This week’s theme will be childhood games and the life lessons they taught us. Each day we will highlight a game we used to play and intricately weave their impacts on our adult lives. Enjoy!


Life Lessons Learned: While playing hopscotch in the dark


Hopscotch was a girly game, but I remember some boys getting into the swing of things too. All you needed was some chalk, a sidewalk and a few rocks. You took the chalk, drew out some strategically placed boxes, put some numbers in them boxes, and placed a rock or two in some of the boxes (for us advanced players). The object of the game was to…well hell I’m not really sure. But I will tell ya what I learned.

Some folks drew their hopscotch grid pretty standard, some got real fancy with them and they became a long intricate series of single and double boxes per line that could stretch all the way down the street. A sista would be dead tired after hopping one of those fancy smansy grids. Anyway, I learned that we can choose how we perceive our lives, we can draw it out, make a plan, and choose to stick to it, or dust it off (by taking your foot and stamping out a chalk line) and draw a new one. I learned that even when a rock is placed in a box that’s right in front of you, you can hop over or around it. Or you can balance on one foot and pick that sucka up and move it out your way. You can over come obstacles as long as you confront them, and not let them stop you by making you turn around or not play the game at all. I learned that to navigate hopscotch all you needed was one foot and some balance. God gave us two feet, you do the math.

Disclaimer: I’ve never really played hopscotch in the dark, just wanted to make it sexxy for ya!
Are you having flashbacks of recess now?

Wu Are You?: "METHOD Man"

This week is our ode to one of our favorite groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan. Take this journey with us through the 36 Chambers, I promise you won't be mad you came along... So the Latte Mugg proudly presents: Wu Are You?



This post will be short and sweet (like the author)....





This is a song that was widely popular, one of the released singles and videos from the 36 Chambers. It was actually a B-Side to "Protect Ya Neck." The reason I chose this song is for a reason you may not have thought. I have seen various interviews with Method Man regarding this song. One thing he always mentions is that he really doesn't care for this song, that it was never supposed to be on the album, but was so catchy that it engaged unlikely fans to Wu. So you ask what significance this is to me? Dang, y'all nosy... This happens to me, all. the. time. Every time I write something that I put my all into, including some posts on this blog, no one reads it or appreciates it. On the other hand, the writing I spend the least amount of time or I am not invested in emotionally is what folks seem to flock to. I used to think it was just me, but almost every artist I know says the exact same thing. Why is this you think? Is there something wrong with my method, man?


*talk to us, we won't bite (unless you like that sort of thing, lol)

Wu Are You?: Da Mystery of Chessboxin'

This week is our ode to one of our favorite groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan. Take this journey with us through the 36 Chambers, I promise you won't be mad you came along... So the Latte Mug proudly presents: Wu Are You?




The more I research The Wu, the more I admire them and what they stood for. From their lyricism to their business sense. The clan started out in their videos wearing masks, they represented as an entity, The Wu. When they blew up they did their solo things but always had their solid foundation. That’s the way community is supposed to work. Work together to gain success and stability, then do you but never forget who got you there by giving back. They always gave each other credit. ok ok enough about that. On to the point of Chessboxin’...





“I got beef with commercial ass n***as with gold teeth”


I do too Wu!

“The game of chess is like a swordfight You must think first before you move...”


Let me hip you clannites to the game real quick. The Wu exemplified their skills lyrically and whoop your tail like in this song. The point is that you have to have a plan, you have to be able to change up your plan while in battle, you have to think about what you do before you do it so you can anticipate what is coming next, yimean?

Metaphor Alert: For example, lets just say you got dressed this morning, which I’m thinking we all did. As you were putting on your gators, Nikes, Three Stripes (showing Beantown love), or Keds, you realized that your foot wasn’t sliding in as easily as it usually does. You have a choice A) keep jamming your foot in there until you crack a toe or tear the tongue out of the shoe or B) examine the shoe to figure out what’s blocking your path. Eventually everyone gets to choice B. Some longer than others, the point? Strategy and problem solving!

Ok so come follow me across this bridge so I can take you to the land of enlightenment. I’m about to connect these thoughts to support my up coming vent in 5…4…3…2…1-


The President, Obama, is trying to do right by the people, trying to give the people what they want, he heard us cry, he’s trying to dry our tears. He said you want healthcare reform? We said hells yeah! He said you want me to join the parties? We said, what the flip ever just make it happen. So he consults all the top docs nurses hospitals (his wife was head of a hospital system) and sick folks. He devises a plan to make it happen. The plan is hitting hella resistance from ALL sides…so what does he do? He re-strategizes (yes I made that up). He takes all of the info he’s receiving, taking into consideration what people’s gripes are and is coming back with a better way to make it fit the most people. Some say he’s backing down, but anyone who can take a shoe off to examine what is preventing it from sliding on to their foot can see a mid battle change of plan a mile away. You want him to help you, but you wont support his battle plans. You suck at playing chess, you suck at life, you are probably stuck in your life doing nothing but complaining.

I support anyone who is trying to help me. Obama’s doing it, The Wu supports it, and I endorse it. So there it is, here it was, don’t be late, cuz here I come!

You’ve been schooled.

Wu Are You?: Protect Ya Neck


This week is our ode to one of our favorite groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan. Take this journey with us through the 36 Chambers, I promise you won't be mad you came along... So the Latte Mug proudly presents: Wu Are You?




Protect Ya Neck has many different layers. On one hand it is a braggadocios tale of the ferocity of the Wu-Tang Clan and how they will basically f*ck you up, for lack of a better word... (and for emphasis, lol) as referenced by Ghostface Killa:
For cryin out loud my style is wild so book me

Secondly it speaks to how their camaraderie is vital to their survival. In a sense a "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" mentality. One of the attributes of the Wu during this period was their concept of protecting family, that wasn't necessarily blood family. No matter how crude or "grimy" they had to be, they still held on the concept of togetherness and a sense of community. I feel this is something that is lacking within our music AND society as a whole. These days there is a large emphasis put on selfish ideals and what I call the "Look at Me" mindset. I respected how they promoted the idea of gaining wealth and knowledge but still holding on to and looking out for their fellow man. This is also evident how when each Wu member put out a solo project, the group members were prominently featured in songs, videos, and production credits. In a sense Tiha and I are a mini-clan because we help each other out and support each others endeavours, we would never leave the other one out of our successes. We will let others into our circle, as RZA states:

My clan increase like black unemployment

We also are protective about who we let into the fold, like ODB says (he is profound sometimes, every now and then, lol):
And I'll be damned if I let any man
Come to my center, you enter, the winter


Do you have a crew to "protect ya neck"? How has that helped you along the way?



*talk to us, we won't bite (unless you like that sort of thing, lol)

Wu Are You?: Can It Be All So Simple


This week is our ode to one of our favorite groups of all time, Wu-Tang Clan. Take this journey with us through the 36 Chambers, I promise you won't be mad you came along... So the Latte Mugg proudly presents: Wu Are You?

In the song, Raekwon and Ghostface discuss the hardships of growing up in New York City during the 80's, and how they want to live a lavish and famous lifestyle to escape the hardships of life.




My thoughts must be relaxed
Be able to maintain
‘Cause times is changed
and life is strange
The glorious days is gone, and everybody’s doin bad


Yes I’m snatching lyrics from this song. I love love love this song. I stan for Wu-Tang all day erry day since 199? A long *ss time. With that said, I would like to reiterate a theme here, Wu-Tang was the soundtrack for my teenage years. They were going through it, I was going through it. I saw things that they lived and I’m pretty sure none of us should have been seeing or living the sh*t either way. This song was about being someplace less than desirable and dreaming about doing bigger better things. However, on the way to achieving that dream you find out that the road is littered with some bs. And once you achieve your dream, you end up dealing with even more crap, and the memories of the hood wake you up at night and remind you during the day when you get that call about your homies or whatever still going through it. Was it all so simple, back then when all you had was a dream and a dime bag? Dare I quote Puffy in the same blog as Wu-Tang “mo money mo problems”? Let’s just pretend the Wu said that as well.

But above it all, as we go through the trials and tribulations of surviving life, we must all be able to maintain, we have to keep ourselves together, grounded and keep our eyes on the pride. Regardless of the chaos around us. We have a bigger purpose; the seed was planted in our dreams as we visualized ourselves doing more when we were young. Wu-Tang has given us some great music and lyrics, they have also, consistently given back to the community. If they had given up on their dreams because of the obstacles they faced, they wouldn’t have been able to fulfill their purpose. We can’t give up either! We have a bigger purpose that we may not always be able to see, but it’s there nonetheless and we have to follow through.

Keep ya heads up clannites!

Seuss Deez: Horton Hears a Who!


OI actually wasn't familiar with this book as a child. In fact I didn't know the plot until yesterday. true story. I went online and read the book and discovered it was a profound little tale. Here is a synposis I swiped form wikipedia if you haven't read it either:

The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called ‘‘Who-ville’’, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos and led by a character known as the mayor.

The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, which Horton happily agrees to do, proclaiming throughout the book that ‘‘even though you can’t see or hear them at all, a person’s a person, no matter how small’’. In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo. Horton tells the Whos that, lest they end up being boiled in ‘‘Beezelnut Oil’’, they need to make themselves heard to the other animals. The Whos finally accomplish this by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is a ‘‘very small shirker named JoJo’’ whose final addition to the volume creates enough lift for the jungle to hear the sound, thus reinforcing the moral of ‘‘a person’s a person, no matter how small’’.

Now convinced of the Whos’ existence, Horton’s neighbors vow to help him protect the tiny community.




So now that we have all that out the way, here is our conversation... (don't you miss our IM's?)

T 2U (12:43 PM): the answers to the problems addressed in the state of the black union can be found in horton hears a who
T 2U (12:43 PM): thank you very much

Alise (12:45 PM): like?
Alise (12:45 PM): (i haven't read it, so i don't know)

T 2U (12:47 PM): i haven't either but i'm using my creative license to make the shit fit

Alise (12:47 PM): nice!




You ever meet that person who talks loudly and says nothing? I know plenty. They usually hide behind the excuse of, "that's just my personality," or "don't change/judge me." Yes, of course we've talked about this type of person a million times, but I am beating this dead horse for a reason. This type of person is the downfall of our community and country as a whole. Why, you ask. These are the people who talk so loudly that the "whos" (us, the idealists) are never heard by the "Hortons" ("them", the semi-genuine politicians, the altruistic managers, etc.).


T 2U (2:28 PM): just some "whos" trying to make a peep in a crowded club straining vocals against the rants of the fear mongering populous trying to overcompensate for their ever diminishing importance in life in general
T 2U (2:28 PM): they have no purpose but must be heard
T 2U (2:28 PM): i need an open mic!!

Alise (2:29 PM): nice
Alise (2:29 PM): that's going in the post

The loud idiot is not only annoying and distracting, but are never flexible and never reasonable. (Read: Don't judge/change me) These are the ones that proclaim a government attempting to provide healthcare as socialist without knowing the definition of socialist. As a matter of fact they don't know what capitalist, democracy, or the 3 branches of our government. Yet, will be the same one on camera next week saying why is the government not addressing our healthcare needs. Yes, the loud idiot is also a hypocrite, but are too loud and busy talking that they fail to realize it. They always choose the Public opinion du jour from the menu. uncool.

Right now I just pray that our Horton hears us before us dust particles get sucked up by the machine vacuum .


Good readers, who or what else do you think is so loud or distracting that causes us Whos not to be heard?

Suess Deez: Green Eggs and Ham


Sam constantly badgers an unnamed character to try green eggs and ham. The unnamed character refuses to taste the dish, insisting that he would not like it.

Being the daredevil of life (not afraid to try new and different things, not necessarily jumping from planes, but will jump into new relationships just to see what would happen), I have a trunk load of fun and interesting things I’ve discovered over the years. I like odd and different things as well, so my trunk is very eclectic. I enjoy green eggs and ham. Its that hot sh*t! Its good for me, makes me feel healthy and I’m pretty sure it’ll be good for you too. I hear you complain often about how crappy you feel, so I’m trying to help you out by putting you on to some green eggs and ham! What? you’ve never heard of them? Don’t like the way they look? Don’t want to try them because they’re different? But I’m telling you, from personal experience, they are good for you. Still not convinced huh? Well think of them like healthcare reform, good for all once we tailor it to fit our people and economy. I can tailor the green eggs and ham too, you like your eggs fried hard right? Still not convinced? AND you don’t believe in healthcare reform either????

Well I’m NOT Sam-I-Am. I’m just not that persistent. You can just die from your ailments and not get any treatment with medicare. More green eggs and ham for me!

The moral of the book is to teach persistence, especially if you believe in something. I have a hard time distinguishing between persistence and begging. It all feels like begging to me, which is something the kid doesn’t do. Oh well. Persistence is good, and good luck with that!

Seuss Deez: Hop on Pop

*alert: Daddy issues abound*


The book "Hop on Pop" is just a cute little poem with simple rhymes constructed to introduce kids to reading. It is one of the first books I remember reading. I chose to relate this book to my life for simply the title. I am jealous of the title. I wish I could have hopped on my pop. Even though pop only lived 10-15 minutes away, he might as well have lived on the moon. Actually if he lived on the moon I would have had something to brag about at Show and Tell. I'm not going to go to Show and Tell and say:

"This week is a Tell... well let me tell you about my daddy... He is the GREATEST liar I have ever met, he is so cool that he works no where and uses anyone he meets. And oh my he is consistent, he has consistently never given me a birthday or Christmas present, pretty awesome isn't it?"


***side-eye of death***


I digress. Well, not really. I know folks will want to tell me that I should forgive, and you would be absolutely correct. Does it make you feel good to be right? (lol) I just feel like I should be able to vent about his inadequacy. It's half myblog and sh*t... I also can now admit my jealousy that my little brother gets to hop on Pop, but myself and 3 older siblings did not. That's my real issue. Le sigh. Done venting. (for today anyway)

And while you're here, go ahead and vent too...

Suess Deez: There's a Wocket in my Pocket


There’s a Wocket in My Pocket
A little boy talks about what strange creatures live in his house, such as the yeps on the steps, the nooth grush on his toothbrush, the yottle in the bottle and the jertain in the curtain.
editors note: They edited the book to take out some of the scarier creatures, boo them.


Ladies and Gentlemen and thugs, lets just take a moment to keep it real. We all have wockets in our pockets, some yeps, nooths, and yottles. We all have aspect of our personalities that we are proud of and some that we are not. When interacting with people, we can have the good ones show up, and place the bad ones away for awhile. However I caution all of you, when entering into a relationship with someone, (yeah I took it there) I think that all of your wockets, yeps and yottles need to come on downstairs and be introduced. You can’t hide them! They will always come out, eventually, and you don’t want their coming out party signify the end of your relationship. You need to know up front if your wocket will get along with your partner’s yep. Its just good business all around.

So to strengthen my relationship with my readers, I would like all of you to meet my Wocket.

*passing Ms. Wocket the mic , Wocket says “have you guys been totally honest with your partners in revealing yourself? If not did it end up biting you in the end? Because I bite!”

Thank you Ms. Wocket. Please answer her question, I have to live with her…

Seuss Deez: The Cat in the Hat


This week we are having visitation with our inner children. As part of the custody agreement we are ordered to read Dr. Seuss books to these ungrateful little hellions. Then we have to explain to these bastards how these books will help them when they get old and 30. The things you do for the kids... sigh...

Well kiddies there is this book called the Cat in the Hat, and it's pretty dope. Here's how it goes:

So these parents who work to support these little bad ass children have to leave them home alone. (sidebar: Where was CPS, these kids were kinda young?) It's all raining and stuff, they are pretty bored and what not. You see back then kids used to go outside and play and they had no Wii so rainy days pretty much sucked. So they are moping and pouting and sh*t stuff, and out of nowhere pops up this crazy cat and his homies Thing One and Thing Two. The cat and his homies perform all types of tricks and crazy antics to entertain the kids. The whole while the kids and their hater goldfish try to reign in the cat, they try to subdue his free spirit. The cat means no harm and after he finishes entertaining the hater children, he even cleans up.


The moral of this story is when something new comes in to your life don't fight it. Sometimes you have to learn how to embrace this new thing and find a way to coexist and to gain from it. Don't let the stuffy hater, "do everything by the book" outsiders try to control it. The whole situation will leave you better and will clean up and be beneficial to you in the long run. Allow something out of your comfort zone to brighten your rainy day(s). Free your mind and sh*t....


tomorrow: Seuss Deez, "There's a Wocket in my Pocket"....

Flashback is action that interrupts to show an event that happened at an earlier time which is necessary to better understanding.



tiha says:
We all have our foundations, our parents instilled morals and ethics, or the church did it, or your neighborhood posse. When I was a teenager I was truly blessed to have my ears kissed by conscious rap. It was funky enough to irritate my parents, but grooving enough to make James Brown proud to have his beats sampled. I mean 90s rap filled my teenaged life with meaning, I wanted to stand up for my people. I wanted to go dig Brenda’s baby out of the dumpster and make her take it to the hospital.




It made me think Ice Cube was some kind of seer of the people whenever he predicted the next west coast revolt. It made me want to hurry up and be able to vote so I could help fight the power. It made me wanted to illicit change in the way the police treated brown folks. It made me believe that we could accomplish anything if we all stood together, and it made me believe in us as a people. We were united through our angst.



90s conscious rap was the soundtrack to the revolution-that still hasn’t come. I listen to 90’s rap now, and its all still relevant, same struggles, same issues, just a different decade. Really people? We don’t have to reach that far back in our history to know what’s going on. So I’m throwing up my fist, I have on my Tims, I’m back in the alley on a cold Boston night plotting for change, giving my respect to the messages these artists tried to pass on to us. I hear you guys, I swear I do!

alise chimes in:

One way the spirit of the 90's conscious rap is living on is through Spoken Word.



Many of the poets and poetry fans I run into have that spirit of revolution, change, and self awareness. We hope that through each word, poem, anecdote, or story that is told, it becomes catalyst for some young warrior or leader who just needed a push. I hope that beautiful soul saves us all.

peace.






Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds within close proximity, usually in consecutive words within the same sentence or line.

yeah you probably thought the queen of alliteration was going to take this one, well fooled ya! cant put us in no boxes. box deez. now for our regularly scheduled blog:

As I wake up in the morning, my ears are filled with groans and grunts graciously greeting me as I get up out the bed and go forth with my gray rainy day blues, belaying the blue skies and birds bursting with song of soliloquies saluting the new day.

I’m stuck in a rut of self righteous retching and bitching by which I mean regularly realizing that the ruler of my world is me, but I’ll blame someone else for sucking the synergetic energy from my every thought until everything I hear and think sounds the same, the same ole sad song of sorrow for something I so want to attain but purposely put off, pushing away, satisfying the fear born from freely indulging in the self destructive slavery of my mind.

I choose to not change the pace of my world, chagrin charging my choppy thoughts of half felt passions, please wont you listen as I don’t try to take the things I want and continue to treat my tries as sore defeats confirming my constant state of deflated angst. Making no sense as a means to confuse others into thinking I’m trying when really I’m disguising my efforts to remain still and let life pass me by.

I can match up the beginnings of my words to make them mean what I want, but that doesn’t mean that they are what is true. A pretty picture parading in pretence can only hope to hold a heavy value.
*Recap: We wanted to have a little fun and do something a little different, so we have decided to start some series here on "The Latte Mug." Our first series will be "Left to our own literary devices..." As you may know, Tiha and I love literature, poetry, and theater. We try to live and breathe it as much as possible, and sometimes it enters our lungs whether we invite it to the respiration party or not. (Did I get carried away with that metaphor?... I'm a poet, sue me!) This series will highlight a literary device* each day this week and how it has somehow bumrushed itself into our reality. Ya dig? I thought you would...


Poetic justice: when virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished, often in modern literature by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character's own conduct.


No not Janet, 2Pac and 'nem, even though that movie is quite a guilty pleasure of mine. "Alone, all alone. Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone." Sorry, had a fit of nostalgia... Back on track, I have to remember about that whole focus thing...

Many folks get some secret (or public) pleasure when the "bad guy" gets what's coming to him. You know when karma bites someone in the ass like a Purple Smurf (please click the link to see the Purple Smurfs, it is hilarious, trust me). Most folks cheer and laugh when the villain is captured or dies at the end of the movie. It is very interesting to me that people get pleasure in someone's demise. I know, I know, your first response will be, "Well what if they deserved it?" And I will respond, "Who are you to judge?" I'll be on some "he who has not screwed up ever throw the first stone" type of vibe. I say all that to say: I don't get pleasure when the "bad guy" loses, in fact sometimes it makes me sad. I think sometimes poetic justice is too harsh. I think the bad guy deserves a second chance every now and then. Karma should mind her business sometimes, she gets on my nerves and her poetry sucks...


But Jill Scott's poetry is pretty awesome:

*Recap: We wanted to have a little fun and do something a little different, so we have decided to start some series here on "The Latte Mug." Our first series will be "Left to our own literary devices..." As you may know, Tiha and I love literature, poetry, and theater. We try to live and breathe it as much as possible, and sometimes it enters our lungs whether we invite it to the respiration party or not. (Did I get carried away with that metaphor?... I'm a poet, sue me!) This series will highlight a literary device* each day this week and how it has somehow bumrushed itself into our reality. Ya dig? I thought you would...


Creative license:
Exaggeration or alteration of objective facts or reality, for the purpose of enhancing meaning in a fictional context.


I’ve finally earned my creative license, and man lemme tell you that test was a b*tch. I took classes and everything. I studied up with the book, passed the written, but that road test had me shook, straight up.

I ended up getting a BA in Art just to gain the knowledge for the written.



But the road test was a little more tricky. You see, it required that I put myself out there artistically. I had to believe in myself and my art. I had to find my purpose and not be afraid to stand by it. I had to be brave in the face of criticism. I had to be willing to do something for nothing and do nothing for something. I had to balance my art with selling out for the mighty dollar. It took awhile to pass that road test. It was a road I had not traveled since I was a teenager, back when I was carefree and open to expressing myself through art. Back then I didn’t care what people thought, I had something to say and I said it artistically, the world be dammed. I did it for me, not to please others and it was great. But in order to earn my license, I had to capture that essence once again and let it lead me down that same road some 15 years later. After many practice runs, I finally made it down that road with ease, and I earned my license!

So what does having my creative license mean? It means that I’m now free to express in any way shape or form with no inhibitions. Inhibitions in art don’t mix, like oil and water on canvas. I have no excuse not to create; I’ve earned the right with myself and am obligated to the world to share my gift.

How did you prove to yourself that you could do what makes you happy?
We wanted to have a little fun and do something a little different, so we have decided to start some series here on "The Latte Mug." Our first series will be "Left to our own literary devices..." As you may know, Tiha and I love literature, poetry, and theater. We try to live and breathe it as much as possible, and sometimes it enters our lungs whether we invite it to the respiration party or not. (Did I get carried away with that metaphor?... I'm a poet, sue me!) This series will highlight a literary device* each day this week and how it has somehow bumrushed itself into our reality. Ya dig? I thought you would...

Tragic flaw: The single characteristic (usually negative) or personality disorder which causes the downfall of the protagonist.


I have many flaws. I 'm only human. Flesh and blood. A (wo)man. I f*ck up, a lot. I can admit that. I'm borderline lazy, I don't speak up for myself, and I don't network when I should. Yet all of those I work on and have developed stategies to combat this for the most part. *where my head resides regularly*

BUT.... I have atragic flaw that will be my downfall: Lack of focus. In fact, it is so bad that it took me 45 to write the first paragraph, because I did the following:

*Checked my facebook
* Made a playlist
*Tweeted about my cramps (which was quite hilarious actually, I said "If cramps were a career I'd Diddy them", I digress, see there goes the focus thing)
* IM'ed with Tiha
* IM'ed with Luvvie
* Checked my email
* Started twisting my hair
* Stared into space (for real)

All of that to write 5 sentences that were already in my head. That is sad. That is pitiful. That is ME. This has become my tragic flaw because I am so scatterbrained that I do not see things all the way through. I get excited about projects or ideas and go gung-ho hard for a little while, but then it fizzles out, and on to the next thing. That is not a way to live or work. So, part of the reason for starting to do series here at the blog is that it will make me stick to something. I'll tell ya, one thing I miss about the cube (shhhhh don't tell anyone) is the structure and organization. I need someone/thing to reign in my scattered brain a little bit so I can follow through with all my delusions of grandeur grand plans, hairbrained schemes great ideas, and world domination goals.

What is your tragic flaw?

4 Page Letter...


....and I enclosed it with a
kiss kick.







That's my Aaliyah remix (RIP), hot ain't it? I think so, "Hot Like Fire" even... Okay, enough bad jokes for the moment. I am generally a non-confrontational person. I am one of those folks that after a disagreement or discussion I walk away with a bullet list of "shoulda saids". Conversely I am someone who when pushed to the very edge blows up like one those reality dating show whores act when a camera enters the room. The latter has happened twice in my 30 years and it was bad, real real bad. I said all of that to say that I have to release my anger in other ways, those two methods don't really work for me. I have learned that the most effective way for me to channel my anger is on the page. When these are situations that call for more attention than a poem can do justice, I write a letter.

The main draw of letter writing is that you can have "drafts" of anger. You can make it harsher if needed , you know, attend to all those "shoulda saids." On the flipside you may see the err of your anger and tone it down. You get a chance to get it out of your system, sweet catharsis. Yet, the best part of all, you don't HAVE to send it. If you do send it though, you have written proof so no one can pull that, "Well you never told me how you felt" trick. That's a wack trick, kinda like all the Housewives of Atlanta (get it, they are wack tricks... oh nevamind...).


I have some news to report from Cube Nation (state government). Sam Cook said A Change is gonna Come, and B. Obama said Yes We Can, so from the frontlines of the cube I have to report that yes a change has come and yes we are going to perpetuate this change. The old heads are retiring, the middle heads are jumping up and down with joy that they now have a chance to run things, and they are hiring young heads that are educated and know what the heck is going on and are encouraging innovation. About dang time!


Now I’m not saying that this change has been and will continue to be easy. Oh heck naw! The old heads are kicking and screaming and tearing down the walls on the way out, which is kinda cool because we were going to put a flat screen tv on those walls anyway, and we need a place for the ping pong table.

But I’ve been seeing the change, I’m experiencing the change in the re-org and I’m starting to see how things may play out, better for everyone, regardless of all the bitching from the old heads who are way to comfy in their career ruts. Sounds like a reflection of the current white house administration…

Please believe I’m not championing for the cube. I’m not giving up my goals of being my own boss and living happily ever after outside of the cube. Never that, but as I get myself together and ride out this crappy economy, this change is a happy blip on an otherwise hazy cube radar.

Biggups to changes in the cube nation!

ATL Shawty!

*Partners in (c)rhyme*

Hi y'all! How's it going? Splendid I hope! Two weeks ago I got the oppurtunity to travel to Atlanta. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to attend a poetry slam with the one and only Tiha! ***the crowd goes wild*** I missed my friend and blog partner immensely, so we got a chance to reconnect and it felt great! The Poetry Slam we attended was called the Bloodbath Slam, and was at a spot in Atlanta called the Apache Cafe. It featured the following teams: 3 time winning National Poetry Slam* Champions, Slam Charlotte, and Atlanta teams Java Monkey and Art Amok. Let's just say this was one of my most memorable and inspiring poetry moments right up there with Southern Fried Poetry Slam and my first feature performance. The crowd was so beautiful, artsy, down-to-earth, and the poetry is beyond words (yes, poets are allowed to be at a loss for words). Below are a few pics from the event:



































*Speaking of the National Poetry Slam:


More than 300 slam poets will descend upon West Palm Beach August 4-9 to battle for the heavywrite crown. Representing 64 teams from 54 cities across the United States and Canada, these ferocious performance poets will spit fire on molten microphones during five days of lyrical combat in front of roaring audiences and randomly-selected judges. Only one team will win. Three days of preliminary competitions will be held Aug. 4-6 with simultaneous bouts held at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at West Palm Beach venues. Four teams will compete in each bout. The top 16 teams compete in the semi-finals Aug. 7. The top 4 teams make the finals Aug. 8 at the West Palm Beach Convention Center at 8 p.m. Throughout the National Poetry Slam there will be day events (Haiku Head-to-Head, Hip-Hop Showcase, Nerd Slam, etc.) and late night events (Comedy Showcase, Erotic Poetry Showcase, etc.) For more information on all the event times and locations, please visit the official 2009 National Poetry Slam website at http://nationalpoetryslam.com.
top