fresh off my grill
As of Monday, November 24, 2008
Letting it all sink in..
Okay. I haven't written anything for awhile. I've been busy. I've was voluteering for a lot of committees during this last election. Exit polls, handing out materials, phone calls, etc. During the entire process, I was thinking in the back of my head that something was going to derail all of this. Whether it was legal or not, I anticipated a startling press release that was so preposterous, that every American would treat open voting like the great plague. Well the press release (lies) came, and came, and came.. but, no plague. Not this time. Not this century.
When I was in elementary school, we always started the schoolday announcements with the Pledge of Allegiance. I never gave the words much thought at that age, but as I grew older, I found them sarcastic and disillusional. One nation? Indivisible? Liberty and justice for ALL? Please... I remember seeing the marchers hosed off the streets, attacked by dogs, and beaten within an inch of their lives. It took years to accept that as a part my heritage, and I was taught to hide those feelings in a special place, and carefully remember not to judged all people the same way. I learned to live with that discomfort, and even got used to accepting its companionship. I never gave it centerstage unless it was brought forward by some sort of ignorant provocation. Even then, I took my time pushing it back into its tiny room, closing the door, and changing the lock (again).
Then the 2008 election began, and this new guy from the 2004 convention shows up. He had the look, the intelligence, and the motivation. But did he have the tanacity to hold his ground when the Pledge was put to the test (again)? He did. And he stood without flinching. Not this time. Not this century.
As the reality became hopeful, I sat with anticipation, but still without full belief. I was diligent, and persistent in my efforts to help him get elected, but ultimately, I never trusted the polling system. I became addicted to CNN and MSNBC like it was some kind of adult video channel without the censor blocks. I praised the intellectuals and booed the skeptics who weaved the greatest book of fairy tale lies ever written. I watched as the naysayers dug deep into their bag of tricks, hoping to find ONE poison apple left over from the last election. No such luck. As a worker during early voting, I joined hundreds of americans in lines so long that you couldn't see the end. We heard that one woman was told her husband had passed away at home while she was in line waiting to vote. However, she didn't get out of line, resigning to the fact that THIS moment was more important to the entire future, than sitting beside her deceased spouse. It was inspiring. But I still kept my guard up anticipating a wild left hook. Surprisingly, they threw several. None of them landed. Not this time.
When the announcement came, I found myself glued to my seat, still in awe of the amazing moment that had just transpired. It all rushed over me like a massive tidal wave. The history the preceded this moment. The events that I witness myself, and how my parents endured them. Sadly, neither of them lived to see this moment. But I was happy to cheer in their places. Something's happened that can't be tied to just an election. This is bigger. It's not his race. It's bigger than that. It's not his policy. It's BIGGER than that. What happened this year was CONFIRMATION that the phrase that has eluded us for so long has finally come into its own. When you stand before that american flag and place your hand over your heart it's supposed to MEAN something. FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION. Not one for each color, as so many of us have come to believe. But beliefs change as we mature and grow. And if we're lucky, the world grows with us.
So when I was at the FAMU-BCU game this past weekend, during halftime, the band played the Star Spangled Banner. I took off my hat. Not because I was taught to do so in elementary school, but because I finally felt it. It wasn't quite clear to me before, because america kept breaking her promise, and then lightheartedly apologized for the oversight. Not this time. Not this century.
At a tiny tear welled up in my left eye, I smiled quietly to myself, anticipating the next opportunity I'll get to put my hand over my heart, and recite those once-shallow-now-deep words "with liberty and justice for ALL".
:^)
Walker Turns the Freedom Corner
"From a very early age, it was clear I wanted to write. My mother says that when I was crawling, she'd search for me behind the house and I'd be there writing in the sand with a twig or in the margins of a Sears Roebuck catalog."
Alice Walker gave a reading in celebration of the arrival of her archive at Emory University last March. I caught some of them on iTunes. They're the bomb. In case you just arrived on the planet, Alice Walker is known worldwide for her many volumes of fiction and poetry. Her recent work includes a children's book, Why War Is Never a Good Idea (2007); and the novel, Now is the Time to Open Your Hearts (2004). She placed her archive at Emory in late 2007, coincidentally, the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Color Purple. Click HERE, go to iTunes and download them for yourself.
Spike Lee: How he Did the Right Thing
I really like Spike Lee's work, and next year is the 20th Anniversary of Do The Right Thing, a ground breaking masterpiece about race in America. Spike has always existed in moment critics refer to as "Ahead of our time". I've experienced something similar in my own professional way. Anyway, we both press on. Here's an article Spike did with New York Magazine back in April. Check it out!
Currently the Coolest iPhone app is..
Urbanspoon!
Have you ever had trouble deciding where to eat? Maybe you're
going out with a group and you're suffering from collective paralysis. Or
maybe you just want to discover a new restaurant. We have a solution for you.
If you have an iPhone old or new, download Urbanspoon for
your iPhone.
Urbanspoon on the iPhone is part Magic 8 Ball, part slot machine. You shake your phone and it finds a good nearby restaurant for you! Keep shaking it until it comes back with something you want to try.
YES! I have the power to rule the universe!!! Well.. sort of... :^)
Comics That Rocked The World
This may seem a bit old hat to some of you, but this was one of the most influential comics of the 1970s. It was the first comic to introduce an urban African American as a bonified superhero. Luke Cage: Hero for Hire was different than any other comic I'd ever read. It changed the way I looked at comics. I didn't think the ghetto even existed in the Marvel Universe, but this book proved me wrong. Luke Cage was a breakthrough and made it clear right away that he was NOT your typical superhero.
Even Cage's origin in unconventional. He appears in the first issue, released in 1972, as Carl Lucas of the New York Police Department, locked up in Seagate Prison for drug offenses he had never committed. Luke's former love had been killed by gangsters when Luke's friend became involved in crime. Cage needed to get out and prove himself innocent. In Seagate there was a brutal prison guard captain named Rackham, who was very racist and hated Luke. Luke volunteered for a cellular regeneration experiment to win early parole. Luke got into the chemical bath, but found that he could not get out, as Captain Rackham had sabotaged the machine in an attempt to kill him. Its electric power overloaded and Luke broke free, punching Rackham through a wall, only to be gunned down and fall off a cliff. Luke found himself with steel-hard fists and a steel-hard body. Walking away from prison, he foiled a mugging and decided to become a "hero for hire."
Eventually, Luke Cage adopted a new name: Power Man. The panel above shows how he came up with the name. It's kinda lame, but no lamer than the Commodores, picking their name randomly from a phone book.
Cage was cool in every way. His choice of comebacks was classic. Even more sarcastic than Spider-Man. And finally, the film is on its way. Director John Singleton is working on the Luke Cage movie, loosely scheduled for release in mid-2009. It stars singer-turned-actor Tyrese Gibson in the lead role. See you in the summer, people!
Cage Comic Trivia:
"Hero for hire" Luke Cage is the superhero from which actor Nicolas Cage took his last name. Cage is the nephew of renowned director Francis Ford Coppola, and didn't want any special treatment when coming up in the movie business so he chose the name from one of his favorite comic books.
Pics from the Orlando Convention
I finally got the slideshow completed. It's not too professional, but at least you can see what I saw. There are 2 shows. Make sure you select each one from the Albums pop-up menu. Enjoy!
Had a Great time @ Karu & Y
Just an FYI: I recently had a book signing at a Miami nighttime hotspot called Karu & Y. It was at an event sponsored by a group called the teachers lounge. They were essentially all schoolteachers and administrators who like to get together and have a good time. They were gracious enough to sponsor a signing for me at their latest event. It was a lot of fun. We picked up dozens of new readers and added to our fan base. Special thanks to Dylan, Terri and Davenya for making the appearance possible. Thank you, everyone! See you at the next event!
Dreams Catchin' Up to Reality
Being on the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage cruise is a ball itself, but getting the best compliment of your new publishing career is definitely a highlight. Sybil Wilkes of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, who so graciously agreed to write the foreword of my book, gave me the most humbling experience of the trip. She gave me HER autograph on one of my books! It made my vacation. Thanks again, Sybil!
BIG BIZ called to the table
in the fight against AIDS
(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. I highly recommend joining me in this movement.
colophon
How I did this site:
I've been messin' with CSS for about a year now, and I think I've finally got a handle on some of the current standards. As you've probably already noticed, I'm a minimalist at heart. I like simplicity with power behind it. I'm still not sure the site will work in EVERY browser, so let me know if the site's going wacky on your box. So far, the only "rebel" is Opera.
What I used to make this site happen:
I'm a big Macromedia fan. Dust to bust. I've been with them from the beginning of GUI web design, and I've never looked back. This site is the product of Dreamweaver and Fireworks combined. I know Flash as well, but decided against it for now. I created the entire site on my G4 iBook running Tiger (OS X) with 1 gig o' ram. I also used Adobe Photoshop on most of my images, and did the bulk of the portfolio in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. I tested my pages in 11 browsers, on an IBM ThinkPad running 2000 Pro, a Dell GX240 running XP Pro, and lastly, on a G5 iMac running 10.4.8. This gave me a pretty clear picture of compatability, but with CSS there's bound to be an issue sooner or later. I'll try to keep you posted. Peace.
In conclusion:
I just want to say thanks to everyone who encouraged me to do this site, and to wish all my students (yes, I also teach this) good luck with your own sites. I'll add your links to mine as soon as you're ready. Enjoy my site, and come back often. See ya!
