but I'm tired of the "Holier than thou" people who raise the most hell.

I consider myself spiritual. I think the term "religious" is too closed minded. Now, don't get me wrong, I thank God for HIS blessings, I pray before I make major decisions, etc. Who knows, maybe I will make it back to church and join again.

I hope I don't offend anyone with this post. Actually, I don't care if I offend anyone with this post. If you're offended then maybe you should rethink what you contribute to church. Shouting is great, but I refuse to celebrate a dead praise. get some power and holla at me later.

With much passion and conviction, until we meet again...

Peace and love...

HAPPY

Happy

Mood: elated

Track: Natasha Bedingfield: Happy

Greetings blogworld! I pray this post finds you in the highest of spirits and the best of health. Now I know it's been ages since my last post. Honestly, there has been a lot going on, but instead of jotting it all down for me to blog about later, I simply tweet it. Sorry. I'm on my way back though.

The older I get the more I realize how much the little things in life matter. I've always been the type to appreciate the small things, but it's becoming more obvious as I age. I truly believe that life is what you make it. Take a moment to look around at the things you have, not the material things because they come and go. Look at the things that really matter. As Natasha Bedingfield sings in the song 'Happy', "Got my dreams, got my life, got my love. Got my friend, got the sunshine above. Why am I making this hard on myself when there's so many beautiful reasons I have to be happy."

Check out the song below. It really puts things in perspective. Even when negative things seem to be all around, there are still so many beautiful reasons to be happy.

Until we meet again,

Peace and love...

R & B SPOTLIGHT: Mike Ant

R & B SPOTLIGHT: Mike Ant

Mood: Productive
Track: Mike Ant: Episode

Would you rather listen to an over synthesized, hyper auto-tuned track or a track by a girl with weak vocals, but a hot body. Granted, you can't see her through the radio. Well, now we have more options. Listen to the track below...



You just experienced the music of Mike Ant. You may not know who he is, but trust me, he's no rookie in the industry. In fact, Mike Ant has written for and even sang with some of the industry's most famous musicians.

This particular song, Episode, is one of my favorites. The song starts off by Ant describing a particular event of a sexual nature in which he wants to relive. "Thinkin about the next time when/ I gets to be with you again/ Been a cool minute since we been wit it,did it, fulfilled it/ its quite unfortunate."

During the chorus, he just cuts to the chase and sings, "If it's alright with you/ Can we flip and episode tonight/ it's all about what you wanna do (yea baby)/ we can do whatever you like/ let me cater to you/ so hit me back with your reply/ if youre sure that it's cool/ can we flip and episode, flip an episode tonight?"

The vocals?? Don't get me started on the vocals. Okay, I'm goin in! The vocals are he dopest kind of ill. They make you forget the song is about an invitation for a sexual rendezvous. But, don't get me wrong, the track is far from smut. He throws ole girl some romance, singing, "Baby I can't believe my eyes/ your face, your waist, your lips, your thighs/ to me, a vision of beauty, a cutie, you're so sexy and so desirable."

A debut album is still in the works, but there are a few tracks on youtube and myspace that can tie you over until the CD is complete and released. For more music, updates, adn more, check him out ...

youtube.com/MikeAntTV
twitter.com/MikeAnt
Myspace.com/MikeAnt
facebook.com/MikeAnt

THIS OR THAT

THIS OR THAT

Mood: COLD!!
Track: Wale feat Jazmine Sullivan: World Tour

Greeting blogworld! I hope this entry finds you all in the best of health and the highest of spirits. This entry is simply for fun. I just want to know what you all prefer...

1. iPhone vs Blackberry (theres already a twitter war...lol)
2. MTV vs BET
3. Mercedes ve BMW
4. HBCU vs Ivy League Universities
5. Football vs Basketball
6. Facebook vs Myspace
7. Beyonce vs Rihanna (imma start a debate with that one)
8. Mac vs PC
9. America's Next Top Model vs Project Runway
10. Verizon vs AT&T
11. Burger King vs McDonald's
12. Vans vs Converse Chuck Taylors
13. Lil Wayne vs Jay-Z
14. New York vs California
15. Coke vs Pepsi

Until we meet again...

Peace and love...

WE ARE THE WORLD 2010

WE ARE THE WORLD 2010

Mood: Empathetic
Track: We Are The World 2010




Greetings blogworld. I pray that this entry finds you all in the best of health and the highest of spirits. I'm sure you all have heard that in efforts to help Haiti, a gang of celebrities remade "We Are The World". I've heard a lot of people say that the remake has ruined the integrity of the original. I don't mind the song, actually. It's very modern and very...today. I don't care for the autotune though. What do you think?

Until we meet again...

Peace and love...

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION

Mood: Confused
Track: Train: Hey Soul Sister

Greetings Blogworld! I hope this entry finds you in the best of health and the highest of spirits. I was just thinking about communication. I reread a post from another blog (#shoutout to FeeleTheReal.Blogspot.com)and it really got me thinking. Have we gone so deep into the pool of technology that we don't even know how to communicate effectively without out blackberrys (or blackberries, I dont really know lol), our email accounts, or our other devices.

I remember when I was a junior in college, my internship supervisor sent me a text message and it completely blew my mind. I thought to myself, "What is she doing texting?" I thought it was funny that she was so...technologically savvy. Now, as I've entered the workforce, I see it more than ever. In the office, people instant message each other when they have questions about a project. My new supervisor sends me text messages or leaves me printed notes about random issues at work. Isn't talking more convenient and effective? I can't tell your true meaning behind a text (unless you add "lol", then I know your're joking). I feel that speaking directly will eliminate a lot of potential confusion.

I was out with some friends and I received a phone call and had to step out to take it. I was gone for about ten minutes (I know that was rude of me). When I returned, one of my friends was shocked that I had a ten minute conversation. He then said, "I don't really talk on the phone. I just text and email." I think I would be insulted if I met a girl who only wanted to text or email me. At some point I think we need to have an actual conversation. Am I crazy? Am I one of those old people who just can't keep up with the latest forms of technology and communication? What do you think?

Until we meet again...

Peace and love...

SELFISHNESS

SELFISHNESS

Mood: Refreshed
Track: Live Like You're Dying: Kris Allen

What's up Blogworld? I hope this entry finds you in the best of health and the highest of spirits. I must apologize becuase my entries have been far and in between. There are so many things that I could have written about and so many things that I wanted to write about. I guess I just got caught up in the chaos of life. Regardless of the reason, I'm writing now...

Yesterday a good acquaintance of mine sent me a BBM (that's BlackBerry Message for all you non blackberry users. #teamblackberry lol). The message read, "Does it make me a bad person if you didnt have a falling out with a friend, but you just want to let the friendship go?" I responded with, "Not at all. You have to do what's best for you. All friendships aren't meant to last forever. Everyone is not going where you are going in life and you have to be careful who you let tag along."

We continued to discuss this for several hours before another friend asked me a similar question. He asked, "How do you know when you've outgrown a friend?" I didn't exactly know how to answer, but I told him about my personal experiences. The older I get and the more I learn, grow, and mature, the more I noticed that a lot of my friends weren't. As I began to do more things to further my career, some people stopped talking to me and others started talking about me. I didn't have to sever any ties, they dismissed themselves. As I get older, my inner circle gets smaller... and I couldn't be happier.

At this stage in my life, I need more in a friend than just being fun to be around. I need friends who are as passionate about life as I am. Friends who motivate me by their successes. Friends who hold me accountable for my foolish decisions. I feel like I do all those things for my friends and I may be a little selfish these days, but I want to succeed and I need friends who are going to help me get there and not just make me laugh along the way.

What do you think? How do you know when to end a frienship? Do you think my attitude is selfish?

Until we meet again...

Peace and love...