last days!

when I first came to college I thought that it would take forever for me to get this point. I had no clue that the time between then and now would go by so fast. i find myself reflecting on all of the good, bad, random, fun, enlightening moments that I have had here.
I remember when I was a fresh how me and all of my friends would meet up to go to all of the parties we could find, every single night. We would have around 25 people riding around in line of cars searching for the next party. I also remember having massive water fights with everyone in our dorm building because it was hot outside and we were bored. By the end of the day the dorm rooms would have 2 and 3 inches of water in them. Now that I look back on those fond memories I realize that I had an excessive amount of fun in college. but I have not just been having fun but I have also been growing up and gaining life experiences pertaining to relationships, time management, money, and really anything else that an "adult" would do. I have been chased by girls and stood up by them, I have missed assignments and had to take responsibility for them, I have dealt with fake people and true friends. Over all I think I had a Damn good time while I was here.

You gotta be kidding me!

Its the last 3 days in my college career, 3 finals left, I have been up for 2 days studying, and when I finally get the chance to get some sleep my toilet floods my bathroom at 4:30 in the morning. I was up until around four doing class work when i felt a rumbling in my tummy. I was just about done with the work that I had set out to complete so i took a break to make a trip to the bathroom. I rose to flush the toilet when it filled to the top and over flowed onto the floor. i immediately reached behind the toilet to turn off the water , but of course, the shut off valve was broken. Once I realized that twisting the valve was not going to shut the water off I took the tank lid off  and poured water in the back until it filled up and shut off the water. Feeling accomplished because I was able to divert this tragedy I then realized that I was standing in 2 inches of water which covered my entire bathroom floor. And yes, I had shoes on. Now I had to figure out how I was going to get this layer of poop water off of my floor. After about 30 minutes of pondering I decided that it would just be better to call and wake up the residence hall assistant. When i called her, she then called and woke up the Housing Director who then called and woke up the maintenance crew. By the time that maintenance showed up to my room, it was 6:30 in the morning. They came in, moped it up and left around 7:00 am. I forgot to mention that I had a final exam at 7:30 am.

Technology in the class room, a good thing!

 I think that media in the classroom is only going to increase more and more as new technology is developed. For instance, new classrooms are called smart classroom because the technology that is put into them. Modern class rooms are not just blackboard and a desktop, but they include projectors, DVD players, laptops for individual students, and many more technological developments. The traditional chalk board has been replaced by touch screen smart boards that link directly to the teachers personal computer and allow them to access all of their Microsoft documents, websites, and many other features within the board itself. I think that it’s a very good thing to bring technology into the class room. Our society is driven by technological advances and if we don’t start teaching our children how to adapt to and understand these developments then they will not survive in this digital age. The student of today’s society are responsible for learning how to take use these new technologies to enhance their educations and better their lives in the present and in the future. I have no clue where technology in the class room will be in the next 10 years because the advancements that are being made are just to rapid. Teachers are always  reprimanding students for using technology in the class room when the class rooms themselves are full of it. How teachers should respond to students using technology for things other than school work had two different answers for me. Of course I would say to tell the student that they should not be doing what they are doing, but at the same time that is hindering their drive to incorporate technology into their daily lives which is how our society currently survives. 

All the Presidents Men

     In the film All the Presidents Men,  2 journalists by the name of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward investigate and uncover details of the Watergate scandal and bring to light the importance of the event. This film really demonstrates the need for a watchdog press in American society. By pushing the envelope and thoroughly investigating the Watergate scandal, the press was able to keep the American government honest to the illegal activities that it was taking part in. More damage would have been done by withholding secret information from the American public than from publishing it. If not for a watchdog press the government would be able to further exploit an already naive American public and get away with anything. Acting just like a watchdog guarding its owner’s house, the press is guarding us the American people from not knowing or not being told. This film really displayed the difference between a watchdog press and a lapdog press. The watchdog press is ever vigilant and protecting of the integrity and well being of the American people, while the lapdog press is lazy and overly compliant with the government’s wishes.This watchdog press keeps us informed on the important issues that are taking place in our ever changing world. If not for the press we would be blind to many of the things taking place within the offices that govern our great country.

     For this watchdog effect to work properly, journalist must know and be willing to research there topics thoroughly. This film really displays the importance of research in all journalistic activities. A prime example from the film would be that every time Woodward or Bernstein got a piece of information which they thought was important they would get more than one source to confirm the information. Without confirming, they would run the risk of putting false information into their stories and with such a high profile story they could not take any chances. When writing about any topic the author must check and recheck sources as to retain his/her credibility as a journalist. In the film every bit of information that Woodward and Bernstein came up with was questioned by the editor. Nothing that they came to his desk with was allowed into the paper until they were able to not only confirm it but also prove its relevance to the overall story. Without both truthfulness and relevance, the story that they were writing would not have had the great affect on American history that it did. Also with research comes a furthering of knowledge. When a person is researching a topic, they tend to find out things that they did not know about that subject before which may increase the interest of that subject.

The Vortex

I was recently watching the travel channel with my day and brother. We were watching the special on best restaurants to dine at in America. On of the eateries that came up was The Vortex in Atlanta Georgia. It just happens to be that my favorite Sneaker Boutique that I visit very frequently is right across the street. Last weekend my dad, brother, and I decided that we would go out for a guys day out and eat at The Vortex. The Vortex was opened by two brothers and and a sister in little 5 points back in 1992. It has recieved many awards that include best burger, best beer/liquor selection, and best restaurant in Atlanta. With all of the history and hype surrounding this establishment I was more than excited to get the chance to eat there. When it came time to order I got the SUPER-STACK HEART ATTACK BURGER. this burger was made up of two half-pound sirloin patties stacked inside three grilled cheese sandwiches, topped with two fried eggs, eight slices of American cheese, ten slices of bacon, with plenty of mayo on the side and a side of a big bowl of fries and tots covered in our cheesy-cheese goo. needless to say it was enormous. After stuffing this gigantic burger into my face I realized that it really wasnt even that good. It was just OK. I feel like it was more about the appearance and ambience of the place than it was about how good the burger actually tastes.

Tattoo's in Society

Are tattoos socially becoming more acceptable? This is a question that I have been pondering about for a couple of years. I recently finished a significantly large back piece that covers the entire top half of my back. When I decided that I was going to get a tattoo of course the first decision to make was where? Where was I going to put these artwork that would not hinder my future career as a model/broadcaster? I feel like tattoo’s are becoming more and more excepted. Tattoo’s seem to have become a topic of discussion and inquiry instead being seen as a sign of rebellion and debauchery. Tattoos are starting to be seen for their initial intention which is for self expression and as a creative outlet. Since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, tattoos have been a visual display of self expression. For centuries tattoos have adorned the bodies of sailors, soldiers, prisoners, rebels, and college kids. The history of the art of tattoo is often forgotten and disregarded, leaving this ancient art to be seen as taboo. The true origin of tattooing is not known but it is believed that tattoos have existed since 3300 BC. Tattoos have been found on mummy’s dating back into the prehistoric era. The earliest known tattooing took place more than 5,000 years ago near Innsbruck Austria. So why if tattoo’s are an ancient art are they seen as such a taboo act. Tattoos in America were and still are very popular among sailors. The tattoos that these sailors received were religious, rebellious, and patriotic but nearly all of these tattoos were markings of their accomplishments as a sailor. An example of this was if a sailor received a tattoo of an anchor it meant that he had sailed on the Atlantic Ocean or if he received a full rigged ship it meant that he had sailed around Cape Horn. Personally I feel that such an ancient art should be respected and glorified

Adult Swim!!

In one of my previous blogs I wrote that todays cartoons are horrible and do not offer any substance like the cartoon's of my generation. But i failed to realize that I watch some of the best cartoon programing every night. Adult Swim on Cartoon Network offers a wide array of cartoons that are not only creatively animated and presented but also provide a deeper context that any well educated person could appreciate. The producers of Adult Swim felt that it was a good idea to start their nightly line up with a show by the name of King of The Hill. This show is compelling, relatable, and humorous. It touches on the odd situations that any regular joe blow could find themselves in. The main character is Hank Hill who has a wife, son, and niece to look after. Hank is a man a high moral character, and routine. He enjoys the small things in life such as drinking beer in the alley with his oddball group of guy friends and selling propane at his job at Strickland Propane. Another Show on Adult Swim would be the award winning series The Boondocks featuring a young black kid named Huey who offers his commentary on the state of the black community. Other successful shows in their programming include Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Metalocolypse, Bleach, and Home Movies. If you are looking for social satire, complete randomness, or commentary on current events than turn to cartoon networks Adult Swin.

Review of B.O.B. The Adventures of Bobby Ray

So I just finished listening to my copy of B.O.B The Adventures of Bobby Ray and I am thoroughly impressed. His style sounds like a mixture of Lupe Fiasco, Pharrell, and his own personal flare. First off, His beats are super creative and sound as if he really took his time in developing and building the sound of each individual track instead of just throughing something together in hopes that it would sound right in the end. I like that each track hasa life of its own and does not sounds to much or anything like the previous track. When it comes to the lyrics, i feel like he is going to become one of the best lyricist in the hip hop industry. I am overall blown away by his creativity. He really came up with some unique sounding material and some awesome hooks. B.O.B is sure to become a hip hop giant very quicklty.

The Inner Most Feelings of a College Senor

Why is it that when you have the freedom to blog/write about anything you want, you cant think of a single thing. I literally can get on here and write write about anything in the known universe and I cant think of anything. It could be because I have 17 days left until my college graduationa and I still have a ton of work to get done, I have a test in a couple of hours that I studied like crazy for, and I have to be on a blood hound like search for a job so that when I do graduate I have something to show for it.

Maybe thats what I will talk about. The inner most feelings of a college kid who is about to graduate.

Right now at this very moment in time I feel as though I have an undescribable amount of work to do in an ungodly short amount of time. The best way to describe how I feel is to compare it to Cameron Frye, Ferris Buellers best friend. It is as though if I even take a quick second to breath then iIwill have wasted valuable time. It is as if I have all of these wonderful dreams and asperations that all depend on one test, one class, one assignment, one extra credit. At this point in my schooling, shouldnt I feel like I have accomplished something and that this is the end of a chapter and the beginning of another and all those other cliche's.

17 days left until I have to become an adult or atleast pretend to be one and I cant even get excited about it yet because Im so insanely nervous that something is going to jinx this "happy" occassion and then Im screwed.

Its not as if this only affects me, it affects my mom, dad, sisters, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, aquatainces, and anyone else that has had some sort of influence on the direction that my life has taken.

all I want is to walk across that stage confident in what I have learned, how I have grown, and where I will be go ing from then on.

a wonderful place called LA!!

Have you ever traveled to a different place and felt more at home there than you do in your actual home town or city. Well that’s exactly how I feel about Los Angeles.

I have always known that the city of LA was where I wanted to eventually end up but a recent trip to the west coast truly confirmed that it is where I belong.

In California you can get a mixture of city life and suburban life. You can live out in the mountains and get away from people and travel back and forth from the city and still get the full experience of city life. You could even do the reverse and live in the city and travel out to the mountains and country to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

The people here are like anywhere else. You have your snobs who look down on everyone that passes them, your crazies that scream and yell gibberish from the street corner, and then you have your average everyday person who is just trying to enjoy the little things in life.

In this town you have the opportunity to become anything and everything. If you are comfortable with living a modest lifestyle then you can do that, and if you want to be high class, driving exotic cars, attending exclusive parties, and having fun every chance that you get then the sky is the limit.

Ofcourse every place has its good and bad, that’s just a fact of life. But the one thing that I really could go without is the jet lag.

this generation's music

I have a question for you. Do you still listen to the radio? Do you notice the direction that hip hop is going in? Does this direction concern you?

The music of the past took on a life of its own and could live on forever. The music that my parents and grandparents listened to can stilled be listened to today and they still enjoy it just as much as when they heard it many years ago.  The music of today has at the most a two month life span. There is so much music being released so quickly that you don’t have time to really listen to the tracks and absorb the content before you are bombarded with the latest single.

The life of the music that my parents listened to was so connected to the artist that you could truly feel what the artist was feeling when they wrote the track or even when they were inspired to write the song. The music of today lacks that connection from artist to song to audience. It lacks that intimate connection between the artist and the listener.

These are some questions that I have been asking myself for the past couple of years as I sit back and listen to the utter garbage that hip hop and rap artist are releasing out into the air waves. If were a hip hop artist I would be embarrassed by this sad attempt at music.

I grew up listening to the likes of Earth Wind and Fire, RunDMC, Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick and many other fantastic, creative, soulful, but most importantly relatable artist. These artist put out music that spoke of things that were going on in the community, relatable situations that almost everyone has experienced, or even just about having a good time with those around them. The artist nowadays are stuck in a box that consists of only money, girls, cars, jewelry, liquor, and awkward dances.  It’s as if these artists forget that the people that listen to their music can not relate to that situation. They seem to forget that the mass audiences that listen to them are not even close to being in the same situation as them.

Yes you could make an argument that some of the rappers that are out there talking about life in the street are relatable. My response to that would be instead of these artist illustrating the frivolous use of guns and gratuitous violence, why can’t they advocate using other more positive outlets and avenues in order to escape the harsh realities of the streets.

Back in the day rebel groups such as Public Enemy would go out and point out political, social, and personal issues that affected the community. No their message was not always the most positive, but what was positive was that they were trying to enlighten the youth of the community to go out and get educated  and learn all that they could so that they could eventually make a difference in this world. They had a message of fight the power, not go out and party, drink, use drugs, and shoot guns.

I just don’t feel that artist such as soulja boy are really doing anything to lift up and further the culture of hip hop.

Some artist that in my personal opinion are doing positive,  creative, influential, monumental work within and outside of hip hop are artist like Common, NAS, Pharrell, Outkast , Clipse, Jay-Z, Ludacris, The roots, and many more. These artist are staying true to the overall message of hip hop which is to lift up and inspire the community to do good through the creative means of music, dance, art, and so much more.

I would just like the artist of today try and put a little more thought and feeling into their work instead of quickly putting together a piece of work.

Tiger Tiger Woods yall!!

Ok, so of course everyone is going insane over the whole Tiger Wood’s sex scandal.
It is hard for me to understand what the fascination is with other people's lives, just because they are rich. This is the greatest golfer to ever play the game and we are more concerned about wwhat he is doing off of the course.

I’m not actually sure why. It’s just another celebrity who strayed from the path of monogamy. Not to say that all guys cheat, because I surely do not, but it really should not surprise anyone that a successful, good looking, rich, athlete, who is constantly chased by above average looking woman, guy found it hard to remain faithful in this day and age.

Although if I were placed in the same situation and had someone who loved, supported, and stood by me it would be beyond impossible for me to even conceive the thought of cheating on that person.

Tiger simply caved in to the temptations that have been put forth by today’s society. He has become scraps for the vultures of fame who desire the flesh of celebrities. Not to make him seem like the victim, because he definitely is not. But don’t you think that if we did not give the porn star so much attention even after the fact that the process of moving on for this man and his family would be a little be easier.

This woman is a porn star and obviously has no problem with doing out of the ordinary things, so why is it now that she is on television crying and sobbing on camera over a couple of nasty text messages. I am sure she has done much worse in the course of her career. But society wants to sit back and blame everything on Tiger. All of those women knew that he was married, so automatically you should know what their intentions were.

You can’t sit there and tell me with a straight face that any of those women really and truly wanted to be with Tiger because they had feelings for him or thought that they “loved” him. I would without hesitation laugh.

Why do we even waist the time in our day paying any attention to these people. We all know what they are trying to do. Anyway I would much rather watch the man play golf and could care less what he does in his private life.

cartoons nowadays, a sad sad story

Thundercats, Dark wing Duck, Alvin and the chipmunks, the Real Ghost busters, Duck Tales, Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles, Tiny Toon Adventures, Mighty max, 2 stupid dogs, Johnny Bravo, Animaniacs, Sonic the Hedgehog, mega man, Aaahh! Real monsters, Dexter's Lab, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Ed Edd and Eddy, I could go on forever but Im sure you already know what Im about to say. I was born in 1988 and Im sure that all other 80's babies can say without hesitation that we had the best cartoons. We definitely had cartoon programming that was fun, interesting, and timeless.

I could go on naming every single cartoon that i used to watch when i was little because they were memorable and had a significant impact on my life. Im sure that I am not alone in that statement.

The cartoons of the 80' and 90's are shows that ran for 6,7, and 8 seasons. These shows grew up right along side the generation that watched them and in some ways developed an individual relationship with each child and tween that enjoyed them.

The cartoons of my younger years encouraged adventure, exploration, imagination, and creativity. The cartoons spoke to me on my level and made you want to get out and experience life. I feel sorry for my little sister who has to grow up watching the Backyardagains, Chuggington, Handy Manny, and pretty much all the other cartoons on television nowadays with one or two exceptions.

The cartoons today don't have the same substance that our cartoons had. They lack that connection and relationship with the child. they are so focused on teaching manners, letters, colors, and all the stuff that they should be learning in school or daycare and lack that story that children so dearly crave. Even within the actual animation of the of our cartoons back then and the ones now, the cartoons of yester year had a true sense and feeling of actual intimate animation whereas the cartoons of the present have this new age, 3D, computer generated feel that really takes away from the cartoonness of the show.

My favorite part of watching cartoons was the story. Whether it be Tommy, Chucky, Phil, and Lil going on an  adventure in their basement in search of some ancient treasure or Oblina and the rest of the monsters from Aaahh! Real Monsters going out in attempts to scare humans but failing most of the time and ending up in some bind that they would have to work their way out of without being discovered. The show Hey Arnold made you feel as though even if you are a kid you can still do amazing things and have crazy fun with your friends without literally saying those words.

The shows I watched were able to portray all those essential nuggets of knowledge through captivating adventure and story line and not through corny animation and cliche baby book psycho babble BS. The shows now talk AT the kids instead of telling them a story and showing them adventure and exploration. I encourage you to sit down and watch some of these cartoons and realize that they are stripping your children of their creativity and sense of get up and go.

Jordan releases 25th anniversary shoe!!

To celebrate the legacy of the Jordan brand that the great Michael jordan has created, Nile has released an equally special sneaker. on February 13th Nike released the Air Jordan retro 1 25th anniversary. This shoe is a limited addition sneaker that will only be sold in exclusive stores. The sneaker is grey, white, and has metallic silver pieces on the inner toe-box, heel, ankle, and swoosh. It also features the Air Jordan "23/25" logo on the tongue and the original Air Jordan logo imprinted in black over the metallic pieces on the ankle. When purchasing this sneaker you would expect nothing less from jordan to go as far as including a specially made briefcase made specifically to house these magnificent works of art. This specially made case features the jumpman logo branded onto the front. If you are one of the unlucky people who unfortunately is unable to add a pair of these Jordan's to your collection, do not worry your little heart. These are only the first in a number of Silver Anniversary Jordan's that will be released throughout the year. The jordan brand has really continued its history of flawless foot wear with this sneaker. This is a great start to celebrating this quarter century milestone.

Pioneer tops themselves!!!

Pioneer is known in the DJ world as a company that is constantly releasing the biggest, baddest, and most innovative equipment. Since the development of the CDJ, they have been the industry standard for night clubs and club Dj's across the glob. The new Pioneer CDj 2000 still play all of your audio and MP3 cd's, but now you can also play files from DVD, USB, and SD card. Pioneer has also eliminated a the need for laptops. Now you can store everything you need onto one USB memory stick. From this one music library you can then connect up to 4 CDJ 2000' using the newly developed Pioneer Pro Dj link. Connecting the CDJ' via Lan network cable allows you to access the single music library from any of the turntable units. Among all of the new features, one of the most exciting has to be the complete intergration with the Tonium Pacemaker Pro. This new intergration will allow you to carry your entire music collection, enable you to prepare and practice your sets before  your gig, record during your set, and listen back on what you did. The CDJ 2000' come with pioneers new Rekordbox application which introduces what they call the "Prepare and perform concept". But dont worry if you are not ready to give up  on your other DJ software because the new pioneers will be compatible with Ableton, Scratch live, and Tracktor Pro. Pioneer included a 24 bit audio file sound card with mini and HID control over USB so that you can manipulate any software. All this allows you to leave all that complicated wiring and extra equipment at home along with your laptop. With all of this new revolutionary technology ofcourse pioneer would make it just a beautiful and pleasing to looking at. With its new 6.1 inch raised color screen, upgraded transport controls, improved hot cue's with larger brushed metal buttons  and rotary selector, the CDJ 2000 is as gorgeous as it is functional. I you are are looking to upgrade your equipment and you have a little money to spend, then the Pioneer CDJ 2000 may be what you are looking for. i know Im making an effort to get a pair of these decks for myself.

Star Wars in 3D

At the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, George Lucas announced that he would be re-releasing the Star Wars     films in 3D. Although Lucas has not committed to any sort of time frame as to when the films will be released, it is known that he will be remastering all 6 of the films in 3D. The first of the films to be released will be A New Hope and then all the other will be released individually after that. could it be that Mr. Lucas is trying to cash in on the successes that Avatar has had with the 3D? The remaking of the Star Wars films in 3D will not be adding anything to the already amazing visual ambience of the film. It seems like the 3D would just be unnecessary bells and whistles. Even though i will kick and scream like a child in the grocery store all the way to the box, i will be buying my ticket right along with the rest of my fellow fan boys. But in the end, I guess we will just have to wait and see how Star Wars in 3D will turn out.