Confessions of a predator

Basketball is my first love, always has been. Compared to my peers, I got a late start playing the sport and I can remember not being very good at it. I was always more athletic than the next kid - running faster and jumping higher - but it took a while for my skill level to catch up. 

But once it did...the kid was a PROBLEM on the court. 

My greatest pleasure used to be having a basketball in my hands, knowing that the defender in front of me was at my mercy. The pressure wasn't on me to score, it was on him to stop me form scoring. If he was bigger and slower, I'd take him to the perimeter, shake and bake and head straight for the rim. If he was shorter and quicker, I'd yell 'Mouse in the house!', post him up and use my height advantage. I got very adept at dissecting defenders like that smelly frog in 9th grade biology. On defense, I liked to roam around near the rim and block shots. I have put the fear of Brandon in more than a few ballplayers, took a couple youngsters under my wing, had some epic on-court battles and dunked on more than my fair share of people.

The first time I injured my knee was during gym class in 11th grade. Me and a close friend were in the middle of one of those epic battles that I spoke of in the above paragraph, taking turns abusing each other. I got passed him and laid the ball in off the glass to win the game, but I came down awkwardly and screamed like a little girl. My ACL was torn. If you play sports, basketball especially, you are cringing right now. Because you know that that is the one injury that you DO NOT want. I knew immediately that since I didn't have insurance, and since it wasn't life threatening, that I wouldn't be able to go to the doctor and get the surgery I needed. 

Since then, I have injured  both knees a total of about 7 times. The most amazing part about all those injuries is that I still was able to keep 70% of my athleticism. I could still run fast and jump high; maybe not to the level that I could before the injuries, but enough that when I walked into  a gym, people had to respect me.

Until the last injury...

I always knew that since I never got treatment for any of my injuries, there would come a time when my luck would run out. The last time I injured my knee, which was about 7 or 8 months ago, a strange thing happened. It didn't get better on it's own. Imagine that! Now, I can jump nearly as high as I used to. My lateral movement is pathetic. My reaction time has slowed to a crawl. And my first step is laughable.

I am no longer the predator on the court that I used to be. Now, I'm the prey. Those same ball players who wouldn't dare get out of pocket and run their mouth for fear that they would be my next victim, are now able to do to me what I once did to them. m

So I don't play any more. I'm choosing to go out like the 1998 Mike Jordan, hitting that pull-up jumper over Russell to win the championship. Not like the 2003 Mike Jordan, hanging on just a bit too long; long enough to see the young gladiators come at the throne. Does it suck? Yeah. But for the most part, I'm okay with it. That's how it is supposed to happen: the hunter becomes the hunted, the teacher becomes the pupil. I mean, I wish that it wouldn't have happened at 25 years old, but it's OK. I had a good run. Like I said, I have abused my fair share of ball players and my name still rings out when people mention the top ball players in this city.

And that's enough for me. Rumble, young man, rumble!

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

These young boys comin' up/ and they aiming for my neck/ but truth be told/I just take it as a sign of respect

-Me

The Realest Shit We Ever Wrote!

Usually I'm the soldier who never blows his composure.

Even though I have the weight of the whole world on my shoulder.

I ain't never supposed to show it and my girl ain't supposed to know it.

And I ain't never supposed to trip, stumble, fall or blow it.

And I've been able to to handle this persona of a man who

could carry a heavy load and still set an example.

I win my battle everyday but sometimes it feels like I lost it.

Because I carry around a secret...even SUPERMAN gets exhausted!

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:

Friends, Romans, Countrymen lend me yo ear drums/it was a beautiful day off in the neighborhood/ yellows and greens and blues and browns and greys and hues that ooze beneath dilapidated wood

--Dre 3000, Black Ice

Herecy!

You may have a hard time digesting what I'm about to say: I...am...GOD!

Ok, ok - not in a religous sense of the word. But God nonetheless.

I sit down, stare at a blank screen and create a world. An ENTIRE world. The people, the places, the plants and animals, the cars and trucks and planes. I can make it rain or I can make it sunny. Hot or cold. Optimistic or pessimistic. That's the power I hold in my hand.

I say again: I...am...GOD!

I can make you feel exaclty how I want, at any given moment. If I want you to be afraid, I have the tools to make it so. If I want you to be overcome with joy - POOF! - there it is!

But that's not the best part of what I do. The best part is being able to have a conversation with an audience. To speak freely about my thoughts and feelings, to be able to articulate that through film and have them talk back through their feelings and reactions. When I begin creating this world that may only exist for two hours, I do so with the knowledge that all the tools at my disposal will assist me in being heard.

That's why I make sure that I always have something to say.


HIP HIP LYRIC OF THE DAY:
I roll with the punches, so I survive/I bob'n'weave with my feet from side to side/I'm back, stronger than ever, surprise surprise/they tried to take me out the game, but I's alive!

Track #18, Young Jeezy - The Recession

-I wasn't alive when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on that bus.

-Martin Luther King Jr. marched from Selma to Montgomery long before I came into the world.

-It would be 5 more years before my mother would be born when the Little Rock 9 first marched into Central High School.

I wasn't able to witness those peices of history. But I just witnessed something amazing; the election of the 44th American President, Barack Obama. At this moment, he has collected 338 electoral votes, compared to 156 for John McCain (numbers that will surely change). America, you just did something that I didn't think you would ever do. Not ever! You elected a black man as your President; to lead you for the next 4 years. It is not often that I say this, but I...was...dead...wrong!

I'm going to end this post now, because I'm not sure that there is anything that I could write here that could describe what I'm feeling.

Political Ramblings

Usually, I wouldn't pick so public a forum to voice my political opinions, but since there are probably like 3 people who ready this blog on a regular basis, I figured I'd chance it. However, if I suddenly stop posting and am not heard from in a while, you can assume that someone in a position of power read this, and I've been black-bagged by the CIA, NSA or FBI and thrown in Guantanamo Bay!

There is something on the ballot in California this year that is causing an uproar, dividing households, and pitting neighbor against neighbor.

Proposition 8.

Last year, California passed a historic law making it legal for gay couples to get married and enjoy the same perks that married straight couples enjoy. Prop 8 would basically overturn that law, making it illegal for gay couple to marry. Also it would change the California constitution, making the definition of marriage of a union specifically between a man and a woman.

However you feel about homosexuality in general, I'm not sure why people would vote for a proposition that would take away ANYONES civil rights. If gay couples want to get married, let them get married. They pay their taxes like you and me, abide by the law like you and me, they are American citizens like you and me, but we are trying to tell them that they cannot have the same rights as the guy behind them in the line to vote simply because they were born with an attraction towards the same sex? If that is not the definition of un-American, I don't know what is. The pilgrims came here from Europe because they were seeking political and religious freedom. That is waht this country was founded on. The freedom to be who you are and do what you like, as long as it is not interfering with another citizen's rights.

A lot of people quote bible verses and what not in their arguments in favor of prop 8. The God the I know, is tolerant of all ways of life and sexual orientations. The God I know is infallable; he doesn't make mistakes. And if he saw fit to hard-wire certain people's brains to be attracted to the same sex, then I'm sure he did so with the intent that they be loved and respected by their fellow man. The God and the bible should NEVER be used as the basis for discriminating against people. Again, just my personal opinion.

1Corinthians 6:9-10

'Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.'

Yes, that's right! That is a quote directly from the bible. What you have to understand is that the bible was not written by God. He did not come down from heaven, grab a soda and some chips, sit down with a quail feather pen and spend a couple hours putting his story down on paper. The bible was written by MEN. Men who were, like all humans, fallable. Men who, like all humans, have their own agenda. Like most other people, most other honest people, I treat the bible like a buffet: I study it in depth, take the parts that I feel apply to me, make sense and I agree with, and I leave the rest.

Now, from a totally different angle, it also baffles me that black people seem to be in such a rush to vote 'yes' on prop 8. Let's say that, hypothetically speaking, you stood in line for 5 hours to vote. To cast your ballot and let your voice be heard. To participate in the democratic process. Then when you got to the front of the line, you were told that you couldn't vote because you are black! Surely, there must be a mistake! This isn't the 1920's! 'Niggers can't vote!', calls a voice from the other side of the room. You pay your taxes, you have commited no crime and yet you can't vote becuase you are different in some way from the elected officials who make the laws. Well, that's how things were not too long ago. That's basically what we are trying to do to gay people. 'Faggots and dykes cant get married!'. Black people, if you think it's okay to say that and cast your vote in favor of that message, then I'd suggest that you stop listening to all the analysts and commentators, the opponents and supporters, and sit down in a quiet place and ask yourself:

IS THIS RIGHT?

Moving right along...

I'd like to talk about the Obama-mania going on right now. First of all, congratulations to Barack Obama. Win or lose, he's done some shit that I didn't think was possible during this day and age. IF he does win, he has a hard road to travel and a tough job ahead of him. Black people, let's make Obama accountable for the things that he does and says and the initiatives and acts that he puts into play. Please don't give him a pass just because he is a black man, when we ripped Bush's head off for every slip and tumble that the countrty took. If he does a stand up job and the country is in better shape in four years than it is now, then pat him on the back. But if, he fucks up and doesn't hold up his end of the bargain, I wanna see all you Obama maniacs as passionate about demanding some answers from him.

And conversely, let's not credit Obama for everything good that happens in our everyday life.

-Damn, I finally got a raise at work after 4 years. Obama did it!

-My Phillies finally won the World Series. Obama must've been watching the game and rooting for them.

-This week, I got money for gas AND food. Obama is making all my dreams come true.

IF he wins, he will be the president...not fuckin' all-powerful Zues! Be realistic in your expectations. Expect him to make mistakes. Don't expect him to be the 'Black People's President'.

That is all.

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:
I'm the voice of Mike Vick/sayin 'Suck my dick!'/you treat me like an animal/but love them pitts

Hi Haters!

Hate - to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward a person (likely because they are doing what you are not able to do!)

Doesn't that seem like a lot of work? You can't casually hate on a nigga. It takes a lot of effort and energy, and the rewards are...none. So why do people do it? When you are on your GRUSTLE (grind + hustle) and doing it big, some people choose to hate rather than say 'congratulations'. Can someone please explain this to me?

The saddest part about this whole this  is that if these people spent more time worrying about themselves, doing what they need to do to eat and not worry about Mr. Young Gun, then they could be in the same position: making move, puttin' on and getting their head fitted for the crown.

But there is hope for all you haters out there! You don't have to be a hater all your life. If you act now, you can get some of that hate out of your system and learn to get on YOUR OWN grind. Then, you can become the hate-ee, instead of the hater!

Food for thought...now EAT!

HIP HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY: 

you be smiling when I'm frowning/you be frowning when I'm smiling/you be happy when I'm  sad/but when I'm glad/you get mad

-Shawn J, Field M.O.B

Hard Candy

For the love of all things Holy!

If you want to see a wonderful film...go rent Hard Candy!

If you want to squirm in your seat...go rent Hard Candy!

If you want to see a great performance by Ellen Paige, playing a role that's a bit darker and more elusive than the precocious Juno...go rent Hard Candy!

I won't spoil it for you, but Hayley is 14, her suitor is 32, they drink screwdrivers (that's just Vodka and OJ, for all you pups) and have some questionable conversations. There is a camera involved, along with rope, surgical instruments and a murder that never quite gets sorted out!

It's certified...by ME. And that's big shit. That's like a ghetto Oscar! A Leroy!



HIP-HOP LYRIC OF THE DAY:
What happened to the levees/ why wasn't they steady/Why wasn't they able to contol this?
I know some folks that live by the levees that keep on tellin' me they heard explosions!
Same shit happened back in Hurricane Betsy, 1965...I ain't too young to know this!
That was President Johnson, but now it's Geoooooorgia...Bush!

-Lil Wayne, Georgia...Bush