Memoirs of an eccentric

The dangers of outgrowing yourself

2011-08-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

"Don't get too grown for your britches." As a kid, I heard that line from my parents a lot, but I didn't quite understand it. Their words never really sank in through my "hard head" until I was an adult, and to this day, I still have to recall this bit of wisdom in certain times. Back then, it wasn't just my parents that drilled me with this truth because my neighbors and every other adult who cared made sure to let me know. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems that I'm seeing in today's world is that most of us are so focused on ourselves instead of others that we're starting to outgrow our own "britches" and our selfishness and conceit is slowly destroying the things we are trying to build.

Granted, most people, especially self absorbed people, never want to hear that their own egos are hurting them. There is no better example of this self-destructive behavior than the "self-made" man or woman. Just the term "self-made" gives me visions of a grown person throwing a tantrum about what they've built, what they've done, the success they've had, what they're not going to do, and if someone doesn't like what they're saying, they're willing to "take their ball and go home". The "self-made" people are quick to "toot their own horn" while successfully ignoring and denying the contributions of every other person beside and behind them that helped push them to success.

The "self-made" attitude only leads to an unfortunate and unnecessary outcome...solitude. See, alone time is great to get away from the maddening crowd and recharging your batteries, but solitude is putting yourself on an island away from anyone who could help you. A tree needs the sun, water, dirt, and carbon dioxide to live and to grow. If you take away one of those elements, the tree will ultimately die, and just like a tree, the more people you take away from one person, the less chance they have to grow, until they face an inevitable end...death. Even if that death is just in the figurative sense, the dreams, desire, and future success of the "self-made" individual die without people watering and illuminating them.

One thing that is almost as cancerous to success as abandoning outside assistance is having the wrong kind of people around you. No person is right 100% of the time, but if you are surrounded with the kind of people that put you on a pedestal, and acquiesce to your every word, then your growth is again stunted. When a tree is growing in an undesired way, it becomes necessary to prune the tree so that it can properly grow. And in the same fashion, when our words or actions are detrimental to our desired outcome we need people around us who are willing to "prune" or talk to us to let us know that we're straying off course. These yes men aren't willing to do that for us which can only lead to wild and overgrown egos.

The last problem that can only destroy us is that in our pursuit to become a better version of ourselves, we become people that are foreign to everyone that knows us. Self-improvement is a great and necessary thing, but in a world of plastic surgery and fake personas, many of us do anything we can to be someone we're not. Speaking from my own experience, I've tried to create images of myself that I thought others wanted to see, and I've even gone so far as to create an entirely different life than my own online. I eventually had to come to the sober truth that living lies and running from who you are only causes you to lose yourself. The more time you spend trying to reinvent yourself, the more time you'll spend trying to "get in touch" with this new you. You were born with an unique personality and you were raised in a certain environment; and since this can never be changed, instead of reinvention, seek to improve yourself.

My testimony & the 2011 New Hope Summer revival

2011-06-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday through Friday night of this week, my church has had a revival and I feel moved to talk about it. The title of the sermon on Wednesday was "Their eyes were watching God", Thursday's sermon title was "Waiting without worrying" and tonight's sermon was titled, "I got the victory".

All three nights dealt with 2 Chronicles chapter 20. In this chapter, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah learned that 3 nations(the Moabites, the Ammonites, and others beside the Amonites) were coming against him to battle him. After finding out about this, Jehoshaphat gathered all the people of Judah in the house of the Lord to fast and to pray together to ask the Lord what they needed to do in the midst of this impending battle.

After they prayed and waited on God, the spirit of the Lord fell upon Jahaziel, and the Lord spoke through Jahaziel, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not your's, but God's." In verse 17, still speaking through Jahaziel, God says, "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you."

The words alone from the Bible are enough to make me happy about the power of God, but the preacher spiritually set the church on fire Wednesday through Friday, and by Friday night, a few were slain in the Spirit. I know I'm not doing this revival justice because the true power and gift of God's word was being in the sanctuary listening to this revival. One point that really stuck in my head from tonight's message was an anecdote. The preacher talked about a new phone system in his church and on the phones, there's a button labeled "ICM callback". Whenever the preacher calls another line in another office of the church and that line is busy, all he has to do is press "ICM callback" and the phone will keep calling that line until there's an answer. Bringing it around to us and God, whenever we pray to God and we don't get an answer to our prayers, we can keep praying until we get an answer from Him.

Now, on to my testimony. In 1995, my dad passed. There are 2 reasons I had to smile at his funeral. One, he had the chance to see me go to college, and two, some of the last words I said to him was, "I love you." To this day, I still think about him, but I've been blessed to have good men in my church and the father of a best friend, to be in my life, and these are men that I love and respect like a father.

Then, in 1997, I was in a single car collision (that I caused) that was so bad that you couldn't tell the front of the car from the back of the car. I was knocked unconscious and life-flighted to a nearby hospital. After I awoke hours later, the doctor told me that I came to the hospital looking like I had been scalped by an Indian. I really had been busted till the white meat in my head was showing. But by the grace of God, and the prayers of many family members and friends, I'm alive and I'm smiling.

There's also been 2 occasions where my mom has been in the hospital for a serious medical issue. The last time was a couple of months ago, and it was so bad that she actually said to me, "I don't want to live anymore." These aren't words you want to hear from anyone you love, but the first thing I did on this occasion is the same thing I've done in most situations I'm not equipped to handle, I prayed(hard). And just like every other situation, God came through with an answer, and I'm happy to say that my mom is back on her feet, and doing almost all of the same things she was doing before. Driving is the only thing she isn't doing yet, and that's only because I want her to take her time before she starts again.

I say all of this to say that when I was growing up, I used to watch the people in the church clap their hands, shout, cry, dance, or run up and down the aisles, and I would wonder, "What got into them?". After all the things I've been through and everything I've seen, I've changed my tune. Nowadays, I look at the people who are sitting in church stone silent, and I wonder, "Maybe the word hasn't hit them like it's hitting everybody else, and maybe they haven't been given a reason to praise God yet." But all I know is that after all the reasons I've been given to praise God, I want to share my testimony just to let you know that He's still performing miracles on a daily basis.

Victorious

2011-03-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

No, I am not rich
I haven't been to the finest schools
Nor do I have expensive cars, boats or other toys
Plus I've eaten more crap than anyone should ever have to
And I have failed more times than three

But from my failures, lessons were taught
Plus my losses have made me stronger
Like warriors sharpen their swords, I hone my resolve
And through living righteously, I can walk with my head held high
Now from my blood, sweat, and tears, I emerge...
VICTORIOUS

$Free Speech$

2011-03-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Read the above words carefully and after you reread them, give them a minute to let them soak in. This one run-on sentence is the First Amendment in all of its glory. This one sentence protects every American's right to say whatever is on their mind to say, but sometimes, there are certain misconceptions that come in interpreting this sentence.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The simple fact is that while I am a practicing Christian, I shouldn't have to worry about a Catholic, a Muslim, or even an atheist imposing on my right to practice my beliefs at my church, I must also show the same tolerance to a person of another religion as well. Free speech and tolerance are two way streets and are not meant just for the "popular" or for the "most easily tolerated".

"...the right of the people to peaceably assemble." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said that, "The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." We all have the freedom of speech, but we are also all bound to peaceably use that freedom of speech. You and I are safe to say whatever we please unless a war of words becomes a physical war.

There's one final detail, but this is the most important one...everyone's speech is free, but there is a cost for us to use that freedom. While we are justified under the laws of the government to speak our minds, the words that come out of our mouths all come with a consequence or a reward. When you tell your boss how you really feel about them, you can either get a raise or you can get fired. Whether you tell your significant other the truth or lies, what happens to your relationship is a direct result of your "free" speech.

The bottom line is that it's always easier to censor yourself instead of having to apologize for your words after the fact. Keep this in mind while you're exercising your "free" speech.

What you cry is oppression, I call laziness

2011-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

By now, most of you have probably heard rumblings of this CNN article, and it inspired me to write this blog. The first thing I thought about after reading this is the history of the United States. This country was founded by European settlers who drove out Native Americans from their land and into reservations, and the land was worked by African slaves. I'm not mentioning this in hopes of inciting racial hatred; I say this to point out one simple fact that a friend on Twitter mentioned, "The U.S. was built for white people to succeed."

White people have long been afforded the opportunity to be as successful as they wanted to be, and have had the luxury of getting that success largely by the color of their skin if so chose to attain success that way. Now we live in a time where the race truly does go to the swift and not to one with the certain skin color. I remember a time when some of my own brothers and sisters would cry about "the man holding us down" or "we can't get a break because of the system".

The truth is that although racism still overtly and covertly exists, the oppression behind that racism has long been defeated. Just as assuredly that there's a white person somewhere still calling black people niggers, there's a black person somewhere still calling white people devils. The fact is that we all have the ability to rise above any racial hatred and ignorance simply by the work we are willing to do. For anyone who feels "racially oppressed" in this day and age, you are only being lazy and rather than work to rise above your current status, you choose to cry in the hopes of being given what you should be working for.

The bottom line is that in these United States, racism still exists, but there is no more oppression, so get over yourself, and get on with the work you need to do in order to achieve success...or get passed by.

Coach of the Year

2011-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Coach of the Year - In my opinion, the coach of the year award should go to the man that exemplifies the year's best cerebral assassin. The coach that can somehow make almost any undrafted player look like elite talent just by the system that coach uses. The coach of the year is the one that best motivated his roster to see beyond their shortcomings and pitfalls and rise to victory on any given Sunday. This cerebral assassin not only commands respect from all of his players, but has earned their respect as well. In saying all of this, I don't believe that Bill Belichick should have been the 2010 Coach of the Year.

Steve Spagnuolo - I know what you're saying, "Why should a coach whose team didn't even make the playoffs be Coach of the Year?". In Spagnuolo's first year of coaching, his lowly Rams went 1-15 & the only bright spot was RB Steven Jackson. In his second year, Spagnuolo has managed to motivate his team to win 6 more games and lest we forget, if it wasn't for a week 17 loss to the Seahawks, his Rams would have been in the playoffs. Just to point out facts, my favorite coach, Jimmy Johnson went 1-15 his first year and then 7-9 the following season. Two seasons later, he led the Cowboys to the Super Bowl 2 years in a row. I know it could just be coincidence, but I think Spagnuolo's work deserved an opportunity for him to be the Coach of the Year.

Raheem Morris - It's great that Raheem came in 2nd place in the voting, but he earned the right to be the 2010 Coach of the Year. In 2 years of coaching the Buccaneers, he's turned his team around from a 3-13 bottom feeder to a 10-6 team that actually made the NFC South a competitive 3 way division. But even the numbers aren't the best part of Morris's credentials. The 53 men on the Tampa Bay roster do not just play for the team, they play for their coach, Raheem Morris. Morris treats his players like men, expects them to behave like men, and in turn, they give him the respect any man would give another man.

Todd Haley - Haley is another example of a young coach who in his sophomore coaching season, has turned his team from losers(4-12 in 2009) to winners(10-6 and 1st place in their division). It will be interesting to see how the offense will operate in the absence of Charlie Weiss, but in 2010, Haley proved to be motivating enough and smart enough to be the 2010 Coach of the Year.

Rex Ryan - At the start of the season, many "pundits" wondered if LaDanian Tomlinson was washed up. Tomlinson rushed for almost 200 more yards than he did last season. Seven of the Jets' games were decided by 5 points or less and they only won 3 of those battles. Throughout most of the year, fans(myself included) and many "pundits" went from saying, "Mark Sanchez sucks.", or "The Jets really need a new QB." to "Mark Sanchez is improving.". Here's the kicker, it wasn't that Sanchez did his best Rocky impersonation and L.T. didn't find the fountain of youth, but the Jets did have the rock solid support of their heavyweight coach, Rex Ryan. Ryan did more than just motivate his team to an 11-5 record and a wildcard playoff spot. He pushed his team's buttons until they knew they were worthy of greatness as they beat the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks. On top of that, the Jets did more than just respect Rex Ryan; the entire team adopted his brash persona and I have no doubt that next year the 53 man Rex roster will be back even better than this year.

Lovie Smith - Who coached the Chicago Bears to not only become the NFC North champs, and not just to the NFC Championship, but to an 11-5 regular season record which is their best record in 4 years...Lovie Smith. Also, in my opinion, Lovie Smith is the kind of coach that will be the first one to take the blame when his team loses and the first person to shower the glory of a victory on his players instead of himself.

Mike McCarthy - The Green Bay Packers have always had to deal with injuries just like any other football team, but rarely do other teams do what the Packers have done. With 16 players currently on injured reserve, Green Bay has found the depth and testicular fortitude to not only go 10-6 in the regular season and secure a wildcard playoff spot, but they have won 3 consecutive road playoff games to make it to the Super Bowl which is the first time in 13 years. The Packers do owe their depth to the GM, but the master motivator on the sidelines who has willed the team to their victories has been Mike McCarthy.

Mike Tomlin - I don't even like the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it's unfathomable to me how anyone could not have voted Mike Tomlin the 2010 Coach of the Year. Check the man's pedigree. In the 4 years that he's been head coach, the Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl twice. For those who say, "He just inherited Bill Cowher's team.", ask Jim Caldwell how easy it is to get the same success from the same group of guys you "inherit" from another coach. In 2010, Pittsburgh only had 3 losses, 2 of those losses were by 5 points or less and the 3 teams that beat them all made it to the playoffs. In other words, Tomlin's team doesn't lose any game they're "supposed to win". Check youtube for Mike Tomlin's rant. You won't find it. I'm sure Tomlin has disagreements with his players at times, and he may fuss or even yell at them, but Tomlin does something every great coach should do, he keeps it "in house".

Everybody wants honesty, but how many of us want truth?

2010-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

There are two things I need to say in beginning this:

1) I will never say that I am faultless or perfect, but I am a constant work in progress that is striving for righteousness.

2) There is a difference between honesty and truth.

Honesty is the correct yes or no answer to any question you want to know the answer to, but truth is the answer to anything you need to know, but never knew to ask. Honesty is a flashlight that casts away the darkness of the lies that are right in front of our face while truth is a blinding light that takes any shadow of a lie that is all around us.

In talking to people and hearing how others handle situations and their daily lives, I can fathom that we all want to receive honesty and most of us try to be honest. When our parents, family, significant others, friends, or anyone else talks to us, we generally and genuinely want them to be honest with us. If we ever find out that those we are dependent on for honesty lie to us, we actually get hurt, upset, or at the very least...disappointed. But this is the extent of honesty; it can only be directed directly at us or we can only give it to others.

The truth, however, is far reaching. In other words, the people in Australia see the same sun that the people in Utah see and the truth is the same and just as relevant whether it's discovered in Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan or China. The biggest difference between the truth and honesty is how we handle it and how we relate to it.

When someone is honest with us, even if the honesty hurts, we eventually deal with it. We deal with it because the honesty is something that we wanted to know about, and it's always a little easier to swallow what you asked for in the first place. On the other hand, when we find out about the truth, there's an entirely different spectrum of possible feelings. The first thing most of us do is to deny what we've been given is the truth. Many times, we don't want to believe it which can also lead us to being angry about the truth or even wanting to "shoot the messenger" just for giving us the truth.

I believe that(and this is my opinion) we deny the truth and we get angry about the truth because we know that once it's brought to our attention, things are never the same afterwards. Granted, some of us ignore what we've learned and try to go back to living the lie we knew before the truth was presented to us. But no matter how hard we try to go back to the ignorant lie, and no matter how hard we try to forget the truth, we're still responsible and held accountable for the truth. Don't believe me? When your parents told you what right and wrong was, did they hold you accountable anytime you ignored them and did wrong? For those of us who have cars, most of them can go over 100 m.p.h., but if we ignore enough speed limit signs, what happens to us?

I write this not only to give the difference between honesty and truth, but to also urge anyone who reads this to always seek the truth. I know the truth isn't always pretty and it isn't always what we want to know, but it is always what we need to know and "the truth shall set you free". Free from living the lies we did or didn't know we were living, free from having to worry about covering up the truth because we'd be living proof of it, and free from the suspecting eyes of others because no matter how hard anyone else could try, they would have nothing on us because we would be walking in truth.

A Shout Out to Whuppings!

2010-11-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to thank God, my parents, & a suspended high school coach in Mississippi named Marlon Dorsey. I would also like to thank the first mom that used a branch from a tree, a belt, a house shoe, or a hot wheel track to initiate corporal punishment to some little bad kid that deserved it.

I remember the first time and last time I got whipped as a kid. I don't remember why I got whipped the first time, but I remember crying...hard. I remember that I "hated" my parents for whipping me. I felt like I had been abused. The very last time I got whipped, I was a teenager. I had been in the parking lot of my mom's middle school and I was jumping over the hood of my parent's car a couple of times. One of my mom's coworkers saw me and told my mom. When my parents got me home, they questioned me about what I had done. I remember thinking to myself as my dad pulled off his belt, "I know he's not going to whip me. I'm a teenager!" I got my teenage butt whipped that day.

Instances like these, made me dislike my parents, but that dislike was temporary. At the time, I didn't understand what they were doing, but now, I couldn't be happier that they did it. No (good) parent wants to spank, whip, or beat their kids, but talking, nagging, and time outs only go so far, and there's not always a big chance for reasoning with kids especially when they want to have their way. But (good) parents know that the longer bad behavior goes unpunished, the worse the behavior will become.

I'm beyond sick and tired of liberal minded "forward thinking" adults and coddling parents who feel that whuppings are indecent, offensive, and unnecessary. These are the same people that will bemoan the overcrowded jails and the crime rate. When I got too far out of line, my parents whipped me. Because of that, I love and respect them more because they didn't try to be my "friend". Friends don't whip friends and parents aren't supposed to be friends with their kids.

The bottom line is because of what my parents did for me, they made me understand that my actions have consequences so it's best for me to pick the right actions to take. And this understanding kept me away from doing the wrong thing which is why I know better now as a grown man.

SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE PARENTS THAT STILL BELIEVE IN WHUPPINGS!

Asking for a spot does NOT mean I want you to work out with me

2010-11-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Just to state for record's sake, I don't go to the gym to:

1) Dress in the latest sports attire and model for everyone
2) Flirt with the women
3) Talk to everybody instead of working out

With that being said, I do go to the gym because I want to stay in good physical condition while eating whatever I please and I want to get stronger than I already am. The keywords there are "stronger than I already am". This means that I have limits and weaknesses that I'm trying to overcome, but I can only do that by pushing myself to those limits.

Just to make sense of this, when I ask someone for a spot in the gym, I am asking for someone to assist me. If I am on the bench press, that may mean "breaking" the weight by removing it from the bar, and then watching me to make sure that I don't let the bar loaded with weight crush my chest. That's it! I don't ask for a spot so the person can do the exact opposite of what I do and can get a workout in too.

When I'm on the bench press, I don't want the person spotting me to pull the bar up as I'm trying to push it up. Why? Because if someone else is pulling all the weight, what kind of workout am I getting and if someone else is doing all the work, then I'm not getting any stronger.

You may or may not be into fitness, but I hope this point hits home for you...if someone else is doing all the work for you or taking the "weight" of the world off your shoulders, then not only are you living a sheltered life, but you're also not getting stronger. So when that "spotter" or that "yes" man isn't around anymore, an actual problem will crush your weak self. Just remember that it's always good to ask for assistance, but never ask for a crutch.

What is the point of an idea?

2010-10-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

The second most important lesson any of us can ever learn is that our minds are the playground where any and everything we want to happen can happen. I know that at one time, the people reading this wanted to be spacemen, princesses, firemen, and probably a few of you who wanted to be president. I'm sure that somewhere along the line, you told your ideas and your dreams to someone else, and they said something to the effect of, "That will never work." So in just four simple words, it's possible to crush an idea even before it's attempted. But this raises the bigger question, what is the point of an idea?

Ideas are a construct of our minds & often, the difference between its success or failure depends on if we use that idea or not. Nothing you use or buy has ever or will ever magically appear. The television you watch...started out as an idea, the computer you use...started out as an idea, and even the websites you visit were just ideas in a person's head until they decided to try them. The next big thing that everyone will want is an idea in someone's head right now.

Ideas need plans, and plans need ideas. It's a basic symbiotic relationship. You may have an idea that you decide to share with your friends and family. They may tell you that it's a great idea and you might even share it with people you meet on twitter or facebook. The setback for you now is that unless you come up with a plan of action, the only thing that you have is an idea. From here, there's one of two conclusions: either your idea is wasted and it profits you nothing, or someone else thinks of your idea or steals your idea and uses it. In the last scenario, you become one of the people who inevitably say, "Aww, I had thought of that. If only I had done something with it."

The last thing to bring up is what is the value of an idea? Every idea is both priceless to the person who thought of it, and worthless to everyone else until that idea has a physical breakthrough. So for those of you with ideas running through your heads now, I hope you start a plan for your idea so that you can make it a reality for the rest of us.

You done messed up

2010-10-08T01:28:00.000-07:00

We are all capable of great and wonderful things, and in our lifetimes, many of us are able to achieve those things. Even with our capability for goodness, there's one thing that none of us can escape. We are all human, and therefore, we are all also capable of messing up.

Now when I say that we are capable of messing up, it's not a cop-out or an excuse for anyone to do wrong. What this means is that if we gave in to our body's desires and whims, then we would quickly and easily mess up. I can't count how many times I've personally screwed up, but I can honestly say that every time I did, I was never forced into the wrongdoing. It's always in our control to do the right thing or fall for the wrong...remember that.

The main reason I came up with this blog is because of something I read. There was a rich and powerful man who had the best of everything and beautiful women all over him. One night, he saw this gorgeous woman and he found out who she was and he found out she was married. He didn't let marriage stop him because he sent his hired help to tell her to come to his house, and when she did, he slept with her and got her pregnant. So he came up with a plan of sending her husband to the front line of a war, and her husband was killed. After that, this rich man married the woman. I can't begin to describe how many ways this man messed up.

The story I'm talking about is the story of David, but here's the kicker...David was so wrapped up in how good his wrongdoing felt that he didn't even realize he was doing wrong. God ended up sending someone to him to tell him that he slipped up and messed up. That's just how warped we get when we get caught up in the wrong thing. We lose sight of the fact that we're doing wrong, and I can recall several occasions where someone else had to tell me that I was in the wrong. Of course, the first thing I did was get upset, and I've also said, "Who are you to judge me? You ain't perfect!".

No, there is no one among us that's perfect, but if your first thought when someone tells you that you messed up is to get angry, you need to pause. Think about what they said, and why they said it. Sometimes, people will try to call you out on something just because they don't like you. But there are also times that people will tell you, "You done messed up." because they actually care enough about you to fill you in when you're clueless about how badly you're slipping up.

And when you realize what you've done wrong, "I'm sorry" is the first thing you need to say to the ones you've wronged. Just remember that it's always easier to tell yourself "No!" when it comes to doing something that you know is wrong than having to humble yourself and apologizing for the wrong that you allowed yourself to do. And if you ever need a visual reminder of what happens when you slip up, check out 2 Samuel 12:1-12. It's a lot easier to read someone else's consequences than to have to face your own.

Why I Go to Church

2010-09-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog says exactly what I'll be talking about right now. I was moved to write this after I read "The Dilemma of the Unchurched Believer". I feel that this was a good blog because it expresses the writer's true feelings no matter what anyone else thinks.

My first reason for going to church as a kid was because my parents made me. Most Sundays, I didn't want to go and I would try to find any excuse not to go which would include lying about being sick, injured, or even losing clothes(yeah, it was that bad). But as a kid, I could only look forward to the time I was a grown up and I wouldn't have to go to church anymore.

Once I graduated high school and left home for college, my dad died. That event, plus oddly enough, reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, I began to seriously doubt the presence and existence of God. That doubt grew to denial which led me to living on my own earthly beliefs.

A number of things renewed my belief and my faith in God. For starters, I have lived through a major car accident, I've lived through sickness, and there have been many situations in my life that I had no control over yet I made it through. While some might say doctors healed me, or I had luck on my side, I know enough to be able to say that there is no book or no person that can teach someone else how to perform miracles of healing. I can also say that luck has nothing to do with the trials I've made it through because if luck truly existed, everyone would have a rabbit's foot right now. So my renewed faith in God brought me back to church. It was incredulous to me that I actually wanted to go.

But that's not the end of it because at one time(this is around 2002), I stopped going to church. My church became divided over a preacher and I couldn't stand it. I got fed up with all of these people who claimed they loved God fussing and fighting like they do on VH1 reality shows. So I figured that I could still get my praise on with God at my house by watching the t.v. ministers. This kind of life didn't work for me for 2 reasons. First, I began to see that the less time I spent being around people who were working to be more God-like and the more time I spent being around people who didn't care about religion, the less attention I gave God. Second, I came to accept and understand that going to church was meant for me to get closer to God by learning about Him through His word, and not so I can get closer to another person.

There is no man alive that determines my success or my failure, and there is no man alive that determines my salvation or my damnation. I've learned that that is why I go to church to, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." (Psalms 2:11) The journey I made to give my life to God is far from done, but it is my journey. I can't tell you who to serve, and neither can anyone else. But I will gladly tell you what He's done for me.

It's highly acceptable to brag on others

2010-09-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

I like talking about myself. That may sound like an amazing revelation, but even I have to admit that sometimes, I enjoy spending time in self-amazement at all my "glory". In spite of this, I am constantly made aware of something even more powerful and something more worthwhile... flaunting the gifts, abilities, and successes of others.

Am I crazy for this...not in the least bit. Because not only have I found that my friends have told more people about what I've done than I could ever do alone, but I also find it more fun to talk about someone other than myself. How else do we find out about the singer with the amazing voice that no one else has heard of? Do you personally always have the best relationship advice or do you get words of wisdom from someone who's been in a happy relationship for years on end?

We are a world that thrives on information and the only way that information is learned is when you pass it on. I've made amazing friends, acquaintances, contacts, and whatever else you want to call them, but the greatest thrill in knowing them is making sure others know about them too.

My 2010 NFL predictions

2010-09-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am as shocked as you are about some of my predictions, but I stand behind them...unless players start getting hurt(I'm looking at you Mr. Schaub & Mr. Sanders).

AFC North

Baltimore - 14-2(div. winners)
Cincinnati - 11-5(wild card winner)
Pittsburgh - 9-7
Cleveland - 0-16(a little of a shocker)

AFC South

Indianapolis - 12-4(div. winners)
Tennessee - 10-6(wild card winner)
Houston - 9-7
Jacksonville - 2-14

AFC East

New England - 12-4(div. winners)
New York - 7-9(so much for buying a SB)
Miami - 7-9
Buffalo - 3-13

AFC West

San Diego - 13-3(div. winners)
Denver - 8-8
Oakland - 8-8
Kansas City - 4-12

NFC North

Green Bay - 12-4(div. winners)
Minnesota - 8-8(don't shoot the messenger)
Chicago - 8-8
Detroit - 7-9(BIG time improvement)

NFC South

New Orleans - 12-4(div. winners)
Atlanta - 12-4(wild card winner)
Carolina - 6-10
Tampa Bay - 3-13

NFC East

Dallas - 13-3(div. winners)
New York - 10-6(wild card winner)
Philadelphia - 8-8
Washington - 6-10

NFC West

San Francisco - 9-7(div. winners)
Arizona Cardinals - 5-11
Seattle Seahawks - 4-12
St. Louis - 3-13

AFC championship game

Baltimore vs. San Diego - Baltimore wins

NFC championship game

Dallas vs. Green Bay - Dallas wins

Super Bowl 45

Dallas vs. Baltimore(YEAH!)

A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless

2010-08-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless
Being a man, I admit I am addicted to the visual
But there's something about style and grace that's more sensual
A woman's beauty may fade, but her soul is everlasting

Being a man, I admit I am addicted to the visual
But no matter how good she looks, at some point, she has to talk
A woman's beauty may fade, but her soul is everlasting
Some women have sexy parts, but a chosen few exude sexiness

No matter how good she looks, at some point, she has to talk
And the phenomenal women have brains behind that sexy walk
Some women have sexy parts, but a chosen few exude sexiness
The iceberg of your body is stunning, but show me what's underneath

The phenomenal women have brains behind that sexy walk
But there's something about style and grace that's more sensual
The iceberg of your body is stunning, but show me what's underneath
A Jazmine Cashmere is tempting, but a Lena Horne is timeless

Writer's note - If you haven't heard of Jazmine Cashmere or Lena Horne, google them! No, I'm not picking on Jazmine or anyone else because she is sexy. This poem is about going past the outer beauty and finding out what's underneath...the real sexiness is there.

Talented Ink Vs. The Iced Out Kid

2010-08-12T17:12:00.003-07:00

YOU ROCKED OUT, YOU ICED OUT

BUT I'M ABOUT TO CUT THE LIGHTS OUT

GAME'S OVER, SCHOOL'S IN SESSION

THIS TEACHER'S BRINGING THE FIRST LESSON

YOU ROLLING ON DUBS WITH A MIND FULL OF NOTHING

BUT IT'S HIGH TIME SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING

YOU LISTEN TO KANYE AND RICK ROSS RHYME

BUT FOR KNOWLEDGE WON'T SPARE A DIME

I SPIT FIRE ON YOU FOR WEARING ICE

LISTEN TO MY WORDS BECAUSE I WON'T SAY THEM TWICE

I USE NOUNS, ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

FOR SORRY SUCKERS GETTING ON MY NERVES

STEADILY SCREAMING OUT "HATERATION"

WHILE YOU'RE DUMBING DOWN AN ENTIRE NATION

I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE, MY MIND'S OFF VACATION

SO SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP

AS THESE LYRICS I CUT UP

THOSE GUYS HAVE MILLION DOLLAR DEALS

FOR MAKING YOUR DUMBASS BUY GRILLS

OPEN A BOOK, READ, AND THEN LEARN

INSTEAD OF ACTING LIKE YOU HAVE MONEY TO BURN

IGNORANCE ISN'T BLISS

IF MY WORDS YOU MISS

ON THE WRONG THINGS YOU GIVE RELIANCE

SO IT'S ONLY RIGHT I DROP SWEET SCIENCE

I ONLY SAY THESE WORDS BECAUSE I GIVE A DAMN

"AM I MY BROTHER'S KEEPER..."

"YES I AM!"

Commercial break for...INSTA-BLACK!

2010-08-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

What most of you don't realize is that all the funding that is required to run my blog is paid by my sponsor, Blammo Industries. With that being said, it's time for a commercial break. If you want a serious blog, try coming back next time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Blammo Industries, the same company that brought you the world famous mind meld cap, the hat that you can give to complete strangers and make them think, talk, and act just like you, is back with a brand new invention that's sure to please....INSTA BLACK!

Black people, are you tired of being harassed by the black police because they tell you that you're just "not Black enough"? Are there white people at your job that are more "down" with the brothers than you are? Do you get teased because you take the time to properly enunciate your words correctly or because you know what enunciate means? Are you tired of not being able to know the proper context in which to use "youknowwhatimsayin'" and are you mad that you STILL don't know how to make it rain because you don't party like a rock star? Then it's time for INSTA BLACK! What is INSTA BLACK? INSTA BLACK is a pill that if taken 3 times a day , in just 72 hours we guarantee that you will not only look blacker, but feel AND act blacker too! Don't just take our word for it though....

Hello, my name is Pernell Washington, and I'm a lawyer in the beautiful city of Baltimore. I graduated with a master's from a historically black university, I cheerfully give to the United Negro College Fund, and I am an active member of my local NAACP, yet in spite of my attempts to better my community, the black police tagged me as being too "White". So I tried INSTA BLACK and in just 3 days, my whole life has changed. My suits used to come from designer malls, but now I buy all of my outfits from Bishop Magic Don Juan's boutique and now my name is Big Things. Because you know when Big Things is popping, little things are stopping. I have a gang of bitches I call the Rainbow Coalition because if you want Black, White, Chinese, short or tall, Big Things has them all! Thank you for pimpifying me INSTA BLACK! Chuch!

Hi, my name is Carol Sutherland and I am sick and tired! I have a wonderful job as an engineer in what is considered a "man's" field. I drive a 2009 BMW 745 and I live in a beautiful 3 bedroom house that I've already paid for. I'm sick and tired because the brothers in my city are scared as hell of a successful Black woman that makes more than them. I see a lot of their tired asses chasing after ghetto hood rats so I decided to try INSTA BLACK. Now the same niggas that used to run from me, can't get enough of me. Now, I've got Tyrell, Darnell, Tyrone, and Micheal all blowing up my phone and paying my bills and you know what they have...nothing but hope. What they want, they can't have, but I take all that they have. Thank you INSTA BLACK!

Greetings my fellow Americans. My name is Barack Obama and I am your President. I always thought that if I stuck to the issues that concern us as a nation and hold fast to the truth, that would be enough for this nation, but the polls and the black police have shown me that I'm just not black enough. So I tried new INSTA BLACK and I decided that my name was given to me out of hatred for the color of my skin by the White man. So I have changed my name to Barack X. Salam Aleikum my brothers and sisters and thank you INSTA BLACK!

Thank you 9/11 first responders, and screw congressional bureaucrats

2010-08-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

There was a moment in my life when I was involved in a car accident that was so severe that my head was split open and I was knocked unconscious. I could not help myself, and if it were not for the grace of God, onlookers, policemen, firemen and emergency medical technicians(first responders) who airlifted me to a hospital, I would have died. For one second, I want you to think about a moment where you, a loved one, or even just someone you know owes their life to the unselfish and ever alert actions of a first responder.

With that thought in your mind, it is beyond my political comprehension that any man or woman, Democrat or Republican could have the nerve to vote no on a bill for health care for 9/11 first responders. Why, in God's name would Republicans vote "no" to this bill? Because, "the bill would pay for itself by closing a tax loophole on foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries." In other words, multinational corporations that are exempt from U.S. taxes would no longer have that exemption. And, Republicans aren't in agreement with that.

But the health care bill received a majority vote which would have passed it, but Democratic representatives enacted a special voting procedure which required that the bill get at least a 2/3 majority vote in order to be passed. Why? Because the Democrats felt the Republicans might "try to kill the bill with amendments". What kind of message does this send to every American who is a first responder and even Americans who are simply good Samaritans? First responders get paid for their job, but they take the classes and get the necessary training for their jobs by their own choice. So it seems that the men and women of congress are telling them that they made a poor choice in judgment because of congress's unwillingness to help our own even though the first responders are helping us.

But this isn't a rant. This is a request for you to use your political power to help influence your congressmen. Write your representative by going here. Once you get the address, mail your congressman a letter and ask, no demand that they revive the Zadroga act and then to vote yes. If you don't want to mail a letter, call them instead. We were all so happy to "rock the vote", so here's a chance to make more real change for the people who help keep us alive.

Collaboration makes money, collaborating makes sense

2010-07-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Collaboration(n.) - The act of working together or cooperating to achieve a common interest or goal.

ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY

A friend mentioned that phrase to me recently, and she's dead on. This is the thing that people live for, die for, and some even plot and connive for. Just for the chance to have an opportunity. I mention this now because I have learned through ups and downs that the access to the opportunity that we seek is 10,000 times easier when we work together.

First and foremost, for any sports fan, name one championship team(NFL, NBA, MLB or otherwise). Now name one championship team that won by only having one player on the field or on the court. No matter how long you think about it, you can't name one because every winning team has reached the top because individuals were willing to collaborate for the sake of becoming a championship team.

Secondly, in 2009, Bill Gates held a super moguls secret summit in New York. Oprah was there, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner and many other billionaires came together to discuss common interests and work towards common goals. In 2010, Bill Gates hosted a CEO summit in Seattle which included guests like Dana White and U.S. Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner. So my question to you is if these wealthy athletes and high powered moguls know enough about the power of teamwork to collaborate, why don't you do the same?

Don't let anyone fool you, but the days of the "self-made" individual are done! The people who get ahead get there because a group or army of individuals are behind them pushing them forward. Some people would rather work on their own, others feel that working in a group is a waste of time and then there are those that would rather cut down, discriminate, or simply hate other individuals instead of working with them. Some of these people can be helped while others are doomed to keep the attitudes that will do nothing but hold them back as the rest of the world progresses.

The bottom line is that with collaboration...we all get ahead faster.

The Beautiful Face of Evil

2010-07-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

What do you want? What do you want that you believe in your heart of hearts that you will get if you work hard enough for it? Think about it...now that you have a mental image of what you believe in, keep reading.

Have you heard of a movie called “The Beautiful Face of Evil” yet? It's this movie that takes place in New York and it centers around 5 main characters. One of them is named William Richardson III and he's a charismatic, drug abusing, and adulterous alcoholic who's also the mayor of New York City. His wife, Allison is a loving, docile, and enabling doormat. William's mistress is named Desdemona Gutierrez and Desdemona is a shrewd, manipulative, and conniving madam. Charles Staton is William's best friend and he's a marijuana smoking news personality who loves saying things to his guests and others just to get under their skin. Evonda Troutman is Charles's girlfriend and she's also a former Playboy Playmate who's now a music video “actress”. One of the best things about this movie is that instead of preaching about how “doing bad is the wrong thing to do, so don't do it”, the main characters show just how much fun you can have while you're doing the wrong thing. On top of that, it shows just what happens when you get a chance to be bad.

If you haven't seen or heard of “The Beautiful Face of Evil” yet, don't worry...that's just because I haven't shot it yet. The reason you're still reading right now is because my belief is that this movie will be made. I also believe that you can help me make this movie. The way I see it is that at the end of every movie, a long list of names of the cast and crew scroll across the screen in the credits. I want you and everyone you know to see your name in the credits. How? For $5-$10, you can buy your own spot on the big screen. Not only can you show off your name in lights, but you can also tell everyone you know that “The Beautiful Face of Evil” was made because of you.

You can buy your credit space by going through Paypal and sending the money to TBFOE@yahoo.com. Remember that regardless of whether you pay $5 or $10, you still buy a spot for your name in the credits, but keep in mind that the more who buy a $10 space, the sooner the movie will be made. If you don't want to buy a space for any reason, I understand, and I ask one small favor of you instead. Tell everyone you know about “The Beautiful Face of Evil” and be sure to tell them that if they want it, they can buy their spot in the credits too. Think about what you believe in, and then remember that this is what I believe in. I thank you in advance for anything you do to help.

Get Out of Your Cage(Thank You Katt Williams)

2010-07-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

I find inspiration in all places, and as funny as Katt Williams is to me(and a lot of others), he said an analogy which really hit home with me. When you watch this clip, be prepared for explicit language, but if you listen to everything he's saying, hopefully you'll truly understand the joke/analogy.

Just like you have at least one big, bold, beautiful dream that you want to accomplish, so do I. Personally, I want to produce and direct my own movies and television shows. Just like you have planned for your dream, so have I. I have scripts and screenplays, and I'm mailing letters and sending e-mails to any production company I can find. Now, just like you, I run into negatives, and people who say, "Thanks, but no thanks."

This is where the cage comes into play. We've all heard that we are destined for greatness, and the truth is that we are, but sometimes we start doubting and even denying that truth when we get bombarded by the negatives. I say we because I know that I've been guilty of that as well. I can also say that just like the people who pass by the tiger's cage at the zoo and take pictures of a captive tiger, there are people in our lives who look at us like captured tigers, except instead of throwing peanuts at us, they throw insults just to try to make us feel low.

Keep this analogy in mind when it comes to realizing your dream, because just like Katt said, all it takes is one opportunity and your dream will become reality. I also want you to keep in mind that if your dream was easy to obtain, then it wouldn't be a dream, it would just be an errand. You are a tiger, you were born free, and I just swiped the zookeeper's key so let's go!

The top 10 songs(in no particular order) I'm going to play when I learn how to play a guitar

2010-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Is there a need for this list...absolutely not! Is there a reason for it...because I like these 10 songs well enough to want to learn how to play them.

1. "Paint It Black" The Rolling Stones
2. "Misirlou" Dick Dale and the Del Tones
3. "Authority Song" John Mellencamp
4. "Girlfriend" Matthew Sweet
5. "Times Like These(acoustic version)" The Foo Fighters
6. "Sunshine of Your Love" Cream
7. "Pride and Joy" Stevie Ray Vaughn
8. "Theme From Peter Gunn" Duane Eddy
9. "Running Down a Dream" Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
10."Nasty Letter" Otis Taylor

You can move mountains

2010-07-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I won't get too wordy with this and if you take away one thing, make sure it's this:

The world will never be right, but we were never meant to conform to the world

Now I do want you to understand that this isn't a doom and gloom tirade because along with fact, I am also stating my testimony. I have learned and we all know that there are just as many people in the world that want to see you fail as there are people who want to be the ones to cause your failure. There are people who don't like you or even hate you and they don't even know you. I'm not sorry to be the one to say this, but I do pray for these intolerant ones.

On the flipside, I'm proud to say that peace and righteousness are not foreign things no matter what part of the world you live in. I know that I can say if you choose not to fall victim to an unfeeling world, not only will you accomplish greatness, but you will inspire greatness as well. Please understand that I don't necessarily mean greatness as in money or power, but greatness is always overcoming hardships, bigotry, and evil. The Little Rock Nine, Mohandas Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are all shining examples of achieving greatness in spite of circumstances, but there are so many more examples if you choose to seek them or be them.

The bottom line is that there is more than enough problems in the world to criticize, but criticism and anger does nothing. Rather than cry for change, be the change you want to see in the world. Even if you don't see yourself moving mountains, just by moving your neighbor to be that positive change as well, you have just moved humanity one step closer to achieving greatness.

The difference between God and my words

2010-06-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

I write a LOT of words. You can see them here, on Twitter, and on sites like Brotherspeak and Hubpages. No matter where you find my words, you can see and read them as much as you like, but we can't see God. He could be standing next to me or sitting next to you right now and we wouldn't know it.

Now here's the kicker...no matter how hard I try or how hard you try, you can't feel my words, but every day God's presence can be felt. I feel God's presence every morning I wake up because I know there was no other way I was able to open my eyes but because of Him. When I hear about someone miraculously surviving a car wreck or going through some ordeal that others haven't or wouldn't survive, I feel God's presence. And every time a baby is born, God's presence is felt. Science does its best to explain birth, life and genetics because science can not and never should deal with anything that's unseen.

Yet as wonderful and beneficial as science is, nobody can fully explain who we are and where we came from because it took God to make us. I'm a writer and through my words, I have created alternate realities and I've used my words to give my commentary on the world and how I see it. God is a creator and he created the world we live on, us, and everyone around us.

The bottom line is that my words express who I was and who I am, so they serve as my own personal testimony. I know that God's presence can be felt by anyone, but it's up to you to feel it for yourself. I can only tell you what he's done for me.

A sneak peek at Doc Rivers's pre-game Game 7 speech

2010-06-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

It's only a game. You guys are a bunch of grown men so I know I don't need to say anything to motivate you especially since it's...just a game. But remember back in the regular season when the people that "know" basketball said that you were past your prime? Everybody said that we wouldn't make it to the finals again, let alone the playoffs. Was it "just a game" then? And so you fought, and you won until we made it to the playoffs...AGAIN! And then those same know-it-alls wanted to crown Cleveland as the 2010 champs before we even stepped on their court. Was game 4 of that series "just a game" when they had us down 2-1?! Every single one of you stepped up and you clawed and you pushed, until you won 3 straight!

Game 6 wasn't a game...game 6 was a testament to everything we hold near and dear on this Boston team. And even then when Orlando punched us in the mouth on our own floor...the critics came out. They wanted to say we had gone as far as we could...it wasn't "just a game" then. Orlando pushed hard, so we pushed harder and we stole their magic!

L.A. outgunned us in game 1 and half the nation cried out, "L.A. has already won the finals!". Kevin, Pau had the balls to call you soft...was it just a game for you then? Even after that, it only took 4 days for us to make every critic eat crow and every Laker fan crap their pants. L.A. went from "We know we're going to win" to "We hope". But then, we got punished Tuesday and we lost one of our fiercest warriors. So now, here we are with a black eye, busted lip, and a bruised ego. Is it still "just a game" for any of you?

Gentlemen, we have 48 minutes left of playing ball on t.v. together and then our season's over. Now I don't know what's going to happen after tonight, but I know that I'm not ready to lie down, give up, or quit and say "It's just a game." Perk isn't out because "it's just a game" and Kevin, if anything is possible, then this isn't a game. This is a moment in time where we define ourselves again not as great players, but as a great team! Don't worry about if you're on the floor or if you're on the bench, just worry that no matter where you are, you're pushing this team ahead. If you're on the bench, you better be the loudest player cheering on your brothers as they fight on the floor and if you're on the floor, you better be the hungriest player in Staples! It wasn't just a game when we started this year and it damn sure isn't a game now! Boston...this is our night and our time...WE WILL NOT BE DENIED!

The #1 show you haven't heard of(yet) - Front Page

2010-05-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be short and sweet...this is the treatment of a television drama for which I already have the show bible and the pilot script for. The one thing that I'm working to get for it is the production company.

Front Page

A television treatment by Garrett Rogers

WGA registration #1418846

Downtown at The Chicago Post news building, the word of the day is pressure. There is the owner of the Post, Stephen A. Garrison, a wealthy billionaire who sometimes feels the pressure of trying to keep a newspaper solvent let alone lucrative in an internet based world. His editor-in-chief, Barbara Jacobs, is a stern, headstrong woman who feels the pressure from Stephen to make the paper successful and the pressure to maintain leadership over her staff without establishing a tyrannical approach, all the while feeling the self-inflicted pressure to accomplish her own personal goals.

Every person inside The Chicago Post building contributes to the success or failure of the newspaper and to that end, everyone feels the anxiety and pressure of working at a newspaper in their own different way. There’s the accountant, Dac Kien Trần, a man who prides himself on his impeccable knowledge of the financial sector all the while thinking himself faultless. Tara Fedorov, is the director of human resources and the first and usually last face that a potential Post employee sees. She is notorious for her abrasive demeanor and harsh mouth that many feel only masks past pain. Fernando Guzmán is a sports reporter and a sloven, tactless male chauvinist who isn’t really a sports fan and lacks the passion of one, but has a limitless knowledge of sports facts and is one of the Post’s best writers.

Craig Jennings is a clean cut and passionate man who seems too good to be true and is applying for a sports reporter position on the pilot of the show. The editorial writer, Anthony Pleasant, is an idealistic, liberal democrat who despises anyone who would claim to be a republican yet struggles not to make the paper his own personal soapbox. Mickey Hughes is a cartoonist for the paper and a man that everyone else would love to have a beer with. The only problem for Mickey is that he has a personal issue which he wrestles to come to terms with and has a hard time making any true social connection because of it.

The news reporters are an intelligent albeit occasionally egocentric lot. Ronald Paulsen has aspirations of being the next Walter Cronkite so he is constantly in search of the next big story which could help him launch his name into super stardom. He often attempts this feat regardless of who his exploits might offend or harm. Kristin Lawrence is a Rutgers educated reporter who is dedicated to the facts yet abhors the fact that she lives in a male driven society and refuses to adhere to any female archetype that men envision for her. While she refuses to be stereotyped, she isn’t above using her feminine wiles to manipulate someone else for her own benefit. Terrence Edwards is an aspiring rock star with a troubled past who sees his job as a reporter as a paying gig until his band's big break while Abd-Al-Malik Kassab is a proud Middle Eastern man who has lived in the U.S. the majority of his life yet is consistently profiled by ignorant and pretentious xenophobes which tends to drive Kassab to occasional fits of anger or depression.

Emmett Schroeder is an old and haggard photographer who is distrusting towards strangers and all managerial personnel, and harbors numerous conspiracy theories. Madeline Barbosa is the perfect antithesis to Emerson because she is a young woman who believes in the inherent good of men and sees her position as a starting point to do great things. The janitor of The Chicago Post is Solomon Morgan, and Solomon is the man that knows a little bit about everyone who works at the Post since from his position, he is usually in the background of every conversation and any dealing that happens in the building. He is a proud man who enjoys his work and not only demands respect but gives it to those who he feels deserves it. Yazmin Ramirez is the resident advice columnist and Post sex kitten who shares her intuitive advice with everyone while her sexual innuendo keeps every man interested.

Pierre Fournier is the newspaper’s food critic and a pompous, pretentious connoisseur of extravagant food and fine wine who not only expects everyone to hang onto his every word, but keeps every restaurant he visits on “pins and needles” anytime he visits. Matt Thompson is the tech writer who is not only obsessed with science fiction and anything modern, but maintains a quiet humility even though he is the smartest person at the Post. Thompson spends most of his time online, reading a magazine, or daydreaming about future possibilities.

The possibility for drama, tension, passion, and humor at the newspaper is limitless due to the number of possible interactions while involved in a strenuous work environment. Television dramas thrive on the personal connections that are made and destroyed based on unfolding events, and at the newspaper, the events are twofold based on what everyone is going through and the current events that are taking place which can turn the newspaper on its ear at a moment’s notice. With this in mind, the show can be driven not only by the creative element of the writers involved, but by current events ripped from the news as well.

Every day, news happens and every day, our lives are somehow changed because of the events that unfold around us. Whether it is in the political or financial sector, whether it concerns religious beliefs, or even if it pertains to the criminal element, the public is affected. Because of these numerous events, we rely on news reporters, gossip columnists, and people paid to give their opinions to tell us about these daily happenings. The people at the Chicago Post aren't always involved in what happens in the world, but they are deeply entrenched in the business of relaying to the rest of the world what's happening in their backyard and everyone else's. This isn't the front line, but this is the front page!

The sad state of affairs in Hollywood and how I'm going to change it

2010-05-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

I know that with the ending of Lost, Hollywood is desperate to find the show that could possibly be Lost part 2. I have one thing to say about that...

STOP DOING THAT!

Whether you liked it or not, Lost drew in tens of millions of viewers every week just to see some characters trying to deal with being on a deserted island. There will NEVER be another show like that, yet Hollywood producers and mogul types are trying to do that, but it's not going to work.

I used to be embarrassed to say that I am a t.v. addict, but my very existence is to be a writer, and as a writer I love seeing and reading other writer's creations. So as a lifelong t.v. addict I have some room to say what can and can't work right now. Flashforward being canned is proof that a Lost type show won't be well received and with the cancellation of Numbers and Miami Medical, we the people are saying we're tired of seeing 20 new medical and/or police dramas every television season.

Apparently Hollywood isn't getting this message so I'm going to do the one thing I can. I alone(at least for now) am coming for Hollywood and I am armed to the teeth with television treatments, show bibles, and scripts for shows that have never been put on television, but need to be seen. Honestly, I do want to see my name on the screen as executive producer, but more importantly, I want to keep the line of GOOD television going. Shows like Burn Notice, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, and even Glee won't be around forever so I'm going to put my ideas and my work into enough people's hands until I get to the right hands that will work with me and put these shows on the t.v. So if you're reading this and you know somebody who just happens to work with or know one of these Hollywood types...you let them know that I'm coming for them and this determined man will not be stopped.

How to get ANY man you want

2010-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Ladies, I'm no dating or relationship expert, but I just learned something startling and quite possibly earth shattering, that you all need to know. But first, a little disclaimer...

To my fellow brothers in arms...I am not about to break any part of the man code, but what I am doing is revealing truth to bring about understanding. The more understanding there is between men and women, the chance for drama becomes less likely.

With that said, ladies there is but one rule and one rule only that you need to know and use in order to get any and I mean ANY man that you want:

SET STANDARDS AND LIVE BY THEM!

Wait, now sit down...breathe, and take a minute to let that sink in. This is the great "secret" in order to get the man of your dreams. When I say standards, I'm talking about your rules, your principles, and everything you will accept and the things you refuse to live without. Now for the single women who say that they already do this yet are still "man-less", there's one of two reasons why.

The first reason you'd still be "man-less" is because you concede your standards. For the women who want a man to open doors for them, pull out their chair for them, and pay for at least the first real date(and bowling and McDonald's isn't really a date), then you have every right to demand these as standards for yourself. So the first thing you need to do with your standard is tell your girlfriend. Once you do that, tell your men friends, and then tell the next guy you meet, and then the next guy, and tell everyone that you know until you've told everyone your standards. But if you go out with a man that doesn't pay for the date, you've yielded one of your standards. If you go out with a man that walks out in front of you and then lets the door almost hit you because he's not holding it for you, then you're not living up to your own standards. STOP IT!

I'll be honest ladies...I'm writing this for one reason and one reason alone. I called a woman who has a standard that she doesn't accept calls from men after dark, and here's the kicker...I respect her wishes because it's the standard that she set from the beginning. Now I don't expect anything from this woman except conversation and maybe an option for a future date, but she has a personal rule that any man she talks to has to follow or else she doesn't talk to him. Ladies, it's that simple! If you want a man to treat you a certain way, then accept nothing less than that treatment and you will get it! Don't bend, don't give in, and don't break because when you do, you will be treated however the man chooses to treat you. Not only this, but I can honestly say that if you allow a man to break your rules, the man will lose a little bit of respect for you and won't respect any future rules you try to make.

This is the way to get any man that you want ladies, but there's one other reason that you might be "man-less". The more specific you are with your standards, the more unspecified the time will be before you get what you want. In other words, if you want a tall, light skinned man with six pack abs, and a six figure savings account who drives a BMW 745 and has at least one vacation home, you can get this man. The only thing is that you'll have to be willing to take the time for a man like this to be available to come to you. That's the last thing I want to say ladies. Don't chase us, we'll chase you because if you're chasing us and we're not stopping...it's either because we're not interested or you're breaking your standards. Either way, stop hunting and just become the hunted, but be the hunted that keeps standards.

My life as a spy - January 2006

2010-05-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Just how long does it take to forget having a gun drawn on you? Apparently somewhere between a day and 4 months, because by January some guy named Tomás who got the jump on me when I wasn't ready was a forgotten memory. That is until he got the jump on me again at my gym. I hadn't ask anyone for a spot on the bench, but Tomás took it upon himself to be helpful that day. After I got up, my first instinct was to punch him, but after thinking about what happened last time, I decided I'd hear him out one last time.

Once we got in the steam room, he started going on about this matter of "national security" that his "company" needed my help with. He kept blabbering, but the more he talked, the more he sounded like a cheap remake of some spy movie. I told him that I had enough, and got up to leave. Before my right hand completely wrapped around the door handle, he said 4 simple words, "Think about the money." My right hand dropped to my side as I turned and faced my would be employer. So how much money does it take for a person to want to risk their life for an unknown reason...somewhere around $100,000, because when Tomás said that number, the only thing I could say was, "When do we leave?" A hundred grand may not sound worth risking your neck for, but when you're 19 years old, $100,000 is a key to cars, clothes, and girls.

The next day, I met Tomás at noon at Peachtree Plaza and we took off in a black Lexus. Tomás offered me a glass of champagne to "celebrate" as he put it, but sometime later, he was waking me up. The funniest part about it was that we were in another gym. Not like the one I went to, but about the same kind of set up. I joked with him by asking if this was where I'd learn kung fu and all of that, but he just smiled and said kung fu was for Hollywood. The next thing I know, this tall, lanky middle eastern guy comes out. He said his name was Amzi and then he started talking about something called Krav Maga. When I asked him if was lethal, he smiled, and then took me down with one kick and a punch. He said he could teach it to me, so I asked him when we would get started. "Right now." he replied.

If you like what you're reading and want me to keep telling my story, just type yes in the comments...if you don't want to read anymore...forget what you've already read

My life as a spy - September 2005

2010-05-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't always been a writer, but ever since I was a little boy, there's always been a part of me that's wanted to save the world. I didn't get that opportunity to try until I was 18 years old. To this day, there's still some things that my company won't let me talk about, then there are things that I've forgotten as they've become jumbled thoughts in my head, but for everything that I can talk about and remember, I will.

I remember it was a cloudy morning on campus at Morehouse that September day, and for some reason I felt a chill in the air. I couldn't quite place my finger on why it was cold and what was weirder was the fact that I felt like I was being watched. My dad always used to call me paranoid so I tried to shrug off the feeling, but it just kept nagging at me. Around 3 o'clock, I promised myself that I would never ignore my gut again because that's when I met him.

He approached me as I was coming out of the library and told me that he needed to have a word with me. At first, I protested, but the black Beretta 92FS he flashed under his jacket quickly changed my mind about a quick getaway. Once we got to a secluded area, the man with the gun became Mr. Chatty Cathy. He called himself Tomás and told me that the people he represented had work for me. I told him I already had a job, and that's when he sucker punched me, and whipped out his gun.

Fancy parlor tricks or not, I told him I don't work for guys like him, and that's when he gave me a bio of my life. He started naming off the charges for pickpocketing, aiding and abetting, grand theft auto, and resisting arrest that I racked up from 11-17. I told him that wasn't my life anymore and he blabbered off my new life and how my 3.5 GPA, 1450 SAT score and a little computer hacking got me into Morehouse in the first place. This guy was really starting to piss me off, but it's hard to argue with a man holding a gun. I asked him what he wanted and he threw a card at me and said he'll be in touch.

If you like what you're reading and want me to keep telling my story, just type yes in the comments...if you don't want to read anymore...forget what you've already read

I can't STAND dopeheads!

2010-05-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

dopehead(n.) - A drug ADDICT.

No, I can't stand dopeheads and no matter how anyone will ever try to justify things, there are dopeheads in baseball, dopeheads on the track, and from what I've heard today, dopeheads are riding bikes and catching balls too. I can't stand the lot of you! I'm not jealous because of what you have, but my anger towards you is based on what you're screwing up.

First off, 90% of the athletes that take to the field and take to the court have been blessed with a particular talent that not everyone has. It is this talent that gives you the ability to play the game, but if you want to win on a consistent basis, you have to train, practice, and in sports like football, you have to study! Raw talent is nothing without work and effort. You dopeheads feel that you can get away with doing things halfway if you take a little HGH. You are robbing yourself of the chance to see if you can actually hang with those who are younger and/or hungrier than you are. If the guy on the opposite team isn't juicing, then what gives you the right to have an unfair advantage? Work like your teammates do!

Now dopehead, think about the health risks. Yes male dopeheads, we know that steroids will shrink your balls, make you more aggressive, and could give you breasts. I'm not going to google what HGH does for you female dopeheads because I know about the unmentioned health risks. All those times when you bang your fist on the table and you scream, "I have NEVER used steroids and I don't appreciate being accused of it either.", you're lying to yourself and us, plus you're taking years off your life. All that anxiety, tension, and nervousness that you feel as people investigate whether you're telling the truth or not...it's unnecessary. The truth will come out...the truth always comes out. Save yourself the headache and the possible ulcer and just be honest. On top of that, think about your family dopehead. They don't need the headache of watching the family name being dragged over the coals while you keep pretending you didn't shoot up.

There are so many more reasons I can give for stomaching what you're doing dopeheads, but I want to call out one of you right now. FLOYD LANDIS! It's not bad enough that you vehemently denied using only to have to swallow your lie, but now you want to be a rat too?! You want to say that Lance Armstrong is a dopehead too? There's a problem with your accusation Floyd. First, I know I'm not the only one who doesn't believe that Armstrong used, but if he did, I would think lesser of you than I would of him because you're only telling on someone else because you got caught? Are you 5?!

Even if Armstrong used, he's a source of inspiration that you'll never be. We all know that Armstrong had stage 3 testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, but by the grace of God, some skilled surgeons, and a kind of testicular fortitude you could only hope to have, he not only went back to racing, but he won 7 back to back tours. Floyd, you have been accused and proven to be a dopehead, so accept your status and your consequence, but don't try to take someone else down with you as well.

6 rules of living given by an old head

2010-05-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I never know where my next lesson is coming from, but this one came from an old head this morning.

6) Don't jump at the first person that says they like you. Be picky until you find what you want.
5) Don't start mess, but if it starts, end it.
4) Your parents are important examples of how to live your life. They either show you what you're supposed to do or what you never should do.
3) Don't be an a**. Nobody likes an a**.
2) Life is short, but it's long if you make stupid mistakes, so watch what you do.
1) Be respectful

Second life

2010-05-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

My name is Garrett Rogers, and I've already died once. I have lied, cheated, and misused people. I've burned almost as many bridges as I've made, and some of those bridges will never be under construction again. I was told by my doctor that I have a big heart, and in this case, I'm not talking about the giving kind of heart. My doctor told me I had an enlarged heart, but it wasn't because of genetics; it was because I ate cake, burgers, pizza, and drank Dr. Pepper like the government was going to ban junk food the next day. Yet, in spite of giving in to my vices, my fears, and my prejudices...I still live.

I don't live because of my sin or bad habits, but I live in spite of them for two reasons...grace and choices. I'm saying that God has been graceful to give me a chance to see the sun rise for 33 years, and even if you don't share my belief, you have to know that your alarm clock isn't the only reason you wake up. My choices also keep me alive because rather than live the same life I have lived, I've chosen to change all that was negative and wrong with me. So that meant cutting out the Dr. Pepper, and eating a salad every now and then, but I didn't give up all of my junk food though. I also had to walk away from the people or things from my past life of wrong. It's not that they were wrong and everything I used to do wasn't bad, but I make the choices I make to make sure that I don't go back to a life that would entice me to do wrong or is wrong for me.

I don't write these words for condemnation, sympathy or even understanding, but I write these words to be an example and a voice. I want others to see the life that I used to live and then see the consequences I faced for living that life, and once you see the before, pay attention to the after. I'll tell you what I did and then you can see what I'm doing. Every day I strive to find a way to improve my life and to improve the lives of others because I am given a second life and I want to live this life for good.

The bottom line is that if you are alive to read this right now, do right by your self and do right by others. Trust me when I say that the rewards will be 1,000 times better than if you chose to do wrong.

Your self-image is all you have

2010-05-11T02:09:00.000-07:00

OTHERS CAN ONLY SEE YOU AS YOU SEE YOURSELF

That's the main point of this blog and I want you to think about it for a minute. Our "self-image" is how we see ourselves and it's this idea of ourselves that other people base their opinions of us on. Some of you may say that other people will base their opinions of us based on their friend's opinion or from gossip. Even then, their friends are judging us by our self-image above anything else. Plus, no matter what rumors are spread about us, if we aren't doing the things or acting in the way that we're rumored to, then the rumors cease to exist as the truth comes out.

I'd like to explain this in the simplest terms possible. If you see yourself as a smart person then you will act the way smart people do, you will do the things smart people do, and you will say the things smart people would say. When other people see you, observe you, and listen to what you say, they will feel you are a smart person. It's not about just "thinking" you're a certain type of person, but once you think on it, you will say you're this type, you will act like this type and you will live like the type of person you think you are. If I sound like I'm repeating myself, I am. I'm repeating myself because we have to keep repeating the same behavior, first to ourselves, and then to others and that's the only way we are who we think we are.

I remember my mom saying, "You are what you answer to." and mom couldn't be any more right. So think carefully about who you want to be and then be that person no matter who says otherwise because the proof of who you really are is in your self-image and your actions.

The death of the NFL running back

2010-03-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Is this really it? Have we, the fans of the NFL, forgotten about the heroes of the backfield? Before you say no...think about it. What was the best play you remember from the Super Bowl? Was it Sean Payton's gutsy call for an onside kick at the start of the third or was it Tracy Porter's pick and subsequent TD that put the nail in the coffin for the Colts? The chances are pretty high that a running play isn't your best memory.

If you want further proof, what was the biggest headline for a running back last season? More than likely, it's between Chris Johnson trying to get the most rushing yards in a season or Adrian Peterson and his apparent fumble-itis. Is this what it comes down to for the mighty RB?

The top 5 offenses of last season:

1. New Orleans
2. Dallas(That's right!)
3. New England
4. Houston
5. Minnesota

Off the bat, we can cut out #3 and #4 because you have to add up 2 of the 4 Patriots running backs to get a decent amount of rushing yards for one running back in a season...only one of them rushed for more than 700 yards. Forget Houston because with Steve Slaton coughing up the ball, the Texans' offense rested in Matt Schaub's hands. We can rule out New Orleans because Drew Brees ruled the roost there. No, Reggie Bush is a surprise RB. In other words, he's used as a receiver(47 receptions for 335 yards) just as much as he's used in the backfield(70 carries for 390 yards).

So two of the top 5 offenses have at least one decent running back who has 1,000+ yards. Wait...not even my Dallas team has one RB that has broken 1,000 yards, but since they have the "three headed monster", we feel they're a pretty good rushing team.

The top 5 running backs(and where their team ranks in total offense)

1. Chris Johnson(Tennesee ranks #12)
2. Steven Jackson(St. Louis ranks #29)
3. Thomas Jones(NY Jets ranks #20)
4. Maurice Jones-Drew(Jacksonville ranks #18)
5. Adrian Peterson(Minnesota ranks #5)

These 5 guys have made some of the best top 10 plays of last season yet the bigger spotlight has been shined on the QB and the passing plays they make. Even with the "wildcat" craze, rushing takes a backseat to a strong arm.

Will the trend to downplay the running back ever change? Probably not as long as the topic of the day is Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen or Tim Tebow and not C.J. Spiller, Jahvid Best or Evan Royster. Personally, it seems if the NFL is trying to be all about "parity" then the league would retain some focus on rushing side of the offense as well.

When LOST invades your dreams

2010-03-17T18:09:00.001-07:00

So, maybe I have been watching a little too much LOST. Maybe I shouldn't fall asleep while watching television. Maybe I have an overactive imagination...but I know I'm not the only one.

So I was sleeping...GOOD and I drifted off into dreamland. I dreamed I was on a plane(no, I don't know the name or flight #) and we were flying over the Sahara(I don't know why). I decided to get up and walk to the bathroom, but suddenly, I had a premonition(or maybe it was a flash) so I headed back to my seat. The next thing I know, the plane ripped in half right behind me(luckily I wasn't in the tail end). Well...I said, "Enough is enough", and I quickly got back in my chair and buckled my seat belt(without any problems from the pesky depressurization).

So the plane crash lands in the desert, and of course, there are several people moaning and crying, but I'm walking around assessing the damage and helping a few survivors pitch tents. Yes, after 5 minutes of crashing, people were already making shelters(it could happen). I thought about it for a minute and again I said, "Enough is enough", and I walked for about a half mile to a set of apartment buildings(because of course there are residents in the Sahara). I knocked on one door and a old Chinese lady answered the door. I said hello to her daughter and then I asked her if I could use her phone because I was just involved in a plane crash.

I really wish I could have finished this dream, but I woke up while I was making the call. All I know is that I couldn't have made this up if I wanted to.

DAMN you LOST! Stay out of my dreams!

An unpaid shout out to my PS3

2010-03-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

To Sony, the makers of my PS3...WOW! You guys have outdone yourselves with this one. Even though I had to give up my favorite kidney and I had to pawn my pet dog, buying your system was well worth it. My family and I could have gotten an XBOX 360, but the 360 only had one controller, no wires, and no games, but the PS3 we got came with 2(yes, 2) controllers, all the wires, and Uncharted 2. I thought the funny white guy on your commercials was joking, but Uncharted 2 really does look like a movie! My son played it for about 8 hours and I just sat back with a bag of popcorn and watched him play and I didn't even feel the "I wanna play" twinge that any gamer normally feels.

The faces on Grand Theft Auto IV kinda suck, but I do like the control I have in the game though. And I know I'm a little behind on my Madden, but even the intro to Madden '08 will turn any mere mortal into a football fan and any football fan into a crazed Madden loving lunatic. I decided to go into franchise mode and even the fantasy draft gave me chills. One half of my brain is screaming, "WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!", while the other half is working hard not to mess up my game by picking a bad draft pick(I know...it's just a game!). Even though my team is in Dallas, I decided to pick the lowly '08 Lions for my franchise. Don't sweat because I drafted players like Michael "Me hit you long time" Strahan, Darren "Mr. Interception" Sharper, Philip Rivers, Kurt "Six Million Dollar Man" Warner, Frank Gore, Maurice Jones-Drew, Brandon Jacobs, Vincent Jackson, and Jeff Saturday just to name a few. Oh yeah...this Lions team is winning the Super Bowl!

To put it quite simply...you must buy this PS3 and when you do, write Sony and tell them you bought it because of me so I can get my royalty. LMAO

If I was GM

2010-03-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

If I was the GM of the...

St. Louis Rams - First, I would pray. Soon after, I'd fix three STRONG drinks. While I'm buzzed, I'd realize that I need to shake up my team. The first shake up I'd do is to trade down with Washington so I would give them my 1st pick for their 4th pick and Jason Campbell. Forget what you've heard, because even with getting 43 sacks last season, Campbell still had 64.5% completion with a 86.4 passer rating. WE CAN BUILD ON THIS! To protect him, I'd take OG Chester Pitts from Houston for a 2011 4th or 3rd round pick which is like trading a bucket of water for a bar of gold. I'd also grab WR Kevin Walter from free agency while the Texans are busy playing in the sand deciding if they want him or not. This way, Pitts would have a familiar face, my QB would have another sharp target besides Donnie Avery, and Walter would be more than happy to thrive in a starting role while sharing his knowledge with Danny Amendola. This would also take a little pressure off RB Steven Jackson which would make him just a little more hungry to shine when he gets his chance. With my 4th pick, I'd draft either OT Russell Okung or OT Anthony Davis.

Detroit Lions - Seeing as how I've already picked up WR Nate Burleson, DT Corey Williams, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, re-signed LG Jon Jansen, and with the rumored signing of RB Thomas Jones in the air, I'd sign either K Jay Feely or K Neil Rackers. Then I would blow everybody's mind by trading down my 2nd pick for Oakland's 8th pick and CB Nnamdi Asomugha. With my 8th pick, I'd draft either S Taylor Mays or S Eric Berry. After the draft, I'd buy a small humidor full of Diamond Crown cigars and spread the word of a playoff spot coming within 3 years.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - The first thing I would do is to re-sign MLB Barrett Ruud and then pick up either WR Mark Clayton or WR Lance Moore from the draft. If I couldn't trade WR Antonio Bryant for a 1st or 2nd round pick, I'd release him. My next move would be to draft either DT Ndamukong Suh or DT Gerald McCoy. None of these moves are too flashy, but they're a start to a rebuilding process.

Washington Redskins - First, I would pull a Bud Adams on anyone who says I should trade Jason Campbell. Then I would grab LG Logan Mankins from New England and RT Tony Pashos from San Francisco. Next, I'd grab WR Brandon Marshall because if anybody's going to handle Brandon, my man Mike will be able to. After I sign K Jay Feely or K Neil Rackers, I'd really want to shake up the system. So, I would trade DT Albert Haynesworth to the Lions for their 2nd pick. Then I would trade down my 4th pick to the Broncos for pro-bowl LB Elvis Dumervil and their 11th pick. Next, I would trade down my 11th pick to the Texans for pro-bowl TE Owen Daniels and their 20th pick. While everyone's in shock calling the Redskins the dominators of the 2010 free agency, I would slice off RB Clinton Portis like a hangnail and then draft DT Ndamukong Suh with my 2nd pick. While everybody is screaming "Washington!" in one breath and "Super Bowl" in the next breath, I'd draft either RB C.J. Spiller or RB Jahvid Best with my 20th pick. Of course...since I'm a die-hard Cowboys fan...this would NEVER happen!

Kansas City Chiefs - Since I want to keep my QB protected and give him some good options while keeping my RB healthy and hungry, I'd re-sign WR Chris Chambers and trade WR Bobby Wade and TE Leonard Pope to New Orleans for WR Lance Moore and their 2nd round pick. Then I'd sign free agent C Kevin Mawae to give my offensive line some leadership, and free agent FS Darren Sharper to give my secondary some leadership and credibility. After this, I'd want to build(a lot!) so I'd trade my 5th pick and WR Chris Chambers to Seattle for their 6th and 14th pick of the first round. Next, I'd trade my 14th pick to the Jets for their 29th pick and TE Dustin Keller. With my 6th pick, I'd draft either OT Russell Okung, OT Bruce Campbell, or OT Brian Bulaga. With my 29th pick, I'd draft either DT Jared Odrick or DT Lamarr Houston.

What I've learned from LOST

2010-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

I'll admit that I've only watched the first season of LOST and the first show of the second season, yet even in that short time, I've learned a few things. The first two things I've learned is that 1) Sometimes, I think waaay too much, and 2) Sometimes, I watch too much television. In spite of these two "revelations", I find it interesting that I or any other t.v. viewer can take a fictional show and actually relate parts of it to REAL life...and use this relation to make ourselves better.

Before I sound crazy and you stop reading, think about the fact that everybody on this show is running from something. Of course, it's obvious that Kate is not only running from the law, but she's also running from the memory of her best friend that she inadvertently got killed, and the man she herself killed. There's Sawyer who's running from the man he killed while trying to forget the memory of an abusive father who killed his mother and then committed suicide, and while Sawyer is running from this, he also has to pay accountability for his grifter past. Hurley is trying to escape a self-inflicted "curse" that he feels he suffered because of a group of numbers. Sayid is running from a past life of a Iranian soldier while ducking American eyes of being profiled as a terrorist and running to rekindle a past connection.

Locke is trying to run from a mundane and handicapped life where he heard, "You can't do that" a lot. This life seems to have been forced on him because he trusted someone who claimed to be family yet betrayed him. Because of this, he seems intent on manipulating people to avoid being let down by anyone else. Jin is trying to run away with his wife, Sun because her father is apparently the Chinese version of William Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin(google the name if you haven't heard of him) and he doesn't want to lose the little goodness he has left in him after doing all the evil that Sun's father has commanded Jin to do. On top of this, Sun is trying to run away from her husband because she feels that the man she once loved is a stranger no longer to be trusted. Then there is Micheal, a man who lost the woman he loved because she wanted more out of life than she thought she could get with him, and Walter, the son he never got a chance to know. Now with Walter being a teenager, Micheal is running from having anything to do with a son he once loved as a baby, but now knows nothing about since the two of them have been living in separate countries and are worlds apart.

There's Claire, the pregnant mother who not only had a runaway deadbeat dad, but now questions her chances of survival as a first time single mom. Charlie is a washed up musician who is running away from a heroin addiction that has cost him several meaningful relationships, a music career, and a job, but he manages to find this same heroin demon on a deserted island(of all places). Then there's Jack...a doctor who is one of the central characters who is running from being known as the hero and ducking the responsibility of being the go-to guy that everyone calls on whenever there is trouble. He's also running from the pain of blaming himself for his alcoholic dad's mistakes.

There you have it...the cast of LOST and one central theme...running. We all have demons and other mistakes that we are trying to live down one way or another. We can always run from our demons, but the truth is that those demons are always one or two steps behind us and we can never run for the rest of our lives even though some try to. We always end up facing one realization...those things we are running from eventually catch up to us. The best thing any of us can do is to stand and fight our demons because even if we lose, we still have the knowledge that we fought our mistakes with our dignity intact. We also know that our best chance to live free of our problems is to stand and fight them until we are finally victorious, and winning only happens when we stop running.

This ends tonight's life lesson and in closing...if LOST turns out to be somebody's "dream" or if the show fades to black à la The Sopranos, I'm going to find J.J. Abrams and shake the mess out of him.

My 2010 NFL mock draft

2010-02-22T12:19:00.000-08:00

1. St. Louis Rams - QB Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame - Yes, I know that Ndamukong Suh is a BAD MUTHAAA(let me shut my mouth), but the Rams need a franchise QB and we all know that it's not anyone named Bulger or Boller. So with the throwing injuries that McCoy and Bradford suffered, Clausen seems like the most NFL ready QB from this year's draft.

2. Detroit Lions - OT Russell Okung from Oklahoma State - If St. Louis drafts Clausen, shouldn't Detroit draft this year's best defensive player in Suh...not if they want Matthew Stafford for a few more years. Last year, the Detroit offensive line allowed the opposition to turn Stafford into a human piñata and unless the Lions want their own version of David Carr, then at 6'5" and 303 lbs., Okung could be this year's Michael Oher.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DT Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska - 27th in total defense? Yeah, the Buccaneers would be insane to pass up the opportunity to draft Suh now.

4. Washington Redskins - RB CJ Spiller from Clemson - Many people are screaming for a new QB, but Clinton Portis is done, Ladell Betts is NOT the answer for the Redskins and Spiller is being compared to Tennessee's Chris Johnson...'nuff said! But since I hate the Redskins and no one in the front office will have the brains to see the benefit of Spiller, chances are Campbell will be looking for a new team.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - DT Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma - The Chiefs need quite a few pieces, but McCoy has the speed and athleticism that Kansas City's defensive front can definitely benefit from.

6. Seattle Seahawks - S Eric Berry from Tennessee - So Matt Hasselbeck is over the hill and probably had more than a couple of shots of pain killer before he hit the field last season, but Eric Berry can run a 4.3 and is being compared to Baltimore's Ed Reed! On top of that, the remaining "1st round" QB's, Stafford and McCoy have already had injuries so why put these guys behind an offensive line that keeps your current QB on the ground? C'mon son!

7. Cleveland Browns - OT Anthony Davis from Rutgers - The Browns could draft 5 players from the first round and that would only give them an extra 3 wins next season(maybe). With odds like that, Cleveland should focus on building up their offensive line now so they can protect their future franchise QB later.

8. Oakland Raiders - DT Brian Price from UCLA - He doesn't have the ideal height for a DT, but Price makes up for it with explosiveness and a strong work ethic.

9. Buffalo Bills - WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State - So Buffalo picked up Terrell Owens last year...minor mistake. Hopefully they won't make a major mistake and let Bryant slip through their hands like a dropped pass.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Sam Bradford from Oklahoma - Sorry Mr. Garrard, but your starting days are numbered now. Bradford might have durability concerns, but if he has the same chance to study the NFL the same way that Aaron Rodgers did, then Sam could be the next face of the Jaguars.

11. Denver Broncos - ILB Rolando McClain from Alabama - Rolando McClain teaming up with a beast like Elvis Dumervil? This spells nothing but pain for teams with an immobile or unprotected QB.

12. Miami Dolphins - CB Joe Haden from Florida - Allen and Goodman are on the downward slide of their football career so what better way to beef up the Miami secondary than a CB with 4.3 speed and the necessary leaping ability to make spectacular picks?

13. San Francisco 49ers - DE Jason Pierre-Paul from South Florida - With the defensive mind that Mike Singletary has, I can't see San Francisco passing up adding an athletic DE like Pierre-Paul to take their pass rush to the next level but since I hate the 49ers too, hopefully they won't listen to me.

14. Seattle Seahawks - OT Bryan Bulaga from Iowa - If Seattle can once again resist the urge to draft a QB, then the size and strength of this 6'6" 312 lb. beast would only help the Seahawks protect whoever is behind center.

15. New York Giants - S Earl Thomas from Texas - The Giants desperately need an answer at their MLB position, but without any good 1st rounders, Thomas looks to be the answer New York needs for their weak secondary.

16. Tennessee Titans - DT Dan Williams from Tennessee - Williams needs work on his pass rush and lacks some athletic ability, but his strength and hands could make up for his deficiencies.

17. San Francisco 49ers - DE Everson Griffin from USC - Think Alex Smith or Shaun Hill is the franchise QB for San Francisco? If you do, you do not need to be reading anything about the draft because you do not know football. I do, however, think that the 49ers should give Nate Davis a fair try so Griffin would be the best candidate to make the 49er defense just a little more meaner.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers - S Taylor Mays from USC - Who did the Steelers miss the most last season due to injury? So who better than Mays to play the student to Troy Polamalu so that he can be the best answer at back up?

19. Atlanta Falcons - DE Derrick Morgan from Georgia Tech - Morgan may lack some of the instincts of an NFL DE, but John Abraham would be one of the best teachers to get this strong and versatile player ready for the big time.

20. Houston Texans - QB Colt McCoy from Texas - I think this move would be genius for four reasons. One, it's great that Schaub played the entire season last year, but if he gets hurt this year, Grossman and Orlovsky will screw the Texans! Two, even though some people may want to draft a RB, Slaton is a good example for Houston for not to do it again. Three, even if the Texans don't have their franchise RB already on their roster, they do have pro bowl receivers like Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels which will make great targets for a healthy Schaub or McCoy. Four, what better way to make Texans' fans hopeful for the playoffs(yet again) than by drafting one of Texas's own?

21. Cincinnati Bengals - WR Arrelious Bennett from the University of Illinois - What Bennett lacks in breakaway speed, he more than makes up for it with reliable hands.

22. New England Patriots - NT Terrence Cody from Alabama - Seeing as how the Patriots have already pissed off Vince Wilfork by slapping him with a franchise tag, Cody makes the most sense to draft considering his size(6'5", 365 lbs.) and strength.

23. Green Bay Packers - OG LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey from Florida - Not only can Pouncey play center or guard, but he would be one more reason Rodgers would have a cleaner jersey next season.

24. Philadelphia Eagles - OG Mike Iupati from Idaho - Iupati has the size and the hands to keep McNabb well protected so he can avoid the 35 sacks from last season.

25. Baltimore Ravens - OLB Sergio Kindle from Texas - With monsters like Suggs, Ngata and Lewis already on the Baltimore defense, Kindle can only learn more from these pros and make the Ravens just a little bit better.

26. Arizona Cardinals - DE Brandon Graham from Michigan - An intelligent, powerful and athletic end is just what the Cardinals could use to beef up their defense.

27. Dallas Cowboys - OT Bruce Campbell from Maryland - Flozell Adams is 34 years old and is in need of a young back up to possibly become the starter in 2012. 'Nuff said.

28. San Diego Chargers - RB Jahvid Best from California - San Diego has already released L.T. and with Sproles "testing" free agency, the speedy Best makes the best draft choice.

29. New York Jets - WR Demaryius Thomas from Georgia Tech - Considering the facts that the Jets have found their franchise QB, and Braylon Edwards will only either be New York's best friend or their most hated roster spot holder, a player like Thomas has the strong possibility to be a great #2 receiver.

30. Minnesota Vikings - LB Sean Weatherspoon from Missouri - Even though Weatherspoon lacks consistency and size, he's the best pick for the Vikings...why? With Weatherspoon on the field, he has the instinct and athleticism to make him threatening enough for offenses not to double team Jared Allen.

31. Indianapolis Colts - CB Kyle Wilson from Boise State - Last season, the Colts(as a team) pulled 16 interceptions which put them in the middle of the pack which is great(if you're a team like Washington or Cleveland), but Indianapolis is considered an "elite" team so they need more help in the secondary.

32. New Orleans Saints - TE Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma - The Saints won the Super Bowl...how do you add to this team? Considering that Shockey is injury prone and Dinkins is 33, Gresham could be a viable back up and additional weapon for Brees.

Just because you think it's right doesn't mean it is

2010-02-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

I finally saw Law Abiding Citizen and it's my new favorite movie. I won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but the movie makes a great point on the subject of right and wrong. Just because we think something is right doesn't mean that we are doing the right thing.

To put this in the simplest and easiest perspective to understand...a little "white" lie is still a lie. We try to tell ourselves that by telling this lie, we are "helping" someone else by not admitting the truth(and the truth does not have to be brutal). Then there are times we feel justified by what we do because we are somehow "owed" something so it's o.k. if we "use"(steal) a few things from work(since we do work a thankless job for a miserable boss). Here's the kicker...if these two events were the "right" thing to do then the people that we call "terrorists" would be justified for their violent actions because many of them believe that they are doing the work of Allah.

For the record, I think any lie is wrong just like any theft is wrong, and God or any higher power anyone chooses to serve would not condone the killing of innocent people. I also think that whatever you or I choose to believe is right then we should not only believe it internally or in certain company, but everyone should know our personal code of ethics. In other words, if a person is a racist among members of their own race, then they should spit their racial epithets to any race. Will this sort of free speech make someone a hated individual or possibly beat up...yes, but it comes down to...consequences.

If we think it, and act on our thoughts, then we should be willing to face the consequences for our actions. This is the problem for some of us who choose to be hypocritical and not live up to the thoughts that we actually have and instead, choose to act on what is considered publicly to be the right thing. I'm not writing all of this to tell you what is right and what is wrong, but I am saying that if we think what we do and how we act is right and justified, then we should face the consequences for our thoughts and actions. For a better example, see the actions of those involved in the Montgomery bus boycott.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." - Proverbs 16:25

Either she's lying or brother, you need help!

2010-02-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

All I want to do is watch the Super Bowl in peace, but first, I have to vent. I know that domestic abuse is a serious offense that no one should ever mock or take lightly because there's nothing funny about a black eye, bruises, or the mental and spiritual pain that tylenol can't treat. So like most people, when I see or hear about abuse, my first reaction is to believe the accuser. In the next second, I have to remind myself the world that I live in now.

First, to the "men"(or "women") who physically abuse your "loved" ones...STOP! If you don't have the mental capacity to stop yourself from raising your hand in anger or if you get some twisted happiness in hurting someone else, I beg of you to seek professional help, otherwise, you will face the consequences of your actions in other ways. I'm not saying this just based on my belief in God, but through my own witness of evil actions begetting evil results. When you as an abuser put away your anger and hate, you not only save the well being of your victim, but yourself as well.

Nowadays, it's easier for someone to sue someone in hopes of a big payoff rather than work honestly for what they want. So who better to go after than a big name celebrity with loads of cash who sometimes has the wrong people or no people giving them advice on how to treat their fame and status? So for those who look to the haves to supply your wants...STOP! Crying abuse when it's a lie not only hurts the person you accuse, but it affects everyone they're around as well. Your desire to live the life of a golddigger does not give you the right to be malicious against someone who wasn't that into you in the first place. If you want to mooch, there are plenty of "reality" shows for you to seek your fame and fortune that way.

So for the "men" who are guilty of abuse, and the men who are falsely accused...throw away your friends! The company you keep aren't necessarily supposed to be your father figures, but they should have enough sense to let you know when you're around a bad situation. If your "friends" parade "hoes" in front of you, then these are the same "friends" who would testify against you in court. A friend that shows you the self-respecting woman is the same friend that not only respects you, but will warn you when you're about to do something foolish.

This concludes my rant...now on to my game!

My proposal to make the pro bowl fun

2010-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

I think we all can agree that changing the date or time the pro bowl is played doesn't change the fact that it is essentially a meaningless game. Houston Texan QB, Matt Schaub played his heart out all season, the Texans missed the playoffs, yet he has a pro bowl MVP award to show for it all. And what can he get for his award...jack squat and a free plate at IHOP. With one major tweak, I believe the owners, players, and fans will all have a reason to anticipate the pro bowl.

DRAFT PICKS!

That's right...draft picks, but not just any picks, but the winning conference of the pro bowl wins ALL of the available 1st round draft picks. Why...because there's no amount of money or notoriety that can top a team getting the pick of an Adrian Peterson, a Jared Allen...but hopefully not the next Ryan Leaf. In the same way that the worst team gets the first pick and the best team gets the last pick, the winning conference would get their picks the same way. The NFL tries to promote parity and this will still help because there are teams who have already traded away their first round picks for 2011, but if their conference wins in the pro bowl, then they still have a chance at the best draft picks. On the other hand, there could be another team that wants to trade the 1st round draft pick they won in order to trade for a free agent that they need. This plan solves almost everything that's wrong with football(maybe)!

Curse you IKEA! Why must I love you so?!

2010-01-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

So it's a chilly Saturday afternoon and a beautiful woman named Anna and my kids want to get out of the house. No problem. Anna's destination of choice...a 2 hour drive to IKEA. If you've never heard of the place, maybe you live in one of the handful of states that doesn't have one of these behemoths inside its borders. That's o.k. since I can explain.

The first thing to know is that IKEA is not a store. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target...these are stores, but IKEA in itself, is an event. People prepare to go to an IKEA much like celebrities prepare to go to an awards show or normal people prepare to do early Christmas shopping(yes, even the ones who consider Dec. 24th to be early). If you don't mentally and physically prepare yourself, then you will end up a broken person aimlessly walking around looking for the exit.

The next question is not to ask, "What does IKEA sell?", but ask, "What doesn't IKEA sell?". This "store" is a 2 story marketplace full of some items that every home needs and a huge amount of crap that no one needs, but looks so great in the store that you really want to buy it(only to question yourself in shame weeks later). Beds, plants, tables, desks, art work, shelves, pillows, towels, finger puppets(yes, finger puppets), and so much more. IKEA is set up in such an intricate maze that the good management is even nice enough to employ guides, trackers, and people to supply you with water as you make your trek through the store.

For anyone who has ever frequented a superstore so many times that the workers know you by name, or anyone who spends hours in an electronics store and buys nothing, then you have to visit IKEA. I like the store so much that I googled it, but I was startled by my findings. It turns out that IKEA was started in Sweden in 1943 by a man named Hans Ikea. Mr. Ikea had the notion that everyone outside of Sweden lacked taste and style, so he created a store for everyone to buy crap that would make their homes look Swedish. He also invented a dangerously sweet elixir known as "lignon berry punch" which is actually a psychotropic beverage intended to make the drinker more Swedish, but it tastes like expensive kool-aid(OH YEAH!).

So in closing, Mr. Ikea may have plans of making the entire world Swedish, but I can't wait to go to IKEA again!

The NFL Rooney Rule and the shortage of black coaches

2010-01-28T13:54:00.001-08:00

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 and is named for Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the NFL diversity committee. The rule requires all 32 NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations opportunities. The biggest question is why isn't this rule working?

In the past 4 years, there have been 4 black head coaches to go to the Super Bowl(thank you Rob Parker) and as of right now, 2 of those 4 have led their team to a Super Bowl victory. In spite of this, there are only 5 active black head coaches today. There's not a lack of talent, experience, or leadership when it comes to head coaching or even coordinating jobs especially not when anyone does a little research.

There's a handful of black men when it comes to active head coach, assistant head coach, and offensive and defensive coordinator jobs. There are men like Curtis Modkins who is the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills who coached RB Tashard Choice at Georgia Tech and worked with P.J. Daniels, a walk-on who became 4th leading rusher in Georgia Tech history and a 2 time all-conference selection. There's also Ron Meeks who is the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers who served the same position in Indianapolis from 2002-2008 and helped the Colts to win a Super Bowl when Tony Dungy was the head coach. Between all of the black head coaches and coordinators, black men have helped their teams win 7 Super Bowl victories. Romeo Crennel helped the Patriots win 3 Super Bowls and Crennel has been in 5 Super Bowl wins, yet his 24-40 record as head coach of the Cleveland Browns proves that you're only as good as the people around you.

So, who's to blame for the extreme lack of black head coaches? Should we consider Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, to be the devil or should we hold a march in New York at the NFL head offices? No, because those would just be more ignorant moves. The true villain in this are the 27 team owners who thumb their noses at the Rooney rule and ignore the talent and leadership shown by men like Winston Moss, the assistant head coach of Green Bay, Leslie Frazier, the assistant head coach of Minnesota and other men like them who have proven their worth in landing an NFL head coaching position.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for men like Jimmy Johnson, Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden, and Brian Billick who are all former coaches that have won Super Bowls, yet these are mainly the only names anyone hears when a head coaching job is vacated. There are far too many active coaches and coordinators on the pro and college level for team owners not to seriously invest their time and money trying to get these intelligent leaders.

The sad truth is that in spite of the facts and any passionate speech anyone can give in regards to more black head coaches being in the NFL, the burden of proof rests in the hands of the owners of the teams. It is the owner who either hires the head coaches themselves or they hire the presidents and general managers who do the hiring of the team personnel. No one, not even Goodell himself, can force a team owner to hire personnel that the owner doesn't want to. The only chance that we will see more black head coaches is with the further success of the current active coaches and coordinators seeing how many teams try to copy the success of other teams.

NFL overtime doesn't suck...but some teams do

2010-01-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

If the Vikings offense had a chance to get on the field during overtime, the Saints wouldn't be going to the Super Bowl. If Minnesota had won the coin toss in overtime, then they would be going to the Super Bowl. It's time for every football fan to face facts...overtime does not suck!

Yes, we ALL want our team to win no matter if it's the Dallas Cowboys or the Cleveland Browns, so if our team is "lucky" enough to get into overtime, then we feel justified if they win in OT, but if they lose, we feel that the OT rules need to change. There's only 2 reasons any game goes into overtime, either because our team got "lucky" enough to score a TD or kick a FG to tie the game or because our team didn't make the defensive stop to keep the other team from scoring.

Herm Edwards says that, "You play to win the game" and we all know that a regular game is 60 minutes so every team has an opportunity to win in 4 quarters. The difference is that during the game, one team could have been out-coached. Maybe the defensive front sacked the QB so many times that he couldn't see straight, or the cornerbacks and safeties played like defensive wide receivers and picked off any pass the QB threw. For all we know, it was one fumble too many or the 100+ penalty yards our team got for holding, being offsides, intentional grounding, false starts, or whatever gave the other team the right field position to kick our butts.

Yes, this OT debate will still go on, but face facts sports fan, the game is 60 minutes long and not 75 minutes. So if our team wins in OT, then we should feel extremely lucky they won because no TD or FG is guaranteed, and if our team loses, we have to understand that they should have done more in 4 quarters to not have to go to OT.

Faith in a faithless world

2010-01-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's easy for anyone to lose their faith or even their hope for a better tomorrow considering that we live in a faithless world. From earthquakes to tornadoes and all other natural disasters, many lives have been lost. We also have to worry about con artists, thieves, rapists, murderers, and the sad part is that everything I've just mentioned is only half of the negativity that we watch on the news every day.

In spite of the truth of what I've just mentioned, I can honestly say there is a strong reason for all of us to stay strong in our faith...the strength of our fellow man or woman. There are many things that I plan to do that I know will help many people, and there are also many times that things don't go the way that I've planned them. Honestly, a lot of times that my plans have been shot down, I've felt defeated and sometimes I've even lost faith in the possibility of my actions. The good news that I can say is that God has put people in my life to give me the strength to have faith again.

Even though I'm a God fearing man, I don't expect every one to feel the way that I do because not everyone has walked in my shoes. I do know that we see the power of faith and belief in a higher power or even one's self every day. Many of us watched the Hope for Haiti telethon and heard stories about men and women who had nothing but their faith giving them strength and keeping them alive while they were rescuing loved ones or while they were being rescued. So far, that telethon has raised $57 million for relief efforts.

The main point that I want to stress to everyone is that even when you think there's no reason to hold on anymore, hold on just a little bit longer. Sometimes the plans you make aren't working the way you want them to so maybe you need to alter your vision a little bit or maybe you just need to keep working because you will hit your mark soon. Either way, you need to hold on just a little bit longer. If you're in doubt or hanging onto your faith by a string, then find someone to give you strength because I guarantee you that someone is waiting to give you a reason to hold on a little bit longer.

Isaiah 40:31 - "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Recycling is supposed to SAVE the environment

2010-01-20T03:43:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or do most of the people in control of the movie and television industry severely lack imagination? I started watching umpteen movie trailers on www.hulu.com and apart from a couple of interesting movies, I saw trailers for the A-Team, Nightmare On Elm St., and The Karate Kid. I will probably watch the A-Team(when it hits dvd) unless a reliable source tells me it's worth the $10 to see it in the theater, but what's the point of seeing a remake when the original is still in your head? I'm happy that Will Smith's son is getting a chance to star in a movie, but I already know that he'll win in the end, and I just might hear, "Sweep the leg." or something to that effect. Freddie never dies, but he doesn't kill everybody either and Hannibal always "loves it when a plan comes together".

The point is that if it's already been done before, it's time for the new thing. I know that most hollywood types want to use the old tried and true method which explains why there's been 15 seasons of Survivor and why so many people feel that at least half the movies that come out need a sequel. Surprise...they don't! I'm glad that there are still movies like The Book of Eli and The Hangover should already be on AMC so with this in mind, can we please not see another Batman or Transporter movie. Hollywood might be scared that an original idea won't work, but the big budget, big name, CG B.S. isn't always pulling in the big bucks either.

I have tons of ideas for original movies and t.v. shows, and half of them aren't so bad either. Here's a freebie that I'd love for someone to use...the title of the movie is Speedy Jenkins. It's the story of a 14 year old boy who is stricken with asthma, but the twist is that he has the speed of a super hero. So while most people would rather "take it easy" and do as little as possible so that they wouldn't make themselves sick, Speedy is more concerned about helping others before he helps himself. He uses his gift to save the innocent from the likes of muggers and other would be crooks, but in the climax of the movie, he has to decide between catching the bad guy and possibly risking his life, winning the affection of his love interest, or shrinking back into his quiet corner to avoid any chance of personal suffering. I give my blessing for anyone to use this because I'm steadily pointing and laughing at anyone who continues to make crappy movies.

Humanity is an endangered species

2010-01-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

"I have great news Mr./Mrs. every day American! We have given you all the medicine and/or treatment that we would ever give a person who doesn't have insurance(like yourself). Even if you just so happen to have insurance, we have done as much as we financially can before your insurance stops paying us. So since we have "stabilized" your previous condition, we are more than happy to send your semi-well(or semi-sick) self out of our hospital. Thank you and come again when you can afford better health care!"

No, the doctors and/or nurses at your local hospital or clinic won't be honest enough to tell you the above spiel, but no matter how much it is sugar coated with "outpatient treatment" or "following up with your family doctor", the above rhetoric is exactly what is being said. Some of us go to the hospital hoping to find a doctor like House who has the medical knowledge of every possible ailment. Others hope to find doctors and nurses who are passionate about their career just like the people on TLC or Discovery Health who are willing to work countless man hours until our particular sickness is correctly identified and we are fully healed. Personally, I still have the blind faith that God will either put people like this in our lives or He himself will touch us and rid us of our infirmity. The one thing that strikes me the hardest is that our humanity is slowly dying.

I am thankful for those among us who willingly donate their time and/or money to worthy causes like the restoration of Haiti, but too many of us only want to help in the "popular" causes. I feel for human suffering anywhere, but I especially hate when it's happening in my own country...the land of the free and the home of the brave. I'm tired of triage no longer being about the person with the gaping head wound being treated before the person with an upset stomach. Now triage is becoming more about the person who has the insurance or the better insurance getting seen first. I realize that money sets a lot of things in motion and unfortunately proper health care is one of those things, but there's something important that many of us overlook.

For every janitor that can't afford insurance means that there's one more person who is forced to take a sick day from work. This means that they lose a day of getting paid to work which can lead to them not having enough money to pay their bills. One of those bills just might be their light bill and if it goes delinquent long enough, their lights get turned off. The more people that can't afford their electricity bill leaves the electric company having to cut costs which will lead to a couple of layoffs. Then what happens when the janitor can't pay their medical bills and the hospital has to cut costs? For every sick person that goes untreated, there's a few less dollars being put into the pockets of more people.

I'm not a genius, but the answer seems painfully clear to me. When we care more about the bottom line than making sure there's fewer people below the poverty line, we are failing ourselves as human beings because humanity at its basest meaning stands for benevolence. There are no "self-made" people anymore because Bill Gates himself wouldn't be a billionaire if you or I had never used Windows. Politicians must come together to enact a universal health care plan that makes sense because they won't be in office for very long if their constituents are at home sick on voting day, and every one in the medical field needs to stand up for their fellow human beings because if they aren't willing to treat us when we are sick, then eventually we will die and they still wind up losing money.

If this sounds like a rant, then it just might be one but all I want to say in the end is that it's up to me and you to show the next man or woman that we will not allow humanity to stay endangered anymore.

The peoples' tees!

2009-12-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Knocking your heroes off pedestals

2009-12-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

"Inquiring minds want to know." No, scratch that...nosy minds want to know. I need to let everyone in on a little secret that I thought I could keep to myself, but in light of the past few days, I must let this out now. Your role models and your "heroes" are not perfect, and as a matter of fact, they are human just like you. Please sit down, stop screaming, and take long, slow deep breaths. Since there are people that apparently believe that there are other men or women who are somehow incapable of wrongdoing because they are living the "good" life, then it is my duty to take the role of the person who first told you that Santa, the tooth fairy, and the Easter bunny don't exist and that Elvis really is dead. The people we consider celebrities have the ability to do wrong just as easily as they have the ability to do right. It's pretty elementary to say, but it's a little surprising that we still get shocked and hurt when we hear about the latest celebrity scandal.

There are those that feel that celebrities are somehow required to give their fans a detailed account of how they spend their time and an intimate look at every mistake and sin they have ever done. If this is true, then these same people should start a blog called, "The wrongs I have done", and they should have a camera man walking with them 24/7 so that all of us can see how the next person acts in their private life. If this doesn't sound reasonable, then it's unfair to demand the facts of someone else's privacy.

When someone does wrong, the only ones that should know about it are the ones that are affected, and when a celebrity does wrong, it has no effect whatsoever on their fans. Our role models and our heroes should come from either our homes, our neighborhoods, or our cities because when your role models come from the people on your t.v., it means you're disconnected. There's a 90% chance that none of us know Michael Jordan personally, and we will never have lunch with Brett Favre, Alicia Keys or any other "famous" person you can name which means that we don't know these celebrities personally. We know how they live by how they tell us or by how the media portrays them, but that does nothing to fill us in on their private life.

The bottom line is that if you want to pattern your life after someone, choose someone you can actually come into physical contact with so that you can really know them. If you don't have anyone around that fits that bill, then look at the people around you as examples of what not to do. So before you worry about someone else's business, take care of your own first!

They are who we thought they were!

2009-11-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

In case I haven't mentioned it...I love football! I also pay close attention to the game and I even have my own philosophy of it. I say my own because I know that sometimes my thoughts may be pretty random. "They are who we thought they were!" is what former Arizona head coach, Dennis Green said about the Chicago Bears after a reporter asked him a question concerning the loss his team had against them. The more and more I hear this phrase and use it myself, I start to "think" and I ask you, "who do people think you are?"

Whether your family and friends or even your enemies think you're an amazing person or a complete idiot all depends on one person...you. I'm not saying anything groundbreaking, but we control how everyone else sees us. So how do you see yourself? Do you consider yourself a Superman or a Superwoman, a survivor, or a quitter? Taking it back to football one more time, current Miami Dolphins executive VP, Bill Parcells is quoted with once saying, "You are what your record says you are." There is a football team that started their season 5-0, and at that point, everyone was eager to talk about this team's chances in the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. This same team went on to lose 4 straight games and now has a record of 6-5, and now many are talking about what could have been even though there are still 6 games left in the season. Where this team ends up after the season all depends on what they think of themselves and what they do with these thoughts.

The more and more I think about it, the more I contend that there are only three reasons we will ever fail.

1) Whether or not it was too early or too late, it wasn't the right time for our goal

2) We didn't work hard enough to accomplish our goal

3) We didn't think we could do it

That's it...just these three reasons. We will never fail because of someone else or because something's "too hard". We constantly hear stories about how people have succeeded and sometimes their stories are miraculous, and maybe even "lucky", but the stories of failures are sometimes just as interesting. In one instance, a few of Thomas Edison's teachers said that he was, "too stupid to learn anything", yet Edison went on to invent the light bulb. After his first audition, a casting director told Sidney Poitier that he should, "...stop wasting people's time and go out and become a dishwasher or something." Immediately after that, Poitier devoted himself to acting and in return, he became one of the world's best actors.

The bottom line is that we should never be afraid to fail, but we should avoid not trying. I've failed, you've probably failed, and the majority of the people in the limelight have failed. The difference in a lot of cases between failure and success is what we do and the way we think.

Life...the great popularity contest

2009-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

In case you hadn't heard, Tiger Woods wrecked his SUV and his wife a.k.a. Wonder Woman, smashed the back glass with a 9 iron before ripping out the back seat and saving Woods from the fiery crash. Maybe, I exaggerated a little bit, but the truth is that I'm still a little stunned. I heard about this first on my local news and then I heard about it on Sportscenter(naturally), but then TMZ was also one of the first shows to "break" this news. I'm expecting CNN and FOX to have an in-depth analysis of the accident and of course Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, or some other loudmouthed, overrated, conspiracy theory spitting Republican that "is for the people" will somehow convince some people that this is all the fault of Barack Obama. My question is WTF?!

How is it possible that Jon and Kate, the octomom, and Brad and Angelina are household names, but the names of the politicians who are for or against universal health care are known only to political "pundits" or people who wake up to the sounds of CNN and FOX? Why are we more likely to read an article about the end of days for the Oprah Winfrey show rather than watch a video that talks about the alternatives to fossil fuels? Is it because we love Oprah, but hate saving money and the environment?

Everything has its own place in our minds, and I know that the most popular topics will always be what we see the most of on t.v. All that I'm saying now is that sometimes the most popular topics should be the ones that directly affect our homes, cities, and states rather than how big, mean Kanye scarred poor, defenseless Taylor - which is of course historical news by now, but you get the point.

An introduction to me and the truck people

2009-11-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

My name is Garrett Rogers and for better or worse, the blogs you read here will be about me and my life. For those interested in political, religious, or social commentary, I strongly recommend www.brotherspeak.com which is an online black mens' magazine that I hope to soon turn into a national print magazine. You can also find insightful blogs on www.myspace.com/brotherspeak and inspirational quotes at www.twitter.com/brotherspeak. Here, you will mostly find thoughts that most "normal" people would never admit to. I'm fine with that because I'm not afraid to admit that I love putting the "I can't believe you just did that" face on my fiancee.

"The greatest strength is found in complete and naked openness." I just made that up and since I can't agree more with myself, I'll be open. I just turned 33, I work at a job that I can't wait to quit, but I won't until I start making good money from Brotherspeak...so consider this a message to you to go to www.brotherspeak.com and buy as much as you can from the ads there(seriously). I want to change the world for the better because I feel it's what we're all supposed to do and because so many people have helped to change me for the better. I have a beautiful and understanding fiancee, two teenage daughters, and one teenage son, and I live for the times when I can do for them exactly what my parents did for me...give them something better than what I had.

I love football. I love it so much that even as a die hard Cowboys fan, I can tell you something good and something terrible about all 32 NFL teams. I have a love/hate relationship with the playoffs because even though some of the best games are played in the postseason, I also know that it won't be long before there's the Super Bowl and then there's a five month stretch of no football. I watch an occasional college football game, but I don't keep up with the college games like I do with the NFL because I wouldn't have time for anything else if I did. I still like watching the WWE even though it's "fake"...what the wrestlers do still require some athleticism and a tolerance for pain. I like watching basketball after football season so at least I still get a sports fix. I've also started getting interested in UFC and mixed martial arts in general because even though it's a violent and bloody sport, I respect the men and women that are passionate enough about their chosen field to step into a cage and beat the mess out of their opponent.

I drive a Honda Civic that's in the shop right now because of transmission failure. I knew I had to take it to the shop because as much as I can now brag about still having a good mood in spite of having to drive 30 m.p.h. everywhere or having to completely turn the car off and restarting it every other block just to make it to the next block, I could only take driving back roads instead of the highway for just so long. So I rented a car...scratch that...I rented a Dodge Ram. I don't know what it is about a truck, but driving one will change you. As soon as I got behind the wheel, I had to hit the horn, and I didn't hear one of those "please move sir or m'aam" type wimpy horns. I heard a "GET OUT THE WAY OR I WILL STEAM ROLL YOU" horns. The next thing I had to do was push every button and find out what every thing did. My next urge was to go off-roading or drive through a shallow river like they do in the truck commercials. For some strange reason, my fiancee wasn't completely thrilled about me telling her what I wanted to do...women. Climbing into the cab of my Dodge Ram makes me feel stronger, more manly, and it makes me feel like I should be on the range stopping a stampede and roping steers, but as my son so kindly reminded me, "You have to take it back next week."

So there you have it...here's me the nut, in a nutshell. I know this first blog was like three blogs in one, but you just got three for the price of one...I'm all about value! Since you're here, follow www.rareblacpearl.blogspot.com. That's my fiancee's blog, and I hope everybody has a wonderful and safe thanksgiving and I really want to find the car that's in this picture!