Happy Mother's Day

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The Playoffs

Its still the first round, but this years NBA playoffs has been pretty damn awesome so far. I can not remember the last time I was this interested in pretty much every series that was going on. Everything just seems...different.

I thought it was just in my head until I came across this post by the crew at The Starting Five. This really does seem to be leading up to a pretty special playoffs.

On the surface, it seems like there is just more passion and hustle out there. I always hate it when people make those kinds of statements because I think, for the most part, that players always play hard. But this playoffs, its almost like every team (except the Hornets and Pistons), really feels like they could win and are really leaving it all out on the floor.

So is it because guys are playing harder?

I say no. I think a lot of these younger teams have just grown up. Players have been in the league for a few years and now really understand what it takes to win. Guys like Ben Gordon, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Andrew Bynum, etc, etc have really come into their own this year.

Add that to some exciting rookies and second year guys and vets showing that still got it (Billups is on fire in Denver and I'm loving Artest with the Rockets) and the overall level of play across the league has improved and we're seeing it this playoffs.

We'll see if the playoffs can keep this early momentum, but its definitely been great so far.

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The Freedom of Marriage

It seems every Friday or Saturday I get a series of phone calls from my friends asking me what I am doing that day. My answers usually range from watching the game to laundry to errands, etc. They're looking for something more in the way of "I'm going to Club fill in the blank." From time to time I succumb to peer pressure and head out to a "fun" night of clubbing only to realize about an hour or so into it that I have absolutely no desire to be out at all.

Pretty soon, I'm standing around making idle conversation with randoms and pretty much on a full countdown until its time to leave. This is pretty much by the usual comments of me "not being fun anymore" blah blah blah. My reply is that its not that I'm not fun anymore, but that I am now an adult and my view of what is and is not fun is radically different from what it was 10 years ago.

In other words, I'm too old for this shit.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not that old (31), but I am married. I also went to Southern University and anyone who went to an HBCU will probably agree with the feeling that they partied enough the first couple of years to last a lifetime (and they probably also send a quick thanks to God that they actually withstood all that and graduated). The thought of going out to Club X and staying their all night just doesn't hold the same sway that it did when I first unpacked my stuff in my dorm room on the yard.

This line of reasoning is often met by a round of "marriage has changed you" arguments from the crew. Marriage has no doubt changed me. But my boys are implying that I am not as free as I used to be. That marriage is restricting me from doing things that are fun.

I beg to differ.

Their mindset is not uncommon. When people think of marriage today, the first thought on their minds seems to be how restricting it is. I look at things from the other direction. While marriage may limit you from being able to date a bunch of people, it does something (or at least it should do something) that's even greater than that.

It frees you to be you.

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Maxwell - Pretty Wings

After a LLLOONNNNGGG hiatus, Maxwell returns. Seems to be picking up right where he left off.

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Saints Draft Recap

There is nothing more worthless than trying to grade a draft. There is just no way of knowing how a player will pan out. There are so many variables both on and off the field that affect how a college player reacts to being in the NFL. Why so many people spend so much time obsessing over this every year is beyond me.

So, without further adieu, here is my opinion of the Saints draft..

1st Round - Malcolm Jenkins.
Honestly, if the Saints hadn't picked him here, I think my conversion to one of the DC/Baltimore NFL teams would have been pretty much a done deal. While some question his speed, there's really no doubt that Jenkins is a ball player. He was the best corner in the draft and the Saints needed a corner.

Sounds simple enough, but rumors floated in that the Saints were considering taking a running back. While for most teams this would be an easily dismissed rumor, with the Saints history of stellar draft moves, such a completely dumb ass move could not be taken for granted. I got no problem with Wells, but the Saints offense is not the problem. I'd love to have a premier running back, but the combo of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas worked pretty well last season. I also think Thomas has a ton of potential especially in our offense.

No, grabbing a running back with our first pick when we desperately need help in the secondary would have been silly. I could have easily forgiven picking up an inside linebacker or even another defensive tackle to pair with Ellis, but a RB would have been unforgivable.
So back to the actual pick. Again, Jenkins was the best corner in the draft, but teams waffled because of slow times at the combine. Why teams throw out four years of production for one day at a combine is also beyond me. But, if it weren't for the slow time, there is no doubt he would have gone earlier and the Saints couldn't have grabbed him. Everyone else's loss is our gain.

2nd & 3rd round - The Saints traded their picks for Jonathan Vilma and Jeremy Shockey. While Shockey's been injured, I think these were good deals especially Vilma. These three guys alone make me feel like the Saints draft should be an A or a B. Getting a guy as good as Jenkins along with a couple of Pro-Bowlers at their respective position is a pretty good draft in my eyes. Hopefully Shockey can stay on the field this season.

4th round - Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux
It's tough for me to get too worked up on second day picks. Sure, great players are to be had, but I can honestly forgive a team for missing on one of these picks. With that said, I think the Saints got two solid prospects in Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux. The film on Chip Vaughn looks solid. He's definitley not afraid to lay a hit on someone. With him and Jenkins, our secondary will look a lot better the next few years.

Arnoux was a bit of a head scratcher at first, but from everything I can gather, he is a good prospect. His coach seemed to think he was just as good as first rounder Curry. We will see if that holds true, but it shouldn't be too hard to knock Scott Shanle to the bench.

5th round - Thomas Morstead
Now this one was just bizarre. Sure, it looks like this guy is a good punter, but moving up to grab him just seemed strange. I have to believe there is someone out there they could have gotten without having to move up. Still, with the difficulties our kicking game has had, I can see us trying to get a good punter. Just strange for a team to trade up to get him.

So overall, with the inclusion of Vilma and Shockey, I give Saints a B+ for the draft. We'll see how well that holds up over the next season.

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Love and Marriage

Last week another man killed his family and then killed himself. Beyond the sadness of these events, I naturally found myself wondering why these men chose to do this.

And even more, I wondered if they sought help or counsel when things started going south? And if they didn't why not?


In relationships, I think its easy for guys to fall even further into the trap of not talking about things. Right or wrong, being able to provide for and take care of your family is a huge part of being the guy in the relationship. I can definitely understand how the inability to do that could have a negative effect on a guy's self esteem and lead down a road to depression.

But being a good mate isn't just about paying bills and buying stuff. The other side of the coin in being a good husband or boyfriend is taking care of yourself, mentally and physically. Too many of us are lax on both of those, especially the mental part.

No matter how tough people are, the simple act of sitting down, picking up a phone and telling someone about your problems is difficult and almost impossible for some. I definitely have trouble talking about things sometimes.

However, when it gets to the point where violence toward your family is floating through your head, its time to drop the BS and go get help.

And that's not just in the extreme, unfortunate cases of these men and their families. Its also for the physical and verbal abusers out there. There is just no reason to sit and allow yourself to go down a dark road mentally. You owe to your family and yourself to go and get help.

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Let The Rail Revolution Begin

Obama shed some more light on his vision of high speed rail transit for America. Like most of the country, I'm all for this. And yeah, I've got questions on how in the world we will pay for this, but it's still an important step for this country.

But there were a few other thoughts on my mind too. First is how big this could be for Obama's legacy. If he pulls this off where so many have failed, it would easily be a highlight for his administration.

But the other thoughts come from my inner conspiracy nut. High speed rail makes a lot of sense to pretty much everyone. Most people want it and a lot of politicians and groups have tried to get it going.

They've all failed miserably.

Closest we've got is the Acela Express up here in DC and considering its only 10 to 20 minutes faster than the other trains running up here it is pretty much a rip off.

So, my thought is really just why haven't we been able to get this thing going?

Most will say just bad leadership, but part me thinks it has to be more than that. I think there had to be something pushing against high speed rail and that something was Big Oil, the Big Three, and the Airlines (or their lobbyists to be more specific).

And if I'm even partially right, that makes this the best time ever to go after high speed rail. Those factions could not possibly be weaker than they are now. Americans see the need for additional modes of travel more now than ever. Hopefully Obama can get this done.

The last thought is just basically how many battles can Obama fight at once. He's simultaneously taking on all comers at home and abroad and we haven't even started working on health care yet. Sure, if he can only accomplish a few of his broader goals he'll have done a lot for this country. But I hope he doesn't end up being spread too thin.

If that were the case he could end up not getting anything accomplished.

If there is one chink in his armor right now its that I'm not as sold on some of his staff choices as I at least tried to be initially. I still like his broad vision, but a coach can only do so much. He's got to have the players on the court that can execute his gameplan. Let's hope he really has picked the right people for the job.

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The Play Count Never Lies

As I continue to examine the play counts of songs on my ipod and home computer, I'm starting to realize there is a bit of a disconnect between what I think I like to listen to and what I am actually listening to.

The first explanation for this is pretty easy. What I listen to when I work out and what I listen to at pretty much any other time is vastly different. Given that working out is the main time i listen to the Ipod, I think those play counts kind of throw the other numbers out of wack a bit. So, I'm going to take them out and look at them on their own. With that in mind, I present my top 25 workout songs according to how often I listen to them.

1. Saliva - Doom aka MF Doom aka Viktor Vaughn
2. Fakin Jax - I.N.I.
3. Stand and Fire - M.O.P
4. For Heavenz Sake - Wu Tang Clan
5. Shut Em Down - Public Enemy (Pete Rock Remix)
6. Wipe Me Down - Lil Boosie, Webbie, Foxx
7. Hip Hop Drunkies - The Liks
8. Cash Money Is An Army - BG
9. Brooklyn Zoo - Ol Dirty Bastard
10. Where My Homiez - Il Al Scratch
11. Do Ya Thug Thang - Max Minelli
12. Kick In The Door - Notorious B.I.G.
13. NY State of Mind Pt. 2 - Nas
14. Diamonds Remix - Slim Thug
15. Back Down - 50 Cent
16. I'm a Beast - Lil Wayne
17. You Can't See Me - Tupac
18. Where The Party At - E-40
19. We Got Your Money - The Lox
20. Rock co. Cane flow - De La Soul
21. Still Ridin Dirty - UGK
22. G-Unit in The House - G-Unit
23. Beasts From The East - Lost Boyz
24. Dipset Anthem - Dipset
25. Allustrious - Mobb Deep

Of the first five, I probably would have guessed that Shut Em Down would be number one because its one of my favorite tracks ever. The Pete Rock beat with all the horns and Chuck's lyrics are just perfect on that track. But, I can see how I would end listening to the other ones more, especially during a workout. I've wrote about Saliva and For Heavenz Sake before. But Fakin Jax kind of surprised me just because the beat is a bit more mellow (but still fire) than the other songs on this list. Stand and Fire is pretty much M.O.P. at their best.

My Louisiana brethren (Boosie, BG, Max Minelli, Wayne) nabbed several spots. Again, I'm surprised Wipe Me Down ended up so high, but that beat definitely gets me amped up during a workout.

Hip Hop Drunkies is a pretty big surprise. Like that song, but I would never have guessed I actually listen to it that much.

Beasts From The East is another one. I would definitely have thought I listened to that one more. Canibus' verse on there is one of my favorite of all time.

Other than that, I'm not sure there are many other tracks that I would move around. The bigger thought on my mind is that I really can't remember when I put what song on my ipod. So if a song has been on the ipod longer, it could definitely end up with a higher play count than something I like better. So, I actually think I will reset my play counts and just see what I end up listening to over the next couple of months and then putting up another post.

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Grown Folk Music....

Slowly working my way back into the regular posting game. Just had too much real life stuff going on for the last few weeks to keep up with my blogging.

But, alas, things are finally settling a bit and I'm able to spend more time doing my favorite brand of therapy...writing.

Which brings me to today's post. Both Avery and Blackink turned in nice lists of Grown and Sexy / R&B tracks. I honestly can't quibble with any of their picks, but my own similar list looks way different.

Quiet Storm - Smokey Robinson
Wait For Love - Luther Vandross
One Hundred Ways - Quincy Jones & James Ingram
Inside My Love - Minnie Ripperton
All Your Love - Raphael Saadiq
Voyage to Atlantis - Isley Brothers
You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles
Two Occasions - Babyface
Faithfully - Journey
If You Were Here Tonight - Alexander O'Neal
Take It To Heart - Michael McDonald
Dear Lover - Teena Marie
Softly, Softly - Maxwell
Can I Touch You - 112
I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
Piece of My Love - Guy

I would tinker with this list, but my IPOD play count doesn't lie. So the first glaring inclusion is probably Faithfully by Journey. All I can say is that song hits close to home on a number of levels. Even though I'm not a musician, I'm on the road a lot and I just like that track. I don't care what anyone says, Steve Perry could blow.

As for the rest, I could listen to Quiet Storm, Wait For Love, One Hundred Ways and Inside My Love on repeat all day and probably not get sick of them.

There are a ton of Tony Toni Tone songs I could have thrown in here, by my IPOD says I like All Your Love the best.

Voyage to Altantis might be my favorite Isley song and that's saying something. This one doesn't seem to get as much love as other tracks in their catalog, but it's definitely my favorite.

You Don't Know Me is one of those songs that just takes me to another place. Ray was a genius, plain and simple. The next few songs are just some of my faves by those particular artists. Not much commentary on those.

But Softly Softly might be the track where I really just up and realized that Maxwell could really really blow. Yeah, I liked him and knew he could sing. But he just seemed to really cut loose on that one.

I feel another post coming about 112. I'm honestly debating if these guys aren't the most underrated group of our time. Yes, they've sold records and have a ton of hit songs. But I'm not sure if people really give these guys their due skills wise. Their first cd is easily one of the best R&B cds of their time. This track is just one of the standouts.

I listen to Whitney sing sometimes and I can't help but shake my head. How could this voice end up where it is now? Whitney's voice is just unreal.

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You Don't Say

The last couple of weeks have presented a handful of stories that just make me shake my head in disbelief.

First up is ASU as it stiffs Obama on an honorary degree. The university really seems to be caught off guard by the backlash they have received over this. It is in moments like this that I really wonder what exactly it is that some people do to con their way into positions of leadership. Can anyone with a brain really be surprised that their would be a negative response to this? What were they thinking? A Harvard Law Grad who just happens to be the first black president isn't worthy of an honorary degree from ASU? Yeah, nothing controversial about that at all.

Next is the family that just won't go away, the Palins. Or more specifically, the now outcast father of Bristol's child, Levi. Seems that maybe things weren't as rosy as the campaign lead us to believe. Or tried to make us believe. I honestly feel a bit of sympathy for Levi. It was obvious from the jump that he was being drug into something he wasn't close to being ready for. I also feel sympathy for the child, who may be deprived of a good relationship with his father. And to think, this could have all been avoided if Palin had simply said no when called by John McCain.

Last up are the pirates. Pirates. It really was hard for my mind to really process and take this seriously at first until you I started hearing about the hostages. The whole thing is crazy and my prayers go out to the people and their families. But, I also have to wonder how long these kinds of incidents have fone on and for how long. I'm also puzzled and a bit frightened by the fact that our military can't just swoop in and take these guys out. Yes, I realize this is not the movies, but sometimes its easy to get lulled into a false sense of security about the military might of our country and the ease of which we can get out of tricky situations. I have no doubt in the honor and integrity of our soldiers and know that the situation will be resolved, but it is a bit unsettling to think that something like this can happen during this day and age.

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