Monday, March 16, 2009

Stand By Your Man

I read this story on CNN.com, and if this isn't the definition of a "ride or die chick", then I officially don't know what is.




"Robin Stearns, 28, watched her husband apply for jobs day in and day out. She watched him scour professional networking sites in an attempt to contact prospective employers.

Robin Stearns created a Web site to draw employers' attention to her jobless husband, Michael.

No response.
Then an idea came to her: Why not make him stand out by starting a Web site devoted to helping him find a job? She used her tax refund to buy a MacBook, which came with a Web site building feature. A few days later, myhusbandneedsajob.com was born."



You can check the rest of the story here.


This woman bought a MacBook (which costs a grip--expensive for no damn reason) with her own money and started a website to help her husband find a job. Selflessness at its finest. Her husband has gotten several e-mails regarding job opportunities since the site's opening. If I was that man, I'd deem everyday "My Wife Is AWESOME" day, lol.

I thnk it's admirable; I hear so many women who claim to be a "ride or die"* chick, but when the proverbial sh*t reeeeally hits the fan, zoom! Out the door, which is understandable in some cases, but if you're out before attempting to fix anything? Consider yourself a wimp. Especially in these days and times, when people are losing their jobs faster than they can say 401-K; who can really show that kind of dedication to the one that they love? I'm with it, I believe that in any relationship, your partner's goals should be just as important as yours, if you're serious. Not more important, but if you are with someone and you're considering spending your life with that person, make a plan. That means "I help you, you help me". Ladies, if your man wants to be an astronaut, help him out by getting information on what schools offer scholarships for his studies. Help him find work! Motivation is key, and he will love you endlessly if you show him you're there. Note: I said motivation, not nagging. Running the "did you do's" by your man is one sure way to annoy the hell out of him, so choose your words wisely. It also works vice versa, so men, if your lady has aspirations of being the best pediatric nurse you've ever heard of, give her a little push; help her study, make some flash cards, do something! You'll feel a shift in your relationship, trust me.

Kudos to you, Robin, you set a great example!

(deuces.)
*"Ride or Die Chick" may be my next Friday Forethought topic. That's definitely another phrase that I hear wayyyy too much.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Ziggy's Friday Forethought 3: "No Homo"

Okay, I'll get straight to the point with this one.

"NO HOMO"

This is definitely a phrase I'm beyond tired of hearing. In my opinion, anyone who says this is a) insecure of their own sexuality and b) immature. There is nothing wrong with a man or a woman complimenting the same sex! There has been some kind of stigma attached to this; if a man compliments another man's shoes that man's sexuality is now in question. Not cool. I got funny looks for saying that I thought Alicia Keys' body was nice. If you are a person who is %100 comfortable with your sexuality, complimenting someone of the same sex on their looks, etc. should not be an issue. After I made my comment about A-Keys' assets, I heard chuckles and got funny looks. I mean, how old are we?
There's not really much I can say about this phrase. It's been around for too long and it's time to put it in the ground. It's over abused to the point of offensiveness, being that it's "used" at totally wrong times.
"Ay man, suck a di*k, no homo..."
"That shirt is hot, no homo..."
And so on.
Just kill it, people!
Has anyone heard "no homo" used at the most inappropriate time? And what do you think of the phrase, funny or phony?
(deuces.)

Why June 2, 2009 Will Be One Of The Best Days Of My Life

One name:
DILLA.
J Dilla
Ma Dukes and Pete Rock have teamed up decided to release a project of unreleased beats and samples by the one and only J Dilla. Titled Jay Stay Paid (J$P), this album will feature music from Dilla's old DATs and floppy disks, as well as a few tracks laid down while he was in the hospital.

I read about this online and was uber psyched. As a huge Dilla fan, any word on an album is good news in my book. But this had to be what sealed the deal for me:


The format of the album plays like a radio show with Pete Rock acting as a radio DJ. While largely instrumental, J$P also features guest vocals from artists Black Thought of The Roots, MF DOOM, and M.O.P. All are artists that Dilla worked with or admired.

Black Thought?! Doom?!? Anddddd M.O.P.?!?!?! Pete Rock acting as radio DJ?! Nerdgasm. Nerdgasm!
The album drops June 2nd via Nature Sounds. I will have it in my collection as early as June 2nd. Oh yes!
(deuces.)

Monday, March 9, 2009

Just Another Manic Monday...

...and I really do wish it was Sunday.

Sitting at work right now, people watching and trying to keep my eyes open. Daylight Savings Time kicked my butt, and the small bout of insomnia I battled over the weekend didn't help either; too many consecutive 4AM (or later) bedtimes really does make you delirious. I have Halo 3, my best friend and Scuba's Super Nintendo to blame. Damn you all!

Anyways, I was checking my e-mail a little earlier, and I got a message from someone who may be an anon reader/follower. She digs the blog, and she wants to know what music I have playing on my page. Now, I never really thought the music was a big deal; I'm a person who prefers to listen to music whilst I surf the 'net so I figured that there are bunches of other people who do the same. I decided to add a playlist to just give you guys a sample of the music I'm into.

Since I got an e-mail about my choosings of tuneage, here's a list of the list--artist name and track title, no links included. I'll add more from time to time, so the list may get longer.

FYI: The starting track, "Breakin' My Heart", was created by myself and my brother. If you remember, I touched briefly on my own musical endeavors. So yes, that's us that you hear when you first visit my blog. I've decided to always have a BlackMuzik track start the playlist, and although I don't list the artists on the playlist, any music by BlackMuzik will be marked with an asterisk. By the way, there's heavy linkage in this paragraph because I want you all to ADD US AND LISTEN TO THE MUSIC! :) Please and thank you.

Let the tuneage begin...
-BlackMuzik-Breakin' My Heart
-Radiohead-15 Step
-Raheem Devaughn ft. Ludacris-Bulletproof
-Neyo-Future in You
-B.O.B.-Lonely People
-A Tribe Called Quest-Sucka Nigga
-Nirvana-Milk It
-System of A Down-Atwa
-The Roots-I Can't Help It
-Raphael Saadiq-OPH
-Radiohead-In Limbo
-Lupe Fiasco-Sunshin
-Gnarls Barkley-Surprise
-Brandy-Drum Life
-B-Real ft. Damian Marley-Fire
-N.E.R.D.-Lazer Gun
-N.E.R.D.-Anti Matter

That's it. That's the playlist, in order of appearance. I'll add more pretty soon, so there may be an update. Listen out for some Mamas and Papas, some Pink Floyd, Nina Simone...it's gonna get pretty eclectic.
(deuces.)

Sunday, March 8, 2009

A Music Lover MUST Have


This is probably my favorite Marvin Gaye album. Released in 1978, Here, My Dear is noted as being autobiographical, chronicling Gaye's first marriage with Anna Gordy. The story is that the title of the album was for Gordy; receiving royalties from this album was part of the divorce settlement, as well as a portion of Marvin's advance for his next album. Ouch.
If you've never heard this album before, you're sleeping. Honestly.


One of my favorite tracks on the album. Enjoy!

(deuces.)

Friday, March 6, 2009

Ziggy's Friday Forethought 2: Estrogen Confusion

"But nevertheless don't mean to bust your bubble, but girls of the world ain't nothing but trouble..."

-The Fresh Prince, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble"


I can count the number of female friends I have on one hand.
For as long as I remember, I've always been partial to hanging with those of the testosterone persuasion. My mother was sure that it was a phase; the awkward tomboy lifestyle that usually lasts until you stop wearing training bras, but I'm now well into my 20s and the XY chromosomes are still making their presence known in my life. Honestly, it was never a choice as to what gender of company I keep, but past experiences have taught me some harsh lessons, so I choose to keep my distance. I tried to embrace the female energy, truly I did, but each instance ended the same way: FAIL. I'll change names to protect the "innocent", but here are a couple examples.

-Case #1: Best friends since elementary school, Ziggy and Ashley* finally parted ways when entering middle school. Ziggy discovers that Ashley goes to her rival middle school, and they both have fun running the dozens about who's school is better. Things take a turn for the worse when Ashley and four other girls from her school viciously beat up Ziggy one day after school. Result: FAIL
-Case #2: Ziggy and Mia* have been best friends since birth. They've both equally confided in eachother on various subjects; boys being the majority as they got older. Mia gets involved with a mutual acquaintance of her and Ziggy, which turns sour after a few months. Before the end of their relationship, Mia and Ziggy get into argument due to Mia's incessant sharing of Ziggy's personal business with said boyfriend. Argument almost turns into physical altercation as Mia makes it clear that she is taking boyfriend's side. Violation of "the code"; result: FAIL

Now, these are just a couple of examples, but the most recent permanently seals my opinion and also provides further examples of why I would rather be in the company of the opposite sex. A while ago, after meeting Scuba for the first time, a female I consider to be a great friend said something that both angered and upset me.
"Damn Za, he's a cutie. What's he doing with you, though? I could never figure out how you pull these types of guys; good looking, good head on their shoulders, goals...the sex must be amazing."
*cue Flava Flav sound byte*
Wowwwwwwwwwwww. Seriously, though? Yes. She was dead serious; she really wanted to know. That's my problem. As females, it disgusts me that we have this wack ass crabs in a barrell complex with eachother. Can't be happy for a sista, but you'd love to take the time to dissect and tear down who I am to try and figure out why I have who/what I have. I would have answered my "friend", but I was too busy trying to keep my hands from developing a mind of their own and slapping whatever sense I could rattle up out of her. She basically assassinated my character right in front of me. She failed to perform her duties as a friend; instead of exclaiming her happiness for me, she decided to use her soapbox moment to display underlying jealousy by ripping my relationship apart. Not cool. If I hadn't been so upset, I would have given her an answer, and I'm sure it would have went like this...
"It's funny that you mention that, I'm still trying to figure out why dudes waste their time with you. All you do is sabotage everything. You're so used to being treated like s*it that when someone positive comes along, you automatically thing that something's up when it's not. You don't know how to be happy, so you're choosing to live vicariously through me and insult me at the same time. And although my sex life is not your business, we haven't had sex . Just because you choose to take the whore route by dropping your panties for every dude who blinks twice at you doesn't mean I'll do the same. And the bottom line is, I attract what I am and what I desire. Try changing your way of thinking, and maybe you too can pull a dude that cares about what's in your head instead of head."

I could have taken it there, but I chose the adult reaction; I said nothing, and after that conversation I decided to distance myself from her. If she's saying that to my face, Lord knows what she's saying about me to her friends, mutual or otherwise.
Since then, I've tried multiple times to begin new friendships with females, but there's always too much drama, and I always end up being the advice giver for situations that really don't require much thought. It's all too much work, and I'm a simple person. Besides that, I have my own issues and scrupples that need figuring, so I'm a little picky when it comes to dividing time between things that are important and pointless B/S. I've had too many instances where I've heard something come from a woman's mouth and gave her the "WTF?" face. Just doesn't cut it. Things just don't work out for me, which is totally fine; the female friends I have in my circle now are more than enough.
So, to my female readers (or really anyone who'd like to jump in), do you have a hard time seeing eye to eye with the same sex? Why? I know I can't be the only one to share the same reasonings. Let me know what you think.

(deuces.)

#@%^&#%&#*^!!!!

The blog title sums up how I'm feeling right now.
I'm sitting here, enjoying the start of my Friday; feeling good about certain events that transpired yesterday, when I get this message popping up on my screen:
"You're gonna shit yourself...Angela Davis was at Towson last night, speaking on a panel."

O_o. That's the face that I had when I got the message, and it's the face I still have now.
I'm utterly PISSED! Everyone close to me knows that Angela is my absolute favorite activist, and the fact that I missed her when she was a 25 minute drive away makes me want to slam my head against something that will put me into immediate naptime. I've been trying to find information on where she'll be speaking for a longggggg time, and she was right under my friggin' nose. %&!%^&@%^&@%, I say. %&!%^&@%^&@%.

So, let me drop this PSA: If any readers, followers (publicly and anon), or whoever has information regarding where Angela Davis will be speaking in the Maryland area or any other state, LET ME KNOW! I'm dead serious. I'm willing to drive out of state.

Correction...we're willing to drive out of state. Moms just called, I told her what happened. She wants some info too. So start sharing! Please, and thank you.
Ugh! I can't believe I missed her again!

(deuces.)
If you thought I was playing about that PSA:
drop an e-mail!
=(