2005 goals revisited..

So I went back and finally read what I had typed at this time last year as my goals for 2005, lets see how I did....

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By this time in 2005, here's where I want to have done.

1. Pay off my credit card debt

Of all of my goals for 2005 this was the highest on my list and although I didn't pay it off completely, I made a pretty good dent in it and from where I began at the beginning of the year, I have knocked out almost 70% of that amount. The problem was once I saw how good I was doing, I became complacent and strayed from my target... starting splurging on shit, and therefore didn't meet my goal.. But I'll have it gone by my birthday in July next year.

1.1. Keep up with readings, do well teaching this history course(s).

Of all the challenges I had, this one was something I put a lot of time and effort into and it worked out surprisingly well I believe. It was a lot of reading, but based on the student evaluation forms, I feel like I did a pretty good job at this for my first solo teaching experience.

1.2. Organize, prepare, and execute the beginnings of some sort of long term financial plan.

....... um, yeah, well, paying off my debt was the first part of this, so I suppose I sort of met this goal, but the whole long term thing I didn't do...2. Travel for leisure, preferably outside of the continental U.S.

After completing my architecture licensing exams, I took 10 days to relax in Greece so I met this goal.

2.1. Vacation in South America or Asia (I’m thinking Japan).

maybe next year...

2.2. Possibly plan and execute a coup de tat at one of my places of employment.

I actually did this!! I was on a project team with a project manager that was just a fu*king prick. So I teamed up with this other guy in the office and we didn't even have to do much actually. By doing exactly what he said, even when he was wrong, and pointing out that the mistakes were his when they were thrown in our faces, let to his removal from the project team. The client couldn't take it, the boss couldn't take it, and so he was 're-assigned' to another job! All it took was some planning, and subtle comments to the boss afterhours to make sure they saw what we knew all along. What this taught me is that sometimes, incompetence has to be brought into the spotlight before it's ever recognized. What made it even easier was his big mouth spouting about how right he was all the time.

2.3. Visit friends in Salt Lake City, New York. Albequerque.

I made it to New York, but Salt Lake City & Albequerque are still on my list..

3. surround myself with more black people that look less like wonderbread and more like multigrain.

I don't even know what I meant when I wrote this goal??? so I guess I didn't do this...

4. Help my nephew come up with a plan for his life.

Failed miserably at this one. after a long conversation about his future and what we were going to do, he ignored everything I said and moved in with this girl in another city with no job, no income, no nothing... now he can't wait to move out..

5. Write at least two papers .. working towards getting published again.

yeah, um..... yeah.... didn't do this. I would blame my lack of this on my highly prolific chronicles writing, but we know that's not true... no excuse, just had bigger things on my plate at the time.

6. Maybe start spinning out again… possibly just a monthly residency or something. I already have the name for the party – “Curt’s Ephemeral House Party of Interplanetary Unity, Peace, Harmony, & Love”

I do have a little weekly residency here in DC, but they didn't like my name for the party... :( so when asked to come up with something different, I told them "I can't"... so I'm playing at a weekly party with no name at the moment..

7. Pay off that debt.

yeah yeah..... only a few grand to go....

8. Have a better idea of where I'm going to live for the next 2-5 years.

I'm pretty much settled on the DC metropolitan area... I'm house hunting at the moment, so this should be resolved in 2006..

9. Have a better idea of how I'm going to live for the next 2-5 years.

Why I'll be BIG PIMPIN of course!!!! I wouldn't have it any other way!!

10. Have researched in depth at least 1 more language I haven't already tackled, to the point where I'm familiar with it both in and out, structure and environment…. And increase my Spanish speaking skills (looks like I’ll have to hang out with more Puerto Rican chicks…. damn….)

Well, once the Latino ladyfriend moved out, there went my Spanish.... shit, who am I fooling I barely spoke it when we lived together... She spoke to damn fast for me, I just became frustrated and never seemed to be in the mood to learn it with her.... But again, now that I'm done with my exams, I should be able to take on a project like this sometime this year.

11. Have a better system of not procrastinating so I'm more disciplined and have more control over my productivity and ultimately my ability to accomplish good work and goals.

... and here I am, writing chronicles at work..... not doing too well on this... but I did stay focused enough to always complete my lectures on time, which meant giving up my weekends most of the time, so I guess I did pretty good on this....

12. To keep in mind always my priorities, and to make sure that the choices I'm making line up with them, even if it makes me uncomfortable in the short term.

Hmmmm.

I will say I definitely did this. Staying focused to complete my architectural exams meant I had to make a lot of sacrifices, which meant those around me had to make sacrifices and meeting this goal actually probably cost me this last relationship I was in. But the priority was to complete this long journey that I had begun in 1992 and become a licensed architect. I did that and had to make sure that any and all choices I made about my personal time, my energy, etc... kept that as the number 1 priority. No one likes to hear that they are number 2 in your life, but sometimes reality is a mfer.. I could have faked like that wasn't the case, but I chose to be true to myself, and I'm very comfortable with the choices I made to complete this major accomplishment in 2005. It's something that can never be taken away from me. So now looking to 2006, I have to start doing something with that license now that I have it..... the journey continues...

peace,

~C

oh how time doesn't fly...

Yesterday, I came in to work hungover like shit. All the way into work I was thinking about how I was going to get off on the opposite side of the train than I normally do just so I can walk the long way and pass Burger King to get a couple of those Croissanwiches to soak up the Jack....

I get all the way to the doors of the Burger King......... and that mother fucker went out of business...

Can you believe that shit??? I was too hungover to notice that the words "Burger King" no longer were printed on the awning or the window. It wasn't until I tried to open the door did I notice the lights were off..

8:15am - walked in the door to a flurry of e-mails, looks like it's going to be a busy day...

11:00am - I looked at my watch and it was like 11:00am already and I thought to myself,

"Self, how did the first 3 hours of this day has zoom by so quickly?? It's almost lunch time!"

11:45am - 3 hours later, I looked at my watch and it was only 11:45... SHIT!!

11:55am - 10 minutes later a reminder popped up on my screen for a lunch presentation I had signed up for 2 weeks ago........ WOO-HOOO!!!! FREE LUNCH!!!

1:30pm - the "-itis" kicks in

2:00pm- go to grocery store without a coat and get a red bull... see bike messenger almost come to blows with a pedestrian.

3:30pm - WHAT THE HELL IS IN THIS RED BULL??!! .... got my hands trembling and shit...

3:45pm - no way only 15 minutes just passed.... browse internet for watch batteries...

5:10pm - "yeah, I have to leave early to take my bird to the vet." I figure since I don't have any kids to use an excuse to leave work, I'll use what I have.

5:12pm - walk out the door for the day.

5:22pm - took the long walk to the train to blow a kiss to the space formerly known as burger king. "see ya in the suburbs Mr. King...."

~C

thinking about the future...

So I just read one of these woman upliftment e-mails...

"A brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question, "What kind of man are you looking for?" She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking, "Do you really want to know?" Reluctantly, he said "Yes". She began to expound..."As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can't do for myself. I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man...or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, what can you bring to the table?

The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought and stated, "I am not referring to money." I need something more. I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life." He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain. She said, "I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation. I don't need a simple-minded man. I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked...believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster. I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don't need a financial burden. I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded. I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just have to be worthy. God made woman to be a helpmate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself."

When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "You are asking a lot." "She replied, I'm worth a lot"...

---------

see ladies, this is the type of thinking that just gets you in trouble, and I'll tell you why.

to me, this is all about standards. standards we set for ourselves, and standards we set for others. And think about it like this, If you as a woman have everything going for you and don't need a man, the type of man you're describing probably doesn't need a woman. We both pay our own bills, we both dont need any help from anyone else... So where does that leave you?? Two people that don't NEED each other, trying to make the other person convince the other why they need each other... silly.... The most successful relationships I know work because the two people WANT to be with other and can overlook all the "what can you do for me" bullshit.

So often during courtship people present themselves as the ideal caring, sensitive, compassionate person in order to get the person that you want, only to later to find out they aren't always like that. I just came out of a relationship that had this problem. When we were dating and seeing each other once a week, I was able to give that person my all... during the time I saw her. When she moved in, I believe she expected that same level of attention and it just wasn't going to happen... I had been taking care of me the other 6 days of the week, so to expect the same level of attention every day that you received on that one day a week just isn't realistic.

I thought this would be obvious, but it wasn't... to her, I had set a standard for how she would be treated whenever we were together and in her eyes I imagine I failed miserably at upholding that standard. To me, I probably doubled / tripled the amount of attention she received from me, and I felt like at times I was giving up too much.... But that is the expectation / standard I had set.

The flip side of that is to be true to yourself and present yourself exactly as you are from the beginning so there will be no misconceptions later.

So for the record,
-When Illinois basketball is on TV, you are number 2
-I have chronic dirty fingernails. I clean my nails all the time and they still have shit under them.
-If I'm tired, I'm going to sleep regardless of whatever plans we had or how bad you want to have sex. It won't be worth it for either one of us in the end.
-If I''m hungry, I'm going to eat regardless of whatever plans we had. If I have to wait for you longer than an hour past what we planned on for food, I'm eating without you.
-I swear a lot
-I burb loudly
-I talk about farting and shitting like I talk about the weather
-My ambition for my career and my wallet will more often than not be more important to me than you are. It was there before you and in case we don't work out, it will be there after you. And most of the times, that's going to go for those 13-20 year friendships I've had before you were thought about.
-If you want mental stimulation, go read a book. My brain works hard all day, I don't need to come home and have it exercised by you.

So these are the disclaimers that I shall put forward on future first dates from this day forward.

Thank you all for this e-mail, it's made me rethink things as I go back into this dating scene and has actually made things much clearer for me.

~C

To be POOR or be a WHORE?

that is the question.

I visited a friend of a friends house for brunch this weekend who recently purchased a brand new million dollar penthouse condo in the heart of the poppin' U street area here in DC. The whole experience has had me thinking ever since. It was a great space (not a million dollar space, but....) and had amazing views as far as the eye could see. Since it was a corner unit, it had windows on two sides instead of just one which made the first floor, and the loft completely bathed in sunlight. I was truly impressed.

I was able to view the architecture on it's own terms and look past the bright and colourful mismatched couches, blankets, candles and pillows (I felt like I was in a skittles commercial). I know furniture is one of those things that are of personal taste. This particular person is a very colourful individual and I would expect nothing more than a cornucopia of colors to be represented in the pillows, the art, etc.. Then, she broke out the paint colors, she's planning to paint the unit....

She excitedly went through every single wall of the house, "Siberian Ice will be here...." and explained all of the flow of the eye from one room to the next. It was so hideous, that I'm sure she had to have noticed my reactions as I cringed at the explanation of where each of these colors would go.... She wasn't very engaged with me from that point forward... As she went through each space: Tangerine orange kitchen walls adjacent to a fire engine red staircase shaft, next to a Barney purple bedroom with a Teal bedroom in the distance..... "and a darker shade of grade here on the fireplace to offset the Siberian Ice on the other walls".... I mean it's not like my girl was using color to accentuate certain parts of the room, she was painting ENTIRE rooms dark purple!!!

So I just sat there, and watched an entire room of non-designers critique, give suggestions, and discuss the merits of the color choices she had made and how nice it's all going to be when it's all done. I wanted to vomit, so I didn't say anything. I realized at some point, that my input would be futile and sometimes it's better to allow others to wallow in their own happy reality then to make common sense out of things... but the whole experience brings to light a serious, serious issue I've realized that affects me, and that is:

Everyone thinks they can do what architects do. Everyone. HGTV has turned everyone into an expert on design, and what people fail to realize is that most of the stuff you see on there is a bunch of shit. Yes, people are entitled to have their own personal taste on what they do or do not like, but THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT!!! There are issues of color theory, the way the eye works, the way perspective works, how the circulation through the space works, how light comes into the space, and all sorts of issues to be considered when picking colors for walls, especially if one is going to attempt to use bright / bold colors.

I was sickened to the point, that after seeing how bad her taste was, I didn't even listen to anything else this woman said... (that's some bourgeois shit aint it!!??) THEN, had the nerve to talk about the eroding character of this historic black neighborhood, and pulled out a book to show us all how glorious this area was and came to be known as the "Black Broadway" in the 40's & 50's.... Well do you think they had million dollar penthouse condos at the top of high-rise buildings back in the day too???? ... ignorant shit.....

And I haven't even got started on how we popped the cork on some champagne (Brut of course), and she asked me to poor hers as she held out a martini glass. I said, "Girl, c'mon I know you have champagne glasses, I saw them in your china cabinet" (full of mismatched shit), she just looked at me with this blank stare as if she didn't know what a champagne glass was and said, "But I want to drink it out of this glass!" and proceeded to have me fill her martini glass to the brim with champagne (another no-no for drinking champagne).

Maybe I'm too cultured for my own good. Because there is nothing worse to me than black folks trying to act all cultured, educated and concerned about gentrification of neighborhoods out of one side of their mouth, then they (poorly) imitate the exact forces that are the causes for the things they showed so much concern about...

but then it hit me.... these are potential clients.... I'm going to want the money of these million dollar fools!!!

I can see the dilemma I'm going to face as an architect and I'm going to have to go with my gut, and do what I think is right even if that means being poor. I'm willing to risk not having very many clients, because I wouldn't have people like this as clients for long... I'd have to tell this woman her taste is piss poor. {{{{grabs megaphone}}}} "MA'AM, STEP AWAY FROM THE COLOR WHEEL, STEP AWAY FROM THE COLOR WHEEL NOW!!!"

it became very clear to me that I would be miserable if I had to be a 'whore' and do whatever this woman wanted to do with her starburst infused penthouse. I could be setting myself up for a 'starving artist' existence, and I realize that... maybe once I have a wife and kids that I need to take care of, I'll become more business minded, but right now, I just can't take a job for the sake of making some extra cash.... I just cant...

~C

Quote of the week..

“It's about sticking to your guns and recognizing in yourself the capacity to be great no matter how many people (say) you don't have the capacity.” - Desmarais

yo, these chicks are wearing moon boots!!??

Can someone tell me when moonboots became cool again????

They look funny as shit to me.... I had some moon boots. The thick 4" rubber sole joints... y'all don't know nothing about that... that was like '79 or so....

I mean, you knew that you didn't break out the moon boots unless there was like 14" minimum of snow on the ground. It ain't even broke freezing here yet and folks walking around ready for the blizzard of the century... big ole scarves, ear muffs, fur coats, raccoon skin hoods.....

Whoever told these chicks that moon boots are cool, has played a cruel, cruel joke on you.

On their behalf, I'm sorry.

~C

Not on a roll

I thought I'd be back to posting more often, but as usual, I'm biting off more than I can chew.

I have taken the time to schedule myself a nice little vacation soon. 10 days in the Greek isles of nothing but rest and relaxation. Most of my vacations turn into "working" vacations though... up and the butt crack of dawn in order to see as much of a city as possible. It is hard to catch the vibe of a city in 48 hours. I usually approach this one of two ways:
1. Find a nice outdoor cafe where I usually sit and the local beverage of choice for a few hours and do some serious people watching.
2. Keep moving non-stop in order to see as many different neighborhoods as possible.

I'm not sure which way you come to a better understanding... sitting still and watching life go by, or moving yourself a little faster than life... Since I'm usually collecting photos of buildings for my lectures, I usually go overseas to an area with a dense collection of things to see. Since I'm going to an island with one or two major sights, I wonder what I'll do with myself for the rest of the time. I'm ASSUMING I'll be able to sit still, but somehow I doubt that. I'm going to try though.

In other news, I was going to buy a pair of $75 jeans the other day, then figured it was probably a waste of money.... I've never paid more than $50 for a pair of jeans, and I somehow have a problem doing so... I was shopping with a lawyer friend of mine once in Chicago and she tried on a $350 pair of jeans. That is when I realized, "gotdam she must be making some good money!"

So I decided to buy three magazine subscriptions instead since I figure I would probably get more use out of 36 magazines than 1 pair of jeans. I subscribed to Dwell (again), Wallpaper* (which I actually hate deep down inside), and Interior Design (they sent me a discout coupon in the mail...). I thought about getting that Economist subscription I've been talking about getting for years. And at $75 for a year of weekly issues I would have received 52 magazines, almost twice as many... but it takes me about 3 weeks to get through an issue on the train and they would just end up in a pile somewhere in my house....

... although I bet a stack of 52 Economists would be smaller than a stack of my 36 Dwell - Interior Design - Wallpaper combo... but there would definitely be more advertisements.

I haven't subscribed to Vibe magazine since I was '98 and they've been sending it to me for the past 7 years.. I don't even open them anymore. I once took a vibe magazine and ripped out all of the ads and there was only about a third of the magazine left. Quincy Jones is getting paid off of that Mfer...

what else is going on.... I started DJing again... Tuesday nights in DC at Tabaq where I'll be playing a mix of Bossa Nova, Brazilian shit, Nu-jazz, and a lot of sexy house music. Right now it's just a word of mouth thing, no promo of any kind. So if you come up to me and tell me you read about it on the blog, I'll buy you a drink. It would be good to connect with some of my readers to know who my audience is... I'll probably continue to write in a bubble, but at least I can picture you in your underwear at home digging in your nose as you read what I type.

Enjoy your weekend.

~c

1st trip to the Accupuncturist

I've always wanted to try accupuncture. I had slipped and fell on ice when I was in Chicago back in 2001 and my back has been pretty jacked up ever since.

Lately, it has been causing me a lot of pain and whenever I go to the doctor for my back they give the same line, "oh, well, you know the back is one of those muscles that is very sensitive, blah blah blah....." They never give solutions or healing methods or try to cure you. They always want to treat the symptoms or give some drugs to make the pain go away. I hate taking advil, so drugs aren't my thing. So I decided to go ahead and give accupuncture a try.

I was a little nervous at first, but I read up on my man's credentials and saw that he had been trained in China and Tibet so I figured he knew what he was doing. He also specializes in Chinese Herbology which focuses on 'healing' rather than treatment of the symptoms. I have to admit, I was surprised when this 6'-3" dreadlocked brotha came out to greet me, but went with it anyway.

After talking for a bit, I'm a little unsure whether or not my man is gay or just one of those peaceful artsy types. All the talk about my Chi and how my energy flows had my wondering, but I was in pain and had gone too far to turn back at this point. So he asks me to take off my shirt, pants, and socks and lay down with the towel over me.

So I'm getting undressed and then realize I had put on an old school pair of Calvin Klein underwear. Now you have to understand that I try to buy pretty good underwear because I figure I'll get some good use out of it. But the problem is that I wear those MFers into the ground until it's just the elastic band and a few strings left. This particular pair was no exception. So it wasn't until I took off my pants that I realized................

........ this pair of underwear had a hole in the ass.

Right, smack, dabb in the middle........... so I'm already wondering if dude is gay, and thinking to myself, "If he is, and he sees a hole in the ass of my underwear.............????"

I had to make a split second decision, so I decided to just take them off and play it off like I don't wear underwear. In retrospect, I'm thinking that might have been the absolute WORST decision I could have made as I would've just provided easy access if that was his motive!! Hey, I was under a time constraint here and had to make a decision.

So I put them in the pocket of my pants and just laid down nekkid and hoped for the best.

The treatment went off without incident and my back actually felt better for about two hours, then it felt worse, then by the time I got home and took a hot bath, I felt naucious (sp?). So it did indeed work to release the toxins, and now two days later I actually feel much better. But like any other hustle, they want you to come back for "a couple more treatments"....... I'm sure he does, but I'll be sure to have on underwear with no holes this time.

~C

CD of the moment: Brand New Heavies - "Brother Sister"

It's official, I'm an architect.

Friends, Family and anonymous readers,

It is with great excitement I'm writing today to tell you I have officially completed my architectural licensing examinations and upon the completion of lots of paperwork can finally call myself a licensed Architect.

I have been largely absent from the lives of all my friends, my family, and of course you (my faithful readers!!) as I've been working towards this goal and I thank you all for you patience as you've endured this long process with me. I felt your prayers as I took each test, and your encouragement as I made myself stay up to study for one more hour each night when I wanted to go to bed.

But it's OVAAAA!!!!

....So now I can get back to writing about titties and stuff.

~C

top tracks for the week..

I stopped doing the CD of the moment since nobody was clicking on any of the links to the Cd's and those damn little picture links take time to create, so I dropped them.

Last.fm keeps track of whatever I listen to so you can check my weekly charts there. It's funny to look back at what I played and wonder why I played certain tracks so much...

In any case, here are my top tracks from last week..

~C

Dennis Ferrer - SONOFRAW
Moloko - Forever More (Dennis Ferrer's
Fertile Ground - A Yellow Daises (Nicola Conte
Lionel Richie - Running With the Night
Neolectrique - Don't Give Up
Jens Buchert - wendy
Timax - Azucar Morena
Abicah Soul Project - Lacumbia
Steven García - Natural High
Nicolas Robin - Softly
Mettle Music - Everyday Something
The Defloristics - Nowhere
Rivera Rotation - deep inside
Rivera Rotation - M.K.
Fenomenon - Hypersleep

weird musical vibes lately..

been way out there on the musical tip lately, searching for something new and interesting, but haven't quite found it yet... I've had this cheesy disco track by Cerrone on repeat all week, but other than that....

Here's what I listened to last week courtesy of last.fm...

~C


Top Artists – Week of Sep 18 to Sep 25, 2005

1 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki
2 Cerrone
2 Massive Attack
4 Ennio Morricone
4 Bugz In The Attic
4 Melaaz
4 Leftfield
4 Vikter Duplaix
4 Mark de Clive-Lowe
4 Badmarsh & Shri
4 Barrington Levy
4 Tricky
4 Moloko
4 Les Négresses Vertes
4 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
4 Cosmosis
4 Willie Williams
4 Johnny Osbourne
4 Fertile Ground
4 Foxy Brown
4 Paul Murphy & Marc Woolford Pr
4 Osunlade
4 Aretha Franklin
4 angel "pocho" gatti
4 mark de clive-lowe ft. bembé segué
4 king britt pres. scuba ft. lizz fields
4 The Meters


Top Tracks – Week of Sep 18 to Sep 25, 2005

1 Cerrone - Not Too Shabby (Jamie Lewis Goes Disco Mix)
2 Ennio Morricone - Come Maddalena (Cosmos Remix)
2 Vikter Duplaix - morena (remix)
2 Bugz In The Attic - Booty La La (Extended Mix)
2 Leftfield - Inspection (Check One)
2 The Meters - Just Kissed My Baby
2 Les Négresses Vertes - Face à la Mer (Massive Attack Remix)
2 Melaaz - Non Non Non
2 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix)
2 Mark de Clive-Lowe - Slide
2 Badmarsh & Shri - Signs (dubplate mix)
2 Barrington Levy - Here I Come (Dubplate Mx)
2 Tricky - Aftermath
2 Moloko - Forever More (Dennis Ferrer's
2 Massive Attack - Karma Koma (the Napoli trip)
2 Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (Paul Oakenfold Perfecto Mix)
2 angel "pocho" gatti - kashba
2 Willie Williams - Armagideon Time
2 Paul Murphy & Marc Woolford Pr - Jazz Room (Spiritual South Rem
2 Cosmosis - Tell Her
2 Johnny Osbourne - Budy Bye
2 Foxy Brown - Oh Yeah
2 Fertile Ground - living in the light (uk remix)
2 Osunlade - tree of life
2 king britt pres. scuba ft. lizz fields - our time (original exclusive)
2 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki - A Charmed Life - J-Live
2 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki - Shashkin [Hefner Mix] - Omar Faruk Tekbilek
2 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki - Make Up Your Mind - Swayzak
2 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki - What Blows And Grows - Jimpster
2 mark de clive-lowe ft. bembé segué - state of mental
2 Jazztronik - Ryota Nozaki - Vertigo - Stacey Pullen
2 Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady (Danny Krivit edit)

Dilettante

dilettante

dil·et·tante (dl-tänt, dl-tänt, -tänt, -tnt, -tnt)n. pl. dil·et·tantes
also dil·et·tan·ti (-tänt, -tn-)

adj : showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish; "his dilettantish efforts at painting"

n : an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge

n:A dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge.

cornet west on Katrina

I really try not to get too personal with the chronicles, but I haven't written because these last couple of weeks have had some occurances that have made me question my most loyal of friendships. Therefore, it has been just as difficult to NOT write about as to write about it... lots of unanswered questions, lots of past actions that are now questioned, etc... Hopefully one day soon, I'll have the right words to say, but at this point, I'm still speechless.

I thought I'd share a powerful read I came across in the Guardian. It is funny that Cornel West's commentary on Katrina gets published in a British newspaper, but doesn't get any burn (that I know of) in the US press..

~C

http://www.guardian.co.uk/katrina/story/0,16441,1567249,00.html

Exiles from a city and from a nation

Cornel WestSunday
September 11, 2005
The Observer

It takes something as big as Hurricane Katrina and the misery we saw among the poor black people of New Orleans to get America to focus on race and poverty. It happens about once every 30 or 40 years.

What we saw unfold in the days after the hurricane was the most naked manifestation of conservative social policy towards the poor, where the message for decades has been: 'You are on your own'. Well, they really were on their own for five days in that Superdome, and it was Darwinism in action - the survival of the fittest. People said: 'It looks like something out of the Third World.' Well, New Orleans was Third World long before the hurricane.

It's not just Katrina, it's povertina. People were quick to call them refugees because they looked as if they were from another country. They are. Exiles in America. Their humanity had been rendered invisible so they were never given high priority when the well-to-do got out and the helicopters came for the few. Almost everyone stuck on rooftops, in the shelters, and dying by the side of the road was poor black.

In the end George Bush has to take responsibility. When [the rapper] Kanye West said the President does not care about black people, he was right, although the effects of his policies are different from what goes on in his soul. You have to distinguish between a racist intent and the racist consequences of his policies. Bush is still a 'frat boy', making jokes and trying to please everyone while the Neanderthals behind him push him more to the right.

Poverty has increased for the last four or five years. A million more Americans became poor last year, even as the super-wealthy became much richer. So where is the trickle-down, the equality of opportunity? Healthcare and education and the social safety net being ripped away - and that flawed structure was nowhere more evident than in a place such as New Orleans, 68 per cent black. The average adult income in some parishes of the city is under $8,000 (£4,350) a year. The average national income is $33,000, though for African-Americans it is about $24,000. It has one of the highest city murder rates in the US. From slave ships to the Superdome was not that big a journey.

New Orleans has always been a city that lived on the edge. The white blues man himself, Tennessee Williams, had it down in A Streetcar Named Desire - with Elysian Fields and cemeteries and the quest for paradise. When you live so close to death, behind the levees, you live more intensely, sexually, gastronomically, psychologically. Louis Armstrong came out of that unbelievable cultural breakthrough unprecedented in the history of American civilisation. The rural blues, the urban jazz. It is the tragi-comic lyricism that gives you the courage to get through the darkest storm.

Charlie Parker would have killed somebody if he had not blown his horn. The history of black people in America is one of unbelievable resilience in the face of crushing white supremacist powers.

This kind of dignity in your struggle cuts both ways, though, because it does not mobilise a collective uprising against the elites. That was the Black Panther movement. You probably need both. There would have been no Panthers without jazz. If I had been of Martin Luther King's generation I would never have gone to Harvard or Princeton.

They shot brother Martin dead like a dog in 1968 when the mobilisation of the black poor was just getting started. At least one of his surviving legacies was the quadrupling in the size of the black middle class. But Oprah [Winfrey] the billionaire and the black judges and chief executives and movie stars do not mean equality, or even equality of opportunity yet. Black faces in high places does not mean racism is over. Condoleezza Rice has sold her soul.

Now the black bourgeoisie have an even heavier obligation to fight for the 33 per cent of black children living in poverty - and to alleviate the spiritual crisis of hopelessness among young black men.

Bush talks about God, but he has forgotten the point of prophetic Christianity is compassion and justice for those who have least. Hip-hop has the anger that comes out of post-industrial, free-market America, but it lacks the progressiveness that produces organisations that will threaten the status quo. There has not been a giant since King, someone prepared to die and create an insurgency where many are prepared to die to upset the corporate elite. The Democrats are spineless.

There is the danger of nihilism and in the Superdome around the fourth day, there it was - husbands held at gunpoint while their wives were raped, someone stomped to death, people throwing themselves off the mezzanine floor, dozens of bodies.

It was a war of all against all - 'you're on your own' - in the centre of the American empire. But now that the aid is pouring in, vital as it is, do not confuse charity with justice. I'm not asking for a revolution, I am asking for reform. A Marshall Plan for the South could be the first step.

· Dr Cornel West is professor of African American studies and religion at Princeton University. His great grandfather was a slave. He is a rap artist and appeared as Counsellor West in Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions.

house music mix for Katrina survivors

Last week around Wednesday or Thursday before the photo-op cavalry arrival in New Orleans, I hadn't heard from my fam in Gulfport (they're ok), people were laying in the streets dying, racist media coverage ran rampant, FEMA had done nothing, all I could do was just watch the TV and feel absolutely helpless. I had given money already, but somehow that made me feel worse.

I was just completely numb, couldn't sleep and simply had nothing to say to anyone. So like so many of us would do in times of sorrow, I turned to music. Not really sure if it was to escape, to release, or what, but what follows is me staring at my turntables for about 15 minutes, grabbing a record and pressing the record button.

I went back and listened to the mix tonight and somehow it accurately represents what I was feeling on that day:

anger
sadness
confusion
helplessness
hope

There is nothing incredibly new here, some of the levels are off, and some of the mixes are just "ok", but hey, nobody's perfect. I hope you enjoy.

click to download

Tracklisting:

1. Romanthony - "Hold On"
2. Filsonik - "Slavery"
3. Monday Michiru - "Higher"
4. Osunlade - "Pride"
5. Nike Jones & Kalim Shabazz - "Dreaming" (Shelter Vocal)
6. Human Arts - "Big Sur Highway" w/ "Dreaming" acapella
7. Glenn Underground - "Black Action" w/ Nikki Giovanni "But Since You Have Asked"
8. George Benson - "El Barrio" (MAW mix)
9. Markus Enochson - "Feeling Fine"
10. Serenity Project ft. David Blak - "The Sun Will Shine"
11. Jasper Street Co. - "Another Day"
12. Ageha ft. Jocelyn Brown & Loleatta Holloway - "A Better World"
13. Kings of Tomorrow - "Finally"

a few Katrina e-mails..

Here are a few of the e-mails I've received on Katrina I'd like to share...

~C

-------------------


Hey Curtis...

I was reading your blog today and saw that you had a lot of places people can donate to help Katrina victims. We have another to add to your list. We were watching Larry King last night (I can't stand Larry King), but he was having a "how you can help" program. The last guest was Irvin Mayfield from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. He is a Grammy nominated trumpet player who is known as a cultural ambassador for New Orleans. He is spearheading a relief effort for the countless musicians of the city who have lost everything. Many of these people made their lives as street musicians in New Orleans providing the culture and sound that made New Orleans so unique - many of whom are of limited means, and some who were homeless to start with. Now, they don't even have the instrument that provided them a livelihood. The address to send donations and the web site address is below.

The NOJO
P.O. Box 82385
Baton Rouge, LA 70884-2385
Their Web site is www.thenojo.com

---------------------------------------
Dear Sirs:

The United States of America is a great place. I am a fiercely patriotic person, as my family and this country have grown side by side. My family has been here for almost 400 years - we helped found the state of Connecticut; we were the blacksmiths who made the guns for The Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; we were instrumental in the development of The Underground Railroad and fought tooth and nail for Abolitionism during the Civil War; we worked in the labor camps during the depression and battled racism in the Deep South long before the Civil Rights Movement; we served the world's interest and fought against Hitler in WWII; and we are still fighting the good fight even today.

The history of my family in this country makes me no more an American than someone who arrived in 1980, but I wanted to mention these things to indicate my perspective on the current stage of our political development.

Where I'm going with this is simple: I want to help New Orleans and our country recover. The single most obvious way I can do that is to continue my family's tradition of grappling with the issues of the time by getting directly involved and not just sit back and pontificate. So, as my grandfather once said: "The feelings burning me up might disturb some of the authorities, if they knew. They don't...so I will tell them."

So I'm telling you now: This administration is a disgrace to the honor of this country, and they have betrayed the ideals the rest of us have fought and died for. They are criminals with no sense of compassion or respect for the dignity of the people. They are sociopaths, and arrogant to the point of insanity. Even worse, they are inept, willfully ignorant, and fiendishly power hungry. The situation in New Orleans is just the tip of the iceberg, but this horror story will be what finally forces the public to open their eyes and see the painful truth. Very soon, this administration will understand how the segregationists felt in 1963. Their time is coming - the people will not abide by this any longer. And I will be marching with them: peacefully, but with an undeniable moral puprose.


Thank you very much for your time,

-------------------------------

Thank God someone else is catching this too. . . Looting implies the spoils of war. . . Raiding a village after the battle.

In times of crisis it is called survival.

The media is more of an enemy to Blacks in America then any other source. I'm also sick of seeing the 10 white people in New Orleans being portrayed as the "only" people willing to help one another. . . Giving gas to strangers, buying food for strangers fleeing the city, offering the use of cell phones to contact loved ones.

Blacks, drifting out of wal-mart "looting", fighting for a spot on a bus or a bottle of clean drinking water. Black bodies floating in the water on tree branches. How is it looting when you're taking diapers, canned food, sheets, medicine, toilet paper. . . most things that will be destroyed once businesses re-open. . . That is what we pay outrageous insurance premiums for. The portrayal of Blacks during this crisis is more appauling than the flooding.

I don't know what type of news you guys are receiving up there but it is so blatant out here, yet they think we're stupid.

Dallas is about to be over-run with the displaced which will also make my job "FRANFUKINTASTIC!". We are supposed to take in, clothe, feed, and educate children who just days ago watched loved ones wash away forever. . . Will little Johnny fail if he doesn't know his multiplication tables this year. . .

I'm sorry to burden you with this Curt, but lately that seems to be all the rage around here. . . "Why are they making us look like wild animals while whites appear to be helpless victims?" "Why are they finding food, and we are looting for food?" "Why did so many whites find a way out of there, yet we are stuck for 4 days with no food or water and expected to behave rationally?"

Did you know many Blacks didn't leave because they couldn't afford the gas it would take to get to Texas? Did you know that supplies used to board up doors and windows was in short supply in black neighborhoods but overflowing in affluent neighborhoods. . . what reason was given. . . Lumber is being sent to Iraq to help with the reconstruction efforts. ARE YOU SHITTIN' ME!

Over 150 years since the end of slavery and we are still this country's doormat. It's always easy to divert the focus onto us rather than the reality of the situation. True, we're not helping the situation by shooting at rescue workers. . . but I wouldn't hesitate to believe that they are being taunted by some nasty BUTTFUCKS who are more concerned with becoming heroes then with helping poor black people.

i'm done. . . sorry Curt, but this shit is just dumb.

-----------------------

....looking at the footage you almost wouldn't know if it was darfar or new orleans....watching the horror and insane conditions that people are dealing with breaks my heart and i'm so so so angry that it's taken 5 days for anyone to begin to help and people are saying they're looters and hoodlums - tell anyone to go somewhere seeking shelter and leave them with absolutely nothing and no one and ask yourself what you'd do to survive.....anyway, also knowing i was there six months ago and seeing the city now, this whole thing just makes me cry...

---------------------------

I have been doing little else than watching the disaster coverage in disgust. It is bad enough the media always seem to find the least articulate, most ghetto-looking fool to interview when something happens in a predominantly black location, but this is insane. If I ever run into Brown, the FEMA director, do you think he'll understand why I walked up to him, slapped him upside the head, and walked off? He has been blaming the victims who they knew had no means of leaving the city because they are poor, elderly, infirm, or all of the above, and they were not provided adequate options to get out. And, now it is their fault? It is their fault that a handful of bad souls are shooting at doctors and fellow victims and looting?

And, if a black kid is likely floating in sewage and battery acid filled water with a bag on his back he must be looting - what if that is all he has left and he is trying to take it with him? Ugh...I'm so annoyed. If you really want to loose your mind, watch FOX News for a few minutes. At least half the CNN correspondents have officially gotten so disgusted they are ranting in all the right ways. What I fear most now is the Bush administration spin machine that is officially in full throttle. I really hope the American people are not ignorant enough to forget this first week and all the people who died because money for the levees in New Orleans were diverted to Iraq by Bush, because National Guard have been diverted to Iraq by Bush, and because for decades corrupt, racial politics have kept the poor and dark-skinned down in Louisiana. And, that's not even to mention all the people suffering in Mississippi and Alabama.
If this situation, soaring gas prices, and the mess in the Middle East don't wake Americans up once and for all, will anything?

new e-mail from the ebonic speaking latino

I guess my talk only worked for a month or so...... can't keep a brotha from the hood down before he resorts back to his hood-like tendencies....

this is why niggas (of all races) shouldn't work in a professional environment. Here is his latest office wide e-mail inviting folks to happy hour...

~C

-------------------------------------------

Yo, we have this deadline to bust, but dat ain't gonna stop the hour of happiness ya heard meeeeeee? Its friday and I know yall got crazy $$$$; so has has da 1st round at the Big Hunt 2nite yo?, ha,ha,ha....It has been a while that I've seen you folks get keyed off da brewskies....skee, skee, skeee...

Yo gazoo? Where u be...danger's in da hizouse kid!
COSTCO! wud up Doggg?
Yo squigee, lets call it a wrap and five-tray-0'
Yo eightball, it's on tonizite! Packin da MonteCristo's?
To all my potna's in the West, keep ridin...

Kanye is my hero

http://media.putfile.com/Kanye79

**call to action in support of Kanye West and the Victims of katrina**

---The Situation----

as u know, iont even listen to music like that & frankly I didnt think too kindly of "Golddiggers", but I respect Kanye's right to make the song.

and, I respect and support him in what he said during the "A Concert for Hurricane Relief" because he was right.

there is no good excuse why federal relief did not get to the victims sooner.... there is only one reason:

"George Bush does not care about Black (or poor) people"


--- The Target ----

We must quickly egister full support of Kayne West's statement.
We need to ensure that Kanye West is not at all black-balled in any way and is congratulated for his bravery, honesty and forthrightness.


--- The Plan---

Each person reading this post must email a statement simply indicating that we support Kanye's Statement to all of the following:

us senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
the white house: comments@whitehouse.gov
the red cross: https://www2.redcross.org/contactusform/
Kanye's record label: sitesupport@rocafella.com
NBC: Today@NBC.com
Associated Press: info@ap.org


btw, I'm gonna buy 2 of his new cd's now... just because of what he did.

help links

I'm just so numb right now over what is going on in New Orleans, that I told myself I need to calm down before I write... anything that would come out would have lots of emotion behind it.

For now, here are many ways you can give to help out.

~C

The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists these organizations for those seeking to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina:

Charity Navigator: charitynavigator.org
Information on various charities and ways to donate to the relief effort.

Donate cashRed Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW or www.redcross.org

AmeriCares: americares.org

Episcopal Relief & Development: 1-800-334-7626 or www.er-d.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief: 1-800-554-8583 or gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/hurricanes/2005

Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or www.salvationarmyusa.org

Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

FEMA Charity tips: www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: www.nvoad.org

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: www.la-spca.org

Operation Blessing: 1-800-436-6348 or www.ob.org

America's Second Harvest: 1-800-344-8070 or www.secondharvest.org

Adventist Community Services: 1-800-381-7171 or www.adventist.communityservices.org

Christian Disaster Response: 1-941-956-5183 or 1-941-551-9554 or www.cdresponse.org/cdrhome.html

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: 1-800-848-5818 or www.crwrc.org

Church World Service: 1-800-297-1516 or www.churchworldservice.org

Convoy of Hope: 1-417-823-8998 or www.convoyofhope.org

Lutheran Disaster Response: 1-800-638-3522 or www.elca.org/disaster

Mennonite Disaster Service: 1-717-859-2210 or www.mds.mennonite.net

Nazarene Disaster Response: 1-888-256-5886 or www.nazarenedisasterresponse.org

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 1-800-872-3283 or www.pcusa.org/pda

Southern Baptist Convention - Disaster Relief: 1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440 or www.namb.net

American Red Cross (800) HELP NOW (435-7669) English; (800) 257-7575 Spanish

Operation Blessing (800) 436-6348

America's Second Harvest (800) 344-8070

To donate cash or volunteerAdventist Community Services (800) 381-7171

Catholic Charities, USA (703) 549-1390

Christian Disaster Response (941) 956-5183 or (941) 551-9554

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (800) 848-5818

Church World Service (800) 297-1516

Convoy of Hope (417) 823-8998

Lutheran Disaster Response (800) 638-3522

Mennonite Disaster Service (717) 859-2210

Nazarene Disaster Response (888) 256-5886

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (800) 872-3283

Salvation Army (800) SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief (800) 462-8657, ext. 6133

United Methodist Committee on Relief (800) 554-8583

Other Information:

Federal Emergency Management Agency: 1-800-621-FEMA; www.fema.gov

Louisiana Homeland Security: www.ohsep.louisiana.gov

City of New Orleans: www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx

Louisiana Governor's Office: www.gov.state.la.us/

Mississippi Emergency Management: www.msema.org

National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov

National Weather Service: iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html

Hydrologic Information Center (river flooding): www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/index.html

The media...

I don't usually blame shit on the media, but I had to take a step back and think about this one... and we wonder why this bling bling culture continues to thrive amongst our youth...

So, Terrell Owens lifts weights on his front lawn in the middle of a contract dispute.

Who shows up: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports.

Rodney Peete renews his vows to his beautiful, talented, wife, takes care of his beautiful family, and provides a role model for young men of all colors for how to carry themselves with dignity on and off the field:

Who shows up: Ebony Magazine.

I rest my case.

~C

CD of the moment: Rewind! Volume 4

My Cable 'Hook-Up'

There is an urban legend about a woman named Keisha who was the first African-American to be employed by a Kentucky Fried Chicken. She worked dilligently and moved her way up from cleaning tables and floors, to cooking chicken, to actually working the drive-thru window. Well one day Keisha's boss was giving her hell, which she expected from whitey, but he was really laying it on her thick that day.

Just at the moment when she was about to snap, some friends of hers pulled up through the drive thru to order some food. Rather than yell at boss man and risk losing her job, Keisha found another way to release her anger on the boss and on that day, Keisha invented "the hook up". Keisha's friends had enough chicken to feed the neighborhood all for the price of a 2-piece meal.

So I decided to step it up a notch and get digital cable... mainly because local news is less than stellar... not that Foxnews, CNN, or MSNBC are tons better, but at least I can go and get some news when I want it and not have to wait until 11:00pm..

So I called Comcast and received a flirtacious lady on the other end who I am assuming because of her speech was of the darker persuasion. Sensing this, I dumbed down my speak a bit to let her know that I was as well... am I ashamed of this? kinda. The bad part about it is that I could tell that she was forcing herself to speak proper English and it just wasn't natural for her so she'd slip up here and there and throw in something like, "...so here is what I'm finna try and do...." to which I replied, "... work that shit out playa....." she giggles......

Now one could assume that the specials actually DID exist already, but my girl worked it out and I could hear her working the calculator trying to find me the best deal she could. Layering promotion on top of promotion.

I previously had high-speed internet ($42) and the most basic of cable services ($15) for the sum of $60.70 per month. By the time my girl was done with me I had the following:

High speed internet at $19.95 for 6 months
Digital Cable Plus at $34.95 for 6 months (about 180 channels)
40+ music channels (you know I wanted the music joints)
Reduced cable box / remote rental fees
Free HBO
Free showtime for 3 months
Free Starz! for 3 months

.... all for the price of $61.93 and her direct line so I can call her back and hook it up again after my 6 months is up.

Thanks Keisha for inventing the hook-up, your actions from back in the day saved my over $40 a month on my cable bill and for this I tip my hat to you. Here is to you and cable guys / girls around the world that go out of the way to keep the cable bills of brothers and sisters as low as possible.

~C

CD of the moment: Platinum Pied Pipers - "Triple P"

if you're in new orleans...

GET THEE HELL OUT... NOW!!!

THIS is a scary ass read... from the national weather service......

~c

------------------

WWUS74 KLIX 281550NPWLIXURGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA

1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED

HURRICANE KATRINAA MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969. MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. ATLEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATEADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING... BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEWCROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BEKILLED.AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEARHURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE

so let me get this straight...

If I have you in my gmail contacts, then all I have to do is click on a button and then we can actually talk to each other through our speakers as long as we both have a gmail account???

Word.....

still need a gmail address??? .... get at me..

~C

CD of the moment: Jazztronik - "Inner Flight" (import)

I received an e-mail saying - "What in the hell do you listen to?? I've never heard of any of these groups!!?? How am I supposed to buy a recommendation of yours if I have absolutely no freakin clue what kinda music it is??"

ssssssooooooooo, I'll try to give a little description of the album to help you get the idea of what its all about...

This jazztronik album is their release from 2001... Fantastic UK collection from this Japanese group furthering the smooth house/nu-jazz/latin sound. All of the tracks collected here are lifted from many of their Japanese only 12 inch pressing which are long deleted. Higly recommended..

the bitch in me...

Back in November when I was in northern Switzerland, I was forced to buy some lotion since I left mine behind in either Salzburg or at my girl Karin's house in Munich. So I picked up this lotion with chamomille and just fell in love with it...

Yeah, I fell in love with this lotion... then once I returned to the states, in order to make it last longer, I delegated this lotion as 'face lotion' but too precious to be used over the rest of my body.. Then I started using it every 3rd day on my face, then only when I would be going out... you get the picture.

I finally was coming down to the end, when I decided that I had to have it and needed to know how much it would cost to have it shipped overseas...... Well the internet is a beautiful thing and I found a company that is based in Chicago of all places that actually carries my shit. Even though I had to pay twice as much for it, I bought three.

I wouldn't share these types of secrets with just anybody you know, so because you read the blog, I'm giving up the secret for my silky soft baby's booty skin...

You owe me for this one...

Intensive Schutzcreme available at smallflower.com (Larger size also available)

~C

(SHIT!!!!! update....)

So I'm thinking to myself, so now that I got mine, I can let others know so they can get theirs... well they just called and don't have my shit in stock and said it will take two months to get it......... sonuvabitch... so now I'm still without my face creme.... man, fu*k those hoes over at smallflower...

(A-HA!!!! UPDATE #2)

I just obsessed over finding this creme and finally found it (in texas of all places?) to order from, but had to pay EVEN MORE for this shit!!! dammit.... not I'm really starting to act like a little bitch about some gotdamn lotion... but i gotta have it man!!! i gotta have it!!! So now on second thought, I ain't sharing that info with you no more... you know what the product is, but you'll have to find a place to get it on your own...... Originally it was 4.40 Swiss francs ($3.50 US) when I bought it over there... I had to pay $6.50 + shipping over at sunflower.com and NOW... NOW.... Freakin $8.95 + shipping.............

gotdamn shame... over some lotion.... these obsessive / compulsive fits have got to stop..

work

Have you ever had so much work to do that you just quit trying to get it all done?

I almost reached that point last week. It just seemed like there was absolutely no way everything would get done so I just kinda shut down and hit the internet for a couple of hours. I am completely fascinated by the internet and always seem to find another site to explore. I have over 200 bookmarks and anytime I find an interesting site, I hit up the links page and find 2-3 more.

Here are a few I've been visiting lately: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

So in the midst of all of this craziness all around me, I find calm in my moments of nothingness, watching strangers on message boards bicker at one another, watching people take themselves way too serious and get offended way to easily. I find the people that go around and offend people online just as interesting because they recognize that it doesn't take much to get a group of people's panties all in a bunch, and actually enjoy starting shit. All they have to do is make some general statement like, "Tupac was wack, deal with it." and watch as the hilarity ensues. People will come out of nowhere to espouse the virtues of West Coast rap and retort with a commentary on Biggie...

I'm still working on developing a new site, but I can't decide on a name... Should it be funky? should it be professional? should it be ........

I actually have 2 website ideas currently, one for me personally where I can put my portfolio, DJ mixes and stuff. The other where me and all my architecture buddies can talk shit about the profession and do a little self promotion in the process...

School starts next week and I'm teaching a class I've never taught before so preparation has been pretty intense with lots and lots of reading going on.... I've spent more money on books than clothes and music combined this summer which is a new development in my spending habits.... but I end up with stacks of books to read which although ambitious, rarely would be more fun than a new pair of shoes...

~C

CD of the moment: Danny Krivit - "In The House"