damn, baltimore.

I'm getting pretty sick of blogging about this, but it's intriguing and saddening at the same time. So saddening, in fact, that from this post on, any dealings with Baltimore City and its homicide rate will have the title "damn, baltimore". "Oh, baltimore" just doesn't seem to be enough anymore.

I haven't been watching the news much since I really don't sit still long enough anymore, but I do play catch up via the mobile device, and I just discovered that our number of homicides has jumped to 29. Now, in part 4, I stated that the number was 21. That was on 1/30; so in almost two weeks, we've had 8 more.

But Ziggy, why change the title of the blog for eight more homicides? Can't you keep adding more parts?
Trust me, I'd rather not post this at all, but since I live in this city I figured I'd shed light on exactly what's going on. And the number of homicides increasing is little to no reason for me to change up the title, but this definitely is.

After finding this last night, my brother and I have dubbed this THE MURDER MAP.

Sadly, you can click "The Murder Map" to try it out on your own.
The Baltimore Sun has actually integrated an interactive map on their website so you can see the exact locations of the homicides for 2009. It also goes back as 2008 (234) and 2007 (282). The map has a key at the bottom; red balloons represent homicides, green for blunt force, black for stabbing, blue for asphyxiation and white is unknown. According to the murder map, 25 of the 29 homicides this year have been shootings.

But, wait! There's more!
If you click on the tiny balloons, you'll get a detailed description of the victim's name, place of homicide, the victim's race, age and gender; cause of death, date of death and where the victim died. The fact that this is something provided over the internet is simply insane.

So, readers in other states: do you guys have any..."tools"...such as this? If you do, feel free to share them; just curious to know if there are others that exist...because if we're the only ones to have this, I'm afraid.

(deuces.)

poetry quickie: blessings

Thanks for coming through
Just when I figured out how
To come through for You.



*Just a reminder that sometimes we don't get those prayers answered until we do a little of the work.
It's hump day people! The weekend is upon us! And I feel a blog spree coming...
...yall be safe.

(deuces.)

Vulnerable.

Okay, so... I'd like to say I'm sort of tough. I mean, some may agree; judging by my posts, I really haven't posted anything too...open. I always talk about music, something random and always with a splash of humor, sarcasm and real thought. But, every so often, I let loose and simoultaneously let my guard down. It can be a good thing, a great thing...I just hate being too...mushy. If I'm not writing it in a poem, you won't hear it from me. My own defense mechanism. I'll let you in if I deem you worthy enough.

The only thing that gets me open is music. Music is a powerful thing, you know. High frequencies can make you feel alive, jubilant; while lower frequencies can drive emotions of anger and sexual energy. Listen to your favorite Plies song. That's why you feel like stabbing someone after getting it in with your chick...on the same song. Depending on what I'm listen to, if you pay attention you can almost easily determine my mood. I listen to what centers me in a given situation.

Now, if you've been reading, you'll remember my post about Beyonce (hilarious video included) a while back. Well, B's done it again, dammit. I only took a couple of listens to I Am...Sasha Fierce, so I didn't give it a chance to do my usual nerd thing and dissect every track. Recently, Scuba and I had been hitting some rough patches for a little while now, so naturally I've been turning to music to soothe me. I was sitting at the PC one day, letting iTunes randomly play out my life, and I stumble across some of the most beautiful lyrics I've heard...well, not most (do you listen to Phyllis Hyman?!), but given the situation, I was feeling a little sensitive at the time.

Damn you, Mrs. Knowles-Carter, for "Halo".

Halo - Beyoncé

The song was so...necessary at that time; combined with my emotions of the moment, I was almost moved to tears. Some songs (if "formatted" correctly) can tap into your mental, and before you know it, you're belting along, picturing your loved one standing in front of you while you serve him what's his a la "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going". Not that that was me or anything.

I'll have you know, Scuba and I are doing great. Life just has the habit of forcing lessons on you when you least expect it. But the truth is, and I tell him this on a daily basis, this is the best relationship I've been in...ever. The love is there, the respect is definitely there and he's my best friend, so we don't have to worry about awkward moments when it's time to have adult conversations. I could say so much about one man...but I'm tough, remember? That's all you get for one month.

(deuces.)

BET does something right...word?

It happened again! Another nerdgasm!

BET redeemed themselves for their (mostly) sucky programming with last night's BET Honors. Hosted by Gabrielle Union, BET paid recognition to pioneers and legends in the African American community such as Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Magic Johnson and a personal favorite of mine, Judith Jamison.

Music was great; each honoree got a special performance by artists like Anthony Hamilton, Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, Monica (she's back!), Anita Baker...

pause. Anita Baker's performance gave me chills! Best performance of the night by far. Performing right after Monica to honor Mary J. Blige, she definitely brought the old school vibe to the forefront, singing one of her hits, "Rapture". Although Anita brought the vocal fire, Monica got a standing ovation for her performance, and more for her heart-to-heart moment with Mary on stage, where she was quoted to say "...most of all, you taught me to love myself, and let him catch up with the woman that I've become..." Wow! Even my brother stood up and applauded her for that. Scuba stood up and gave me a kiss. Awww.

Anita is truly an example of the music I miss and love. Whoooooo!

If you watched, what were your favorite moments? You know how to let me know...drop those bombs! And by bombs...I mean comments. :)

(deuces.)

grammy nerdgasms

Yes, I said nerdgasm. That was what I experienced as I watched the 51st Annual Grammy Awards last night. I won't get into too many highlights, but if you have sense you'll know that that was possibly the best Grammy Awards in a pretty long time. Every performance was awesome, even down to Neil Diamond, who looked a tad bit stoned during his set. The only thing I didn't agree with was the last award for Record of the Year, given to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Nothing against them, I actually love their music, but considering who they were up against--Coldplay, Lil' Wayne, Radiohead and Neyo--the fact that they pulled that off is still a little questionable to me. Chrisette Michele won a Grammy for "Be OK", M.I.A. looked beautiful on stage, pregnant belly and all; Beyonce was nowhere to be found and neither were Rihanna and Chris Brown, whose reasons for their no-shows were revealed earlier this morning. Whitney looked blasted, J-Hud pulled off an incredible performance, Boyz II Men were spotted singing backup for JT and Al Green(?), the Jonas Brothers performed with Stevie Wonder, T.I. and JT's "Dead and Gone" was spectacular, Adele sang effortlessly alongside Sugarland...the list goes on and on. Nerdgasm, I tell you. NERDGASM!

So now I'm going to upset a couple of people. Now, being a lover of all music, I loved every performance last night. Carrie Underwood's performance of "Last Name" was excellent, and I actually love Sugarland! But...if I have to pick a favorite performance last night, who would it be?

If you guessed (typically?) the "Hip Hop Summit" styled-performance of "Swagga Like Us", you're wrong. Don't get me wrong, the performance was great; the Dean Martin theme and black/white view was dope, and as mentioned above, M.I.A. rocked it. But, my personal pick for this years' best performance goes to Radiohead. Thom Yorke and crew teamed up with the USC Trojans Marching Band and tore the place down. I mean, come on. They had a marching band!!!

Best performance of the night, hands down. Radiohead is already a genius group, and live they're even better. Listen to the music, and you'll see what I mean.

What were your favorite moments/performances last night? Drop your thoughts in the comment box. :o)

(deuces.)

oh, baltimore pt 5: yapp city

Wanna know something funny?
I talked myself out of being robbed the other night.

Now, I've been blogging about B-More and the violence that inhabits it. But, I never would have thought that the next entry in the "oh, baltimore" series would be my own story. I also never thought that my story would start in Randallstown, of all places. Gentrification at it's best, if you ask me, because this time maybe 6 or 7 years ago, the only bangin' going on was the sound of deer going through garbage cans.

Anyways, I digress. God was definitely on my and my people's side, because we all got away...and I was the only one that was 20 bucks short. A simple gas station run turned into one of the most funny/dangerous scenarios I've ever encountered.

"So, what had happened was..."

*cue dramatic flashback fx*

*Jungle stands at the pump, waiting for the transaction to finish. Enter **Dumb Thug.
Dumb Thug: What's good my man, I got this PSP right here, tryna get it up off me. What you got?
Jungle: Man, I'm broke. I ain't got nothing for you.
Dumb Thug: Come on, my nig, I know you got a little something. Gimme $2...
Jungle: I don't have it, man.
Dumb Thug walks off, harrasses another patron and comes back. Upon approaching Jungle, he's seen putting on gloves and grabbing his waist. Ziggy catches a glimpse of his burner from inside the car and calls Scuba Steve, who is at his job less than a half block away.
Dumb Thug: Come on homie, I know you got something. Gimme $5, then.
Jungle: Look, I told you I'm broke. I don't have it.
Dumb Thug: Aight, nigga. Six, then.
Ziggy notices Dumb Thug getting too close to Jungle, so she grabs her beat-a-fool stick and places it by the driver side door, then steps out of the car in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Ziggy: J, you want something from in the store?
Dumb Thug(interrupting Jungle): Hey Miss, I got this PSP right here, and these headphones; I just wanna make a couple dollars right quick.
Ziggy: Look brotha, I don't even need that, but what do you need? I just got out of the car to make sure my brother was alright, you kinda walked up--
Dumb Thug: Well just gimme $10, then. I'm tryna get me and my homeboys home.
Ziggy: Let me run over here, grab some change and I got you. Then we can be on our way.
Ziggy walks over to gas station attendant to get change, but is interrupted before she can get there. Dumb Thug snatches money from her hand, announces he has a gun and starts making demands...

Everything that transpired after that is just wonderful proof that God has my back and the backs of the ones I love. My brother's girlfriend was also with us, she stayed in the car. Dude basically started going off...but wasn't doing what he said he was going to do. What we didn't notice, were the three other guys that were with him, but luckily, Scuba was pulling up at the same time things were getting a little heated. Then when we thought things couldn't get crazier, Scuba gets out of his car--and realizes he knows one of the guys trying to rob us. At that point, the guy he knows is trying to calm his boy down, telling him to just forget about it. Funny, weren't you just egging him on; saying things like "do what you do...come on, man!"...does that ring a bell? My brother and I were still standing outside while Dumb Thug's telling us that we're giving him and his homeboys a ride to wherever they're going, and when Scuba gets there and Dumb Thug realizes he's with me, he gets excited. Two whips AND more money? Shit, yeah!

But he only got 20 bucks.

He snatched the money from my hand, which was totally fine; I didn't want to make any sudden moves, and I wasn't walking too far away from my family. Sure, he flashed his gun, and he was hype...but I think my and my brother's energy wasn't the energy he needed for him to successfully pull this thing off. He probably needed someone who was visibly afraid, making no eye contact and meeting his every demand. My brother and I talked to him. After he took the $20 started demanding a ride and more cash, I looked right at him and said, "Brotha, I don't even know you, and I just spotted you a 20 spot. You really wanna do this out here?"...and he really didn't, you could tell. If someone who is really about what they're about, they'll do what they have intentions of doing, no questions. I think my brother and I threw him off by talking to him like a human being. He probably doesn't have brothers and home who call him "brotha", something else that I'm sure startled him. Basically talked him down until he felt like he really wasn't about a damn thing.
"These people calling me 'brotha', talkin' to me all nice...and she did give me $20...I can't even do this, man..."
I'm pretty sure those were the thoughts running through his mind, but due to his boys being there (probably some sort of initiation) pumping him up, he kept getting hype...for no reason at all. Luckily, when Scuba got there, his presence acted as a diversion. He started asking the guy that he knew what was going on, so Dumb Thug gets upset because, well, you shouldn't be chummy with the people you're about to rob/kill. So, while Dumb Thug is getting too excited, further showing us that he's not going to do a damn thing, we all hopped back into our cars and got the hell out of there.

That's my story. Sorry it was so(!) long, but I felt the need to really go in depth with that one since it was personal. This isn't something that's never happened before, but this experience helped show me that I really have no fear in these types of situations. I mean, if you think about it...what can another human being do to you, that karma won't do seven times worse to them? And if that's the way I'm supposed to go; at the hands of some ignorant, desperate youngin', so be it. That's my philosophy. Gye Nyame. "Except God, fear none". And it was certainly put to the test Wednesday night. Think I did pretty well. I'm still here.

One thing that's hilarious: my brother and I got home that night and laughed about the whole thing. Laughed even harder when he said we were in a live Nu World skit.

(deuces.)

Blogroll Amnesty what, now?

You Da Best!!! Who? YOUUU!

Had to steal that from Khaled to make a point really quick.

To get straight to the point, my number of followers has been picking up a little in the past couple of days . So, because of that, I'd like to take some time and say thank you to all new readers! There's a nice little bit of you, so forgive me for not including individual shout-outs. I appreciate the comments (read: I LOVE comments, so bring 'em on!), and I try my best to comment on your blogs, as well. I just figured I could post an official "thank you" to you guys. Keep reading, there'll be lots more to come!

So, I'll be honest and say I've been editing this post since the middle of January. Being a procrastinator finally paid off! I was doing my usual Monday evening thing, so true to fashion following chillaxing after work, I decided to randomly peruse some blogs. Bingo! I stumbled upon this blog and learned a little something about Blogroll Amnesty Day. It's the blogosphere's first (and only) major holiday, observed on February 3rd annually. Anyone can participate, the rules are pretty simple. Original rules state that you highlight and provide links for five blogs that you read that have less traffic than you. Since I was already doing a B.A.D.-styled post, honoring you guys; I figured I'd add my own flavor to this blogiday. And I could be making a big deal about this, having only 23 followers, but screw it...you guys are awesome. This is how I thank you for being awesome. You should do the same for whatever blogs you read!

I was going to divide my B.A.D. blogroll into sections, but it's a time for change...so no segregation here. It's in no specific order, which is ultimately best because honestly I couldn't tell you a favorite even if I meditated on it.
If you see your blog title/name/link up here...yes, I think you're dope. :)

He's Abrasively Brilliant.
Notorious Z.A.G. aka Prodigal Princess
Riva's got flow!
Fillmoe's Finest
Nikki (with an H)Factz
He's a smart black man
The Bad Sum Bitch
Take 'em to school, Franky.
She's so uncool
Mista JayCee
Scoob, the official 1
Love's Curious Child
Lyrically Devastating
Digs Daily
Eff you, this blog is brand nu
This Negro's dope.
Hip Hop Is Read
Ill Doctrine
Young Lioness
She writes notes to Hip Hop
Music. Love. Heartaches & Headaches.
Pro's Hazardous Mind
This Is Not A Scene
Pastry Heart

There you have it. My first B.A.D. blogroll. Hope everyone who's reading enjoys my blog and the blogs I've posted here. You should really check them out, they've all got something different to offer. You've got a few hours left in the blogiday, why not make a blogroll of your own?

Thanks again to my readers. "My" readers. Ha. You guys make a woman feel all bubbly inside.

Lurkers? Yes, I know you're there. But you gets no love until you make yourself known!

(deuces.)

Edit: After posting this, I found a couple sites who have linked to me in honor of B.A.D. Thanks, guys! Click their links to check them out.
Jon Swift
Buzz Twang