Lauryn on the Comeback!!

Why thoughts of Jackie Washington are running through my head I have no clue but on to today's post...

So Sony records spoke with MTV News and has stated that

But, as her reps optimistically pointed out to MTV News, Hill has recently gone
back into the studio with the goal of making a new LP. In all seriousness, they
say. She theoretically has a library of unreleased material in the vault, since
she has consistently recorded over the past decade (we just haven't heard
anything yet). But the hip-hop star's camp says Hill has cooked up a batch of
fresh new material and there will probably be some collaborations once the
project is finally released.

No one can deny the masterpiece that was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Released in August of 1998, this cd garnered 11 Grammy nominations and walked away with 5 of the golden statues. I bought not only one but two copies of this cd... one for the house and one for the car. Miseducation was on constant rotation in my cd player for over a year and remains one of the few cds that I can listen to the entire way through.

In 2001, Lauryn and MTV released MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. While the cd's material was amazing her raspy, soar throat voice killed the album for me. But regardless of my and other's critical reception of the album, the cd still went platinum. Pretty amazing seeing it got relatively no airplay.

So what does Lauryn have in store for us this time around? More phenomenal callbos? Mary J., Santana, John Legend, Maxwell were all featured on her first solo album. Regardless of what she gives... there are thousands if not millions of us waiting to hear.

When I See You...

I put your picture on my mirror... Start to blush when somebody says your name... In my stomach there's a pain... See you walk in my direction, I go the other way
I start to stutter when I speak... Try to stand, but my knees go weak... What's happening to me? In Dark, can you tell me what it means?
I lay my head on my pillow... You got me starring out the window... Wish on a star for a sign... Thats the reason why

-Fantasia, When I See You

It was a pretty normal weekend for me. Never as much sleep as I plan... hanging out with my boys... a few parties... and running into Monet. I first met him on the sands of Condado, Puerto Rico back in May of 2004. From the instant I saw Monet, I was smitten. Beautiful smile, golden skin, as tall as me, and an infectious personality. After watching him play volleyball for what seemed like hours... and joining in for a few matches myself, I quizzed my then bestfriend on who the hell was he.

I only saw him on a few occasions since then but once I moved to Atlanta I seemed to run into Monet quite frequently. And every time I see him, I smile. You know when you find someone that totally embodies your 'type', but you just don't know what to do or what to say. Well after several months of harmless flirting back and forth... I did something I never do. I laid my cards on the table and told him how I felt. As I stood there totally exposed, it seemed to catch him off guard but he finally knew.

Sunday, I ran into Monet again at Dejangos... he gave me the usual customary hug that I have come to expect but this time it was quite more. Apparently the $70 United Colors of Benetton shorts were paying off. (mental note go back and get the brown ones IMMEDAITELY) Later in the night he made an excuse of not being able to dance... as long as I have known him I have never seen him on the dance floor so and I was definitely trying to ummm check his moves. We talked for awhile and exchanged text messages from across the club. As we said our goodbyes our eyes met and I could tell he knew how I was feeling at that moment... with another mentioning of him liking my shorts, Monet was gone.

As I rode home from the club recanting the nights events with my boy... a goodnite text message came across the Treo. Damn I hate it when they know you like them.

Oh Danny

My New Crush

So I have found my new crush. Last year on So You Think You Can Dance it was Ryan Rankin (yo where the hell are you anyway?!?! cause I know you are reading this) and this year it is definitely Daniel Tidwell.

Danny started dancing at the age of 10 and eventually ended up studying at the Kennedy Center at the same time I was an employee. For two years he studied the classical ballet technique with the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. and he danced in some of Debbie Allen's productions at the Center.


While I think most reality shows are a waste of time (ie: American Idol), I love shows like this and Project Runway which still allow us to see talented individuals have a chance to make it big. And from what I have seen over the past 3 weeks... Danny Tidwell is not only the most attractive but most talented on this show.

Hey Fiddy... Who Cares!!

Yet once again, Curtis is on the attack of Oprah once again. In the July issue of Spin Magazine he stated, "She doesn't ever say anything that anybody from the ghetto is gonna ID with. Take a poll. You go out and find me some young black women who ID with Oprah...She can escape the fact that she's black because she's a billionaire."

And yet once again, by opening his mouth he has shown how ignorant, dumb and irrelevant he really is. First why do people feel that if someone doesn't live up to their expectations, they aren't who they are. In case Fiddy didn't know that are quite a few black people who are not from the ghetto and like me don't identify and can't stand ghettoness. Secondly, Oprah's financial standing has no bearing on her race. Any time you turn her show on, you and everyone else will see she is quite black. Thirdly, there is quite a lot about Oprah anyone from the ghetto or anywhere else could identify with:

1. Oprah is from a small town in Mississippi where she learned to read aloud and perform recitations at the age of three... how many of us were reciting Easter speeches at an early age.

2. She attended Tennessee State University, where she majored in Speech Communications and Performing Arts... how many black people attend HBCUs and other colleges each year.

3. Her mother, father, and grandmothers were all working class citizens... how many of our parents have worked daily to put food on the table.

4. Oprah's commitment to children also led her to initiate the National Child Protection Act in 1991, when she testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to establish a national database of convicted child abusers.

5. Oprah's Book Club has promoted so many authors and gotten so many people to read actual literature... more than what anyone can say about the lyrics of any 50 cent rap.

My point is just because Lady O's show doesn't cater to the ghetto doesn't make her less black. And if you don't like her show don't watch it or start your own that does cater to the ghetto. But Fiddy's relentless attacks on a woman that has done so much for the victims of Katrina, the girls in Africa, and the students at Morehouse are becoming apparent for what they are, a quite sad and desperate grasps for media attention for the soon to be released what is being rumored to be an awful album. Curtis you and your thoughts are irrelevant... but I guess that damn free speech amendment means we must tolerate you.

Why R. Kelly Needs to Go to Court...

Back into 2003, Genarlow Wilson, a former high school football star who became a national symbol for the extremes of getting tough on sex offenders, was sentenced to 10 years in jail from receiving oral sex from a 15 year old when he was only 17. Well yesterday a judge ordered Wilson to be released and called his mandatory 10-year sentence for consensual teen sex and his future listing on the child sex offender list "a grave miscarriage of justice." Wilson, the once homecoming king of his school, has served more than two years of a mandatory 10-year sentence for aggravated child molestation, was captured on videotape having consensual oral sex with the 15-year-old girl in 2003. (sound familiar)

Unfortunately for Genarlow and his family and friends, Georgia's attorney general announced he would appeal, a move that will keep the honor student behind bars for now and possibly for a few more months.

Since his imprisonment, his family and supporters have had a new law passed called the "Romeo and Juliet" law. This new Georgia law would have allowed him to avoid the sex offender registry and only face one year of jail time. While some supporters, including former President Jimmy Carter, have said it raised questions about race and the criminal justice system. Opponents of Wilson's release said it could open a floodgate for other cases. Georgia prisons currently hold 189 inmates who were sentenced for aggravated child molestation when they were 21 or younger. Of those, 56 percent were white and 44 percent black, state figures show.

"If this court or any court cannot recognize the injustice of what has occurred here, then our court system has lost sight of the goal our judicial system has always strived to accomplish ... justice being served in a fair and equal manner,"Judge Thomas H. Wilson wrote, who is no relation to Genarlow Wilson.

While Genarlow has spent 2 years for being a minor having sex with a minor, our dear friend R. Pissy celebrates 5 years of being free last week. It was five years ago today that a Cook County grand jury indicted R&B superstar R. Kelly on 21 counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself engaging in sex acts with an underage girl. The girl, who allegedly was 14 years old when the tape of her and Kelly was made, will celebrate her 23rd birthday in September. In those 5 years, Michael Jackson was charged, tried and acquitted of child molestation charges; Martha Stewart was charged, tried, convicted and served her sentence; and Lil Kim also was convicted, served her sentence and shot a reality TV show about her ordeal for BET.

"It's ridiculous that it has taken five years to get to trial," said New England School of Law Professor Wendy Murphy. "There's no excuse for it. But this is a tried-and-true tactic when it comes to sex-crimes cases: 'victory by delay.' Witnesses end up moving away. They die. You tend to see a lot of delays for defendants who are wealthy. You don't tend to see a lot of delays when the defendant is a poor kid from the inner city."

Too bad for the Genarlow Wilsons of the world because there is truly two judicial systems in the world.

Friends vs. Acquaintances

So as I was leaving the gym the other day, looking for my gym in the parking deck (how I forgot where I parked it at just a few hours earlier, I can't explain), I was approached by this mid 20s female and was like aren't you Chris' friend. She then jogged my memory and reminded me that we had met at a dinner party a couple months ago and then went into 20 questions about how Chris was doing. I had to stop her because, while me and Chris are cool we were only acquaintances and have only hung out a few times.

So I had lunch last week with two of the few black people that work in my building and the topic of friendships came up. After listening to their stories... I asked a simple question that made everyone go quiet for a few minutes. Are these people we are discussing friends or acquaintances?

I must say that I tend to use the word very loosely... but I know and recognize the real meaning. And for me there are three levels of friendship: Friend, Confidant, and Acquaintance. Now an acquaintance is someone you hang out with from time to time. They are often confused with friends cause you are often seen out and about together. A confidant is a step up from an acquaintance, not only do you hang out with this person but you actually share more of yourself, your secrets, and your aspirations with this person. And of course a friend is the top tier of friendship. For me a friend has no restrictions on the length of time that you know them, but it is more about not only knowing me and my secrets, not only being someone I enjoy hanging out with, but also it is about being someone you can depend on and whose opinion I seek out and trust. For me a friend compliments what I lack and not only sees what I need before I ask, but offers to help me meet that need.

I have had very few friends in my life time. Some confidants. And endless number of acquaintances. Here in Atlanta... I only have two friends (there were 3 but such is life). There is my girl, Tracee, that I have known since freshman year at Auburn and Damian, who I have known since my first summer living in DC. I have a couple confidants (with Larry being my favorite LOL).

I know you have read throughout the two years this blog has been around about a few people I have hung out with that are no longer around... those were acquaintances and for me those are the ones you often either outgrow quickly or your time together just seems to dwindle for other reasons in life. While I usually enjoy the company of the acquaintances when they are gone there is usually no heartache or missing. It is one of those situations where you enjoy it while it lasts and move on afterwards. Now friends are the only ones I truly have ever miss, I think you share so much of yourselves it is like loosing a part of yourself when they are gone. But I guess you take what you can learn from that person and your experiences together and let that make you a better person and eventually move on.

So what are you a friend or an acquaintance?

Another Church Experience...

I know I haven't blogged recently about my church experiences but don't take that as me being a total heathen. Since first blogging about my experience at Elizabeth Baptist Church in the Cascades area of Atlanta, I have been attending faithfully. And telling all of my friends about how moving and spiritually uplifting the services have been for me.

Unlike some ministers, Pastor Craig Oliver delivers his message in a bible study format. He tends to pull the message from one chapter instead of how others crisscross the bible piecing together verses from one book to the next to fit the message they are trying to deliver. Over the past two Sundays, four friends have attended with me and all have agreed to return the next week with me. And each time the message has moved my friends to tears. Don't you just love it when the message hits you!!

Two weeks ago while the Pastor was ministering in California, Elizabeth featured a early 20something speaker who attends the church. Being new to EBC I can't remember his name but it was good to see the church embrace their younger members and allow them to use their gifts. By the way his message was just as powerful as Oliver's usually are.

The church has three services on Sunday, 7:30am, 9:30am and one at 12noon. While my church tour of Atlanta hasn't ended... I am definitely going to pause and continue to enjoy Elizabeth a little while longer.

His Story is 2

So His Story is turning 2 years old today. From DC and now from ATL... from the pages of the Southern Voice to the CoCoDorm website... my writings, my thoughts, my life... my HisStory have been shared with many. The Google Analytics of this site still seem to amaze me. But in honor of 2 years here are some of my favorite posts:

From June 2005... Romance is Dead
From September 2005... Katrina... 3 days Later
From December 2005... Premonition or a Dream

From March 2006... Why Are You Still Single
From June 2006... The List
From August 2006... Must I Date Your Friend Too
(cause this one is still causing friction)

From December 2006... Lessons Learned
(a must read if you haven't... especially if you are in ATL)

From January 2007... Another Great Weekend
From March 2007... Another MLK Month has Come and Gone