with the spring came the cool breeze of children...
2009 has been the year of new additions to my circle of friends
the miracle of childbirth has never meant so much to me
as I welcome new arrivals to the planet!
With so much drama in the economy I see what folks did with those long nights in; saving money.
1. SG. her son nearly cost her her life after some postpartum complications - reminds me that even with fibroids and one ovary God decides when and where life happens. She is a true rebel for peace and patience and is well deserving of her new son, biggups to St.P, you two make a great couple!
2.KB - after a long celebrated courtship with a fellow Hamptonian KB, up and marries this other gorgeous chica he met through his mother...Lady MB is the proud wife and mother of one of my best friends and I am ecstatic for this couple to have gotten married BEFORE starting their family! As "old school" kids, I wanna be like KB when I grow up! But, really mad props to folks who tie the knot!
3.CHG - another TWO points for CHG! She too made it official prior to her "bump" project! I had the honor of speaking poetically at her wedding ceremony. With open arms I welcome her new daughter CDG!!! (Keep me in your prayers C, I'm on the cusp of PT school!)
4.ABC - now you know I have to celebrate Copper tones and the blessing of life that comes from unexpected bundles of joy. A friend of mine whom I once dated...I decided to be a true friend when she dropped the bomb on me about her being 'with child.'
5.Tony - my best friend's baby is on the way... I always hoped we would be thirty, single, and childless... he beat me to the child part and is very happy with his new lady Chevy... a true love child in the works, Tony wasn't expecting to meet his baby's momma when he did, but being aggressive has its benefits! The same time he was getting all wrapped up in a new connection he started his parenting phase of life more quickly than I expected. Alas, its just begun!
With all these children I may not need any of my own... ha ha ha! No, I'm just doing me like I know how... career first, ladyfriend/wife second, daddy hat third...
whatever is in God's plan for me, I'm rockin with it!
-delano :c)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Doing Me
If you know anything about me, you'll know helping others comes naturally... I must take a moment to share the incredible fruits of my efforts.
Direct: My SAT tutor client improved her score by a few hundred points and got into her #1 school Xavier in New Orleans! I am so proud of "Smuckers!" I also want to thank the "Academy" and the folks at Barnes & Noble for letting me run my tutoring business in their space.
Indirect: My best friend Tony is getting some SERIOUS vibes from a sista w/ twists... I told him about "soul sistas," and now he is VERY happy getting to know "Chevy" from Cali! I dig them both and to see my boi happy and scared, nervous and excited makes me remember so much!
I will continue to support both my folks to the end and new beginnings!
Best to my friends,
Delano :c)
Direct: My SAT tutor client improved her score by a few hundred points and got into her #1 school Xavier in New Orleans! I am so proud of "Smuckers!" I also want to thank the "Academy" and the folks at Barnes & Noble for letting me run my tutoring business in their space.
Indirect: My best friend Tony is getting some SERIOUS vibes from a sista w/ twists... I told him about "soul sistas," and now he is VERY happy getting to know "Chevy" from Cali! I dig them both and to see my boi happy and scared, nervous and excited makes me remember so much!
I will continue to support both my folks to the end and new beginnings!
Best to my friends,
Delano :c)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Who is MIA
TAVIS SMILEY INTERVIEW: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200901/20090128_mia.html
from the Huffington Post:
M.I.A. performed at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.
By THOMAS FULLER----------
Published: February 10, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — To many Americans, Maya Arulpragasam, known as M.I.A., is the very pregnant rapper who gyrated across the stage at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.
Yet in Sri Lanka, where she spent her childhood years, M.I.A. remains virtually unknown. And some who do know her work say she is an apologist for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels fighting in the country’s long-running civil war.
M.I.A. — who has been nominated for an Oscar for the song she co-wrote for the hit film “Slumdog Millionaire” — has branded herself through music videos and interviews as the voice of the country’s Tamil minority. In the video for her song “Bird Flu,” for instance, children dance in front of what looks like the rebels’ logo: a roaring tiger.
“Being the only Tamil in the Western media, I have a really great opportunity to sort of bring forward what’s going on in Sri Lanka,” she said in an interview on the PBS program “Tavis Smiley” last month. “There’s a genocide going on.”
But her political views rankle some people at a time when most Sri Lankans are clutching to the hope that the rebels, branded by the United States and European nations as a terrorist group, are on the verge of military defeat by government troops.
“Frankly, she’s very lucky to get away with supporting, even indirectly, perhaps the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world,” said Suresh Jayawickrama, a songwriter based in Colombo.
Mr. Jayawickrama is from the country’s majority Sinhalese ethnic group, and his reaction is similar to that of many Sri Lankans who know M.I.A.’s music. But he also said that M.I.A. deserved credit for her artistry and the fame she had achieved. “She really should have a little more recognition in this country,” he said.
Despite decades of conflict, music has remained largely free of political messages or overtones in Sri Lanka, perhaps because audiences are seeking entertainment and escape from the daily reminders of civil war.
“Compared to other countries, people don’t write many songs here about what is going on politically,” said Dillain Joseph, a singer who is of mixed Sinhalese and Tamil parentage.
Meanwhile, M.I.A.’s claims that the government is carrying out a genocide against Tamils place her on the outer fringe of opinion about the conflict.
Although the government has brutalized and killed Tamil civilians over the past 25 years, human rights organizations spread the blame around, estimating that 70,000 people on both sides have been killed in the fighting.
“This is a conflict in which both sides have terrible human rights records,” said Yolanda Foster, a specialist on Sri Lanka with Amnesty International in London. “The Tamil Tigers have a long history of child recruitment, hostage taking, forcing civilians to the front lines. It’s complicated to assign blame.”
M.I.A. was born in Britain but moved to Sri Lanka when she was 6 months old so that her father, an engineer and a leader in the Tamil separatist movement, could help fight for an independent Tamil homeland. Her childhood took her across northern Sri Lanka, wracked by insurgency, to India and back to Britain, where her mother and siblings settled into a public housing project outside London. Her father remained in Sri Lanka. She now calls New York home.
Sri Lankans who have seen her videos say they interpret some parts as showing support for the Tigers, or at the very least glorifying their cause. But for those not familiar with the conflict, they might come across as generic third-world scenes.
“I kind of want to leave it ambiguous for my fans,” she said in the PBS interview, referring to the lyrics of her song “Paper Planes,” which was nominated for record of the year at the Grammys but did not win.
“Paper Planes,” which compares international drug dealing with selling records, drew a reaction from DeLon, a Sinhalese rapper based in Los Angeles, who made a video remix in which he interspersed images of people being blown up by Tamil Tiger bombs and subtitles about M.I.A. being a terrorist.
M.I.A. responded that she did not support terrorism.
Despite those tensions, which played out largely on the Internet and abroad, musicians in Sri Lanka say the music scene has remained ethnically diverse, with members of the country’s numerous ethnic groups and religions often forming bands together.
“There’s a lot of mixing and matching going on,” said Rienzie Pereira, a guitar player. “It’s basically like sports. No matter what ethnic group you are from, people can play cricket together.”
from the Huffington Post:
M.I.A. performed at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.
By THOMAS FULLER----------
Published: February 10, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — To many Americans, Maya Arulpragasam, known as M.I.A., is the very pregnant rapper who gyrated across the stage at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.
Yet in Sri Lanka, where she spent her childhood years, M.I.A. remains virtually unknown. And some who do know her work say she is an apologist for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels fighting in the country’s long-running civil war.
M.I.A. — who has been nominated for an Oscar for the song she co-wrote for the hit film “Slumdog Millionaire” — has branded herself through music videos and interviews as the voice of the country’s Tamil minority. In the video for her song “Bird Flu,” for instance, children dance in front of what looks like the rebels’ logo: a roaring tiger.
“Being the only Tamil in the Western media, I have a really great opportunity to sort of bring forward what’s going on in Sri Lanka,” she said in an interview on the PBS program “Tavis Smiley” last month. “There’s a genocide going on.”
But her political views rankle some people at a time when most Sri Lankans are clutching to the hope that the rebels, branded by the United States and European nations as a terrorist group, are on the verge of military defeat by government troops.
“Frankly, she’s very lucky to get away with supporting, even indirectly, perhaps the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world,” said Suresh Jayawickrama, a songwriter based in Colombo.
Mr. Jayawickrama is from the country’s majority Sinhalese ethnic group, and his reaction is similar to that of many Sri Lankans who know M.I.A.’s music. But he also said that M.I.A. deserved credit for her artistry and the fame she had achieved. “She really should have a little more recognition in this country,” he said.
Despite decades of conflict, music has remained largely free of political messages or overtones in Sri Lanka, perhaps because audiences are seeking entertainment and escape from the daily reminders of civil war.
“Compared to other countries, people don’t write many songs here about what is going on politically,” said Dillain Joseph, a singer who is of mixed Sinhalese and Tamil parentage.
Meanwhile, M.I.A.’s claims that the government is carrying out a genocide against Tamils place her on the outer fringe of opinion about the conflict.
Although the government has brutalized and killed Tamil civilians over the past 25 years, human rights organizations spread the blame around, estimating that 70,000 people on both sides have been killed in the fighting.
“This is a conflict in which both sides have terrible human rights records,” said Yolanda Foster, a specialist on Sri Lanka with Amnesty International in London. “The Tamil Tigers have a long history of child recruitment, hostage taking, forcing civilians to the front lines. It’s complicated to assign blame.”
M.I.A. was born in Britain but moved to Sri Lanka when she was 6 months old so that her father, an engineer and a leader in the Tamil separatist movement, could help fight for an independent Tamil homeland. Her childhood took her across northern Sri Lanka, wracked by insurgency, to India and back to Britain, where her mother and siblings settled into a public housing project outside London. Her father remained in Sri Lanka. She now calls New York home.
Sri Lankans who have seen her videos say they interpret some parts as showing support for the Tigers, or at the very least glorifying their cause. But for those not familiar with the conflict, they might come across as generic third-world scenes.
“I kind of want to leave it ambiguous for my fans,” she said in the PBS interview, referring to the lyrics of her song “Paper Planes,” which was nominated for record of the year at the Grammys but did not win.
“Paper Planes,” which compares international drug dealing with selling records, drew a reaction from DeLon, a Sinhalese rapper based in Los Angeles, who made a video remix in which he interspersed images of people being blown up by Tamil Tiger bombs and subtitles about M.I.A. being a terrorist.
M.I.A. responded that she did not support terrorism.
Despite those tensions, which played out largely on the Internet and abroad, musicians in Sri Lanka say the music scene has remained ethnically diverse, with members of the country’s numerous ethnic groups and religions often forming bands together.
“There’s a lot of mixing and matching going on,” said Rienzie Pereira, a guitar player. “It’s basically like sports. No matter what ethnic group you are from, people can play cricket together.”
Thursday, February 5, 2009
That
some won't believe it till they see it,
so Imma tell it like this
this is not a competition
This is risen from the clenches
a match made in seasons
of I've got to achieve this
dreams implanted and they search for my reason
in disbelief.
we see the musical unfolding on the streets
in character the lines begin to speak
parables and potions, escapism's magnum opus
day and knights
stars board solar winds, rush.
cooling jet screams to poetry
each breath pardons english on cue.
felt tip seamstress weaves epics by the footstep
in the sun she will not rest
in the harvest she is set
in winter
spring
summer idle
practice
and for our next recital: Miss Fancy McCoy!
To Joy we ode
photographic language
emblazoned seconds
thanks is presence
projector screen tv
so u can see
us doing me
connected
welcome,
to that feeling:
-delano
so Imma tell it like this
this is not a competition
This is risen from the clenches
a match made in seasons
of I've got to achieve this
dreams implanted and they search for my reason
in disbelief.
we see the musical unfolding on the streets
in character the lines begin to speak
parables and potions, escapism's magnum opus
day and knights
stars board solar winds, rush.
cooling jet screams to poetry
each breath pardons english on cue.
felt tip seamstress weaves epics by the footstep
in the sun she will not rest
in the harvest she is set
in winter
spring
summer idle
practice
and for our next recital: Miss Fancy McCoy!
To Joy we ode
photographic language
emblazoned seconds
thanks is presence
projector screen tv
so u can see
us doing me
connected
welcome,
to that feeling:
-delano
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Family Affair
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/15/obama.family/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
It's not that I'm hatin on Oprah but, all the success in the world can't measure up to the powerful image of the Obama Family. In all actuality, I cringe at the widening gender gap in America today. True, physical bondage has ended for those outside the prison walls. True, de-segregation has allowed us to shop at Wal Mart, filling our carts with cheap cosmetics and bulk chicken thighs. True Harvard admits and graduates, brown-skinned people like Gwendolyn Gordon, my cousin and now Lawyer, and Barack H. Obama. The new day has been here all along, just beneath the infectious veneer of mass media.
Another way, many of the real students from A Different World (HBCUs) and other colleges graduated and grew up to be fine citizens. Many started families. According to the above article in CNN, in 2005, 69% of black mothers gave birth out of wedlock. Compared to the 31% of white mothers. This is a startling statistic, devastating the concept and institution of the Black Family.
Why is this? I travel back in time to my freshman year at Hampton University for clues... "Man, its like 16:1 !" The rumored female to male student ratio created a daunting spectrum of estrogen. My freshman year was like watching a tennis match between the Williams sisters. I made the Deans list, much to the chagrin of cliche. We were told during a freshman week orientation session to, "look to our left and right," and that, "one of you will not be here at graduation." A sobering reminder of matriculation realities. I watched both guys and girls leave; after first semester, then the second,... the ratio becoming more lopsided.
I extrapolated similar phenomenon at other HBCUs across the country and knew the "viable" population of Black male partners I was a member of was a shrinking one. As a result, I probed the minds of sistas for their interests and standards concerning males. I experimented with dating and even lost my virginity... I "had" to know what Black Women were about...if the rumors were true about "size mattering" and what they dreamed and griped about. I wanted to marry and start my family with a Black woman, so five years of experimentation, a B.S. degree, and I was feelin like I'd have a shot at being happy, despite my lack of attention and any long-term relationships before or during college.
I consider it an edge. I know a lil about shoes, well at least what sik Choo's are...
I scour magazines and blogs for the dopest lounges, djs, and restaurants. I even keep a running tab of seasonal cocktails, just in case I meet a lush turned plush (but I don't drink much). More importantly, I know "Miss Independent" has her own and is looking for some one to match her. What more could a woman ask for than another comparable (or greater) income? She is also more than likely Christin, so I keep up with my Scripture despite not claiming any particular building. I also know how to flirt, cook, two-step, and kiss.
My goal? Victory. Jay-Z equates it with "a kid" who will carry his "legacy and make history." Family. One way to live beyond the flesh. Family, a true curator of happiness. Family, the motivator of mini-vans and picket fences...
Sly and the Who Stone?
You already know!
-delano
It's not that I'm hatin on Oprah but, all the success in the world can't measure up to the powerful image of the Obama Family. In all actuality, I cringe at the widening gender gap in America today. True, physical bondage has ended for those outside the prison walls. True, de-segregation has allowed us to shop at Wal Mart, filling our carts with cheap cosmetics and bulk chicken thighs. True Harvard admits and graduates, brown-skinned people like Gwendolyn Gordon, my cousin and now Lawyer, and Barack H. Obama. The new day has been here all along, just beneath the infectious veneer of mass media.
Another way, many of the real students from A Different World (HBCUs) and other colleges graduated and grew up to be fine citizens. Many started families. According to the above article in CNN, in 2005, 69% of black mothers gave birth out of wedlock. Compared to the 31% of white mothers. This is a startling statistic, devastating the concept and institution of the Black Family.
Why is this? I travel back in time to my freshman year at Hampton University for clues... "Man, its like 16:1 !" The rumored female to male student ratio created a daunting spectrum of estrogen. My freshman year was like watching a tennis match between the Williams sisters. I made the Deans list, much to the chagrin of cliche. We were told during a freshman week orientation session to, "look to our left and right," and that, "one of you will not be here at graduation." A sobering reminder of matriculation realities. I watched both guys and girls leave; after first semester, then the second,... the ratio becoming more lopsided.
I extrapolated similar phenomenon at other HBCUs across the country and knew the "viable" population of Black male partners I was a member of was a shrinking one. As a result, I probed the minds of sistas for their interests and standards concerning males. I experimented with dating and even lost my virginity... I "had" to know what Black Women were about...if the rumors were true about "size mattering" and what they dreamed and griped about. I wanted to marry and start my family with a Black woman, so five years of experimentation, a B.S. degree, and I was feelin like I'd have a shot at being happy, despite my lack of attention and any long-term relationships before or during college.
I consider it an edge. I know a lil about shoes, well at least what sik Choo's are...
I scour magazines and blogs for the dopest lounges, djs, and restaurants. I even keep a running tab of seasonal cocktails, just in case I meet a lush turned plush (but I don't drink much). More importantly, I know "Miss Independent" has her own and is looking for some one to match her. What more could a woman ask for than another comparable (or greater) income? She is also more than likely Christin, so I keep up with my Scripture despite not claiming any particular building. I also know how to flirt, cook, two-step, and kiss.
My goal? Victory. Jay-Z equates it with "a kid" who will carry his "legacy and make history." Family. One way to live beyond the flesh. Family, a true curator of happiness. Family, the motivator of mini-vans and picket fences...
Sly and the Who Stone?
You already know!
-delano
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
mindSpring
i wish i could remember more...
tonight i had this once before reoccurring dream. I can only recall that I had the ability to "mindspring" from under water. Its kind of like a super power... Somehow, I willingly end up under water, and before anything traumatic occurs, I am able to "think" my body up and out of the water. Its on some "think happy thoughts" like escaping to Never Never Land in Peter Pan.
In the dream, once I am ready to spring upwards, I think "its time to get up", or something, and I am able to mind spring my body up and out. the whole experience is quite exhilarating!
Some times friends of mine are able to do it too and after we are out of the water we share this mutual smile, like after riding the best roller coaster of your life.
Since, I did some light research on dreams and found that some are as short as a roller coaster ride, lasting only a few minutes; others as long as 20 minutes. This being a "good dream," I awoke with a feeling of joy and loosely constructed pride about my super power.
Much is debated about the cause, purpose, and extent of dreams. Its scientific study is called oneirology. What a neat name "One Eye Rology," almost like the study of one vision! Hm. To this day, there are segments of dreams from as far back as my childhood that I still remember. As a matter of fact, with the right cues, I can remember most of my lucid dreams, at least the ones that remain after waking.
Some nights I have multiple dreams in sequence... Often they are unrelated.
-delano
tonight i had this once before reoccurring dream. I can only recall that I had the ability to "mindspring" from under water. Its kind of like a super power... Somehow, I willingly end up under water, and before anything traumatic occurs, I am able to "think" my body up and out of the water. Its on some "think happy thoughts" like escaping to Never Never Land in Peter Pan.
In the dream, once I am ready to spring upwards, I think "its time to get up", or something, and I am able to mind spring my body up and out. the whole experience is quite exhilarating!
Some times friends of mine are able to do it too and after we are out of the water we share this mutual smile, like after riding the best roller coaster of your life.
Since, I did some light research on dreams and found that some are as short as a roller coaster ride, lasting only a few minutes; others as long as 20 minutes. This being a "good dream," I awoke with a feeling of joy and loosely constructed pride about my super power.
Much is debated about the cause, purpose, and extent of dreams. Its scientific study is called oneirology. What a neat name "One Eye Rology," almost like the study of one vision! Hm. To this day, there are segments of dreams from as far back as my childhood that I still remember. As a matter of fact, with the right cues, I can remember most of my lucid dreams, at least the ones that remain after waking.
Some nights I have multiple dreams in sequence... Often they are unrelated.
-delano
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