Notes from a Friend's Town

1.  Dreams money can buy, three racks just spent on my Marty McFly's     Now I’m back to the future, my career deja-vu you     When you muthafuckers thought I would hardly survive - Pusha T This isn't the time for me to be impressed with lyrical compositions and coded speech. Alas, I'm lightly amused. Escapism done right, in my humble opinion.  2.  Subgenres in Hip Hop as mythologies for inter-cultural groups. 3.   Too much of a good thing and it ceases to operate in a productive manner. 4.  Too Short spoke like a Pimp. Where is the problem? Ahh yes, the editors went public with his ramblings. Ethically responsibility and journalistic intergrity don't apply to print media centered around lifestyle marketing and consumerism, in short, there is no church in the wild. 5.  Soo many elephants in the room, the Ringling Bros. are jealous.  6.  When you only have what you want, much is lost.  7. I love how y...

1. My ever evolving understanding of masculinity in the American context, as that is where I am based and where I make my observations, has a recurring awareness of restraints and adherence to limits. The continuing designation between the civilized and the savage is refined when the former exercises restraint where the latter does not. Restraint. 2. Summer fail : Neighborhood bar in New Orleans with a booze sponsored event & a broken AC. Definitely won't tell anyone how to run their business but that's not the way to have customers return. 3. Last week, my pride took a hit. I'm well aware of the absence of respect modernity has fostered amongst us. This decline in interpersonal interactions has in part been aided by the expansion of interpersonal communication systems. You can imagine my disgust when an engagement I arranged was essential canceled within 2hrs of the agreed time. I was only made aware of the cancellation because I need to switch venues at the last...

1. I've become agnostic. Perhaps, I've been here for sometime and didn't realize that i was. Regardless, I'm still developing a sense of what it means & how I'm going to verbalize my developing understanding. 2. I thought after x, I'd be able to do y with more focus. Not so. I'm still mulling over the essence of what is necessary to complete x, which I'm realizing I haven't yet accomplished. This still leaves y unattended. Hence a (new) dilemma. 3. In my youth, I wished for a summer where I would be able to read as much as I wanted. No camps to attend, no yard work to do, nothing. This summer looks like that dream a little, I just wish the circumstances were much different. 4. On the way to movies with my brother last week, we were discussing a long bankrupt local grocer, Canal Villiere & the many time we walked the mile between there and home when we were much younger. The discomfort that was at the essence of those experiences came back...

1. The exterminator is a chill as dude, when he ain't spray poison all over the place. 2. Jose Torres-Tama performance was amazing. It was assertive, aggressive, compassionate, & at some points comedic. It's amazing how the phrase "Illegal Immigrant" only focuses on group of such people. 3. I respect the notion of a uniform, it makes things a tad simpler in the morning. However, it's remarkably disappointing to see throngs of adult men bound to the blue shirt/blue jeans, blue or white shirt/khakis, & the polo shirt/khakis combo. Sadly enough, these men genuinely don't see a thing wrong with such subversive conformity. 4. Where are the moderately attractive women hiding? There's appears to be an abundance of the respective extremes, but shortage of middle ground. It's like having your mouth set on a sandwich but you walk into a bakery, not a deli. Being a resident of said middle ground, I'm sure I didn't move into a foreclosed subdi...

1. Pulled a Larry Byrd without a foul rose up snatched my Guinness off the ground & hit him with a pound and told homie hold it down - AZ 2. I respect the distance for it preserves the integrity of the moment, it aims to allow nothing to interrupt the truth. I miss you though & there's no substitute for that. So instead I tread forward facing the pass, sights locked on the difference as the whole system becomes a clear image. 3. Mary came by today & she sat with Moms for hours. They talked around each other like three decades hadn't pass that they were friends throughout. She filled the cracks in her voice when I asked how was everything & I pretend I couldn't hear the putty. 4. Modern man needs the wilderness, he needs to know that he can throw all of his might at nature & it not even ripple past where stands without him harnessing fire. He needs to exert his strength so he can discover his limits & view the blessing that is a boundary. 5. The r...

1. Congratulations to the people of Egypt!!! Goal achieved without direct Western assistance. 2. Some days, I'd rather abandon all responsibilities & just cool with Chewy. Since childhood has passed & retirement is a ways off, I'll have to table that idea. 3. Valentine's Day is here & I'm ok with not having one. I could wax poetically about how much of a bullsh!t holiday it is, about how the commercialization of eros has undermined the American family structure, etc...I won't. I'm a man & even though its a wack day in principle, it drove me nuts for years knowing I didn't have one & could look forward to receiving nada. I've moved on, I believe. 4. It bears repeating: it's not what you say, it's how (word choice) you say it. 5. I'm reading Zissner's On Writing Well & learning quite a bit about the craft. 6. ballonboyd.tumblr.com <--give it go why don't cha! 7. Mike: $5 million sounds like a decent am...

1. Now your draped in chocolate, taste the opportunity. 2. I respect the assessment "it's not you, its the market" but part of me doesn't agree with it completely. I should succeed in any market, regardless of the conditions. I'm born to win, remember. 3. "Yea bra, I stopped wondering (about that) long time ago". 4. Once I became aware that our state constitution allows for funding to be cut from education & health care first when a deficit occurs, I knew it was foolish to consider starting a family here. 5. Although I complete despise the commercial bullshit that is associated with Valentine's Day, I'm a bit ticked that I can engage in a discussion about it with my significant other because I have none. 6. Memoirs that cover traumatic experiences, if written well, have the profound effect of depressing me slightly. This makes finishing said memoir a chore. 7. Warhol?! Really?! Ok, that's cool but when it comes to scheduling face time,...

1. Heavy rain calms my mind down considerably. Soo much that drinking during heavy rain has the potential to knock me out. 2. Don't play around with your significant other for 7 yrs. If ya'll ain't made it to marriage phase by then end that ish w/ a bang & walk away smiling. 3. You've got to be comfortable being alone, not just capable of doing it. You need to able to come home on cold night, wanting to cuddle with another human being & realizing that life will not fail to continue should you pass the night alone. Unfortunately, the lesson takes awhile for some to master. 4. Didn't anticipate the night taking such a turn, twice. I suppose a more discrete approach would have been effective, but I wasn't in the mood for such. Tis a shame we were on different pages. 5. My mixologist>>>>>>>>anyone you can call. 6. Growing up in a financially rocky but emotionally stable house does wonders for your mental endurance when you'r...

1. Fell for the hypebeast, saw Tron, & got a movie pass from the manager because the disc was scratched. Funny how life balances out. 2. The only people who can do the most without breakfast are super heroes. I've tried on numerous occassions and the results are pretty lack luster. 3. What's the word on parents who bring their children in on the conversation regarding how they (children) are raised? Since when did parents cease being dictators, making it clearly known where boundaries reside? How can you expect to raise a generation that genuinely respects it's elders when you allow children to determine how their world will actually opperate? 4. What if the pretense was abandoned and we just played it out as it developed?? No play making, no strategies, just moving forward with it as it became clearer what it was. Perhaps such a luxury is the material of children's dreams and has no business crossing my mind, certainly less business clearing my lips. 5. Every ...

1. Seriously, I live less than 100 miles from a large body of water & the humidity has hovered between 37-48%. This is some bullshat. 1a. There is indeed a limit to your love, much like a map with no ocean. 2. It's imperative to clear one's subconscious of any lingering doubts, desires, & disappointments before transitioning from one phase to another. It makes the arrival much smoother & allows one to focus all their energies on the present. 3. All beauty & no brains shorten much the courting game. All brains & no beauty absolves one from courting duties. 4. Make your own informed decisions, stand by those decisions, & dismiss any rebuttals to those decisions that are void of logic. 5. I've been reviewing my own understanding of the phrase "Only men can raise men". At one time, I believed in the notion whole heartedly, that only men can produce men. Then I was forced to acknowledge the men I knew that were raised in homes without thei...

1. Well, now that that's done & yes it's quite early, but trust me on this one. I'll take something brown & old on ice. Cheerio!! 2. She called & we walked thru the civilities before she proceeded to let me have a piece of her mind. No banned words, no front row seat to the resurrections promises. Her voice was calm, her breaths measured. My head hung in shame as though she stood before me. 3. The more I understand how it works, the less mystique lies in the whole of the experience. I'm very much a fan of the mystique and appreciate the enrapturing nature of the allure. 4. Once I take care of the people on my Christmas list, I'll be good. It's not that I don't want anything, it's that my most immediate need is one that I'll take care of soon. 5. Never underestimate the physiological effects of a physical place on your productivity. I once thought it foolishness until I started paying attention to how much was being accomplished at o...

1. Nothing is more pointless than saying hello,in passing, to a person whose calls you refuse to return. Save the civilities for high tea as I've no use for them. 2. There are things which no man is allowed the luxury of complaining about. So I'll move on to the next point. 3. There only remains one. One that may very well remain unattended, unreconciled, disconcerted & disconnected. 4. I'm considering law school. Not because I have some undying interest in mastering legal interpretation, not because I need the thrill of going to trial, not because I lust after some ridiculously large salary. I'm considering law school because the work is steady, the pay is family building friendly, & some days, I just prefer the pragmatic option. 5. Tracie Ellis Ross should you make it down to my fair city in the hopes of avoiding the paparazzi, do allow me the luxury of your company over a few drinks. Your boyfriend is welcome to play in traffic while the signal light is ...

*These are actual Japa Mala beads 1. Many thanks & much love to all who celebrated my birthday. I'm still receiving cards & gifts which means I'm loved much. That holds much weight in my world. 1a. When I invite you to a gathering of my friends, don't attend if you plan on just sitting on the side w/ your friend and not engaging the group. If I wanted to bump into you & your home girl, I wouldn't have invited you out. I would have asked where you were partying tonight & met you there. 1b. Don't you ever, ever, ever waive a gift in front of the birthday boy & then tuck it away like it doesn't exists. I'm a gentleman so I'll behave accordingly but I know some less than gentlemanly men who aren't inclined to respond so kindly. 5. There comes a time when you should consciously & actively begin separating fiction from reality. This usually begins around the age of 12/13 or immediately afterward when puberty comes into fu...

Who going to make that cake happen for real?!

1. Being on the receiving end of a drunk call is immensely entertaining when a) it's before 11pm & b) the caller's accomplices fight for caller allotted 2 mins of call time! 2. There is nothing I can compare, in my short life, to waking up out of sound sleep that I entered 4 hrs prior sans adrenaline and starting my day. 3. I earnestly want to hold out hope but in the end, I'm no fan of unrequited love. Far too many writers have two sentences in their bios referring to this matter, so there's no need for history to repeat itself. 4. You must always be self aware enough to assess your friendships & acknowledge those to which your contribution merely isn't enough. It's the civilized thing to do. 5. Where o where is my hair brush?? 6. Put'em all in a room, provide beverages, & see what happens next is the outline for most social gatherings. What makes it even more interesting is when you add a twist, like a reason why everyone is together... 7...

1. Stepped out this weekend on two consecutive nights & discovered much to my surprise that I'm not as rusty as anticipated. I suppose somethings are never forgotten. 2. Opium addiction accounted for, Sherlock Holmes is one bad ass dude. Shaft was a towering brother whose presence alone would cause encourage your complete cooperation. Holmes is an average built man, whom you were under no inclination to acknowledge until he started rambling about most personal matters of your life after having met you for merely five minutes. Each dangerous in their own right but certainly not equals. 3. There's nothing like coming very close to losing your mother to put all of life's trivialities into perspective. It all became clear as a bell within 2hrs. 4. I'm asked ever so often what makes up the substance of my dreams. The honest answer : I dream of the days when all of my friends, near & distant have succeeded in accomplishing their goals and the most stressful conversa...

1. Everytime I hear someone order a Grande non fat (insert flavor of choice) latte, it sounds like "I want my coffee to taste like squash & hot water ". 3. I suspect I've been going about this the wrong way for quite sometime now and that explains the lack of desired results. Not that this moment of clarity has provided me with the perfect approach, I'll at least know what not to do. 4. Speak your piece on the matter, be at peace on the matter and move forward. They'll be no peace until you've cleared your conscience. 5. "He didn't grow up with brothers, so he doesn't understand the importance of relaying his decision to make a life altering change" - Haynes 6. The only thing I love more than watch the sunrise in the cold sans shirt is rolling back over in the bed and sleeping on that idea for another 3 hrs. 2. I double dog dare you. 8. When the fighters are all around, all the lovers are underground - Lupe

1. There exist, most certainly within the range of the appendages of my arm's appendage, all that my soul, mind, & body require to operate as a efficient & content collective. 2. Detachment doesn't always indicate a negative response. There are times you must employ a bit of distance to respond effectively. 3. Walking sticks should always have character. I don't look forward to the days when I'll need the assistance of one but I do know without an ounce of question that my walking stick will undoubtedly be the "coolest" walking stick two eyes could fall upon in that part of the century. 3a. I'm most interested in an excellent walking partner for that time as well. Quite frankly, much more than I desire the previously referenced apparatus. I suppose one must earn one of those much earlier in life though. 4. I have heard from trusted sources & tortured souls alike that in routine, there exist comfort. That we revert to routine in trying times ...

1. Abita's SOS was so-so, definitely expected a bit more from them. I know Pilsners go well with seafood but this didn't have enough kick. That's some resilient people along the coast, the charity brew should be equally as strong. 2. God bless the caregivers. Grant them never ending strength & rest that is always restorative for their lives are not their own and they aim only to comfort those in pain. 3. The fact that the news media was aware of the threat that would be posed to American Military personnel by publicizing the ramblings of a disturbed church leader intent on burning the Quran on the anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks & they insisted on looping the story for 5 days is a major problem. Their collective desire for improved ratings is going to create greater difficulty for the poor shleps working in combat zones. 4. Lesson #?? of adulthood: Physical exhaustion is the excuse children employ because they have yet to learn how to separate their bodies from ...

1. There must be a cold front lurking somewhere near by because this heat is ridiculous. 2. For what it's worth, I miss you. That doesn't erase the last piece of unresolved business between you & I but I'm man enough to say it in this impersonal digital medium with no clear clue as to who you are. That's how our exchange began through an impersonal digital medium with seemingly no clue whatsoever. 3. I've bought Chewy organic dog food. I'm hoping I don't become one of those obsessive pet owners I've spent years finding amusement in observing. 4. It's family time in my group of friends. Engagements are well under way, children are due, birthdays & month milestones are being marked. & I'm standing on the side, with my dog, realizing that he's the most likely to ride through thick & thin. 5. This whole business of transcending desire troubles me. I'm actually quite fond of desire as it is attached in part to my creative im...