Chasing Dreams

Well it’s Sunday and looking back on my week and I realize that I have a pretty amazing life. Now I know that may sound a bit arrogant but it’s true. Last Sunday my family took my mom out for mothers day, I had a hearty meal and decided to walk home from the restaurant which was a little over 4 miles… did it in an hour and half. Tuesday I flew to Spain, business class which is the only way to fly…lol, to chill with a friend and help her move some stuff back to the US. Saw the new X-Men movie in one of the only English theaters in Madrid. Thursday got a bottle of desert wine on the way back from one of the friendly flight attendants. Friday watched the new Star Trek movie in Queens NY. Saturday met Cedric the Entertainer and Kareem Abdul Jabar (man he’s tall) And today, Sunday escorted and made small talk with the revered Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu and his wife, who blessed me twice. I’m not a fan by nature, I treat celebrities like regular people and don’t get all crazy but it...

So I was talking to a friend of mine the other day about me NOT being a morning person, despite having this crazy job that demands I be at work by 5 AM. What the hell… is this the bloody Army where we do more before 9Am than most people do all day…LOL. Working for the airline industry is a little whacky but perfect for a man like me that needs to have the work thang wrapped up early enough so he can devote the rest of the day to more important pursuits like photography and writing. Anyway my friend was amazed that I had acclimated to the morning so easily and it made me think. Was I always a morning person trapped in late night body? Truth be told I’m at my best at 9PM, ironically that's when I have to start winding down in order to be any good for work the next day. It didn’t make any sense to me. People don’t just switch bio-rhythms like that. So my geek side really put some thought into it and came up with an interesting theory. Stay with me on this, it’s gonna get a little qu...

T onight I saw the Star Trek movie, which by the way I highly recommend even if you ain’t a Trekkie like me.   As with a lot of movies that have the right blend of a solid script, good acting and special effects I came away thinking about my place in this trek we call life. If you’ve read my other blogs you know that I can get a little deep about seemingly insignificant things but I truly enjoy finding the profound in what might otherwise seem like the mundane. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not thinking about joining the Air Force at 39 years of age with hopes of entering astronaut training, no buddy I’ll leave the fancy space walking to better and younger men. I am however thinking about how our choices affect not only us but the people that are close to us. I’m thinking about how chasing ya dream can be a lonely endeavor especially if the people in your life can’t see your vision and don’t understand your choices. Even the diehard rebel needs those voices in the crowd...

BREAKING NEWS – Nov 5, 2008 the people of the United States of America elect Barack Obama, a black man president! This shocking news will surely mean a drastic reorganization of the system designed to hold black people back. You know the system I’m talking about… it’s called “The Man.” For years I’ve heard too many brothas refer to lack of opportunity or access to the American dream as a conspiracy perpetrated by “The Man” and it always pissed me off. Now don’t me wrong, I’m not saying that inequities don’t exist because they do, the playing field is NOT level with respect to race. A black man still has to work twice as hard and be twice as smart to be recognized outside of the field of sports or entertainment, however, access and opportunity is still there for the taking. That is the main reason so many Mexican, Haitian, Asian brothas risk life and limb on inner tubes, in cargo holds and in the stifling heat of car trunks to cross borders into America. But the question remains wh...

So you find yourself in your 30’s making it in the real world and you wake up one day and realize that life didn’t turn out exactly how you expected it to. I mean it’s ok but “they” didn’t tell you that even if you follow all the rules you won’t make everyone happy and get everything you’ve ever wanted. Then you remember the dreams you had as a much younger person. Dreams of being a pilot, or a rock star or an artist and you look at all the bullshit you’ve accumulated over the years that require you to stay at that 9 to 5 that fills your week and I ain’t just talking about that antique looking chest from Pottery Barn, no, I mean expectations from your family and peers, responsibilities like car payments and mortgages and for some of us the ultimate… a family. And just like that you start to feel trapped, with little or no options. The movie “Fight Club” comes to mind when the lead character deals with the malaise and monotony of his unfulfilled life by splitting his personality in...