Not GoodBye...it's time for Rebirth

A lot has happened in the weeks that I've been away from the blog,

From Vacay in Bahamas...

To new developments in fatherhood...I've grown a lot

That's not a mustache btw...its a choco-stache!

Housing...and the nomadic life that I've led in  Brooklyn, Queens, Philadelphia, and Long Island is no longer my passion to write about....I'm starting a new blog...but it will focus more on fatherhood, fashion/lifestyle, cooking and photography...rather than the things of the Nomad...

So...thank you for following my blog, my select few (lol) and pretty soon you'll be getting an email from a new blog, same dude, different perspective...

This will be for the new Dads of this era, those that love us and those that hate us.  Though I am unmarried this will be for the betrothed and the single alike, this will also be for the baby mommas, cousins, uncles, aunts, gfs, wives (ex), and all those in-between.  It will be a demystification of the bad rap fathers get, and a response to the overwhelmingly negative representations of us that are out there.  It will be a place where I share my culinary experiences as well, my love for all things fashionable but cheap, and a place to talk about relationships as well. And maybe just maybe I'll throw in some jargon about education (i am a teacher after all)...

Until then....

I bid you adieu...

Soon, every day will be Fatherhood Friday!

Humbled, Pleased, and Negligent: My first blog award!

I've been awarded my first blog award by the author/blogger at the quickly budding, hot, chic blog: Tica Tattle .

It certainly is not a manly award, but I appreciate any type of accolades one can get. Especially in the face of the summer, where my posts have become few and far between. I'm humbled by the fact that someone with a blog so awesome and a follower number that has far surpassed even her expectations, can find time to give love to a blog that is still very much on the come-up.  Her blog has a lot of character, clever anecdotes and tips on everything from travel, to parenting (she is my co-God-parent for our beautiful God-daughter, Summer!) If you are one of the few people in my personal or blog circle who haven't checked her out, do so by going here .

So apparently the way this goes is that I tell 7 things about myself, so here goes:

1. I relate to Jack Nicholson in "As Good As it Gets" with the OCD.  I used to religiously avoid cracks in the sidewalk while trying to keep the idiosyncracy from being noticed by anyone I was with.  When I stepped on the cracks, I'd feel it.  My mom tried to talk me out of it, to no avail...i masked it well, and she forgot about it, i didn't though!

look @ dem pearly whites!

2. I'm pretty self-conscious.  I'm semi-obsessed with avoiding obesity, maintaining a good physique and I sometimes wish for perfectly straight choppers like Tyrese.

3. I'm also a bit obsessed with finding ways to make more money, either for myself or for others. Those close to me has had to endure countless random brainstorms on making money selling homes, investments, selling water, and even charging for designing blogs *ahem* (that wasn't directed at me by the way, I'm not very good at blog designing).

4. I love the sax, I plan on buying one before the end of 2010. I played for seven years in my younger days and was able to play songs like "In a Sentimental Mood" (think of the sexy, jazzy ballad from the movie Love Jones).

5. I'm pretty dramatic, at times.  I think I'm a weird mix of drama, realism and logic. But I can be dramatic.

6. I get very anxious about things.  I'm a bit hyperactive and I have a hard time relaxing or sitting still.  I think so much that it's hard to sleep.  I move so much that it's hard to relax, and when I relax, I feel like i could be doing something better with my time than relaxing...and the cycle continues...oy vey...

7. I'm a social butterfly.  I thrive in social situations.  I don't mind being the only one dancing at parties. I speak to strangers on the street, just to say hello. I'm a firm believer that the world isn't as big and cold if we would just try to be nice.

There goes my 7 things.

Now to pass the award...hmmm...

1. J Design -- He's a manly man, but my first recipient of the award goes to J at Jaedesign.wordpress.com.  This brother works very hard at making some fresh graphic designs for logos, fliers, twitter backgrounds, streetwear, and the list goes on.  I've witnessed him at work, from the tutorials, to the research to the final product.  I'm proud to say that my first recipient I know personally, for over 26 years (I'm 26 btw)...
J, aka Juny, aka Jonathan.

2. AMOR - Ms. Amor is another friend of mine.  We go way back to the awkward and formative days of HS.  Her blog is a revolution for women who don't fit the status quo standards of beauty.  She's a plus-size model who represents for the sisters who aren't seen or heard nearly as often as they should in the fashion world.  She's also a great writer.

3. Cool Guys Travel - this may seem like a plug, but it's not.  It's dedicated to men, especially men of color, who are reluctant to travel.  It's encouraging travel through pop culture, anecdotes, and, of course, peer pressure.

4. Sam's Chai has a smoothness that's reminiscent of the drink in the title, hence the blog's title is appropriate.  Sam has some great advice...go follow

5. Life's a comic strip .  If you like sarcasm, humor, wit, and illustrations (who doesn't like pictures?!).  Check this blog out. It's sure to put a smile on that cool nerd mug...

6. Single, Infertile Female .  I know, this doesn't sound like something a man would be reading on a regular basis, but I've always wondered what my reaction would be if I couldn't have kids (or my partner).  She explores her own feelings and the alternatives that medicine, love and a persistent attitude brings.  Check her out...it's a triumphant endeavor for us all...

7. Is it against the rules to give an award to something you've contributed to? I hope not, but the Tica cannot escape this. In a matter of weeks the I'd Rather Be Reading blog has become a happening place thanks to the creativity and genius of Tica and her partner in crime Anika, esq.  This blog serves as a place to discuss the read for the month, and some people who'd like to be a part of the actual book club but can't find their way to the blog and let their voices be heard...like Mr. Carson...so for that i say, kudos...because chances are, if you've gotten this far in this post, rather than being at work or watching TV, you've proven that you'd rather be reading...

That ends my post for the day.  I apologize for seeming remiss in my duties as a blogger.  I'm getting my life together...

Love Conquers...

Twenty six years on this earth is not a long time.  It's not even fractionally significant in God's divine time, yet He has offered so much grace and mercy to me already.  The reality is that God's love is so unfathomable to us because of how imperfectly we love.  "Love conquers all" the Bible declares yet, in our lives, when love stings we run away from it, shun it, curse it, as if it's our job to pay love back for the very shortcomings that disappoint.  But what if God did that to us?

Imagine then that the lustful thoughts you had that Tuesday night were held against you the next day, right away? That the lie you told to your family to keep them together was revealed to them? Imagine that all your dirt from your life, the things that will lead people to judge you was revealed in the sky, a celestial hd experience for the world to see narrated sarcastically and condescendingly by the Master on High. Now imagine that this happened all in the comfort of your living room with nobody knowing but you and God, and that after the dirt was shown to you, after the tears of regret and remorse stained your cheeks, God smiles, like only God can smile, ejects the DVD, cracks it, and tosses it into the abyss.

Now replace God with a person.

Not very likely.  See we live our lives full of insecurities, walls, cultural barriers and emotional safe-havens to keep from experiencing pain. We believe that the best parts of our lives will be painless and joyful and positive. What this creates is a false seeking of euphoric experiences, and a cursing and damning of trying times and "transition".  We forget to look at the beauty in ALL things, not just the obvious like childbirth or vacations abroad. We neglect to find beauty in crying for someone who we lost, the beauty that someone, if even for a moment, affected our lives in such a positive way that their absence will forever be sorely missed.  We refuse to believe that living situations that uproot our comfort and keeps us on pins and needles, couches and floors, fans and space heaters, are beautiful especially because when eventually that is replaced with love and warmth, central air and heating, serta perfect beds and sleep numbers we will be eternally grateful.

We also forget to see the Beauty in that Christ, our friend, will never do those hurtful things that others do that eventually jeopardizes the integrity of our relationship with them.

I guess the remorse and pain of this post may or may not be evident.  But heres the bottom line, my real talk if you will.  Love can conquer all, and imperfection can be beautiful. Mistakes can make or break moments, but it shouldn't make or break your life. Judgment is up to the almighty God, and Love is done better by no other than God. So, if we are to find truth in seeking the Divine, we must learn to forgive, and not cheesy I forgive you forgive but you will forever be burned with the fire of my contemptuous stares for the rest of your days. Rather, forgiveness like you hurt me, but I love you enough to try and move forward, even if it's without you for a bit or forever.  My prayer is that those who I've cried for will find a way to forgive my neglect, my imperfection, my fallible nature, and my lack of humility and learn to love me again.  For some it's too late, they are in eternal rest, and I can never know if they had peace with me. For others, it's a phone call, an email, a text, a hug, a kiss, a look. For others it's a distant thought that's not to realistic.  Yet I'm hopeful all the more, that the spirit of God can help His people learn to allow love to abide and grace to abound...

Ultimately, forgivness is for us.  When we choose to forgive, we free ourselves from the bondage of revenge, backbiting, gossiping and all the by-products of a negative experience at the hands of another human being.  There is freedom in love and bondage in all other things.  What God calls freedom and what the world calls freedom is inherently different...but i'll leave that for another post...