BLOGZILLA II

Every now and then, I like to suspend reality a bit and blog about this thing we do called blogging. When I'm doing a post like this, I am speaking to other bloggers and not so much the general public (that is, assuming there is a general public other than other bloggers that read these blogs).

I marvel at the fact that I have only been blogging for about ten months. I'm kind of new at this game... newer than a lot of the bloggers I follow. When I began this blog, I wasn't aware of other black bloggers outside of my cousins who had set up blogs about their children (and the one my wife maintains for my grandson) which serve as a replacement for the traditional baby book. To tell you the truth, before 2006, I had never even heard of a blog. I thought that a blog was something like a "My Space" page. It kinda is but, there are fundamental differences which I won't get into in this post. That's kinda how this blog got it's title and when we set it up, I was still thinking of it as a "My Space" page so, I named it "Keith's Space."

I look back at the comments section on the early posts and there are an average of one to none. Most of the people who did comment back then were a few relatives, personal friends, people from my job, and my grandson-lol. What I had was a local blog. Then, a funny thing happened... one day I got a comment from a Chicago blogger known as Zack. He has a blog called "Go Zack", which is very popular and at times, controversial. He also had a blog roll of other black bloggers who had been at it a lot longer than I and who commented on each other's blogs. I can never thank him enough.

Zack spotlighted my little blog and introduced me to Mizrepresent, O.G.-The Original Glamazon, Eb the Celeb, Your Favorite Teacher, Torrance "All -Mi-T-" Stevens, and many, many others. It is through these people that I've met such wonderful bloggers like 12Kyle, Curvy Girl, Dione, Don, Dreamy, Go Bytch, Keisha "Kitten" Isaacs, LadyLee, Lovebabz, Pocahontaz, Pretty Circle Drawer, Opinionated Diva, Raven, Rich, SLC, Southern Gal, The F$%k it List, The Stepfather of Soul, Strong Black Woman, and more than I can think of at this time.

I discovered and joined the Afrospear and have come into contact with even more bloggers. I now have relationships with bloggers from around the country and I have become part of a community of really cool people that goes beyond age and physical boundaries. Again, I can't thank Zack enough for putting me on his blog and introducing the world to me.

As you may have figured, my comments increased to the point that I can't think of the last time I wrote a post and nobody commented. I've become a "comment whore" as O.G. would put it. Still, and you can make bank on this, I enjoy relaxing with a Coke in the afternoon and writing so much that I would do this even if nobody chose to comment. I know because I did this for months without getting any feedback and without caring.

Still, I love the feedback, I love to read other people's blogs, and talk to them everyday. In every situation, there are some negatives. Some of the things I say on this blog attract comments from some not so stable people. There was a white supremacist who would put comments on my blog that were very unflattering to blacks and people of color. He particularly doesn't like my support of Barack Obama and while that's fine (he can have an opinion), he said some pretty nasty things about me too.

I attempted to go on his blog and answer him in kind but, he has one of those blogs that are for invited readers only so, I just used the little delete button instead. I sensed a troubled insecure individual who wanted attention just by the way the remarks were written so, I never responded to them. I simply deleted every single comment attributed to him. My blog, my prerogative... as Bobby Brown would say. I thought it would be foolish to wage a war in the comments section with some fool that I can't see and will never know. My grandfather always said, "Never argue with a jackass... somebody might walk by and not be able to tell the difference."

Then, there is some blogger who claims to be from Japan who leaves silly little poems on all of my posts that have nothing to do with what I write. I've seen this person's handy work on Darius T. Williams and 12Kyle's blogs. Whoever this person is (I'm not sure if it's a male or a female), I think they may be some sort of hacker... they get the same treatment.

On my other blog,"Escapades", I have an anonymous female blogger who begs me to write an explicit sex scene in practically every story or poem I write and leaves little messages like, "I'm hotter than a firecracker in a gas station" or "I feel like throwing my panties at you" on my posts. I haven't deleted those comments yet... mostly because I found them amusing up until this week, when the same person appears to be begging me more aggressively to write an explicit sex scene in one of my stories. Now it's getting a little creepy.

Just as I don't argue on my blog with people, I don't go on anybody's blog and write anything uncomplimentary. If you can't say something nice, shut the hell up... no, it's don't say anything at all. If somebody writes something that I'm either not equipped to talk about or that I don't agree with, I just don't comment on that post. It's simple courtesy. I do more reading of blogs than I do writing on most days and I've seen people go to war on these blogs, as well as write some pretty uncomplimentary things about other bloggers on their sites. To them I say, stop the hate... it's really not that deep.

We all blog because we like to write and because we want to share our thoughts with the world. Nobody has to conform to somebody else's vision of what their blog should be. We all have the option to read and comment or just keep it pushin'. There is no need for some of the hate that I've observed. Most of the people whose blogs I visit and who visit me aren't involved in that type of thing anyway. I think I'm part of a pretty cool blog collective.

Like I said, I would do this even if I never got another comment but, the feedback and the good feelings I share with all of my new found friends and associates in the blog world make it all the more worthwhile. To anybody I didn't shout out, please charge it to my head and not my heart.

Love,

The True "Maverick" of all Bloggers!

Footnote: Click here to see my previous "BLOGZILLA" post.

Who's A Terrorist?

Patty Hearst: Symbionese Liberation Army Publicity Photo

You know, since Sarah Palin is being attacked on so many other people's blogs, I had told myself that I wasn't going to make a career out of attacking her but, this is too good to be true. Before I go any further, let me say that the utter hypocrisy of these people on the far right just never ceases to amaze me.

I wouldn't normally pick on this woman except that she's been going to these rallies calling Barack Obama a "man who pals around with a terrorist"... that terrorist being 60 year old aging hippie and former member of the Weather Underground, Bill Ayers. She has been yelling to crowds, "Who is Barack Obama, really?", as if to insinuate that he is not one of "us". Then, there's the goofy policeman who was at the rally and kept saying, "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" as if to bring up images in the minds of the purely stupid of an Arab terrorist. I even heard one woman say, "I don't think he is Black... I think he's an Arab."

Well today, CNN released a tape of Sarah Palin addressing the Alaskan Independence Party at their convention. This is an organization that advocates the secession of the state of Alaska from the United States of America. Her husband is rumored to have been a member of this organization at one time and during her address, she wished them well in their endeavors. She and John McCain are always yelling, "Country First!" Yeah? Well what's up with this? Why does no one have a problem with this kind of extremism?

These are the same people who gave Barack Obama hell about a man, Bill Ayers, who just happened to live on his block and who he worked with on some neighborhood program but, he barely knows and does not associate with socially. These are the people who are still talking about his former pastor, a man who is a better and more patriotic American than some of the ones ragging him. Pastor Wright served in the U.S. Marine Core and did a couple of tours of duty in Vietnam. Oh yeah... and he didn't get captured. (Okay, that was dirty pool so, I'll take that back.)

Let me put it this way... if Barack Obama had given a speech at the Nation of Islam's Founders Day in Chicago, the right wing pundits would be yelling their heads off. Yet, I haven't heard a peep out of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly or any of the other talking heads at the Third Reich news station (Oh excuse me, it's called Fox News now. I'm sorry... I couldn't tell the difference.) about Palin's speech earlier this year in front of the Alaskan Independence Party.

To tell you the truth, I don't really care. She's the governor of the state and as governor, she's probably called upon to make lots of speeches at a lot of different organizational functions. But, if you're gonna sling mud, just be prepared to duck and cover. Somebody else might sling some your way.

Now you tell me... Who sounds more like a possible terrorist? Sarah Palin sure as hell scares me right about now.

Fear & Loathing In Philadelphia

CNN: Hockey Mom Experience on Executive Side of the Sport

(Sarah Palin drops the puck to start the hockey game)

Over the weekend, two things happened. One was, Sarah Palin came here to Philly and got booed at a Flyers game (the Flyers were playing the New York Rangers). Normally, this would garner yawns and responses of "so what" but, what was particularly interesting about this is why she was there in the first place. I wondered aloud myself.

It was more than just plain old stumping. The booing was so loud that they had to play music on the loud speakers to drown the booing out. The newspapers tried to play it down by saying that the boos and the "polite" cheers (there were none) were about 50-50 but, that is just not true. The boos drowned out everything. Hey, the people in this town booed Santa Claus and Destiny's Child. Why should Sarah Palin get a pass?

Let me take this time to say, for those of you who might not know... Hockey is patronized by a predominately white crowd in my city. I went to a Flyers game once in my life and there were two other blacks there... one was working at one of the concession stands and the other was there on the wrong night. (He thought the "Soul on Ice" circus was in town that night and it turned out that it was to be held on another night). I say this because those boos were coming from mostly whites and not a group of predominately black people, who are usually presumed to be Obama supporters (James T. Harris, not withstanding).

I should tell you that Sarah Palin was here in the first place because Ed Snider, who owns both the Flyers and the Sixers, is a John McCain supporter. I think it was a dumb idea to bring her to the game period. If he was an Obama supporter, I would still feel the same way if (let's say) he brought Biden to one of the games. I just don't feel as though you should ram your political choice down someone's throat. Snider owns two teams and he ought to be ashamed of himself. The sporting arena should be kept neutral... with all of this bad news floating around, I think people need some sort of escape... something to take their minds off of how seriously bad things have gotten and are going to get. Can't I watch a hockey game or a basketball game without some politician coming and killing my joy? I mean, really.

The other thing (and may I add more meaningful thing) was that John McCain appeared to have had enough of the rabid frothing and near Klan rally type atmosphere invoked at these town hall type meetings he and Palin have been holding in America's "Heartland". He told a crowd that he thought Barack Obama was a "decent family man and that he was not someone they would have to fear if he was elected president." I thought that was decent of him and I give credit where credit is due. I was beginning to get disturbed by the tone of some of these rallies. The climate was becoming downright racist and was taking on the look of a lynch mob. (The one person who should've been lynched wasn't. I've already talked about the infamous Mr. Harris and the less said about him, the better.)

Neither John McCain nor Sarah Palin can be held responsible for what these people might say or do at these rallies but, as responsible leaders, it is their job to check that kind of behavior as he did yesterday. Unfortunately, some of the damage has already been done. The fires of racism and ugliness have already been fanned. His running mate, Sarah Palin has been the ring leader and flame thrower of this craziness with a lot of her pugnacious statements. Perhaps, that's why that crowd booed her the other day here in Philadelphia.

Saturday Night Is For Lovers

Traditionally, in my world, Saturday night was reserved for your significant other... provided you had one. Friday night, you went out with your boys and hit a few clubs or bars (when I was into that-lolol). She went out with her girlfriends and did the same... just not where you and your friends might be hanging... and that was that. Saturday, however, was time for a woman to be with her man and a man to be with his woman. It meant dinner, a movie, and then some quiet time at home. These are my top ten songs to put one in the mood for amour. Feel free to give me your favorite songs for that special night with your significant other (I'm talking about in the present... not back in the day).

1o. "Oh Girl" By Raphael Saddiq

You gotta hear this... for those of you old enough to remember, it sounds like something the Delfonics would have done. Warning: The remix features Jay -Z. I like jigga and all but, there was absolutely no need for him to be on this track... it was some record company stunt.

9. "I'm in Love With Another Man" By Jazmine Sullivan
A torch song that should make Natalie Cole sit up and clap... that's who I thought of when I first heard it. This young girl straight up sang this song. Do you hear me?

8. "Sorry" by Joe
The melody alone is haunting.

7. "Year of the Gentleman" by Ne-Yo
The entire CD is good.

6. "Something Different" by Robin Thicke
Ditto.

5. "You Pulled Me Through" by Jennifer Hudson
Play this low... you know how powerful this girl's vocals are.

4. "Chocolate Legs" by Eric Benet
The title alone hooked me.

3. "I'm His Only Woman" By Jennifer Hudson & Fantasia
This type of song has a real old school flavor. I get a kick out of the kids imitating old school...but, I gotta admit... these two did a good job. I ain't mad at either one of them.

2. "After My Time" by Noel Gourdine
They've been playing "The River" every twenty minutes but, the rest of this guy's CD bares honorable mention too. (John Legend, I'm waiting for your new CD to drop).

And in the top spot... still good as it ever was... the absolute must have CD for a late Saturday night cool out with that special person... drum roll please...

1. "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
After 35 years, it's still as good as it ever was.

(Oh... Barry White, Isaac Hayes, Gerald Levert, and Luther Vandross, though recently deceased, are all must haves that should never be taken off of your playlists... never ever. If you're really a playa or playette, you've got Boyz II Men, Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, Babyface, New Edition, and Jodeci on that playlist too, along with some baby oil and some hot sauce too. Okay, the baby oil and the hot sauce is my thing. Don't ask!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks. I'm writing the next two installments of my murder mystery for "Escapades". When I'm done, I intend to relax and enjoy as much of this music as I can get through... if you know what I mean and I know you do (wink, wink).

The Infamous James T. Harris

James T. Harris: WTMJ 620 AM, Milwaukee, WI

Okay... as I write this, it's Friday evening and I've been off from work for about a half hour. This time last week, I was in downtown Philly at a night spot being entertained by two adorable alcoholics. This evening, I'm in a cyber-cafe, drinking coffee and blogging. Whoever said that "blogging is like crack" was not lying. I'm addicted because the last thing I ever thought that I would be doing on a Friday after work was blogging but, if I don't get this written down, I'll forget it.

I was listening to the radio as I drove to work this morning and I hear people speaking to John McCain at one of his town hall meetings. Then, I hear the most nasally voice imaginable on my radio say, "It is absolutely vital that you take it to Obama, that you hit him where it hurts... there is a soft spot. We have the good Rev. Wright, Rev. Michael L. Pfleger (Who is he?), and William Ayers, a known terrorist. We have all of these shady characters who have surrounded him. We have corruption here in Wisconsin and voting across the nation. I am begging you, sir... I am begging you... take it to him!" Then, there was loud applause (click on photo or text link above to see it for yourself). I just assumed that this was some misguided white supporter in Wisconsin but, I got to work and I Googled the name James T. Harris (it was said that this guy has a radio show.) Much to my surprise, it turns out that James T. Harris is black, tall, dark-skinned, bald-headed, and an earring in both ears (What's that about James?)

You know, James T. Harris might as well of done a buck dance and then said, "LAWD HAVE MERCY MISTA MCCAIN... CAN AH PLEASSE, PLEASE JUS SHINE YO SHOES. LAWD HAVE MERCY!" Does the "T" that represents his middle name stand for "Tom?" My goodness! Don't get me wrong... if you are black, conservative, and you usually vote Republican, that's on you and I don't have a problem with it at all. I don't believe that we should just be knee-jerk Democrats all the time. I have always said vote for your interests and the candidate that is best going to serve your economic and political needs. But, you don't have to be an Uncle Tom about it and you don't have to put on the kind of show that this fool put on.

James T. Harris has a radio show on WTMJ AM in Milwaukee, WI, in which he expouses the views of the Republican Party. I'm sure people like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck will have him on their show in the coming weeks. I don't usually attack people on this blog but, I just have to air this fool, this "House Negro" (as my fellow blogger and Philadelphian, The Field Negro, would call him.) out. He's at a rally... a hostile rally, where white people are yelling and screaming the most hateful invectives everytime Barack Obama's name is called and he makes a statement like that one! Does he realize that what they really wanted to say was NIGGER? Yeah, I'm putting it out there... that's what they really wanted to say. But, since that's not a popular thing to say in public anymore, they replaced it with "Nobama" and "socialist" (an attempt at the old red scare tactic that was used in the 1950's and 60's).

I have to attack people like James "Uncle Tom" Harris every chance I get. Not because he supports McCain and not because he's a conservative (What does a black working class or middle class person have to conserve? Tell me!)... but, because he and others like him continue to "jig", fawn, and make fools of themselves in public at a time when we as black people should be pulling together.

Who does the black so-called "conservative" love when he pulls the lever for McCain? What interest is he protecting? Let's keep it real... The Republican Party as it is constructed now is the party that gives tax cuts to the small percentage of the population that controls most of the wealth anyway. They are not looking out for the average American who makes under $200K a year and they are friends of the country club set. Do you think Cindy McCain would be caught dead in that small town of Waukesha, WI with those small town folk after the election? Not on your life. She comes from money and she wouldn't be caught dead around Sarah Palin and her family if it wasn't for the fact that she's her husband's running mate.

So, if the country club set that the Republicans represent wouldn't be caught around poor working class white folk... you know good and well that they sure wouldn't be hanging out with James T. Harris and anyone who looks like him. A whole lot of folks may not agree with me but, I'm calling this one like I see it and all of you know that I'm right.

They're not us... and by us (I'm not just talking about black people). I'm talking about white people too. Those whites in Waukesha, WI are misguided. They are duped. Many of the people in that crowd don't even know what "socialism" is... they just heard that it was bad. Many of them are out of work, losing their homes, don't have medical coverage, and can't get a loan to buy a new car. And, instead of demanding to know what John McCain is planning to do about that, they're worried about Rev. Wright... who doesn't hold any political office the last time I checked... and neither does Bill Ayers. For God sake... they have as much to fear from Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers as I have to fear the Loch Ness Monster coming up out of the ocean and attacking the city. Yet, here you have this black fool, "...begging you, I'm begging you Mr. McCain, massa... please hit dat nigga where it hurt him. We got all these shady people around him tryin' to destroy what we got..." I can almost hear John McCain whisper in his ear when he went over to hug him (yeah, he hugged his first negro), "What'cha mean what we got, black man?"

(This post is brought to you by the true "maverick" of bloggers!)

The Heartbreak Kid

Philadelphia Sports Teams: # Years Since Last Championship

I admit it... I'm a sports junkie. The only people in the blog world that I know of who are probably more of a sports junkie than I am would be Eb the Celeb and 12Kyle. I'm from Philadelphia, PA so, you know that I am a frustrated sports fan. The 76ers, Eagles, Phillies, and even the Flyers have broken my heart year after year after year and still, like the faithful lover I am, I still court them with unrequited love once a new season begins. Why do I do this? Well, why do people stay in toxic relationships with people they and everybody else knows is no good. It's simple... memories.

You see, I remember when the Phillies won their one and only World Series in 1980. I was just old enough to drink (21 or 22 years old) and I celebrated far away in my college town with some fellow Philadelphians by drinking all the beer that I could (and stay conscious) and yelling to the top of my lungs in jubilation that night.

I remember some three years later when the Philadelphia 76ers finally got over the hump and handed those Los Angelas Lakers a damn good thrashing in a four game sweep. I was 25 years old and, along with a couple of friends, we went running down Broad Street in Philly with brooms (same as everybody in sight) yelling "Sweep... Sweep... Sweep!" Black people, white People, old people, gay people, straight people, guys, girls, etc. were winking, beeping the horns of their cars, and yelling. It was like Christmas in May. People who you didn't even know were hugging you and jumping up and down. For that one special night, people really put their differences aside and became one. I'm sure that happened in Boston this summer when the Celtics gave another group of Lakers (who probably were in diapers back then) another damn good thrashing. That was the last championship this city has seen and it was 25 years ago.

The city went crazy in the year 2000 when Allen Iverson and his 76ers went up against and won the first game against those same Lakers. I even got my first look at superstar-to-be Beyonce (Destiny's Child came here to sing at the half-time show) and alas... we got spanked the next four games. I had to watch Philadelphia homeboy Kobe Bryant and his Los Angelas Lakers celebrate on our home court and I cried like a baby.

In 2005, the Eagles went to the Super Bowl. My wife and I and a lot of our friends were over someone's house watching the game and they were barbecuing (I kid you not). It was February, they had the grill set up in the backyard, and was barbecuing chicken and ribs and shuttling them inside to be added to plates of potato salad and baked beans. The beer and soda was flowing and somebody even brought a bottle of champagne.

You know what happened don't you? T.O. showed up and played an incredible game. Love him or hate him, the man is a fantastic athlete. Yes, EB... he is... even if he is a Cowboy now. Yes, I said it-lolol! Donavan Mcnabb had an upset stomach and vomited during a time out, which ended our chance of winning the Super Bowl. The Mighty Patriots rolled on until the New York Giants surprised everybody and pulled off an unlikely upset last year (big ups to the Giants).

Neither the Eagles, Flyers, or Sixers have shown any promise of going past the first round of any playoff series they've been in since then. I didn't get too excited this year when the Sixers made it to the playoffs. I knew that they weren't going to get past Detroit. If, by some miracle, they had gotten past Detroit, there was no way they were going to stop Boston... there just wasn't enough fire power.

The Phillies have now advanced to the NLCS championships against the Los Angeles Dodgers. By the time you read this, I will know if I should get excited about a Philadelphia sports team again or if, once again, my heart will be broken. I'm a loyal and faithful lover, if nothing else.

Footnote: The Phillies beat the Dodgers 3-2... True love endures after all!

Conspiracy of Silence

Women Against Abuse

This is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. (Doesn't it seem like every month is something?) Domestic violence and violence against women period is something that people don't like to talk about. It crosses economic, ethnic, racial, and religious, and boundaries. It's that "dirty little secret" that we all agree to keep silent about. You know, if we don't talk about it, it will go away.

Some of us grow up in a culture like I did... where although it's frowned upon, it's mutually agreed that this is a matter between "that man and his woman" and therefore, nobody should interfere. People will tell you that the victim will often return to the abuser (which I suppose makes the violence "right " or "justifiable" in their eyes) so, they reason what is the need to get involved? Well, that's crazy.

I rode in a car with a friend and his girlfriend once... his girlfriend complimented me on my shirt, shoes, and cologne. I guess that was a little too much complimenting for him. He punched her so hard that her head bounced off of the passenger window. I sat in the back seat shocked. She got out of the car and he said to me, "You look like you didn't like that." I responded, "As a matter of fact, I didn't." He then told me that I could get out too and he put me out in the street as well. I had to take a bus, the subway, and another bus to get home. The girl he punched was back with him within a month. I couldn't believe it! I wasn't as forgiving and, to this day, I never got into another car that he was driving and I don't allow him in my car either.

We saw each other at the funeral of a mutual friend last year. He was with his new girlfriend and they wanted a ride back from the cemetary. I didn't have anybody in my car but, I drove right past them and didn't make an offer. They had to ride in a car with six other people. He was asked what was up with that and I'm told he dryly said, "Nothing... just something between us. It ain't no thing." He knows exactly what it is and he knows not to press me on it... it could be detrimental to his health and well being. (I ain't forgot!) But, I digress...

This same guy had knocked his pregnant girlfriend down a flight of stairs upon hearing that she was pregnant (she lost the baby). I heard that he punched another girl in the stomach in front of his mother and still, no one ever said anything to him or did anything to help his victims. He has had a nervous breakdown since then and is afraid to come out of the house by himself. A sad but, justifiable end for a very violent guy. He's now 47 years old and has to be led around by a young lady when he does venture out. I am told that he's afraid to sleep at night and has to take medication. It couldn't have happened to a "sweeter"guy.

My guilt at being silent and not lifting a finger to help that girl is all over this... I now realize that being bitter towards him didn't help her at all. I should've done something, anything but, I was like so many others who see domestic violence or violence against women and don't say or do anything. So, just like my former friend's guilt has made him go mad, my guilt and conspiracy of silence make me feel very sad sometimes. I have to live and deal with my guilt... I hope that during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (and any other time, for that matter), none of the rest of you do.

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Measure Of A Man (Or Woman)

I could blog about the debate tonight, which I'm watching as I write this... but, I'm about to do the "maverick" kind of thing and blog about something a little different (hats off to Sarah Palin). I was reading O.G.-The Original Glamazon's blog today and it got me to thinking about something. We are living in perilous economic times now and a lot of people are losing their jobs, can't buy that automobile they had their eye on, watching their 401K lose money, etc. This is causing a lot of people to question who they are and what they are.

My Grandmother once told me that "How you make your money should never get mixed up with who you are." At the time she said that, I considered it to be one more thing that old people said that didn't make any sense to me at all... but today, those words come back to me and they make an awful lot of sense. Right after I read O.G.'s blog, I read a horrifyingly unsettling story in the newspaper about a man in California who killed his wife, two children, mother-in-law, and then himself yesterday. The reason was... he had lost his job and was depressed.

Too many people are wrapped up in their job title or position, how much money they make, and how many "things" they have acquired. Their personality and their character seems to get lost somewhere in all of that. Half of Sean ("Puff Daddy", "Diddy", or whoever he is calling himself now of days) Combs's Bad Boy catalog is filled with songs that explain that a girl should be with (fill in the blank right here) because they have clothes, cars, jewels, and can take her on shopping sprees. For awhile, the entire hip-hop culture was built around the "bling". Unfortunately, the American economic reality is going to force people to dream different dreams. The hero of the day is not going to be the big "playa" but simply, the guy who can get through the day.

That's why I got to thinking about the things that are "recession proof", such as character. At the end of the day, all you may have is your integrity, honesty, loyalty, ability to love, and your willingness to work and provide for your spouse/lover and your children. That is going to be the measuring stick that a man will be judged by. I think guys are probably more guilty of this than women... that is, confusing who they are with where they work, how nice and up to date their car is, their position at the job, etc. That's why when they lose that job, if they lose that car or somebody gets a better car than theirs, they seemingly lose their minds. They don't know who they are anymore.

The American economic reality is going to force all of us to look deeper into ourselves. It's going to strip us to the bare essence of who we are and in the next couple of years, we are going to have to make some sacrifices regardless of WHO is in the White House. Hopefully, we'll find out something good about ourselves and be all the more better for it.

(This post is brought to you by the true "maverick" of bloggers!)

WMDs (Weapons of Mass Distraction)

I wasn't going to blog today... at least, not on this blog. I'm busy plotting out a new series of short stories on my other blog, Escapades. It's a murder mystery and the first installment is called "The Blogger Who Loved Me".

I just happened to be skimming through the newspaper and I see that the McCain campaign is still talking about Obama's ties to Bill Ayers, an aging 1960's radical who was last active when Obama was around 8 years old. Are they serious? I also heard Rev. Jeremiah Wright's name bandied around again. Again, are they serious? They don't have anything better to talk about?

I would like to think that the majority of the American people are pretty hip to the Republican Party's bag of tricks by now. If you don't have a message or a solution, attack the character of the opponent, find some scandalous dirt on him and, while you're at it, throw in a non-issue or two like gay marriage, flag burning, abortion, etc. and distract attention away from the fact that you don't have a clue as to how to solve their problems.

Ronald Reagan did it, George Bush, Sr. did it, George W. Bush did it twice and quite frankly, everybody should be hip to it by now. Do you want the truth? The truth is, I'd say 50% of the populace is not hip and that these same tricks would be working today if not for the fact that everything is so screwed up that nobody really wants to hear about Rev. Wright or Bill Ayers. ...as a matter of fact, very few people even know who Bill Ayers is (was) or cares.

John McCain is taking a bath in the polls. I almost feel sorry for the guy. Reports in USA TODAY are saying that the newly registered voters all seem to favor Barack Obama. The collapse on Wall Street couldn't have happened at a worse time for his campaign. He had finally snagged a slight lead after the Republican National Convention, now he's down about 12 points.

People are so pissed off about the shape this country is in now, they don't want to hear anything except what is planned to put an end to the pain... and no amount of "weapons of mass distraction" are going to change that right now.

Little Boys, Trains, & Grandfathers Too

What is it about little boys and trains? I can remember spending many hours with my grandfather, just playing with trains. I loved them as a little boy and I see that my grandson does too. Ever since he was old enough to notice what was on the TV screen, he has been absolutely mesmerized by the “Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends” train characters. There was something about this little tank engine show that not only caught his eye but, actually held his attention for hours on end at a very young age (and mind you... he's not even 3 years old yet and won't be until January 24th).

Well, just like any other family when you discover what the favorite character or toy is, the child must be inundated with it and in our house, my wife is guilty of this habit. Needless to say, she makes sure that our grandson has "Thomas & Friends" EVERYTHING! (When our daughter was growing up, it was "Cabbage Patch" EVERYTHING!) But, being a man who was once a little boy who loved trains, at least this is something I can get into and it also brings back a lot of special memories of times that I spent with my grandfather.

So, I know this is NOT the hot topic of the week or an intriguing story from my past ... but rather, an attempt to momentarily suspend all of the craziness that we call "adult life", which we all need to do from time to time. These photos were taken of my grandson on Saturday morning and I decided to let him have the spotlight for just "a minute"... a little boy playing with his trains, while his grandfather enjoys the memory of doing it "once upon a time" too.

This post is dedicated to my grandfather
PRINCE ALBERT MARTIN

A Night At Sullivan's

J.L. Sullivan's Speakeasy

Friday night, a friend of mine invited me and some other people that she knew to one of those after work "Happy Hours" at a hot new night spot in Downtown Philly called "Sullivans." It was previously an African American owned club called "Zanzibar Blue". You could see live Jazz, eat soul food, and wash it down with drinks and beverages from the bar. My wife and I dined there a few times... the food was good but, she said that the plates were larger than the amount of food that was served (not too far from the truth). Zanzibar Blue closed about a year ago, the new club opened, and the new owners completely revamped the place. They gave it the appearance of a lounge, with wide screen flat TV monitors everywhere and small personalized booths for small parties. The crowd was a mixture of hip black and white "uber professionals".

Daytime view of the lounge at Sullivan's

My friend was busy being a good hostess and was only able to offer minimal conversation to me so, I had to mingle with about nine people who I had never seen before. One sister and a brother, who looked like he was too young to be in the club, sat near me. She asked me my name and then almost immediately, asked me what I do for a living. I told her that I work for a university in the development section, where we procure donors and alumni and get them to donate money to us for cancer research and other projects. She told me that she was a manager at a major pharmaceutical research lab.

As a rule, once I leave work, I prefer to leave it there... I don't like to talk about work when I'm not actually working. All of these people seemed to be talking about their degrees, jobs, and getting a higher paying job... not exactly conversation that was interesting to me at the moment. Then, she asked me if I was married (which I think is what she really wanted to know.) I told her that I was and then she asked me if I was "happily" married. I hate when women ask me a question like that because if I bother to tell you that I'm married then, assume that I'm happily married and that anything else on that line ends right there. I showed her my wedding band and then asked her,"What do you think?"... (with a smile, of course). Then she asked me, "What does your wife do?" I responded with "Whoa, lots of questions tonight... Do you mean to tell me that an attractive, educated women like you doesn't have a man?" She hung her head and said, "No... it's hard to find a brother on my level or that is not intimidated by my success." Oh, my God... here was another conversation I didn't want to have so, I steered the conversation to the debate.

Everybody said that they thought Sarah Palin was "prepped well" and that she evaded issues and answered only the questions that she wanted to answer. I asked everybody present if they were registered to vote and I can happily say that all of them were. I jokingly asked if there were any black Republicans in the bunch and they all laughed and went, "Boooooooooo....." Now, we were having a good time! Our drinks came, the food came, and everybody dropped their veneers and was becoming downright warm and cuddly. Then, here it comes (you knew there was a "then")... THEY CAME!

My friend's Hispanic co-worker, Benita, and her white boyfriend, Tom, and they were drunk when they got to the lounge area. They also had two large goblets of wine and ordered two more. They were loud and insisted on talking to everyone in the group and walking around. Neither of them would sit down and they caused everybody in the place to stare at them and at us. Tom was a salesman and he talked everyone's ears off about everything and nothing. He reminded me of a used car salesman.

He asked me what my name was.. I said "Keith." He said, "How old are you, my friend?" I said, "50." He said, "MY GOD, YOU PEOPLE AGE SO WELL! I'm 50 and look at me... I look worse than my dad... hahahahahahahaha." The "you people age so well" comment didn't go over so well with these black uber professionals but, I thought it was hilarious and I probably saved him from being lynched indoors by laughing. Come on, the man was drunk and he didn't say the "N" word so, I gave him a pass.

The sister sitting next to me tried to ignore him. She asked me if I had any interesting hobbies and I told her about the blog you are reading, my other blog, and the very interesting bloggers I have met from around the nation that I share an almost daily communion with. People that I feel like I know but, have never met. Tom looked at her and said, "You've got some big sexy legs my chocolate sistah... ummmmmm, ummmmmmph" and stuck his tongue out at her in an obscene gesture. Me and this other brother sitting across from me began laughing our heads off at Tom and another brother starting laughing too. Only one of the sisters laughed. The sister it was directed at, didn't find it funny.

Benita started doing a very sexy dance (she thought) and Tom grabbed one of her butt cheeks and made a spanking motion. Again, the brothers were laughing so hard that tears were coming out of our eyes but, the sisters were not amused. Then Benita, made the biggest mistake she could ever have made. She sat on this brother's lap and started giving him a simulated lap dance. He was dark skinned, bald headed, and built like adonis... but, it was quite clear who ran the show. His woman. A much smaller sister but, she was quite clear in her feelings about the matter. She lunged at Benita, grabbed her wrist, and attempted to push her off of her man and both women fell to the ground.

Hot damn... we are having a hot night tonight and I'm definitely going to blog about this, I thought to myself. I'm laughing so hard, my sides are hurting. My poor friend, our hostess, looked mortified and she kept saying, "She (Benita) doesn't act like this at work. I have never seen this side of her." Tom saddled over next to the sister that had been talking to me and said," Look, she's drunk and we haven't been together that long. I'd really like to rub those big legs girl." She pushed him away and got up and said to my friend," Uh, it's eight o'clock and I'm supposed to be meeting some friends at "Warmdaddys" (another popular black nightspot owned by the same people who gave us Zanzibar Blue). Thanks for inviting me." She looked at me and said, "It was nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around at some other events." I smiled and said, "Maybe, you never know."

Four other people got up and left right after she did. Tom grabbed Benita and pulled the other girl away from her. Benita said, "I didn't mean no disrespect. Usually, I'm a f__ckin' lady." Which had me bowled over in laughter. The sister said, "Well, you went over the line that time. I don't play that." Tom apologized and said to Benita that they had better go. They drank their tumblers of wine and, while holding each other up, waddled out the club.

I walked over to my friend, gave her a hug, and said... "Thank you for inviting me. This was a great night... very entertaining." She said... "Oh, stop making fun of me." I said, "No... seriously, I had a great time. I mean it. I loved the free draft beers and the Mojitos." She smirked, "No, you loved the two drunk idiots." I laughed, "I especially loved them." She said, "I know you did."

I wandered out into the October night with a slight buzz that was completely knocked out when I got to the parking lot and couldn't remember where I had parked my car. I walked a few blocks to a Dunkin Donuts and ordered a large coffee. I sat and drank that and laughed to myself until I got it together and then, went back and found my car. I drove home with the windows down and Jazmine Sullivan's "I Need You Bad" blasting on the radio and thought... how cool it is to be me sometimes, like this particular night!

Donna

I guess, since I talked about Ellen yesterday, I might as well talk about her one time lover, Donna. I had known Donna since the 7th or 8th grade. She was one of those girls who developed very early and had the body of a full grown woman by the time she was 14 years old... "built like a ship", as the old guys said.

We boys had a nickname for Donna... we called her "Bounce" because frankly, everything on her jiggled and bounced. She was just a cutie pie. Very vivacious, very charismatic, the life of the party, and everybody loved her. We also called her Bounce because she could dance... there wasn't a dance invented that she couldn't do. If there was a party and you danced with her, you had better know what you were doing or she'd make you look real bad. She could cha-cha, bop, step, you name it... Bounce could do it. She was such a nice girl and she didn't deserve what happened to her in the ninth grade.

I had a crush on her and so did a lot of guys. She knew it too and sometimes she used it to her advantage to get things from guys... like free lunch, her books carried, the answers to a quiz but, all in all, she was a good girl. She wasn't having sex with anybody or doing anything like that. Guys were trying to get "serious" with her (as serious as you could get in the ninth grade) but, she wasn't having it. She was turning guys down left and right. The waste basket was full of notes asking, "Can I stand a chance?"... "Would you be my girlfriend?"... etc. She just wasn't interested in any of the guys in our school.

Although, there was a guy who I'll call Derrick, who I think she did kinda like at first. He was in high school, 17 years old, and hung with two other guys who were out of school. They were about 18 or 19 years old. The way I heard the story, Derrick tried to show off for his boys and she clowned him in front of them. She clowned a lot of guys but, there is a big difference in clowning a guy who is 14 years old and clowning someone who is 17 or 18 years old. They took that way too personal and the trio snuck into our school one afternoon and snatched Donna out of the hallway and tossed her into the girls restroom where they raped her repeatedly.

Everybody was talking about it... they said that she had a "train" run on her (slang for raped by multiple people or gang raped, as it is called today). This was quite common when I was in junior high school and half the time, it wasn't reported... the girls were too ashamed. Anyway, these three pieces of human excretion were captured within three days of their deed. One guy said that all he did was watch the door while the other two actually committed the rape. He testified against his buddies and didn't do a day in jail... but, he had to transfer to another school. Nobody likes a snitch and a snitch involved in a rape is a marked man. We never saw him again. The 18 year old got a five-year stint in state prison (he was tried as an adult). The ring leader, who at 17 years old was still considered a minor, was locked up in the Youth Study Center until he turned 21 years old.

Unfortunately, Donna is probably still serving her "sentence" for something that was not her fault. She was never the same person again. She was quiet, withdrawn, and would freeze up if a guy just touched her shoulder. She was traumatized. We were black, from West Philly, and there was no therapist or counseling for people like us... we just had to suck it up and deal with it.

I didn't see Donna again until years later when I was in my twenties. She was going with a guy I'll call "Truelove". He was a legend in his own mind and thought he was more than he actually was. My brother and I would listen to his stories, look at each other, and shake our heads. We never knew if everything he said was true or not but, he didn't lie about Donna. He complained bitterly about her... "Man, I don't know what's wrong with her... she freezes up. If you try to put your arms around her, she get all tense. Kissing her is like kissing a cold fish and if I don't get no magumbo (sex) soon, I think I'm gonna have to leave her. But, she looks so good. I would hate to leave and someone else get it."

I explained to him what had happened to her and he said that he knew about it... she had told him. But he said, "That was damn near nine years ago and she needs to get over it. The dudes that done it have served their time and got out." I wasn't the most evolved man at the time but, his insensitivity irked me so, I quickly changed the subject.

I wasn't trying to persue a relationship with Ellen anymore but, we did remain friends. I still went over to her house and watched basketball games with her. Every now and then, I would ask her if she was sure she liked women and she would assure me that she still did. In fact, she told me she had already met someone and they were pursuing a relationship. I must admit, I felt a twinge of jealousy... I didn't know why, but I did.

One day, I was on my way to work and I realized that I had left something of mine over Ellen's house... so, I walked over there and rang the bell. Nobody came to the door. I knew she was there because her car was out front. The door was open so, I went in. The smell backed me up as usual, which meant that Jake had just left. I walked upstairs, cracked the door, and there was Ellen and Donna... butt naked on the floor, kissing, and fondling each other. Ellen had a dildo and was using it on Donna. I was stunned. I backed up and out of the door. Then, I slipped back into the room where they were, grabbed my package, and walked out. I didn't know if they had seen me or not.

I told my brother about it and he howled with laughter and said, "Wait until "Truelove" finds out!" I said, "He ain't finding out from me and you neither... let's just leave that alone." He never found out from us but, he did find out... and he was devastated. He couldn't fathom losing a woman, "his woman", to another woman. He too, was never the same. Of course, all the guys who knew him laughed and joked about it and he took it all very personal. He eventually quit his job and moved. I don't know what ever became of him but, this story gets even murkier...

Shelly, the AKA that I dated in college (see my "School Daze" posts on Sept 25+26), began coming around to see me. We were no longer a couple but, we toyed around with getting back together for a hot minute. One day, she came to see me and Ellen was sitting on my steps. I explained to her that Ellen was just a "friend who was on her way home." I don't know if she believed me or not but, later on Ellen called me and asked me, "Who was the cutie?" I said, "That's my ex-girlfriend." Ellen replied, "Damn Keith... you got good taste... she's fine." I felt like I was talking to a dude and I felt weird.

Shelly came to see me at another time and Ellen came by and began talking to her. They were getting along famously. Ellen gave her her number and told her to "stop by sometime." Shelly said to me, "Your friend Ellen is sooo nice." I said, "Shelly, she likes you." Shelly said, "I like her too." I said, "You don't understand, babe. She likes you like I like you. Do you follow me? She's gay and plus, she got's a girlfriend." God, I felt like I was competing with Ice again! Shelly replied, "Oh my God... why didn't you say something before."

Donna caught Ellen and her roving eye and beat her up. They would go on like this all the time... fighting like cats and dogs and then making up just like a guy and a girl would. I used to just shake my head and laugh.

Epilogue

Donna got married the same year me and my wife got married (1989). Donna and her husband have a little girl and she should be about 10 years old now. Ellen also married a few years ago and has two sons. Derrick, the ring leader of the train rape back in the ninth grade, went back to jail for another rape. He was killed in prison.