purple dreams

got the big boi joint, "got purp vol. II", courtesy of the family visit (thanks dad). besides kryptonite whenever i feel like it and "me, my baby and my cadillac" - a fast favorite, i've found even more gifts in this compilation. two of those gifts are named scar and janelle monae. not only do their two tracks apiece contribute 4 of the hottest songs on the LP, they transport me back and propel me forward. it trips me out to think about seeing/hearing them at house parties and campus performances, and now to witness them in their wonderful success. i cannot wait for their solo projects to drop (mb's my witness, we've been waiting for scar's joint since this ill-ass soiree that is still etched in my mind as one of my (few) quintessential-neosoul-grown&sexy auc experiences). it's such a testament to dreams, and it couldn't have come at a better time - when i'd become so preoccupied with my inaccurate perception of 'real life' that it kept me from doing all the dreaming that i should. i listen to them and i think about their amazing talents and their determination. then i think about all the great dreamer/doers i know: them (scar and janelle), the filmmaker, the stylist, the emcee - and i think to myself, "why not?" especially if we all stay grounded, the world can be full of superstars. ***shout to pam. don't know if you've heard the album yet, but upon first listen something about track 20 reminds me of you. don't quite know what it is.*** amen.

magic and maintenance (or) butterflies again (to bravo)...

anything worth having is worth working for. love's labor - hard work. falling in love takes little to no effort (a curb and gravity at most); staying there can be a herculean task at times, but not impossible. and there is nothing meneal about this manual labor. in fact, it's quite remarkable - magical even. maybe that's hard to believe because we (people) are capable of love and sometimes we don't want to give ourselves that much credit. but it's magic - IT IS MAGIC (you are magic). think about it. something that can make us get over pride and humble/check/fix/kick/acknowledge/love ourselves? what else can it be? i'm not even talking about the romantic side of it; i'm talking about knees in the dirt, short of breathe, callouses from holding on so tight kind of love. i'm talking about building bridges to avoid that galaxy of distance when you pass each other in the hallway, that bridge that lets you snuggle up next to someone who's half way across the world (sound familiar?). it's an energy that can only be achieved/ maintained/ defined as a provision from the Creator. such an energy's essence is expansive, able to grow so large that it can take one in entirely...i have no idea where i'm going with this, which is to be expected since i had no endpoint in mind when i started. guess what i'm trying to say is --
speak to me of love...
love is not so much magic
as it is maintenance
the determination of two
to practice continual bliss--
starting today is too late
for love began yesterday
in a place far away
where the stars play
and blow bubbles in their milk-
y way...
if you can imagine it, i can imagine too. amen.

"oh the weather outside is frightful" (or) welcome, autumn...winter!

running late for work. walked half-way in the rain. splashed by a bus - straight sitcom style (like i backed away from the curb, but it wasn't far enough). luckily wearing all black. really looking like a new yorker this morning. get to the office for a staff breakfast meeting (luckily i'm on time). after the meeting, i come back to my desk to work, and my supervisor comes over to me to tell me IT'S SNOWING!!! first snow of the season, and thanksgiving's not even here! no chance of it sticking because it rained last night, but i just went to a window to look. sure enough! there are big ol' flakes floating down all over the place! i have't seen real snow in about four years, so i feel like such a child for being so excited. but i don't care. the time for teas and coffees and hot chocolates (with halal marshmallows) are here! (i'm doing a dance - metaphorically of course. come on people, this is a place of business!). i hope it snows while my family is here; tasha and i will act like complete goofs. nature is so magnificent! no matter what happens from here on out, my day is made.

nigga what? nigga who?!?

the animation is great. the plot is pervasive. the characters are funny as all hell. and if you've followed the boondocks and consider yourself a fan, then you were probably as excited as i was to hear that the show was premiering on adult swim last sunday night. it has an 11pm time slot, but so what? adult swim is renown for risque, teetering on the edge, "cartoons shouldn't do that!" animated programming. a reputation that will keep people awake late enough to see their favorite shows. when fox dropped the show, i was pissed, but i felt like fox wouldn't be able to handle it anyway. they wouldn't have given aaron the freedom to give huey and the crew proper treatment. so, adult swim saved the day; they took the show and gave mcgruder artistic freedom, but at what cost? the first episode, "garden party" did a good job of introducing huey and riley. you get a very clear idea of their foil characteristics, which will be very important to the hilarious tete-a-ignorance that unfolds in their relationship. but if nigga was used ONE MORE TIME in that episode, i might have started thinking that dw griffith was an associate writer! i make no claims to know the thoughts of man; i can only conjucture and give the benefit of the doubt. so perhaps aaron is trying to stay true to his characters or make the "majority" viewers of the program uncomfortable. fine. maybe he trying to oversaturate the show with the word, so people will get tired of it (although i gotta say, aaron, if it hasn't gotten old in centuries the boondocks's attempt probably won't even make a dent - damn i'd love to be wrong about that!). you, know, some bamboozled-esque parody of sorts. my fear? it will be misinterpretted like bamboozled, and we all know how that ends. perhaps the characters were intended to talk this way, and mcgruder had to change it up a bit to get print syndication. i don't know. i think if it was only coming from riley, i would be fine because that's who riley is. the poor mainstream, commercial rap monger. but i heard it so much that after a minute i couldn't even tell who/ where it was coming from. furthermore, the comment by the young woman sitting in the back rubbed me the wrong way. she turns to the woman sitting across from her and says, "i think it's okay when they say it." she makes this statement admists a server-gone-pyscho and an all white audience clapping intermittently through huey's exasperated tirade. i'm going to watch this sunday because the content is valid and funny, but i hope this nigga thing is addressed and soon. we have enough vernacular in our vocabulary (and creating it all the time) to find adequate substitues. come on, if huey had watched that episode, what would he say?