Happy Heap Day, Or Is That Lump Day?

As I lay in bed this morning fighting a losing battle to stay in bed, I got to thinking.  You know what happens when I think, I come up with interesting stuff and ideas that if used, could perhaps change the world. Or so I think.  So anyways, as I was saying, I got to thinking and I thought about today being leap day.  For those who still don’t know, this is an extra day that is added on to the month of February every four years, making the year a leap year.  February normally has 28 days.  It is a little weird for those born on this day as they end up celebrating their real birthday every four years.  Funny huh?

Well my idea is this,  since this is an extra day added in to sync the calendar days with the seasonal days, why not just make it a holiday for everyone?  This would make everything so much more simple.  We could all take the day as a holiday and pretend it never happened.  This way it’s there but not there and the year could still be a standard 365 day year.  It’s like garnish on your plate, it’s kinda like food but not. It helps to fill your plate but you ignore it and eat everything else. Like that continent that’s not really a continent, the planet that’s not really a planet.  I am really astonished that no one has thought of this before.  It’s ground breaking stuff.  Just like my idea that when a leap day falls on a Wednesday, we should call it Heap day or if you prefer, Lump day.

You don’t have to agree, it’s just my take.

Related articles

• Happy ahm… Leap Day/Year! (myetchasketchlife.wordpress.com)
• Leap day babies celebrated, but forgotten (cnn.com)
• Happy Leap Day! (wired.com)
• Happy Leap Day! (fabulousyourit.wordpress.com)
• Leap Day (ccarretero.wordpress.com)
• Leap Bleepity-Bleep Day (msmousecleanshouse.wordpress.com)
• Happy Leap Day (nochargebookbunch.com)

For The Love Of…Oil?

Whenever the USA decides to ‘free’ a country from its grip of tyranny, the common consensus is that the ulterior motive is oil.  The fact that these countries are often some of the world’s largest oil producers, lends credence to this belief.

Even though I tend to err on the side of conspiracy theories, I chose not to follow this path of thought in favor of giving the US the benefit of the doubt and believing they operate for the good of all mankind.

As they lay waste to countries ruled for many years by strongmen who were in most cases actually embraced by the US Government, I noticed some troubling scenarios.  All these countries actually saw a spike in lawlessness upon being emancipated.  Bombings continued, citizens armed themselves and became vigilantes with no respect for the law and the list of atrocities goes on.  We rarely hear about this because it tarnishes the supposedly good deed that was done in ‘freeing’ this country.

While other, sometimes even more war-torn and violated, countries cry out for help in Africa and China violates human rights, nary a finger is lifted.  No threats are issued.  Why?  What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander, right? If the USA stands up to injustices against humanity, then why the bias?  How do you select who gets bombed and who doesn’t?

If the consensus is wrong and the USA is actually in this for the greater good of the world, then maybe it needs to reassess how it goes about this delicate operation.  The middle east is an ant’s nest that should be walked on lightly and bombs are not the answer to everything. War breeds war.

This is just my take on things as usual. I have been wrong before. Although I can’t remember when, I know I was.

Related articles

• Specs… (lazarus5712.wordpress.com)
• Chavez: Venezuela Free to Sell Its Oil Anywhere (abcnews.go.com)
• http://news.yahoo.com/gaddafis-fall-why-libya-more-dangerous-place-054000250.html
• Libya celebrates first anniversary of uprising against Gaddafi (telegraph.co.uk)

Valentine’s Ass

I made an ass of myself.  Me and my takes.  My big mouth.  My opinions.  My wife came home and ran down to the basement immediately.  She came back up with a slight look of guilt on her face.  I asked her what she was doing and got, “It’s none of your business!”  Which fanned the flames of my suspicions even more.

Later while she was getting dressed for bed, I again asked, “So what did you went to do downstairs?”  I got “Never Mind. You will know later.”  I remembered how she would hide presents for me at Christmas so immediately made the connection. “It’s not like it’s Christmas and you are hiding presents…”.  The look I got spoke volumes.  I had hit the nail on the head.  Without thinking, I plunged right in.  ”I hope you didn’t go buying gifts for me.  You know I really don’t do Valentines.  It’s just a stupid commercial day to make money for businesses.  We don’t need a day to profess our love.  We could do the same thing any other day.”  I got on a roll and let it all out about my feelings of such days and how much I hated it for making us men feel inadequate if we do not partake in the madness yadda yadda yaddda…

My wife turned to me and her look said it all, but my words were like Cupid’s arrow,  once shot, could not be taken back.  They hung like a noose in the air, awaiting my neck.  I would have been happy to oblige right then.  Without a word, she took off to bake some Valentine cookies for our son’s school.

I went downstairs a few minutes later to make amends and sweep everything under the rug and found her in tears.  I tried to apologize but that only opened up the flood gates even more.  Apparently she had the entire love day planned out with me receiving small gifts throughout the day and other acts of love.

To make matters worst, on the treadmill this morning, (I exercise before work) I found a rose and a stuffed  ’be my valentine’ dinosaur.   Way to take the zeal out of a workout…I felt like crap and rightly should.

You see, I am not a scrooge or spoil sport. I just don’t like commercial holidays that stress gift buying.  ”Buy your loved ones this ring and make her feel special”  Does that mean I can’t make her special if I don’t buy it?   It seems so fake and contrived but if it is special to my wife, then I should make it special to me also.  After all, she comes first.

So Happy Valentine Baby!

P.S  I am now tossing out my vuze on Valentine and from now on, will make sure it’s an extra special day me and my honey.  Promise!

Related articles

• Valentine’s Day… again! (lifereference.wordpress.com)
• ‘Twas the night before Valentines… (howitwassupposedtobe.wordpress.com)
• Oh, F***, it’s Valentine’s Day again. (forgotmyusername.wordpress.com)
• My Obligatory Valentine (loverevolutionblog.wordpress.com)

No! Not Whitney!

Image via Wikipedia

You were the first Diva.  Surrounded by a sturdy and respected family. You carried yourself with poise and with your Midas touch, everything around you turned to gold.  Whitney, who could have seen it coming that you would choose the path you took? Certainly not me.

I followed you as best I could as there were no Twitter or Facebook.  I read about your demise.  First in the National Enquirer which I was loath to believe at  first.  Whitney a drug addict? No way! Not the Whitney Houston I know. Your mom is the famous and clean Cissy Houston, and Dionne Warwick is your cousin.  Your God Mother is Aretha Franklin!   Not you.  Not my Whitney.

Then I read it in more reputable news media.  Indeed it was so. You were down the path of self ruin.  Some blamed it on your union with bad boy Bobby Brown.    I missed you then.

I heard of your comeback and was ecstatic! You had beaten your demons! Or so I thought.  Little did I know it was just a temporary moment of sanity.  Whitney, you even went live and professed to have been rehabilitated! How could you Whitney? How could you?  Your concerts were embarrassing, or so I heard.  People walked out on my Whitney.  The Diva.  The sadness, the pain.  To see you reduced to this…I never thought it could get any worse.

Then it did.  News broke on Saturday, February 11 2012 that you had finally found eternal peace.  The elusive peace you sought out with Crack Cocaine.  I was in disbelief. Again.  No! Not My Whitney!  She can’t die! Too young, too good.

I was never a CSI junkie but I was sure that your demise was the product of your addiction. I thought of MJ, Elvis, Amy Winehouse and others just like you who sought out drugs to hide their anguish, only to succumb to its power.  My Poor Whitney…Gone too soon.

And I will always love you.

Related articles

• Did Whitney Houston’s Mix Of Xanax & Alcohol Cause Her Death? (hellobeautiful.com)
• R.I.P. Whitney (writerfighter.wordpress.com)
• Whitney Houston Death – Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston Say Whitney Seemed Fine Just Before Death (mzrocklanta.com)
• Whitney Houston Was “The Voice!” (wwwclara54.wordpress.com)
• Jennifer Hudson Delivers Emotional Whitney Houston Tribute at the Grammys (popsugar.com)
• Dionne Warwick & Cissy Houston Spoke To Whitney Moments Before Her Death (hellobeautiful.com)

Pssst…Office Gossip

Image via Wikipedia

This has been bothering me for some time.  Gossip.  It’s EVERYWHERE, your home, your office, my home, my office, my lips…Yes, I am not perfect, I have gossiped and do gossip.  (Not proud to say it).  It’s not something I take pleasure in but it’s something that is sometimes unavoidable.  What’s bothering me is not the little juicy gossips about Helen cheating on her diet or the neighbor having different women over every weekend.  No, it’s the daily office ones that tears down that other sweet but quirky woman down the hall, the simple but honest and trustworthy man working at the menial job.  Maybe they are deserving of being called nosy and holier than thou or lazy and maybe even potentially postal but who are we to be the judge? The Good Book says ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” and, ‘Remove the bean from your own eye before you try to remove it from your brother’s”.

How and why is it that much easier to cast the first stone or blindly seek to remove the speck from the eyes of others?  Is it because of our fear that if we do not react first, then someone else will and we would be the victim and not the assailant? Or we may as well gossip about that person before they gossip about us? Heck, they may be already gossiping about us so why not get our licks in?

At the end of the day, I mentally beat up myself for succumbing to the gossiping that goes on around me. In my office I usually intend to be just a listener and not a partaker but do sometimes get dragged in to the point where I would nod or put in a few words, much to my regret.

It takes a degree of strength to listen to your friends talk disparagingly about another employee as they gather around in your cubicle.  As part of the clique, how do you say ‘Not here guys, we are not doing this today.’ or how do you just get up and walk away? You very well know that you will be the next gossip topic if you do any of those.  Peer pressure all over again.

I did some research on how to combat this viper and found this helpful link: http://www.wikihow.com/Not-Gossip.  In case you don’t have a chance to read it, here’s an important bit taken from it.

Ask yourself these several simple questions mentally about what you’re about to say before speaking aloud:

• How would you like it if someone said this about you?
• Is it true? Maybe it is, but is repeating it necessary?
• Is it kind? It may be true, about yourself or someone else, but if it will harm another, you have no right to repeat it.
• Is it just? Is it honest, compassionate, with the person’s best interest at heart?
• Is it necessary? Will it do any good and satisfy all the other conditions? Not only is it necessary, but is it necessary for the other person to hear? Remember, “Need To Know.

Are you gay?

Are you gay? No, don’t answer that. Seriously, don’t.  Why? Because I really don’t care.  Do you care to know if I’m heterosexual?  Does it really matter?  We are living in an accepting society that is breaking down the barriers of separatism like  race, sexual orientation, culture and whatever else makes someone ‘different’ from societal norms.  Shouldn’t this mean that everyone should be seamlessly melded into one designation, human beings,  without the need for self designation and red flags to identify anyone who are ‘different’?. (Read my controversial views on Black History Month here).

I do not understand the need for someone of the gay persuasion to advertise that they are so inclined.  Seriously bro, it’s cool.  You are who you are.  You need not fear me.  I have my own personal demons to stress over.  So you can drop the hand waving, the high-pitched voice, the walk and all the other cutesy stuff you do to make sure I know you are gay. I am heterosexual but you don’t see me flexing my muscles and talking in a deep voice or walking with a swagger, do you?  Or here’s a better one, I am black as you can see, when I speak on the phone, people think I am white.  This is because I do not see the need to speak black jargon to advertise the fact that I am a minority. You feeling me?  Not that way, I ain’t that kinda guy, homey don’t play that.

If you expected to read an anti-gay or pro-gay blog, you are barking up the wrong tree.  I am anti-crime and pro-human.  I am not here to speak for or against, I don’t have that authority and I don’t have the strength to stir the pot THAT much.

I also have a dream that parallels the great Martin Luther King’s.  My dream is to one day find it difficult if not impossible, to identify a gay guy from a straight guy.

My take.

Note:  After publishing this blog, a reader pointed out that some heterosexuals do possess the same effeminate mannerisms outlined here.  I agree, they do but in that case, I think it’s more normal than exaggerated for effect.

Related articles

• Ron Paul: Heterosexuals Cause More Trouble in the Military Than Gays (towleroad.com)
• NOM thinks gays molest their children (bazaardaily.com)
• Gays Brought Terribly Low by Heterosexual Newspaper’s Makeovers (theawl.com)
• Gay Spouses In Heterosexual Marriages: Is It Best To Without The Truth After You Find Out? (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Diego Maradona Would Like You To Know He’s Not Gay [World Cuppage] (deadspin.com)
• Video | Gay man, 20, speaks about brutal attack by gang members in Atlanta (miamiherald.typepad.com)

On Black History Month

Here I go again, wading into volatile territory without protection…As a black man, my views on this topic could alienate me from my brothers and sisters but they are my views, right? Black History Month.  What is the purpose of this?  In a society where we are still trying to dismantle racism, we still set up barriers, boundaries and labels that set one race apart from another.  Instead of integrating we are segregating.

I understand that ‘my people’ have been through hell in the form of slavery and risen above it to take their place in the upper echelons of American and world history.  It was unthinkable that one day a black man would run the most powerful country in the world, the country that ripped him from his motherland, The United States of America.  Today, Americans call a black man, of American heritage to boot, President.  Blacks have made and are making significant contributions in Law, Medicine, Science, etc.  Men like Martin Luther King are revered not only by blacks but also whites, Asians and other races.  The Black race has surely come a long way.  So, does this justify the setting aside of a month basically for bragging rights? Well maybe fifty years ago but definitely not in this day and age.

“Don’t look at color, see the man for who he is”.  Isn’t that what we preach as an evolving society? Then what about the Black in Black History Month?  Isn’t Black a color? Would it be acceptable to set aside a month for whites or would it seem like the flexing of white muscles or white power?  The common consensus is that black history is American history but calling a month Black History Month totally undermines this, in my view at least.

A few years ago, Morgan Freeman made a statement that echoed my sentiments.  “I don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history.” ” The only way to end racism is to stop talking about it.”   “There is no “white history month.” “I am going to stop calling you a white man and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.”  Well said Mr. Freeman.  He took a lot of flack from the black community for this stance but it needed to be said.

For us to tear down the walls of racism, we need to first stop seeing colors. Seeing each other as human beings and not Blacks, Whites, Asians et al.  Black History Month, again in my view, is a hindrance to the quest to end racism. I reiterate that we (Blacks) have made some worthwhile and outstanding contributions to American history.  I agree it should not go unnoticed but why can’t the name be changed to American History to recognize the contributions made to this great nation by all races?

I am a strong, proud black man who would never forget where I came from.   To all the great black men and women, I take off my hat.  A museum to preserve your memories would suffice, wouldn’t it?

Remember, this is just my take, my vuze.

Related articles

• Man Refuses to Celebrate Black History Month: Lynched (itsallsatire247.wordpress.com)
• Morgan Freeman Does Not Want Black History Month (Video) (celebs.gather.com)
• BYU student video shows Black History Month ignorance (thegrio.com)
• Marloes Horst Shaving a Black Man for Black History Month of the Day (drunkenstepfather.com)
• Stand-Up Comedian Dons Blackface To Ask BYU Students About Black History Month (mediaite.com)

You make me sick!

People who ‘forget’ to wash their hands after using the bathroom make me sick! Both literally and figuratively.

After encountering this unhygienic practice a few too many times, I had decided to blog about it but kept putting it off as it was not really the most interesting thing to blog about.  Relevant and serious perhaps but not compelling.  Finally, I had enough and now must dust off that draft I had made about a month ago and tell it like it is.  Drop it like it’s hot as the cool folks would say.

Being something of a germaphobe flirting with the edge of mysophobia, I am constantly on the lookout for unsanitary practices, especially in places where I eat.  I look to see if the cooks are wearing hair nets and gloves and are not cross contaminating my food.  So imagine my dismay and disgust when I see someone leaving a bathroom without washing their traces of their visit off their hands.

Face it, it could very well be the dirty, unwashed hands that you or I, especially I, shake unknowingly.  Or indirectly, I could have held a hand that shook that hand…You get where I’m going with this?  If not, then you won’t feel hurt if I ignore your offer to shake hands with you.  Nothing personal, just doing my job to keep my germaphobia intact.

There are germs lurking in those washroom! Yes, you naysayers, I know they are everywhere but so is STD but that doesn’t mean I should go dabble in it and share it with everyone.  You touch your most private parts and then walk out with proffered hands to shake with the next person? Sharing whatever germs is on your hands? (I feel dirty just writing this. Just kidding. Or maybe I’m not…)

Anyways, if you are one of those people who doesn’t see fit to wash your hands after visiting the mens/ladies room, then you make me sick, seriously you do.  And that’s not just my take.

Related articles

• 5 Steps to Effective Hand-Washing (everydayhealth.com)
• Cold and Flu Prevention (everydayhealth.com)
• Wash your hands, not wet your hands! (yummy365.wordpress.com)
• 8 Ways to Prevent Getting Sick at Work (fitsugar.com)
• How to stay healthy (examiner.com)
• Diarrhea Prevention Tip. (theexplodingrobot.com)
• Hand-washing (lessonsfromresidency.wordpress.com)

Ebooks vs Real Books

Don’t knock it til you try it is what the common consensus is.  With me, I am the opposite.  Being a skeptic, I tend to view new concepts with mixed feelings.  It’s not gonna work. It’s not the same. I’ll stick to the old and trusted.  

And so it was with the advent of Ebooks.  No way! I can’t sit there reading from a tablet.  I need to physically turn a page and feel the book.  That’s just too weird.  There goes the neighborhood, were some of the thoughts I had.  Thankfully or unfortunately, I was never given a chance to experiment with this new fangled idea until a few days ago.

I was browsing for apps on my still newish Ipad.  I did a search for books and got an application that provided me with a few interesting ones.  Still skeptical, I decided to give it a shot.  Why not? So I started reading. And I kept reading.  I am still reading.

No, I didn’t notice any difference. In fact, I think I much prefer this new way of reading. No misplaced book or lost pages, no need for a night light…Why didn’t I buy into this before? Oh yeah, never mind.

Some of you may beg to differ but like I always say, there are two sides to a coin and this side is MY TAKE.

Related articles

• A(nother) Kindle convert is born… (firstchoice.co.uk)
• The Book is Not Dead (write4kids.com)
• Do E-Books Threaten Democracy? (forbes.com)

Making The Bible Hip

A year or so ago, I was given a book  ’The Message‘ from some guy on the street.  As I thought it was just a book inviting me to his church, I paid it no mind for some time.  When I did decide to read it, I was mildly surprised to see it was actually a modern-day translation of The Bible.

Now being old school, I initially thought it was blasphemous to make The Bible hip.  How dare they!  As I continue to read, I found myself actually having an easier time being in The Word.  The translation made it more readable. More hip so to speak.

You may be thinking, It is blasphemous! The Bible is God’s word and does not need to be hip! Some things could get lost in translation.  I do see your point but then I ask, Is there an original Bible out there?  I have lost count of how many translations are there so what difference is one more? I am sorry but with the way our youths are going, I can’t see them being excited to sit down and read a book written in old English.   If one is not spiritually ready, The Bible can be hard to stay focus on.  The ‘Thee, Thou, Art etc can be a turn off.  So how refreshing is it to read it with a modern twist?   ‘Where art thou? My soul longeth for thee’ just doesn’t capture the reader as  ’Where are you? I really need you’.  Same meaning just more appealing to the reader.

I am not pushing any denomination here.  God and him alone is my denomination.  I just think that The Message really does a good job of making The Bible more appealing to younger readers (and not so younger readers) with its use of every day lingo.  As long as the real message is not lost or tainted in any way, I’m all for it.

Just my take.

Related articles

• Questions for KJB advocates with replies (trutherator.wordpress.com)
• The American Standard Version (You’ve Probably Never Heard of It) (kirkmillerblog.wordpress.com)
• What percentage of your Bible translation is accurate? (goddidntsaythat.com)
• ESV – The Bible translation I primarily use (pastorstrom.com)
• Bible Versions Used (waymonddh.wordpress.com)
• The Message Bible MP3 Giveaway and other news (christianpf.com)