Tang Fu

My wrestling years in high school had me in great shape, but I was in the best shape when I was wrestling team captain and training for my Black Belt at the same time. Now, two years without going to a single martial arts class, two years of a desk job, and two years of southern fried living have gotten me in real soggy shape.

Today was my first Tang Soo Do class since I left Providence. I am hurtin' and it's only been about 3 hours. Tomorrow is gonna absolutely suck... and the next day won't be any better.

I was in the pizza shop after class wearing my work shirt and shoes with my martial arts pants. I thought I looked dumb, but my girlfriend said I looked pimp.

Pooty-Tang Soo Do? Somebody make that on photoshop for me, I'm too lazy.

One more on Martial Arts: if you haven't seen "The One," just skip to a few parts: Evil Jet Li beating up cops with motorcycles; Jason "Transporter" Statham explaining the more academic parts of The Multiverse; Delory Lindo's dope acting (black actor = death scene halfway through) and Jet Li vs. Jet Li. That last fight is frickin poetry. Jet Li is the most talented practitioner that I have seen of a Chinese martial art... who is alive today, that is. He moves like a steel noodle.

Bedtime ... 5 days to Puerto Rico, cannot wait!

Weird, Weirder, Weirdest

From www.fark.com today:

"Grandmothers decide that they will end the fashion of hoodie swearshirts and baseball caps by wearing it themselves, making it uncool by default"

The opposite of cool: Grandmother of six Mari Savage and other senior friends in Margate, England, began a campaign this summer to wear hooded sweatshirts and baseball caps, in order to discourage teenagers from dressing that way, which Savage believes encourages gang behavior. Said Savage, to the Daily Telegraph, ''Once older people like us get hold of [these garments], they lose all their street cred.'' - Compiled by Chuck Shepherd

So whats the weirdest part of this story:

A: She is actually trying to make hoodies & baseball caps uncool by wearing them herself.

B: She believes wearing hooded sweatshirts encourages gang behavior.

C: She uses the phrase "street cred".

I think "A" is the strangest but "B" actually pisses me off a bit. I'm tired of upper genrations confusing effects and causes when it comes to youth. I used to wear Discus hoodies in the mid-90's, and I'm not beyond throwing a hoodie on these days. I once had a mean old uncle, who's no longer in the family, who told me I looked like a common Paterson hoodlum while I was wearing one. Never mind my Honor Roll status since 1st grade, never mind not judging a book by its cover. To this, I replied, "well, a hoodlum is a universal thing, there's really nothing specific about a Paterson one. Why would I look like a Paterson hoodlum?" In context, I was sending two messages:

1: What the hell is wrong with Paterson, just because you moved your family out, the town ain't worth a damn?

2: You're being assinine.

That shut him up. My parents like that one, and so did my grandma. They let us dress however we wanted as long as we didn't show off our boxers, stay out late or mess up in school. I have a level of respect for all older folks, but the ones I respect the most are the ones that see beyond their fear of what's different when it comes to those who grow up after them.

Those grannies should be careful of what fashion trends they fight: hoodies are mad comfortable, and there's nothing like a baseball cap for a bad hair(-piece?) day!

PR Post

Providence...

Is once again graced by my greatness. My corporate whoredom continues for my company, this time in the Rhode Island division. I'm currently living in temp housing provided by said corporate pimps, and loving it very much. It's downtown and the Providence Place Mall is practically in my backyard... until the end of September. The apartment hunt begins.

Pri & Me...

are long distance no more. When I first got here, it took some adjusting, but things are as close to everyday bliss as can be in the real world. I'll leave the blissful musings for the unfortunate close friends of mine who have to listen to my sappy ass.

Public Relations debacle...

for The Red Cross, Kanye West and the Katrina situation. If you don't know about this, google will inform you... just search any combination of "Kanye West Bush Katrina Red Cross" etc.

... pause while you do the knowledge on your google page...

I have a good deal of sympathy for Kanye's position, but as usual, a bold, raw, public statement has brought a crashing wave of idiotic commentary from all directions.

I can't pretend to put together a balanced, intelligent commentary on the situation, but it brings to mind a few things.

I had the chance to go to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center with Reef before leaving the ATL, and it was a different experience than my previous visits, because he is very keen on depth over breadth. We actually skipped a building so that we could do more justice to the rest of the center, which I appreciated in the end. Something that stuck with me is the last cause proposed by Dr. King before his death, that of helping the poor of all ethnicities. Racial violence can sometimes be opposed by legal means, and there are many occasions where the law helps. When you are trying to convince people to question their prejudices, you can appeal to their better nature, their humanity... but you are dealing with improving the financial situation of people, you have to ask folks to give up some of their financial superiority, which is something they are not often ready to do.

"George Bush does not care about Black people"... yes, there is lots of truth to that, but this is not just affecting Black people. Katrina may have been a real bitch, but she wasn't racist. People who have need to help those who don't -- Bush to Blacks, Rich to Poor... and not just with money.

I talk too much.

PUERTO RICOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

SAN JUAN, BITCHES! WE GOIN!!! This will be my first Caribbean vacation, first trip to the island where my mother was born. I'm open to advice about where to go, what to do. I'll have to tell ya'll some more later, I'm going to Borders to look up some books on the island, so I know what to see.