What does the world need from me in 2011?

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Thurman.

Someone in my old meditation group posed the question when considering what occupation she wanted to pursue. The discussion was loosely based on virtuous careers (if there is such a thing), and how to balance between living a peaceful life and existing in the real world. I'm struggling in my present job because it seems so unnecessary and redundant. Simply put, I find it boring. But then as I say to my son, "if you're bored, it's because you are the one who is boring." I need to find a new way to conceptualize my work.

So today, I stumble across this quote from Howard Thurman. I'd never heard of him before, which was a surprise to me. When I was growing up, my parents were determined to instill cultural awareness throughout our home. My mother made sure we never missed a Jet, Ebony, Right On! or Essence when I was growing up. My father made sure we had the Call & Post every Thursday, which is still today Ohio's leading black newspaper. I'm sure I read something of him, but it didn't stick. According to the always reliable Wikipedia, Mr. Thurman  was an influential American author, philosopher, theologian, educator and civil rights leader. I thought what does the world need was a big question. But now I think what makes me come alive is so much bigger and way more relevant.

Off the top of my head what makes me come alive is being creative. Being creative, thinking creatively, repairing or building, cooking, reading, learning are all things that make me feel engaged and plugged in. Recently, I've been really frustrated with the buildup of dog hair in the house. My vacuum didn't seem to be picking up all of the hair. I would find myself on my hands and knees with masking tape trying to remove the excess hair the vacuum just rolled right over. Considering the entire house except the kitchen and baths are carpeted, you can imagine how frustrated I was. Especially since my vacuum is a Bissell Animal Carpet Vac. I bought it for the express purpose of keeping my dog. It was really discouraging. That Dyson jerk kept popping up in my head, but I refuse to give him $500 dollars because he likes his balls.

Now with the holidays, I felt really ashamed to have folks come for a visit. I decided to take a look at the vacuum; broken belt, clogged filters, duh!! Off to the big blue box, spend $25 bucks, tinker, tinker, crack, fix...brand new-live vacuum!! Ta-da!! I was so happy, I vacuumed every inch of carpet I could find. I was genuinely proud of myself for doing what I should have done anyway. Very simple task, but it affected the quality of life in my home. Or maybe just in my mind. But to me it's the same difference. And the dog stays.

So now I figure I need to really focus on activities and projects that give me the same results. I think this is much more interesting than trying to save the world or finding what makes me happy. The vacuum really is irrelevant. Creativity is my fuel.

Make my funk the P-Funk.

If George Clinton and Bootsy Collins are the only names you know from Funkadelic, shame on you. Eddie Hazel's short-lived career must be televised. His guitar riffs are no joke; I could file this post under Are You Shittn' Me?

Check out this bio from Pandora. O.M.G.
From the Bottom of My Heart, California Dream'n and most of all, Maggot Brain are just sick (in a good way).

I hope to find the vinyl version of this. It's got to be a collector's piece. Reminds me of this.

Psycho-iTune of the Moment: Glory Box

I don't know about anyone else, but when I get a song in my head, I listen to it over and over and over again. It's like every time I hear it, I'm almost tempted to replay it again before the song is even over. Cannot get enough. Then suddenly, I'm off stalking another song.

My recent song stalking list:

• The Moon and The Sky - Sade
• Out of My Mind, Just In Time - Erykah Badu (I blogged about it here.)
• I Get So Lonely - Hidden Beach (instrumental version)

My new victim is Glory Box by Portishead. I've heard this song before, but for some reason it really grabbed me this time. I'm not big on electropop, but this song is more trip than electro. The lyrics are freaking amazing. I love what she does vocally. The tension is palpable and gravitating.

Hmmm, looking over my recent stalk list, I seem to think there's a theme afoot. It all goes back to The Moon and The Sky. More on this later.

Are U Shittn' Me? A Review of Al B. Sure's Honey I'm Home

Today we have a new blog feature, Are U Shittn' Me? This category will feature news, events, etc. I find unbelievable that people do, don't do, buy, don't buy, own, believe or recognize.

First up is my review on Al B's latest; Honey I'm Home. I also posted this review on Amazon.

I wish I knew how to really break down how powerful this CD is. I grew up on R&B, but lately, I've resented most entertainers who claim to represent this genre. The songwriting and musical arrangement has been too formulaic, too sophomoric, too ridiculous for serious consideration from me. That said, I am indeed a music snob. I'm one to read liner notes, take note of which performers actually write, produce and arrange their music. I'm not a musician at all, but I am an artist and I respect creativity and craft. Real craft.

That said, like a few of the other reviews, I can't decide which song is my favorite. I've been psycho-listening to this CD all day. It is that tight. First off, the instrumentation is wonderfully refreshing. I don't hear the typical arrangements; before the song begins my feet are tapping and my head is bobbing.

Now, getting to the lyrics. Just sheer romance, seduction, and humor. Al and the gang have put together some very, very clever songs that tell stories, not just verses and refrains. I don't know if there are videos out yet, but really when you hear these songs you can close your eyes and let Al's singing put the picture in your mind.

You can't call it R&B without some deep breathy whispers, seductive talking and a few woos here and there. Al manages to pull this off without being cheesy, overbearing or just plain eww. Can you whisper in a classy way? Al can. He sings effortlessly and meaningfully. I don't doubt that these songs mean something to him. I love the background harmonies, which are not always where you might expect them. He's really put together a package that ought to blow the charts up, but we know quality is not always recognized and respected by the masses. Hence, why I am writing this review. You will not regret the purchase of this CD.

Fragile is such a touching and poignant rendition to the Sting classic. He also covers Lady in My Life. Al makes these his own songs, full of admiration and passion.

The CD is love instruction 101. How to treat a lover, how to be a man, how to build a relationship, and what not to do to tear it down. Keep in mind, humor is all over this too. He doesn't take all this romance-y stuff to seriously, as evidenced in Top of Your Lungs (I'm right here!).

If you're looking for the club song, that would be Whatcha Got. I'll admit I un-checked this song on the playlist; but I'm a romantic purist and this just didn't do it for me. Don't let that stop you. This whole CD is perfect.

My best to Al B. Sure, Kyle West and Hidden Beach!

Comics say it best.

I found these images here. I love them. I feel like they were created just for me.

I wonder how can I get these as bumper stickers?

Blind in one eye, can't see out the other. or My last date.

Something occurred awhile back that made me stop and re-evaluate my dating checklist. I realized that at the age of 41, almost 42 in a few weeks, I need to add another category to my list, or at the very least, expand on #3)Active, healthy lifestyle.

This now needs to include Able-bodied, and able to have an active and healthy lifestyle (for a long time to come).

I've been a caregiver for most of my adult life for my parents. I've assisted my family in taking care of my grandparents, and I have two kids and a dog. I watched my mother and her two sisters devote huge amounts of time toward making their parents comfortable and well-cared for. So I don't say this lightly. I have no desire to care for a potential partner. None. Is that discriminatory? Yes, but it's my choice and I'm sticking to it.

Last year, I had a string of blind dates (who knew one would be literally blind) with men who had some kind of disability. Not an injury, not an illness but an out-and-out handicap. Now, granted we met through dating websites, but I prided myself on spending a good chunk of time weeding out the losers by talking extensively over the phone (even though I hate to), emailing back and forth, and chatting before I agree to meet in person. To me, that's the opportunity to let someone know about a physical impairment, particularly one such as, hmm, blindness or deafness? Is that really asking for too much?

I kid you not, this man was blind in one eye, and could not see out the other. He had one glass eye and the other one kept leaking. I don't know why I stayed for the whole date; I think I just had to see how it was going to end up. It was like watching an episode of Girlfriends, except I was in the show at the same time. I could totally see Joan trying to make the date work, even though they were having dinner at a sports bar, and her date couldn't see the screen. WTF.

But that isn't even the worst part. There are several. He proceeds to tell me he eats no vegetables. Ever. He also never drinks water. Ever. Unless it's Kool-aid. I noticed two men walking back and forth outside in front of the restaurant. They came in after a while and sat close, glancing over every once in a while. It took me a while to figure out they were with Stevie Wonder. Eventually one stands up to go to the bathroom and Stevie's sonar must have picked up on him. He calls him over and introduces me to his friend and the second one comes over too. They were Stevie's chauffeur and sidekick, though I don't know if those titles were official. They proceeded to tell Stevie how attractive I was, even though I'm still sitting there. This makes me wonder (haha) how much of me can Stevie see through the leaky eye. I ask cuz I figure that's not rude; one needs to know this. He says to me in a smarmy old man kind of way, "enough to know I like what I'm looking at." Oh really, are you sure? I think all he can see is a cuddly chocolate blur with locks. Not unlike Snuggle or a character from Fraggle Rock. I would have liked to see him pick me out of a lineup between the rejected mop from the Swiffer commercials and Whoopi Goldberg.

Why didn't he reveal this stupidity online? Oh, I know, because I didn't ask the right and specific question. Silly me. Are you a camel? The braille type they have on elevator buttons and ATMs; do you use that? It seems like the glass eye would leak, not the good one; why is that? Can't they plug it up?

When he learned I had attended a catholic high school, his next question to me was if I had kids by a white man. I don't know how or why that connection happened in his mind, or where he was going with it, or if I was even offended. It's hard to contemplate absurdity. I mean, if I said yes, would he have ended the date? How would he even know if my kids were mixed or not? Anyway, I was too busy trying not to be grossed out by the leaky eye. And the broken front tooth. Then I wondered if he knew the tooth was broken because it was on the side with the glass eye.

Now here comes more foolishness. He suggested we have a second date. At the movies. How close would we have to sit I wondered. When I close one eye for a long time, it hurts. Does it work that way with you? As I'm contemplating why I'm still there, and if he can pop out the glass eye and stick his finger up his nose and out the socket (I saw that once on a Japanese game show), he then asks if I would carry a purse for him to the movies. He explains how he cobbled a purse into a beer bag, so he could enjoy a six-pack while watching  sitting looking viewing being at the movies. Do women really do this for you, I ask. He says yea, why not? And then I realized, if I went to the movies with a blind date, on a blind date, I'd need a beer purse too.

Beer purse

They say you can't change bone structure

Dorry & Miley's mother

Am I right or what? Huh, huh??