The Inexplicable

Black-Owned Business Deals Site

2011-12-20T22:06:00.001-08:00

Greetings family and friends and whoever else, I am
writing to share a new daily deals site called UjamaaDeals that is
centered around BLACK-OWNED COMPANIES. Please click the link below and
begin receiving deals from businesses in our community and to
familiarize yourself with some businesses that you may not otherwise
hear much about:

http://zfer.us/70snz

Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!

ChiYorker News

2010-01-26T13:05:00.001-08:00

We've launched a new online magazine focusing on Chicago culture with reports from NY, Los Angeles and abroad.

The site has just launched in Beta. We're sharing it with a few folks in our community (starting with you) before we officially launch!

Check out CY's original stories and fashion editorials featuring:

Diddys' MTV series Making His Band star Om'mas Keith

Precious Star Angelic Zambrana

NYC Womenswear line Cloak and Dagger

Designer Kiel Mead

Chicago Based Designer Renovar

Artist Julian Lytle

The 10 Wine Commandments

Jay-Z

Fashion Lookbooks from:

Solemates Chicago

Married to the Mob

Akira Chicago

80's Purple LA

Get free music from our Freeloaders section featuring:

Lupe Fiasco

DJ Soul

Shala

DJ Kiss

We've also invaded Twitter at twitter.com/chiyorker where we will be reporting and retweeting the best in news, fashion, politics, arts and entertainment from across the 'net.

ChiYorker provides exciting and exclusive events to attend and network, while CY keeps you in the loop as to what's current, relevant and cutting edge. This interesting dynamic will ensure that ChiYorker and CY will serve as the ulitimate global destination for lifestyle and culture. By using Chicago as our primary market, CY will carve a new lane in global media providing fresh insight to all things avant garde.

Also, be sure to look out for ChiYorker branded events in Chicago and New York!

Sincerely,

The ChiYorker Team

VISIT US: http://www.chiyorker.com/

bloggin'

2009-12-31T02:59:00.001-08:00

hey there I want to say something real quick before I have to go home: READ/LISTEN TO DAVE RAMSEY'S TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO!

MOBAPALOOZA.

2009-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Talk About a Knight in Shining Armour...

2009-07-26T05:21:00.001-07:00

When I think of $55,000 a month I have to admit that sounds like it could be fun. When I think about how Kelis didn't even have to be in the courtroom to get it...there must have been some serious lawyering going on. People are debating whether she deserves it or not and my thoughts on the matter are that it's nobody's business but theirs. Most likely for things to have wrapped up so concisely and when you think about how Kelis was so adamantly ready to be done with this marriage, one can conclude that there were some grave circumstances that led to all this mess. Face it, dude was cheating like a whore, drinking and/or drugging to an unreasonable extent, or some other wreckless behavior that led up to this because no one has this much "bad luck". I don't understand why the media is so intent on getting to the bottom of this nonsense when obviously some serious shit went down and due to the outcome Nas was probably in the wrong more than a little bit.

People are saying that she is so wrong for keeping him out of the birthing room and a whole bunch of other shit that they couldn't possibly know anything about when initial reports stated that Nas was drunk and belligerent and the hospital forced him to leave! Not to mention that I don't think any of us would want to try to have a baby while the person you've been expending all your effort to stay away from is in the room completely and utterly wasted and possibly even causing a ruckus...

I wish much health and happiness to Nas, Kelis, and Knight and I pray that better days are ahead for this young family!

What Obama Said...

2009-07-25T04:24:00.001-07:00

I'M FROM CHICAGO I DON'T BREAK

http://www.cafepress.com/craftbot.3991671511#

Live From Tweak Central:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0lrq35

The Jena 6 are free -- how YOU made it possible

2009-06-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

Finally, the Jena 6 are Free!

"None of this would have happened without you," -- Jim Boren, Jena 6 attorney, talking about the contribution of ColorOfChange members.

You can hear the voicemail or send your personal thoughts to the Jena 6 here:

Dear Aisha,

Friday, nearly two years after more than 320,000 of you stood up to protect them from Jim Crow justice, the Jena 6--Jesse Ray Beard, Carwin Jones, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Bryant Purvis and Mychal Bell--are all now free to move ahead with their lives. We should all be proud.

The five remaining Jena 6 cases were brought to conclusion on Friday¹ when Jesse Ray, Carwin, Robert, Theo, and Bryant pleaded "no contest" to misdemeanor simple battery charges.² They will spend no time in jail, serve seven days of probation, and pay relatively minor fines and court fees.

It's an incredible outcome given that the young men were originally charged with attempted murder in small-town Louisiana and had neither the funds nor the connections to get high-quality representation or attention for their cases.

Luckily for the Jena 6, hundreds of thousands of you got involved, and the power of your participation changed the game. An amazing team of lawyers worked tirelessly to achieve Friday's outcome. Our staff helped recruit them, and your financial contributions--over $275,000--provided the bulk of the funds for their work. Jim Boren, the coordinating attorney, said this about ColorOfChange members' contribution: "None of this would have happened without you."

But it wasn't just lawyers and money. Over 300,000 of you wrote to Governor Blanco and District Attorney Reed Walters. On September 20th, 2007, more than 10,000 of you went to Jena. Members who couldn't make it to Jena held more than 150 rallies and vigils across the country, and made more than 6,000 phone calls to elected officials in Louisiana. And a few weeks later, ColorOfChange members sent almost 4,000 complaints demanding an inquiry into the DA's actions.

Your actions offline and online helped put Jena on the map and resulted in critical coverage in every mainstream news outlet. You started a movement that made it impossible for Louisiana officials to support the status quo.

Today we offer congratulations to these young men and their families, and we say thank you to the entire ColorOfChange.org community. We're also so thankful to the attorneys who took these cases but chose to stay out of the limelight. They and several others³ are the unsung heroes of this story.

As the young men of the Jena 6 close this chapter of their lives, we wanted to give you an opportunity to wish them well. Click the link below to leave a personal statement for the young men of the Jena 6, or to listen to the voicemail from Jim Boren thanking the ColorOfChange community for our work:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jenaresolution/?id=1976-213934

While this is a great moment, it's important to remember that if it were not for the extreme nature of this case, most of us wouldn't have known about it or gotten involved. The reality is that there are countless Jena 6's: young people--often Black and male--who are overcharged or unduly criminalized, and whose plight is unknown to most of the outside world.

Even in the case of the Jena 6, we need to take stock of what did not happen. While Judge JP Mauffray was taken off the case due to the appearance of bias (a pivotal moment for the cases), District Attorney Reed Walters--the person largely responsible for the problems in the first place--still has his job.

It's the reason our work cannot just be about identifying and fighting for individuals railroaded by the system, but about creating systemic change in criminal justice in America. We are truly grateful to have the chance to do this work with you, and we're hoping for your continued engagement and support.

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
June 28, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU -- your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/?id=1976-213934

References:

1. "Plea Bargain Wraps Up 'Jena 6' Case," 9-26-09
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/26/national/main5116800.shtml

2. The sixth teenager charged, Mychal Bell, pleaded guilty to battery in juvenile court on December 3rd, 2007.

3. Thanks are due to Alan Bean, Tory Pegram, and King Downing, who dedicated months to working with the families and getting the story out, and to our friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center who played a central role in putting together and supporting the legal teams. Without any one of them, our work would have been hampered, or in some cases not possible at all.

Live From Tweak Central:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0lrq35

On Saturday there will be FIREWERX (pass it on)

2009-06-28T09:05:00.001-07:00

THIS SATURDAY JULY 4TH, 2009 COME CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE FROM THE CHOKEHOLD OF INFERIOR PERFORMANCES AND EXPERIENCE THE FIREWERX

WHEN? THIS SATURDAY JULY 4TH @ 9PM
WHERE? SUBTERRANEAN 2011 WEST NORTH AVENUE
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME? $7.00
BUT WHY? BECAUSE IT WILL BE A MORE THAN MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FEATURING CHICAGO'S WILDEST DRUNKEN MONKEEE

HOSTED BY: AWDAZCATE
WITH PERFORMANCES BY:
THE GENT$
DRUNKEN MONKEEE
GARDEN MUSIC
BBU
ISIS ROSE
LOVERS IN ARMS
WITH MUSIC BY: DJ ALO AND RUDE ONE

the one about the Osafo shoot

2009-06-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

So recently we hosted another photo shoot which was very very very cool. The designer was the amazing Andrew Osafo and I was blown away by the pieces, I would wear his designs any day! The clothes I saw yesterday were better than the ones on Project Runway and waaaay better than the extravagant designs they show at the Ebony Fashion show (yuck!) Those clothes are so pretentious, who would wear that stuff? No one, that's why it is in the same Ebony Fashion show every year because it doesn't travel any further than that! I guess I shoudln't be so hard on them, that's just my opinion I really don't know how far that ugliness travels, I just know that I wouldn't wear it because it's too gaudy for my taste. Anyway back to Osafo! He does a really amazing job of combining the African and American cultures. Until yesterday all I'd seen was dashikis made from African fabrics and every now and then someone will try to blend an African print with a european piece, but it never seems to work out quite right. This is not the case with Osafo's designs! One caucasian lady had her blond hair in a bob, pearl earrings, a Kentucky Derby-styled hat, conservative heels, and a classicly cut dress that was -ahem- made of African printed fabric! It was indescribable, you really would have to see how well it worked!

And, as usual, Lynnette did the damn thing. She specializes in fine art photography so her shoots always have a certain edge that you don't see very often in mainstream print work. That reminds me: Lynnette Astaire and Abby Taylor, a well-known Chicago makeup artist, are teaming together to offer private portrait sessions this summer. For more info see the link below.

ANDREW OSAFO'S DESIGNS: http://www.kwabena.net/ these outfits are hot!

LYNNETTE ASTAIRE AND ABBEY TAYLOR:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/note.php?note_id=91967754015
--
http://www.a-nerd-alert-creation.blogspot.com/
check me out.

shouts out to MyFreeCopyright.com

2009-06-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

why are you so paranoid
you're worried about the wrong things...

Shouts out also to Kanye West
please keep doing your thing
yes, this is what we've been waiting for
for someone to come out
(especially a Chicagoan, fuckuhaters)
and not be afraid to be they muthafuggin selves
His monologue before this performance
can be described as nothing less than beautiful:

NEW MOS DEF

2009-05-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

The Ecstatic (Album Snippets) | Download New Hip Hop Mixtapes & Rap Mixtapes > HipHopDX.com

TALK TO ME

2009-05-28T22:28:00.001-07:00

This movie is so great, go see it if you haven't already!

Kelis is glowing :]

2009-05-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Also, did I tell you the top row of my number keys don't work?| Ain't that some bull?| I have to use the key pad on the right side :|

let be.

2009-05-23T03:23:00.000-07:00

MISSION Tweak Central Academy makes music for the people by the people. However, our mission is bigger than us. We LOVE the music and we want you to love the music too, but we also love this CITY. We love this COUNTRY, and we love this PLANET. Our generation has been charged to make a better place to live for our children and our future generations. We plan to do this by ROCKING HARD and GIVING BACK NOW. Raising awareness NOW. We have a great voice and we plan to use it.

WE ALSO WANT THE MUSIC TO RETURN TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERSHIP OF THE ARTISTS! NO LONGER CAN WE ALLOW BIG BUSINESS TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT TRUE ARTISTS SHOULD BE MAKING BECAUSE THIS WATERS DOWN THE CULTURE AND ITS CREATIVITY. HIP HOP IS NOT DEAD, WE JUST ALLOWED IT TO GET BOUGHT AND SOLD (LIKE A SLAVE). IF YOUR STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS IS NOT PERIODICALLY INTERRUPTED BY AN ORIGINAL SONG OR LYRIC, YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BE MAKING MUSIC. IF YOU HAVE TO FORCE IT YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T BE DOING IT. TWEAK CENTRAL ARTISTS MAKE MUSIC BECAUSE THEY CAN’T NOT MAKE MUSIC. AND IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT BECAUSE IF GOD PUTS A SONG IN YOUR HEART IT IS NOT TO BE IGNORED NO MATTER WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK, THAT’S WHY IT IS A GIFT AND THAT’S WHY REAL ART MOVES PEOPLES’ SOULS.

BE INFORMED
BE COMPASSIONATE
BE CREATIVE
BE OPEN MINDED
BE STRATEGIC
BE PRODUCTIVE (NOT DESTRUCTIVE)
BE YOURSELF
TWEAK WHEN YOU WANNA
AND ABOVE ALL: BE AND LET BE

ILL's new video :)

2009-05-23T03:17:00.000-07:00

New video from Ill-Legit featuring Wes Restless "Too Familiar"
The video stars Christine Marie and there is a brief appearance from Drunken Monkeee
Tweak Central!

Ill Legit feat. Wes Restless - Too Familiar (prod. by Dario) from Nick Castle on Vimeo.

The last part is hilarious his thirsty ass is hiding in her closet, lol!

Ten Little Condoms

2009-05-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Ten little condoms, all in a row
all trying to figure..."where will I go?"

Will I be used today? When will I know?

Ten Little Condoms...all in a row.

One died. He just got left in the sun too long.
One got chewed up by the dog.

One got a HOLE POKED IN IT...by an evil wench, trying to trap a man...trying to be "late":
(Musiq Soulchild Interlude)
What you mean you late, you late for work or something?
Naw, I'm LATE.
Like, late? Or...LATE late?
I'm LATE LATE (nigga)!

One was FORGOTTEN on the nightstand. There was a conception that day. A beautiful child was created...but what was HER FATE? Did she make it? Did she grow? Was she brought into this world? Does she know? Was she loved? Was she given away? Did she have a TWIN with which she could play? Did she grow up to be a doctor? A dancer with grace? Did she grow up to sell her mind body and soul...did she dance with disgrace?

Six little condoms...all in a row
still they try to figure "Where will I GO?!"

One got used twice...which I don't think you're supposed to do.
One got a banana stuck in it at a sex party as an instructional tool.

One got snatched...it was pulled so it broke. "If you love me we shouldn't need it." This was all that was wrote.

One was used PROPERLY and peaks were reached. Life was experienced to a next level degree. ORGASMS were violently numerous and such. Shared by both lovers mesmerized by touch. Juices were flowing, love was made. But no lifetime bond was created, no commitment cemented, no shame. Did the lovers love until the end of time? Mind your own business. I make sure I mind mine.

Two condoms left! There is no more row...
They looked at each thinking, "FUCK, WHERE WILL I GO?!"

One expired.

The last lone condom, well, he was really confused:
"Damn all my friends have been used and abused. Some benefitted their people, others rotted away. Will I ever make a difference in someone's life someday?"

The moral of this story is...really up to you.
Because my POINT is:

CONDOMS CAN'T CHOOSE!!!

I'm ready to jump back in...

2009-04-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

...into this blogging thing. I just have too much to share! I realized this today after posting like 50 things on my facebook page today. First I wanna share a commercial for a show we have coming up next week:

Ok, now check out this CRAZY video for "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" by Gnarls Barkley:

Uh, and this rather interesting video of hands...

OK these embed codes are acting really funky so here's this link and then I'm done:

http://thinkcommon.com/blog/2009/04/17/kanye-hands/

2009-04-02T03:33:00.000-07:00

Damn I'm tired. I shouldn't be because I didn't get up until 5pm, but that was still like 12 hours ago. Just working hard trying to promote and get things in order. I need to study so I can finish this Accounting course, but at least I got a B on the midterm!!!

Check out the new music on the following pages, it'll be worth your time:
www.myspace.com/drunkenmonkeee
www.myspace.com/professorgorilladickens
www.myspace.com/tweekcentral

Also I'm trying to get the PGD zipped file on a file hosting site but I don't know what the eff I'm doing...

So, just as I expected...

2008-08-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

...people showed up at the party allr eady to be entertained but without any money! Well I don't know if they had money or not but they certainly weren't willing to donate...we provided good food, good music, free drinks, a creative atmosphere, you name it. I had fun and it was the type of party I would've very willingly gave the $10 suggested donation. But then again, I'm just that type of person. Now I'm sure that Chicago is full of not only haters but cheap ass ones at that!

OK don't get me wrong, I love my city. However I strongly suggested that we either get a new venue or charge for drinks because people are not donating at the door. Some shit I put up with that night and others before it:

Scenario 1:
Group of 7 people approach the entrance*
"Welcome to the Raspberry Soiree, we are asking for a $10 donation and if you'd like to drink at the open bar just show me your ID and I'll give you a wristband."
4 people show me their IDs, one person gives me $6, and the rest of the deadbeats keep walking*

Scenario 2:
Two couples approach the entrance, both girls hammered out of their minds*
"Welcome to the Raspberry Soiree, we are asking for a $10 donation and if you'd like to drink at the open bar just show me your ID and I'll give you a wristband."
All 4 show their IDs, the first guy gives me $10 and then STOPS the 2nd girl from giving any money by saying that he already "paid." Then the drunker of the two girls proceeds to apologize profusely about how she doesn't have any money blah blah blah*

OK now I'm not saying that EVERYONE who entered that night should've had my $10 ready and waiting for the taking but most of them should've and all of them should've had something to contribute. Most of the people there knew who they were coming to see, knew what to expect, and therefore shouldn'tve shown their face without first making sure they had some sort of contribution to the greater good. Now we're just not going to do this type of show anymore.

Scenario 3:
A dude I've met before (I even gave him a ride home once) approaches with some broad and another dude.
"Welcome to the Raspberry Soiree, we are asking for a $10 donation and if you'd like to drink at the open bar just show me your ID and I'll give you a wristband. Hey, don't I know you?"
"Yeah you know me."
They stand their stretching their necks as if they want to give me the impression that they are not sure if they want to come in.
"The donation is a suggested one, we'll take whatever you can give."
"OK well then I suggest $5." He hands it to me abruptly and walks on by. The other two show me their IDs and get their wristbands.

Scenario 3 was the one that pissed me off. Like, for real? That's when I was like eff these people they suck and are ridiculously unappreciative. Ultimately the person that most of the people came to see didn't even perform, and now I'm glad he didn't because of the way people acted that night.

Oh well, we live and we learn.

Broke in the Club

2008-07-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Stop coming to the club broke! If your employer was constantly trying to pay you less than you earned you'd be pissed, right? So in the same vein stop coming to the shows trying to get a discount. If it's that serious you must like it, so pay what you owe! This "I'm with the band" shit is for the birds. People rock their heart and souls out for your enjoyment so if you know you're coming to see a show also know that you're going to have to pay for one. Plus, if you can't afford $10 for a set (especially one with free refreshments) you've got bigger problems that need to be addressed, for real.

And to all you artists have faith in knowing that there are still good people out there willing to pay for your shows, you just have to find them. Stop letting all your friends in free; you're just disrespecting your own art.

An Open Letter To Mos Def

2008-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

This has to be said. Yes, you are a musical mastermind, we know this. And yeah we know that you're not the average run-of-the-mill hip hop artist either. What we don't know is this: what's up with these performances?! I saw you at SpitKickers, I know what you can do live. But for some reason the last 3-4 times I've seen you on stage I've just been left...scratching my head.

Don't the blank stares bother you? That would probably haunt my dreams. You've had to notice, so are you trying to send us the message that connecting with the crowd is not a priority? So what is your goal? Do you want to experiment/try out new material? Because without that connection it comes off as if you don't care. And we refuse to believe that because we still care, a lot, actually! This is like a relationship where you have all the "hand" and you know it. You treat us however, leave us wanting more, and then when we beg for an encore (because you know we will) we get a quick "Umi Says" and you're gone just as fast as you came. Your set comes off as chaotic and convoluted and my thing is that if you have not one single bad album, how can you have (multiple) bad performances!?

I'm not saying that us die hard fans aren't interested in hearing/seeing the more experimental or new material, I just don't think Rock the Bells is an ideal setting. At a giant festival give us the bangers and the classics, it's only right!

I remember when I first got True Magic I recognized some of the songs from a live performance I'd just seen but I also remember being confused as hell at that performance! I (subsequently) love True Magic so I feel the audience can really appreciate a new song during a 5-6 song set, but any more than that and we're going to get antsy.

That's my piece. A new approach would be appreciated but in the end you're Mos Def and we're your loyal fans so do what you want.

Our Economy Sucks/WTF Jeezy

2008-07-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

True story: Last week I bought a single carton of juice at the Walgreens on 22nd and Damen for $3.39 (CranApple, of course). However I need someone, anyone out there in cyberspace to tell me why a 13.25% sales tax was applied?! These city, county, state, just-because-you're-breathing taxes are kicking the ass of the Average Joe! Most people who are working still need side hustles just to stay afloat. I was talking to my friend Craig a few days ago and some of our conversation went something like this:

Me: Stimulus my ass...this recession does not have a clear end in sight :(

Craig: Yeah times are hard I got a job here in Iowa as an analyst for (insert big ass bank here) and I'm still struggling. I don't want to pay $3.79 for gas...

Me: I wish that's what gas was out here, it's up to $4.50 out here (if you're lucky to find it that cheap)

Craig: What?! Wow. The rich get richer, the middle class get poorer, and the poor...well you know.

Me: The poor get desperate and start shooting up shit!

Seriously, the number of homicides in Chicago has ballooned this summer and I don't think it all has to do with the sagging economy but we all know that when the people are struggling in a society the crime rate is higher than when people are doing well. Just recently some poor tourists had a bullet fly through their hotel room window! They said it won't keep them from coming back, though.

On a completely unrelated note, has anyone read the article about Jeezy in the new VIBE? Is it just me or does he come off as...cowardly? Maybe the article was just way too personal. Politics. Keyshia. His son and the inevitable disrespect he will have for his father...TMI! The article opens up with a direct quote, "No disrespect to my man Barack, but I fuck with John McCain." HOWEVER, he was on the radio last week saying that it's a misquote and that VIBE got it backwards. Now I know that you responsible journalists aren't out there conducting interviews without a tape recorder in THIS day and age! VIBE premptively sticks the nail in the coffin by showing Jeezy greeting McCain on the set of Saturday Night Live. I don't know which story is true but something seems fishy. If he supports McCain, it's not very respectable to backtrack once Obama supporters challenge his views. On the other hand if your job is hip hop and you are a McCain supporter, you probably shouldn't bring it up if at all possible because the hip hop generation has said what it has to say about the 2008 election! Whatever, the article is on the stands, draw your own conclusions (and be sure to look out for "My President is Black" the new single by The Snowman himself).

The article goes on to say that Keyshia Cole asked Jeezy to marry her but he declined. He is quoted as saying, "that shit was affecting my personal life." Ok, correct me if I'm wrong but since when is a relationship not personal!? His whole approach to the Keyshia issue seemed dishonorable to me. He says she should've stood up for him when the pregnancy rumors started but no you should've stood up for yourself if that's what needed to be done. Or the pregnancy rumor could've been ignored since nine months would've put that to rest...I'm through, check out the article.

Quickly: Me and my boyfriend watched the premiere of "From Gs to Gents" this evening, a Charm School-like reality show hosted by Farnsworth Bentley. Jo scoffed at the idea but I thought it was intriguing and I told him, "Joseph! Manners are respectable." His response? "I wish I could've farted when you said that."

The Beginning of it All...

2008-07-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Aisha and this is my intro...

I'm a 25 year old Quality Control Chemist from Chicago. I've been nerdy all my life and always wondered how I would make my mark. Today I just may have found out.

I was one of those kids that always had 3-4 books checked out of the school library, lol. I was in the Accelerated Reader program and if you read enough books, you could go to the Ice Cream Social at the end of the year! The reading must have really paid off because in fourth grade I wrote a historical fiction piece for social studies class that blew my teacher away. At 10 years old I realized that I was a writer.

I've always loved math too. In retrospect I should have majored in Math while in college because I probably would've graduated with a 4.0 :( So armed with my writing skills and a fascination with numbers I was accepted into the International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln Park; a program designed for travelling diplomats that wanted the best in education for their children while also being a program that could be accessed wherever in the world the diplomats and their families found themselves.

I.B. was all about scholarship. I still don't know how I managed to have a life while in high school, but I do remember it as being one of the happiest times of my life. My high school years culminated in an I.B. diploma and a dissertation on the relationship between Black Panther Party and Marxism that I wish I could find but probably never will...

On to college at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa where I majored in Chemical Engineering (don't ask). Chem E is cool but I was much more interested in the sociology of being an urban youth at a predominantly white institution of higher learning (shouts out to the Got Ignorance? Campaign). I made it through though, and while completing my Chemical Engineering labs at University College London I wrote my parents an eleven page letter that will make an appearance at a later date, I just need to dig it out from the archives.

The short story became my way of expressing myself in ways that I couldn't ever before. I came to find that when people read what I write it evokes feelings and reactions that didn't happen otherwise. I found myself wishing I could write things worth reading everyday of my life but something was missing...purpose. What could I write about that other people would find worth reading about? My life is an amalgam of good people, good music, real issues, you name it, but how could I put it all in one place? I would figure that out in due time but first I would write two more pieces of interest, both to satify coursework for my minor in African-American Studies. The first was a one act play about a college-age Black female that wanted to attend a Historically Black College/University and her mother who was dead set on her attending an ivy league school. This was (rather ambitiously) inspired by August Wilson, who wrote plays about Black America set in every decade of the last millenium. Yeah ambitious, I know. The second piece was a short story about a college-age White male that, technically, through no fault of his own, was a beholder of racist viewpoints who is visited ghost-of-Christmas-Past-style by an Ancient African King who...helps him see the light. This last piece won a 2006 Legacy of Excellence Award from the African American Studies Program at Iowa State University and I have to say I'm proud of it. I'm proud of them all, actually.

So why, you ask, am I telling you all this and tooting my own horn like I am? Well, like I said, I've always wondered how I can make sense of all this. I work at a chemical plant and until recently wasn't reading or writing anything, just waiting to be...inspired. Maybe this is a good time to mention that I'm dating Chicago's Wildest Performer: Drunken Monkeee. This past year has been a roller coaster ride of emotions and performances, laughing, crying, and meeting new people/personalities. Yes, it's been crazy but I've never been intimidated by a good challenge. Meanwhile I've been trying to figure out how to share these amazing experiences with my family and friends, maybe even the world. Every now and then someone will look at me with the question burning and bubbling right below the surface of appropriate conversation: "You're dating Drunken Monkeee? That must be interesting...what's it like?" The bold ones will just come out and ask.

All that has brought me right here at this keyboard contemplating my role, so...here goes.