Happy Commercial Holiday, everyone.

In honor of this gloriously dividing holiday,
to the have and have-nots of love, I give you this timely classic.

Enjoy.

Last night Lupe saved my life.

Last night, I decided I'd take a break from
the pressure cooker that is the Brandcenter.
And by break, I mean going to VCU's Homecoming.

Now after four hours of
ho-hum opening acts and dudes flipping on trick bicycles,
the show started.

What lasted a little more than an hour seemed like much more.
It was an escape. One that I was in dire need of.
Connecting to real music. To real stories.
To anything other than advertising.
And it was beautiful.

If you've never listened to Lupe Fiasco's music,
I highly recommend it. Examine every word,
not just his cadence and the beat. If it helps,
read them while he spits them.
Delve into what hip-hop means and what music should be.
Hell, you might even be surprised what you find out.
I guarantee it has nothing to do with Rims, Tims and video hoochies.

The Brandcenter has its good and its bad.
It makes the outside world disappear when life gets rough.
But, it also makes it disappear.
And its nights like last night that is a welcomed break.
And it reminded me why I love his music. It reminded me
why he's one of the greatest,
if not greatest musicians of our generation.

For everyone who ever was curious

For everyone who ever wondered what the heck I'm doing here in grad school. Here is a small taste. I think its funny, that i'm even going into this silly industry. I guess that's why I stay in it.

BradyBill.org - "Basketball"


Krispy Kreme - "Burglary"

Holy matrimony, baloney

Saying the words “I love you” is hard enough,
let alone saying the words
“I do.”

Two evenings ago, someone very close to me’s little sister announced her engagement. To her family’s dismay.
She’s freshly twenty-one. Her fiancé, the tender age of twenty.
Young.

It isn’t their age or the lack there of
that has inspired this post. No, it’s the setup.
But when questioned what each other’s eye color was,
they were wrong.
When asked favorite colors,
they were not even close.

And when asked what it was about the other person
that indicated they should spend the rest of their lives together,
there was silence, stumbling-bumblings
and “I don’t knows, I just can’t explain-ems” from both parties.

What makes this scary is
that their first date was Dec. 21, 2007.
They were engaged a week and a half later.
Their wedding day is March 22, 2008.
For those bad at math that’s three months.
Signed. Sealed. Delievered. All in less than a semester.

But, when is the right time to say,
“let’s spend together forever”?
Hell, if I knew that answer Dr. Phil’s
secret love affair with Oprah might be bamboozled.

I do know, however, you should at least know whom you’re marrying.
Unless you’re really into sadomasochism.
Or drive-thru Vegas weddings.

Hey, remember when I used to blog

Nothing says it is time to write like puddles adorned with rain ripples,
somber clouds and my girlfriend apprising me
all break that I “really need to update my blog, dang it.”
So, here it is. The first installment of the year.
Ladies and gentlemen, please hold your applause till the end.

First, let’s answer some common questions?
1) How was the 1st semester at Adcenter?
a: Hard as crap.

2) How’s the girlfriend?
a: Beautiful and amazing. She smells good, too. Lucky me.

3) How’s the fam? The lil’ bro?
a: Good. Silly. They smell good, too.

4) What’s been goin’ on all break?
a: Breakin’. Not the dance from yesteryear wherein I’ve gracefully retired. Nor the 80s cult blockbuster starring Shabadoo and Boogaloo Shrimp. Just the resting kind. The kind involving the opposite of working hard.

5) How’s the music thing going? How’s Crux (my band)?
a: Rockin’. Give it time. What’s up with all the questions?

There. All caught up. Well sort of.
There’s a lot more to say, but that’s after I learn how to say it.
But in the interim, please hold that applause.
You’ll thank me later.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone.

In a different life, I'd be a warrior for Lupe

This is for me
And this is for everyone else
Please listen to this song closely
Very closely
'Cause music needs real folks for a change
Sure, the video is raw an unattractive
That’s the point
Let the words speak for themselves
Maybe you’ll find out something about music
where it needs to go, what it needs to do
Maybe you’ll find out something about yourself
But, who knows. I’m just a snot-nosed kid
Trying to find the real.
Maybe one day, right?

Coffee, Sugar & half and half

Just when you thought,
scratch that, just when I thought
I would never find time to post on this darn thing
again till Winter Break, here I am.
Willing and able, however I apologize for my lack of coherent thinking.

Why?

Simple answer. The Adcenter is just
that demanding, that challenging, that difficult.
Sleep misses me, as I miss it. My relationship
with my dearest Sarah is heavily invested
in the telecommunications industry. And, if wisdom
is measured in number of wrinkles on the brain, let me inform you
that the process to developing those is a mentally tiring one.
Funny that I’m not even getting any wiser.
But, that is a different story in and of itself.

Well, it might be time answer a question that I’m sure I’ll hear from more than just my parents. “Did I make the right choice?”

Don’t let my late night rants, my lack of
being a good enough friend to call you all back,
my 20 hour work days seven days a week, my new
found appreciation for my gray hair, my now
apparent addiction to my coffee lifeblood, my disconnect
from the current events, my being dehydrated and still
living to tell about it,
my lack of time to grocery shop nor exercise,

my intense familiarity of what
both sunrises and sunsets look like, my daydreams
of being in my girl’s arms fool you.
No, not at all.

I made the right choice.
Just waiting for the rest of life to catch up is all.