Good Day

Today I took my wife and my son to the African Art museum here in DC. I have not been to this museum in about 10 years. My parents took my brother and I there a few times when we were younger and I took a few dates as I got older. I wanted my son even though he is two to really start to understand important history. The first part of the trip to the museum involved just looking at wonderful pieces of art from different countries in Africa. My first observation was that out of all the pieces, Nigeria seemed to have the most detailed work. The work from there also seemed to use a variety of material. The work from the Congo also had me very inspired. It seemed to use a lot of its work to honor the family structure. The next part of the museum had a exhibit that showed in pictures and words the civil rights movement. Many of the pictures revolved around MLK, Andrew Young, John Lewis, Stokley Carmichael and a host of others. Many of the pictures showed the police beating marchers, people being hosed, and dogs being used to attack people. Some of the pictures were very graphic in that they showed people who were shot and killed by police in Alabama, Tennessee and various other states. The exhibit was very moving. They also had a display that showed the police report from when Rosa Parks was arrested. It even had the paper where she did her fingerprints. They even had a TV set up showing the old Eyes on the Prize series. I really hope my son took in some of what he saw even though he is not able to read as of yet. I really need him to understand what we have come through to get where we are today and where we need to go. It was a powerful exhibit.

Ways of Living

Why are people in this day and time still living way beyond their means.? I am seeing so many of my friends and associates still buying expensive cars, clothes, etc and not thinking long term. Some of these people have children. Where is the focus on saving for the future? Why is there a need to have a brand new car that you can barely afford. I just don't understand it. I used to get asked a lot why I drive a Toyota Corolla and I always respond that it is a good car that is excellent on gas. Don't get me wrong, I would love a new German car but what is my motivation. I am a 30 year old married man with a 2 year old son. I am thinking in a very practical manner. I have clients that live in apartments with $700 car notes. Why??? Priorities people. That same money that you spend on a that expensive car can go into a 529 plan for college for your kids. . Or it can go into a rainy day fund. I know my wife and I are working toward being debt free very soon. I don't know if having our son made us this way but it is something that is constantly on our minds. I try to to talk to people that come in my office and advise them of how to save money right now. Certain things can wait. One of my old clients who is a stock trader gave me some very good advice last year. He told that if you can't buy something twice you do not need it. This is how he goes into every purchase from a house to an television. He pays everything in cash. This is where I strive to be.

This morning on the radio I heard Purple Rain by Prince. This song is the epitome of good music. It reminds me of when I was growing up and we as a family played record almost every Saturday night. My father back then was always buying albums and playing them in the family room. These albums ranged from Purple Rain to Terrence Trent Darby(I am can't get that song out of my head Rashad), the Temps, to Kool Moe Dee. Even my brother back in the day would be in his room playing all types of music and would have me in there. This was back when you would try to catch songs on the radio and tape them. I still remember when my dad bought home the How you like me know record and played it to death. I used to look at him like he was crazy but it was indeed good times. I wonder how my son will look back on times like this. Normally on Saturday morning I blast music (censored music of course) from my itunes and he will sit with me and do his two step. (Okay, the two-step part was a stretch but he still dances)
I hope he treasures it when he gets older as I do.

One Liners

Bobby Jindal is messing up his shot for 2012.

I am proud of my Boy Dhani for his new reality show on the Travel channel.

I need a new IPOD that can hold more songs.

The new Joe Budden album is crazy. (Sorry Rashad)

I started working out again and I am in crazy pain.

Going through the process of a merger is a pain the behind.

Writing everyday really is a exercise for the brain.

You can learn a lot watching No Reservations on the travel channel.

Music really is a great form of therapy.

There are too many state troopers on the beltway.'

Its good to conquer your shortcomings every day.

I don't miss Atlanta at all.

Marriage is contagious.

I want to see the Roots in concert.

Mid Week Ramblings

I sat and watched Obama's speech last night and was left feeling like more was needed. I knew going in that he was going to be making a thematic speech but I did not know to that extreme. He was extremely vague in laying out his plans. I am aware that he has some things in the works, but I think we are at a point where we need honest feedback. I know I am tired of hearing about what needs to be done. I am ready to hear how we are going to do it and what programs will suffer based on long term needs. There needs to be a breakdown of timelines, and we need to be informed of everything. This may be asking a lot so early on but I feel like this is what is needed right now.

Why is it that people who don't have children want you to have a bunch of kids. Everywhere that I go people ask myself and my wife how many children we have and we say one. We also say how we have no plans to have any more children. This is something that we have talked about in great detail. This normally turns to the person having a discussion about why having one child is not good for the child and how an only child is normally a spoiled child. To all of you that have this point of view I invite you to please take it upon yourselves to have all the children you want. It is not happening over here. My wife and I are very content. Even in my seminar yesterday during lunch, the facilitator asked me how many children my wife and I had and explained everything to her. She then proceeded to tell me how her husband was raised an only child and how he is. Really? Is it that serious?

Satisfied

How many people can you name that are really doing what they feel like they were put on this earth to do? How many people are really passionate about what they do and would do it even if they were not making a fairly decent amount of money? This is something that I have been thinking about lately. As a look around I really don't see anyone that falls in this category. I know a few people that are very successful at what they are doing and have made a very good career doing it. But I ask again about the passion. My brother and I have a friend whom we have known since he was in middle school. Ever since he was young he wanted to be a pilot and talked about it all the time. When he graduated high school he went on to college and when he graduated from there went right to flight school. He has now been a pilot for quite some time and he really enjoys it. How often is this that we hear of someone who follows a path like this. I will say that even my brother is now writing for a sports team part time and he is loving every minute of it. He has been talking about doing something like this for as long as I can remember. I asked though, how many people do we know like this. It has been said that college is supposed to help you with this process but I have not seen that. I know many people who went to school, starting job hunting, and went with the money. They are really operating on auto pilot. They may be doing what they need to do to advance in that field but are they really doing what makes them happy?

I guess this is on my mind because I am still searching for what truly drives me. I have always been a writer even when I was young. I started writing poetry and moved on to short stories and then music. It is something that I have always enjoyed but it is also something I just do for fun and not a career. I also enjoy and love music. I enjoy the entire music making process. I had a discussion yesterday with a friend who is in the music business about how much the process of putting out an album is unknown but how much I love it. I also enjoy working with and talking to at risk youth. In some way shape or fashion I have had my hand in one of these careers in my spare time when I am not knee deep in the banking world. I guess I am feeling like I may be more motivated if I did what made me smile all day long. I have been told my current Regional VP that I always seem to enjoy what I do and my results show it, but I really don't feel that way. I believe this is where the term stepping out on faith comes in. We shall see.......

Friends

As I get older I am realizing more and more that I really have a very small circle of friends. I can count on my hand the people that call my good friends. I wonder if that is normal. I have always been closest to my brother so he is really who I consider the friend that I have had the longest and who I am closest too...(And of course my wife). My brother and I have been through things that I can't even put into words. But he is always there for me no matter what and I love him to death for it. But beyond that my friends over the years have seem to come and go. I wonder if as people get older and get married and in relationships that having good friends around is not as important. One of my boys who I am going to work out with this morning is someone who I have known since I was in 5th grade. We have always been real cool so I can consider him a friend. We have lost contact a few times over the years but have always linked back up(pause) and have still been real cool. I also recently linked back up with a friend of mine via Facebook who I have not seen or spoken too in about 8 years. I just wonder if other men my age have a small circle of friends or do they still have a lot of people that they consider to be close friends. Do they still have a lot of people over the house from time to time? Or do they just go out every now and then with a select few people. Maybe it is just me. I think part of it may be my personality. It takes a lot for me to really trust someone and allow them in my circle. I don't think that trust is something that happens over night.

Idols

There have really only been a few times where I can say that I have really met someone that I have idolized. I am not the type of person that when I was growing up I used to dream about meeting this person or that person. I have always looked up to my parents and my brother and they always set the standard for what I thought a positive role model should be. I never looked at entertainers or artists as role models. With that being said though, there have been some people that I have met in my life that have really had me inspired. When I was in high school back in 94 my mother was still teaching at George Mason University and was director of African American studies. During this time she always has big name people come and speak at the school. These names ranged from Cornel West to Henry Louis Gates. I always was really motivated to go see these people speak and it always proved to be exciting and a really good learning experience. One meeting that really stands out in my mind is meeting Betty Shabazz. I can't put into words how humble I was when I met this woman. She had come to George Mason to give a speech for Black History Month and my mother was to pick her up from the airport and give her the grand tour and essentially be her guide while she was in town. My mother called me after she picked Ms Shabazz up and invited me to come eat with them. So, here I was a wild teenager going to eat lunch with the wife of the great Malcolm X. So, we met at a seafood restaurant in Virginia and I the remember the first thing she mentioned was how much she wanted a crabcake and how she remembers coming to the DC area when "Malcolm" was alive and how good the crabcakes were. This sparked about a two hour conversation(not really on my end, I was just listening in awe) about her life and how things were when he was alive. It was really a sacred time and it is one two hour period that I will never forget in my life. To be in the presence of such a royal person is just amazing.

I say all of this because last night at a Wizards basketball game I met someone who I have been trying to meet for the last ten years. Last night I had the chance to speak to Michael Eric Dyson. He too is someone that is friends with my mother and everytime he comes to speak somewhere I miss the occassion. I was supposed to meet him last year but could not get off work and I was crushed. So you can only imagine my joy when my brother told me last night that he was sitting behind the Wizards bench. The first chance I got, I went over to him and shook his hand and told him how much I wanted to meet him and how I was big fan. My brother had gone up to him earlier and advised him of who our mother was, so I reminded him of that and again told him how much of what he does motivates me. We talked for about five minutes and then I went back to my seat. It doesn't get any better than that. He too might I add, is very humble. He took the time to speak to everyone that came up to him and gave most people his business card. It's good to see things like that from such a big name.

Dreams

For the last nine years of my life I have been having these dreams that I really can't explain. It started around about 2000 and the dreams consisted of someone trying to kill me. The dreams always started off with me walking somewhere outside and then someone would come up to me and start shooting. For some odd reason I never got hit but the person kept shooting. When I first starting having these dreams I kind of blew it off but I quickly realized that there was more to it. At that time I had been associating myself with people I probably should not have and there were a few dangerous situations that I found myself in. I was at a point in my life where I was riding the fence. I thought at that time that those dreams were related to those situations and some other things that I won't discuss but after I made some key changes in my life those dreams stopped for a while. Then, a few years later I started having another type of dream that I still have even now. I can't really describe the dream but according to my wife I start whimpering in my sleep and a few times I have awakened in a cold sweat or breathing hard. I know this is going to sound really crazy but in some of the dreams that I can remember, a dark shadow is standing over me. Normally in this dream I am watching myself sleeping in my bed and I watch someone come and stand over me. I almost feel myself being suffocated while this shadow is standing over me and I think my whimpering comes from trying to stop the dark shadow. This dream happens about once a month and I can't come up with a reason for it. I also have a dream where I am driving in my car in the rain and all of a sudden I crash into a car in front of me. I actually feel the impact of the crash and see the devastation and then I wake up. I really don't know what is causing these dreams. I have heard from people close to me that maybe certain situations that I have been through is causing my brain to have dreams like this. I really don't know but I admit it has me concerned. Sometimes it is hard to put in words some of the things that I have seen so maybe my dreams replay certain things as a means for me to learn something. I don't know. I really don't.

Black actors

There was an article on CNN today that discusses the issues that black actors have when it comes to winning Oscars. The article seems to suggest that the some of the issues that arise may be in that the Oscars have difficulty relating to certain black themed movies. The movie that was referenced in the article was Dreamgirls. Now, while I am not a huge fan of the movie Dreamgirls, I think good acting is good acting. Being able to relate to a movie has nothing to do with an Oscar. It has to do with the quality of the movie. One of the better movies that I have seen is Mystic River with Sean Pean. I can't relate one bit to that movie but the acting portrayed by Sean Penn in that movie is superb. Even Phillip Seymore Hoffman is Capote was amazing and that movie was all over the place. I think one may argue the point that they are not enough of a variety in movies with the majority of black actors. From my standpoint I am seeing more of the same. I am seeing movies like the Tyler Perry movies or it goes in the direction of a slap stick comedy. Why can't we see more movie like Cooley High or Akeelah and the Bee. I even challenge one to go see The Last King of Scotland. That is a movie that demands an Oscar. Look at the passion in Forest Whitakers' character. I will even go as far as to say that Training Day in which Denzel won an Oscar for went outside of the box. It was a movie that sucked you in and there was no question in the quality of the acting. I think when people make complaints about not getting enough Oscar nods in with movies with mostly black actors they need to look at the quality of the movies. Someone like Tyler Perry, even though he serves his market well, will never be in the running for an Oscar. There need to be more movies in our community that challenge the viewer. Don't assume that all of the black community is one way. Allow a variety and go outside the box and watch what happens. Then you can have a leg to stand on as far as the Oscar's go......

Whew

I told myself that I would not comment on this issue but it is all over the radio this morning and blasted all over the internet. I have viewed the Sean Delonas cartoon that was in the New York Post and I think it is in very bad taste. I have heard the explanation from the Editor in Chief that the cartoon was a direct reference to the news story about the chimpanzee that attacked a woman and was shot and killed by the police. I am not buying it. I am not going to spend time talking about the history of the New York Post, but I would suggest reading up on it. Even Public Enemy has a song about the New York Post that came out their Apocalypse album talking about the racial depictions of the paper. I think something needs to be done about it but I also think that some of the energy that is about to be spent on this needs to be concentrated in other areas. We deal with a lot of issues in our community that we see everyday but never make a deal about, but when something like this comes up we are out in droves. Am I the only one that sees a problem with that? I am not saying that we should not be up in arms about this issue, but I think we need to be up in arms about more things that directly affect us. I think its good that Al Sharpton is having a rally about this issue and that others are taking the time to discuss issues like this on the radio but let's be upset about everything going on in our community. Let's post links about the gang problems in our neighborhood, let's post links about the graduation rate, lets even post links about number of Adjustable Rate Mortgages going on....Let's be mad about that and rally about that. That has more of a direct affect on our community. Just my thoughts people.

Obama's housing plan that he proposed yesterday is fairly decent. I have heard some people come out and state that it is not doing enough for everyone, but I still think it is a good start. He is addressing one of the major issues in housing and that it the loss of value of homes. He is also addressing the issue of debt to income and as a banker I think that is very important. I have heard some come out and say that his plan rewards those who have deceived this system and I can't say that I totally agree with that. Yes, you have some that are going to slip through the system but I think for the most part that this plan is going to be helpful long term. Now, with that being said I do believe that it can be tweaked a little bit. More needs to be put on the table about what incentives banks are going to get to push them to do more lending. Banks have the money right now to lend, but they are paranoid about taking a loss on the back end. Something needs to be done to address that.

"A Nation of Cowards". That is what Eric Holder called the American people yesterday for failing to discuss race in an open and honest way. Bravo Eric. I think he is really going to hold a lot of people accountable for their policies and their views. I am really excited about him being Attorney General. I think this is only the start of him making some changes and having open dialog. Good stuff.

Diversity

Is there an advantage to living in a diverse neighborhood? Is there an advantage to living around people who are just like you? I had a conversation at work with someone who stated that he is comfortable living where he is living due to everyone around him is just like him. He stated to me that he loves living in PG county for that reason and has no desire to live anywhere else. I stated to him that I really would be happier in a more diverse area at this point in my life. I enjoy that I can be surrounded by people from many different backgrounds. I think it leaves you open-minded and it sets up a situation where you are constantly learning. This person told me that he thinks I don't love my culture because I take this stance. I totally disagree. I love everything about my people and where I currently reside, but I also appreciate diversity. My wife and I are looking for a house right now and this is one of the things that I am looking into. I want to be able to go outside of my house and see people from various backgrounds. I want my son to be able to interact with a wide variety of people. I don't think that it asking to much. I appreciate my co-workers point of view but I consider myself extremely open minded on this subject. I think that I can have a household where we are very in tuned to our culture but have an open ear to diversity as well. At least this is what we are going to strive for. Maybe I am putting to much thought into this.

It is a very eerie feeling when you feel as if something big is going to happen but you just don't know what it is. I have been feeling for the last two weeks that something big is about to happen in my life and I am really nervous about what it is. My gut is telling me that the something big is going to be something positive but it still has me a little on edge. I guess the only thing I can do is pray about it and not think about it too much. The last time I had this feeling I relocated back to the DC area and things are going very well. I feel as if I am being pulled in a certain direction. I really can't explain it but some of the contacts that have resurfaced all are pointing to one thing. We will see how it goes. Where is the theme music when you need it?

Being patient

I really hope that the American public is not hoping for an overnight success with the passing of this stimulus bill. I hope people really see what has been transpiring for the last few years and they realize that it is going to take at least a couple years to be totally out of the woods. I have been reading on different websites how people are getting excited about this bill going to Obama's desk and how they are expecting money and blah blah blah. I think we have bigger problems right now. There is no way that this bill is going to save jobs right away. I do think that the stimulus is going to create jobs in the long run (who they go to is a another story) but as of right now we are going to see more jobs lost in the next six months. I hate to say it but we are also going to see more homes lost as well. That is why being patient is going to be the best remedy. No major issue is fixed overnight. The Great Depression was not solved overnight. It took years for this country to get passed that and I think we need to buckle now and prepare for the long haul.

As I stated yesterday I had a sales rally/awards ceremony yesterday for my job. All I can say is that people are taking the "yes we can" slogan entirely to far. The theme of this sales rally was one of the president being elected. So, all through this event I had to hear references to Obama, Biden, "yes we can" etc. The new VP of the company that we are merging with was there as well and the look on her face during the event was priceless. So, for six hours I had to put my game face on and pretend to really enjoy the event. Needless to say as soon as the event was over I hightailed out of there.

Why

Can someone please explain to me why Sen. Roland Burris decided now to come out and say that former Gov. Blagojevich's brother solicited him to give money. Why come out now in the midst of all of this turmoil surrounding the former governor? Did he really think that all of this was going to go over quietly? Sometimes it is just better to keep things to yourself. I know some people might not agree with me, but still. This was a bad move on his part. I think some in the Illinois Senate have been waiting for a reason to go after Burris and I think they have their green light. When he was first elected he made a point to say how he earned this position and he had no tied to the former governor. Sometime your words can come back and bite you.

John McCain needs to be very careful about what he says in the media. During an interview yesterday, McCain stated that Obama was not living up to his promise of change. He also stated that Obama has failed to really sit down with the Republicans and map out bills together. According to him this is something that the Republican party has done in the past and he thought that they were making a change. This may be true in some ways but really? Really John McCain? Is that how you really feel? I think John McCain needs to be careful that he does not undermine Obama. He also needs to choose his words in a way that shows that he wants the best for the administration and not just wanting things his own way.

So, today is President's Day and most people are going to spend the day at home relaxing. How do I get to spend my day? My job decides to have a mandatory corporate sales rally on this day. Let me emphasize the word mandatory. So, for 4-6 hours I have to sit in a room with the President, CEO, etc and hear about how great things are going (in the midst of a merger) and hear how we in sales are so appreciated. It really makes me to vomit. ( in the words of some GOP members) So, in about an hour and half I will be in the hotel conference room for this great load of fun. Wish me luck.

Private or Charter

My wife and I are in the process of looking for either a private school or a charter school for my son to attend. As of right now we have him in a place where he is learning both Spanish and English. We are learning very quickly that my son is a fast learner and that he may need to be in a school that pushes him greatly. I have had one of co-workers tell me that I should support the schools where I live and put my son in a public school. He feels that if I don't put him in a public school then I should put him in a private school. He feels that charter schools take money from the public school system. I am not one that subscribes to that train of thought. My wife is a teacher at a charter school in DC though so I may be a little biased. I am realizing that so much thought has to go into picking a school. You have to factor in the neighborhood, the teachers, etc. One of the advantages to a charter school is that the education is free and normally charter schools have some dedicated teachers. Charter schools also go outside the box when it comes to learning. Private schools are good as well due to the level of education but they are not free. These are some of the decisions that young parents have to deal with. I welcome it but it is not an easy decision. My son's education is the most important thing to us.

Well

My thoughts are all over the place today. I am going to a track meet for the first time in about 10 years and I am very excited. This is the first meet that I am bringing my son to and I hope he is inspired. My brother ran track growing up and even ran in the Penn Relays and it was always a proud moment for me. I even ran track for a short time. (We aren't going to speak on that too long) Even as a child we as a family always went to the Mobil Meet at George Mason. Needless to say I am a huge track fan. Maybe my son will see this meet and be inspired to run track as well. Hopefully he gets those genes from my brother.

My son has an infatuation with Elmo. He has an Elmo potty, Elmo books, Elmo clothes, etc. Why are kids so in love with Elmo. What is it about this red creature that has children mesmerized. I wonder if I was ever this head over heels over a cartoon character. I used to watch Bugs Bunny every Saturday morning as a child. I also just liked to watch his antics but as a got older I realized the sarcasm of the character. I also used to love watching Fraggle Rock. Yes, I am telling me age here but you get the point. I am trying to get my son to get into Darth Vader or something. There has to be a way to incorporate Darth Vader into my son's everyday routine. I am going to work on that.

How to deal

I have never been able to deal with death all that well. I have had a few friends and associates pass on and I have lost a few family members as well. My grandmother passed away January 16, 2004 and I don' t think I have ever really dealt with it in the right way. My father told about three months before she passed that she was sick and knowing her spirit I thought that she would get through it and be back to her old self. I quickly realized early on that she was in a downward spiral and she may not bounce back. When I realized that I kept myself away out of fear of not knowing what to say to her. I was so close to her that I really felt like if I went to see her in that condition that I would lose it and that would not be good for her. I think I spoke to her once on the phone and then got word that she was not in her right mind and that she may not know who I was if I called. A few weeks after that I was in my office and got the call from my dad that she passed away. I did not cry at that point, I just operated in auto pilot mode and went with the program. Even at the funeral I did not cry and it worried me. I remember speaking to my lady at the time and telling her that I thought something was wrong with me. She told me that I may be blocking out the pain. I think I still am. I have a picture of my grandmother on my refrigerator that I look at every morning and it makes me smile. I just wonder if something is going to trigger a breakdown one day. I do know that she watches over me. She makes appearances in my dreams every now and then as crazy as that sounds. Maybe it is her way of letting me know that she is still here for me.

I began thinking about this after watching Jennifer Hudson perform last night at the NAACP awards. This is the second time that I have watched her since the passing of her family and it makes me wonder how she is holding it together. I wonder what her process is for dealing with death. I know that she is a praying person but it has to be hard. Maybe the stage is her therapy. I have been listening to Kanye West's new album and his music seems to be his way of dealing with the death of his mother. (amongst other things) I have friends who deal with death by drinking or smoking. Is there a proper way to deal with it or is it to each is own? I really wonder. I know this a depressing thought process on the day before Valentines day but oh well.

I have never posted a song on here before but this is a tribute to my grandmother. She is on my mind heavy this morning.

Industry shortcomings

When is going to be about the music again?? What happened to artists being concerned about making great music more than making a buzz in a negative way. I consider myself a person who really knows about various forms of music and what I am seeing in the hip hop world is getting a little out of control. When I read interviews from these artists in magazines or online I rarely read questions about the music process, or where they are trying to take the art. I only hear about what this person has to say about that person, or how this is like this or this is like that. It needs to be about the music. It also seems as if the artists that are focused on just the music don't get enough shine at all. I am a fan of the Roots and I have never heard an interview with Black Thought or ?uest where they were asked about conflicts in the hip hop world. The conversation always revolved around the music process and how they study their craft. This is what we need right to keep the real hip hop music afloat. Find the artist that is just worried about making good music. Find the artist that is not concerned about sales at all. When you go into anything thinking about sales and money you heart tends to not really be in it. If it is your passion it is going to show.

Since I am on the talk of music I am going to drag my brother Rashad into this. Let me say for the record that I love my brother with all my heart and I respect his opinion on music 99.9 percent of the time. Let's talk about this the other little percentage. For the last six years now I have been trying to get my brother to listen and appreciate a certain artist. I am not going to say the artists name(Are you in the mood yet) but anyone that knows me knows who this artists is. I constantly play this semi-underground artists and try with a vengeance to get everyone around me to like him as well. I have sent my brother numerous songs from this person and he still does not give it up. I don't know what else I can do. My brother respcts his writing skills but not his overall music. I am still on a mission to get him to like this person. All things in due time.

790 billion and counting. We will see if makes it to the Oval Office at this amount.

Male Importance

Last night even though I said I would not do it I watched TI's Road to Redemption. In the program he explained what got him in the situation he was in and what frame of mind he was in that led him to his situation. The second half of the program though showed him getting involved in a young man's life who has headed in the wrong direction. This young man was heavy into drug dealing, but also was in a lot of pain from his father not being there and his mother being strung out on drugs. In the program, TI took this young man from his house and took him to jail and to a morgue to see what his choices would be if he followed down the path that he was going. The interesting part of this was how this young man took direction from the men that were on the show. The young man in the beginning of the show stated that everything he learned about how to be a man he learned on the streets from the men in his neighborhood. This led to a conversation with my wife who is a teacher about the importance of a man in a child's life. We have so many men our community who have never had a positive role model in their lives. They have never had a man show them what to do and what not to do. They have never had a man show them how to treat and talk to women. It made me believe that once again we need more men in our community to be role models and show these young men what real manhood is all about. I must say that I was blessed with having a strong father in my household who always taught me what manhood was. He is still teaching me even as I am a father myself. Young men and young women a male role model in their life. It is very important.

Watching that program last night also made me realize how important it was when I was young to cut certain friends out of my circle. I have always been the type of person that has friends from both sides of the tracks. I have friends that are accountants, lawyers, investment bankers, business consultants, etc and I have friends who are in jail, soon to be in jail, have spent time in jail, dealers, etc.... I learned many years ago though that you have to be careful who you surround yourself with. I had to learn that it is more important for my advancement in this world to surround myself with my more positive friends. It does not mean that I can't speak to the ones that aren't doing good, but I can't allow myself to be around them for extended periods of time.

Good showing

Last night in front of the nation, Obama made his sales pitch for the stimulus plan. I must say that I have not heard a better sale in a long time. Obama managed to break down nearly every aspect of the plan in a very detailed way. What I thought was very interesting was how Obama at least three times made the point that he inherited this country's problems and it is his job to fix them. He also detailed how he is going to handle dealing with issues in Iran and Afghanistan. Watching him answering questions last night made me realize how much we have a thinking president in office. He went through every question like he was studying it and made sure that when he was done with his answer that you knew exactly what he meant and what his thought process was. You also got a sense last night that Obama is not with the politics being played on the House and Senate floor. He made sure to address those that are holding up the voting process and those who would rather attack him then to take action. It was very interesting to watch. I really am looking forward to how things are going to go with him.


I am really suprised that people are not addressing the fact that Nancy Pelosi has not been going along with the Bipartisanship program. She has almost shut out all the Republicans out of the bill writing process amongst other things. The only journalist that I have heard mention this is Jack Cafferty from CNN. I think in a matter of time you are going to see her and Obama butt heads and it is not going to be pretty. During the election season they seemed to be forcing their friendly relationship. I have heard some say that Pelosi is flexing her muscle a little bit. The question remains is now the time for that?


The crazy cats have struck again outside of the my front door. Can I callTerminix or animal control for something like this. I need some advice.

Behaving badly

It seems like whenever I turned the news on this weekend there was a story about some entertainer or athlete in trouble with the law. From Chris Brown to even gone from the limelight Jamal Anderson. Is it really that hard to keep out of trouble? Where are the people around them whose job it is to keep them in line. Who is holding these people accountable for their actions? How often are the PR teams or family members talking to these individuals about the life that they lead and how privileged they are? It is very important to have someone in your circle who can hold you accountable. Not just if you are an entertainer but in normal everyday life. Just like you need someone you can confide in you need someone around you who is going to get in your behind (pause) and tell you when you are not on the straight and narrow. If you look at those who are successful, this is a common theme.

I am at a company right now that is going through a merger and let me tell you it is a pain in the behind. I have had training at least a week out of every month for the last seven months only to find out that because of the merger I have to go through two months of straight training again. I can't tell you how annoying this is. I have been through two mergers before that went fairly smooth and I was hoping for the same with this one. I am not one to look down on change, I even welcome it but this is not a fun process. Okay, I done venting on that.

On a side note, Al Green is still doing his thing. Last night on the Grammy's he performed and still sounded like the old school Al Green. Good stuff.

Church

I get a lot of flack from my mother for not attending church on Sunday's. Whenever we speak she is constantly asking me if I have found a church home and if I haven't if I am looking. I keep telling her that I have mixed feelings about church but that just is not hitting home with her. There was a time when I was living in Atlanta that my wife and I were going to church just about every Sunday but as time went on I found myself going out of habit more than anything. I consider myself to be a very spiritual person in many ways. I talk to God almost everyday and pray with my son more than once a day. As a family we pray together as well. I just am not the type of person that needs to be in a church setting. Am I wrong for that?? There are times that I pick up the bible and read and even at times I may watch someone's services on television but going into a place of worship really is not for me. I know some are going to view this as wrong and I will respectfully disagree. I firmly believe that having a personal relationship with God in your own way goes a lot farther than having the image of having a personal relationship.

Is there a remedy to get rid of stray cats in your neighborhood? I need one badly. For the last 5 months there have been a new family of cats that have magically appeared in my neighborhood. At last count it was a mother and about 4 kittens who have now grown into a neighborhood terror. To be blunt, these cats are stalking me. I know it sounds crazy but I think they are plotting some sort of savage uprising. Whenever I come home from work they are sitting around my front door. Even in the morning they are under my car, or near my car. There is even one who gives me the evil eye whenever I step foot out of my house. Now, I had grown used to all of this harassment but last night took the cake. Last night while trying to go to sleep one of the cats went on my back porch and proceeded to whine and cry for about 30 minutes. The rules of engagement have been broken. I know cats don't read but it is on.

Saturday Rambling

I know I am two years late but I watched Akeelah and the Bee last night with my wife. I must say that the movie is a good one although somewhat predictable. What this film did do for me was bring home the point of it takes a village to raise a child. There was a line in the movie from Angela Bassett that stated that Akeelah had 50 teachers alluding to the fact that everyone in her neighborhood had a hand in teacher her. I realize that this is something that is lost in our community. We have really found ourselves in a comfortable place where we feel as if since we have it, or are working towards it, that it is all about ourselves and no one else. We need to understand that in doing that, there is a possibility that we could be ingnoring someone that may be begging for help in their own way. This movie really made me think about what I can do to lend a hand in my own way. I read an article recently from a high school teacher in Prince George's County schools who shared that many of her students just really need someone to love and mentor them. Her view is that if these students have those things as a constant, than sky is the limit. I concur 500 percent with this view and I am going to put forth a strong effort in way I can.

CNN spent about 5 minutes discussing Obama's date night last night. Apparently our President took his beautiful wife out to the Kennedy Center last night to see the legendary Alvin Ailey Dance Company. It was a wonderful thing to just see the couple out together smiling and enjoying each other's company. CNN interviewed some people outside of the Kennedy Center and many people made the comment about how good it is to see the President still being able have fun with his wife. How wonderful is it to see the "leader of the free world" out and about on a Friday night and follow that up with a weekend with his kids as well in Camp David. It makes me smile.

Alphabet Plans

598,000!! This is the number of jobs lost just in the month of January alone. Unemployment in the country is at 7.6%. I must admit that I am getting very nervous. I am seeing the affects first hand from a few of my clients. I am seeing once confident business owners pulling everything from savings just to have operating money. I am seeing people with a regular 9-5 really start mapping out plans for a plan B and C. I am seeing 401K's being cashed out in record numbers. I am seeing a record number in small business owners closing up shop and applying for any type of job and taking a tremendous pay cut. I am beginning to lose faith in this economy as a whole. The "experts" on the issue have all but said that don't expect any changes until the end of the year. Can we wait that long. Last week alone I read three stories about men going into their homes and killing their family due to financial troubles. I am aware of that being on the extreme end but the underlying problem remains. What are we going to do? What guarantee does anyone have on their job right now. My wife is a teacher so her job is probably very safe right now but how about the rest of us in banking, marketing, financial sales, small business owners, etc. We have to hope for the best.

Michael Phelps needs to go to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary and visit Michael Vick and get the rundown about what is about to happen to him. I don't think he has seen the full extent of his fallout. I was wondering how long it was going to take for him to get the stick. I think with the constant media coverage and pressure we are going to see a lot more sponsors take a stand. There really needs to be a class if you in the spotlight about handling pressure and keeping good people around you. Young athletes need to take notes from Lebron James who has managed to maintain a fairly professional image. All things considered of course.

I want to take a ride just once on air force one. I know it seems really juvenile of me to get excited about a plane ride but I keep hearing about all of these things that this plan has on it and it has me intrigued. I can only imagine what sorts of technology is on there. I need an inside connection to the president. Any ideas any one??

Loose Lips

Is this really the right time to hear from Dick Cheney? Someone please answer this question for me. On Tuesday, Dick Cheney sat down with Politico.com and warned that there is a "high probability" that this country will come under terrorists attack in the very near future due to Obama's foreign policy. I have heard of selective memory but this takes it to a new level. Has Cheney forgot that some of his policies and torture methods are the reason that we now have to do a smooth over in many parts of the world. Cheney proceeds to beat on his chest when he states that if it were not for the policies that he and the Bush administration stood behind, this country would of been attacked a lot sooner. Now, one could look at this interview and say that Cheney is a bitter old man who is not happy with the slights that have been sent his way from the Obama camp. Or, one could say that this interview is from a man who will do and say anything to preserve his legacy by any means.

This interview does show a fundamental difference in the Bush and the Obama administration. The Bush administration has consistently been labled as war mongers who are willing to do whatever that needs to be done. They believed in going against the grain and not really being concerned about those that disagreed. Coming in, the Obama administration right now is looked at as a group that will think things all the way through and make a sound decision. They are not looking to shake things up to much and that can be viewed as a plus or a minus. Cheney did make a good point in that sometimes actions need to be taken that will cause controversy. We will see going forward if Obama is willing to put himself out there like that.

If anyone needed a secret service agent right now it is Bernard Madoff. His lists of clients that got burned is growing by the day. He needs to feel lucky that he is on house arrest right now. 50 billion lost is a very big number. Secret service should be over his house as we speak. (Vincent Foster anyone)

Interview

Last night Anderson Cooper interviewed President Obama on CNN last night. I was expecting some good things with this interview and what I got was a very generic line of questioning. Most the of the questions that he was asked revolved around the stimulus plan and what it is supposed to do for the economy. I understand that the priority in this country right now revolves around that but still. I understand also that this interview was done prior to Tom Daschle's stepping down so some questions may have been avoided due to the confirmation process. I still was expecting questions about the Obama administration's vetting process as well as questions about how he plans to bring both sides together. In the analysis after the interview CNN's David Bergen essentially stated that Obama has to be as hard on the Democrats as he is on the Republicans right now to avoid coming across as weak towards his own party. I totally agree with this statement. I understand that Obama is still in the honeymoon phase but it is time for him to distance himself a lot more than he has done.

I said I wouldn't speak on this but oh well. Why is a woman who is not married living with relatives with six kids allowed to have eight more children. What doctor gave fertility treatments to a woman in this situation. Then I learn yesterday that the same unemployed woman hired a PR firm to field offers. CRAZY. I know I am opening myself up for views on this issue but it is backwards to me why this was even done in this case. I wonder who is going to really be paying for these 14 children.

Proud

When I was in 8th grade in 1991, we had an assignment where we had to pick someone we wanted to shadow for a day in their work environment. I knew early on that this assignment would be hard for me. We were not allowed to pick our parents so automatically that had me wrecking my brain. My dad advised me to think really hard about what field I wanted to shadow in and then we would begin the process of finding someone. I finally decided that I wanted to shadow a judge and my father said to me that he had someone in mind. Fast forward two weeks later and I find myself in the office of DC Superior judge Eric Holder. My dad later explained to me that they lived across the hall from one another at Columbia and they had managed to stay in contact. That day of watching him work was one of the most eye opening days of my life. He was hearing a homicide case and to be in that courtroom at that age is something I that still say kept me on the positive path. The point of this though is to state how proud I am of him now becoming the new US attorney general. I think it is a position well deserved and minus a few public missteps (Marc Rich) he has had a wonderful career.

Tonight on CNN Anderson Cooper will be interviewing Obama and I am really interested in watching this. Anderson has a way of interviewing people that he can ask the tough questions without coming off as abrasive. It should be a very interesting talk.

Random Monday Thoughts

I really enjoyed my weekend. There is nothing more enjoyable than spending time with my wife and son. I realize that as I get older that family time is more important to me than anything else. I also had a chance to have a really conversation with my brother on Saturday. Good times all around. I really am learning to take full advantage of spending time with my son. Based on my schedule I really can't spend the time that I want to with him during the week. It really bothers me but I am learning to work with it. I will admit that I have thought about cutting down how I work but I am working towards that.

Michael Phelps is getting a lot of flack right now for his "episode". Now, as a parent I must say that as a role model he needs to be fully aware of what he does at all times. He needs to watch who is around him and dammit, he needs to pull a Prince and confiscate all cameras. Now, with that being said, it was just a little weed. This man just won eight gold medals. Can he live??? I like his statement though. He apologized for regrettable behavior but never full owned up to inhaling. I see someone has studied under the Clinton ways.

I usually don't post videos on here and I won't today but I have watched the video to NERD's song sooner or later three times this weekend and I must say, the meaning behind this video is stunning. If you want to know why the economy is suffering and what is going on behind the scenes in wall street, watch the video. I must give it up to NERD.

Power Review

Over the last few days I have really been studying and reading about this new stimulus plan and the banking system in general. The economy is going downhill at a rapid pace and we are really at a point where we need to get to the underlying issues. I think we are seeing right now how much power these banks have. We can have conversations about government spending and earmarks, and blah blah blah, but the root of the problem is banks. Even as I watch meet the press today Steve Forbes made the point to say that until we fix the banking issue, things will continue to go sour.

Banks are in a state of emergency right now. Some banks are folding, some are being seized and others are restructuring. What is directly affecting consumers though is the lack of lending going on in all banks. It is as small as not lending to ordinary joes such as myself to not lending to major corporations. When you have this combined with people forced to now live within their means you have a major crisis at hand. By me working in the banking field I see first hand that people are freaking out right now. Some people are operating with working capital alone and not credit. Others are just trying to stretch one credit card out as long as it can go.

If you look at all of these situations it goes to show how much power these banks right now. It really is scary to hear major CEO's and Senate Finance Committee members state that we need to fix the banking industry right now. It makes you wonder if there is an ulterior motive.

Today is super bowl sunday and I am not inspired. Someone please tell me about a super bowl party.