I was just thinking...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Today is a Great day to be alive! New devos coming soon, Thank you for your support and prayers! I pray that you are living your life to the fullest and are experiencing all that God Has for you!

Blessed Man...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:36:00 +0000

I read a Proverb once that said "A rich man is one who's children still approach him with open arms even when he has nothing in his hands" If this is true then I am a rich man...better yet I am a Blessed man.

Looking back over the years, I have had many opportunities to "be" or "do" more. There have been many times that I passed on opportunities, in which I would have been making a great deal more money. Each time those opportunities presented themselves, I passed opting instead to be present while my children were growing up...and I don't regret a minute of it...not one!

It makes me proud to say that I was there when they took their first steps. I remember each and every time one of them was sick, especially the few times we had to make trips to the hospital. My children still enjoy having a laugh at my expense as they recall memories of me with brush and comb in hand trying to braid my girls hair...I can't help but smile as I think about it now. They have been a steady source of joy and I can't begin to imagine what my life would have been like without them in it.

I find myself is a most pleasantly awkward position...sort of an "uncharted territory" going where no man (in my life & circle ) has gone before. My father rarely spoke to me...he never told me that he was proud of me...to be honest I spent a lot of time wondering if the dude even liked me. My children on the other hand, race to be the one who sits next to me...they catch me off guard when they give me hugs for no reason at all...they are all teenagers now but I still tell them I love them and kiss them goodnight every night.

Before my children came along I was arrogant, selfish and prideful, but there is something about seeing a child entering the world for the first time that put everything into perspective for me. The birth of my children cultivated the protector and the nurturer in me. They have been both my lifeline and my accountability, as I learned early on that their little watchful eyes were always there taking it all in.

In the bigger sense, however I consider myself a blessed man not just because my children still love to come around me, but because since the birth of my children I have grown to have a deeper appreciation and love for God. Having children of my own, and doing all that I can to protect them and keep them safe, having to make some hard decisions that they may not have liked, experiencing the pain of one of them passing away...and other experiences with my children have caused me to grow in my appreciation of God...they have caused me to realize that like any good parent His heart breaks when He sees His children suffer (especially when they accuse Him of being the bad guy) I no longer read His words as a list of rules or view Him as the Angry deity poised on the end of His throne waiting to smite me when I get out of line...

I apologize if I have been rambling, but as I sat at my desk going through the pictures of our trip, from a few months ago, I saw the pictures of me with my children and I couldn't help but realize that I am a blessed man...I truly am

Thanks for reading :)

History in The Making...The Inauguration of Barak Obama

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:57:00 +0000

My mind was full of many things as I watched the Inauguration of our 44th President Barak Obama. In fact it was so full I needed to take a minute to sort out my thoughts before I could begin to write about it. To help sort things I started doodling and ended up with the above sketch.

As a forty year old African American male, I am ashamed to admit that I actually thought that I would never see a person of color occupy the position of President. Although I admit to being ashamed of this that does not omit the fact that there was a ton of evidence and experiences to support my my inability to picture such a thing happening. Don't get me wrong, I have always been hopeful that a time would come when people would be able to see beyond the color of a person's skin and weigh them merely on the basis of who they were and what they had to offer, I just thought that time was still far off, and even though we now have an African American President I still feel that we are far from that place of racial equality.

I thought about this a lot during last year, probably a lot more than recent years, I even did a short piece joking about why we could not afford to vote for an African American for President (see Top Ten Fears Blocking Barak Obama from becoming President). Ironically the basis I used for that piece, played a major role in my own inability to see an African American as President. You see, even with all of the encouragement from teachers and mentors telling me and other minority children that we could be whatever we wanted to be when we grew up, there were very few positive images of us in the media holding spots like President, and when they did manage to show up in those type of roles something bad usually happened like the world being destroyed.

As I said I had a lot of thought going through my head, and I am still sorting them, but here is the short version of what was going on my head in regards to Barak Obama becoming the next President of the United States of America:

Happy..

I was happy that Obama won, happy for him and his family that their hardwork had paid off, happy to see we had elected a President who appears to really love his wife and family (because for me next to God family is everything) happy that for all of those people who needed to see someone who looked like them in a positive light could finally have a glimmer of hope and a sense of belonging and be encouraged to aim higher.

Sad...

I was sad that even though Barak had won, that there were still many people who aren't as open to change as they thought they were, sad as I recalled the contrasting images of the audiences at Barak's acceptance speech and McCain's concesion speech, because they reminded me that the real color divide in America is not Red & Blue...

Hopeful...

I was hopeful that maybe, just maybe some people will begin to be open to change, hopeful that some of the people who felt like outsiders, would now be motivated to push past the limitations set on them by others and pursue their dreams, hopeful that these "outsiders" would now feel like they had a vested interest and began to get involved and take personal pride in their own lives and communities and not wait for someone else to do it for them. I was even hopeful that people might just begin to check their own motives and reasoning and see what really drives them

Excited...

I was excited, excited because I felt like I was living in an Historic Moment, excited to share this moment in time with my wife and children, excited to see both young and old alike coming together to share the moment, excited for those of the older generation breathing a sigh of relief and having their hope renewed, excited to see so many people taking an interest in what was going on, excited to see the World pause and take notice...

Convicted..

I was convicted for my lack of vision, convicted as I began to realize that I have grown complacent where I am in my own world, convicted for not considering the people who need to see me, interact with and learn from me and me from them as well, convicted as I soul searched and investigated my own stereotypes and preferences

Inspired..

I was inspired...inspired to do better than I have ever done. Inspired to reach for more, not for the sake of more but for the sake of being all I can be and for those who might come behind me, inspred to hang up my settlers cap and replace with that of the pioneer.

Prayerful...

Regardless of all my emotions I realize that our country and economic system are in a fragile state, I realize that our President has a big job ahead of him as do the American People, I am reminded to pray for him and the other World Leaders, to pray for the people who are suffering and even those who have the means that they will begin to feel compassion and be moved to help those they can.

*******

I'm still sorting things out, so I'm pretty sure I will be revisiting this in the future. How about you? What thoughts or emotions filled your head and heart during the Inauguration if any?

Musical Musings...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:32:00 +0000

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

As I sat relaxing and enjoying my Sunday afternoon, I was playing with my tweetdeck, seeing what was going on in Twitterland, and I came across an interesting tweet from one of my newest followers @jonnettefair. She presented an interesting meme that asked for your Five Favorite Songs of all times (feel free to visit her blog Mega Watts and Green Thoughts, and add your five to the list)

It was a real challenge for me because my list of favorite songs of all time expands farther than five songs. Of all things consistent in my life music is one of them. Even as a kid I knew that music (good music) has the potential to touch the soul. I remember learning in Sunday School how King Saul would be in a foul mood and David would play a song for him on his harp and Saul's mood and temperament would change completely. Music truly can sooth the soul...

It took me a minute to add my five songs to the meme as I reminisced of being a kid, listening to the radio on the way to school in the school van, and hearing Send One Your Love by Stevie Wonder. It was magical, I can't explain it, but I was enchanted by that song. I was way too young to understand much about love (the relationship kind) but I understood that song and I could not wait to get home later that day and give my mother a hug (she was the only woman in my life at the time)

Music is powerful in that sense, sometimes music makes it past your ears and touches your soul and it can even re-create a feeling, emotion or even a time that has been long gone and make you feel like you are right there. Even now, when I hear songs like Creepin by Stevie Wonder it takes me back to those long hot summers as a kid and me riding my bike or sitting in a tree with my little transistor radio letting the music paint pictures on the canvas of my mind.

If I had any doubts of music's ability to touch the soul, they were erased after the birth of my son. During the time my wife was pregnant with my son, I used to talk, read and sing to him. One of the songs I used to sing was Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye. (hey I was in the military and there were times my wife and I used to be separated from each other and that was one of our songs) Shortly after he was born, my wife and I awoke to the sound of him humming the song in his sleep. (really he was) I continued the tradition with my other children before they were born, (I just picked some uh age appropriate songs) Now as teenagers they share my love for music. :)

As I have grown older I have learned to respect this power that music has, I am selective about what I allow to "touch my soul" because to be honest there are some places and feelings that I don't want to re-create and there are some thoughts that I would rather leave behind.

For me music is like the quote above by Oliver Wendell Holmes, it is to the soul what water is for the body, and I bath my soul in it quite often and I find it both cleansing and refreshing.

How about you, is music just music to you or does it touch your soul?

Thanks for reading :)

Rest...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:59:00 +0000

As 2008 came to a close I was reminded in a very painful way the importance of rest. It is a simple thing and yet I struggle with it. During my younger years I could go for days without stopping to rest, and I used to pride myself on the fact that I could get by with only 4 hours of sleep, anything more than that seemed like a waste to me. Even when I would lay down to sleep, my mind would be hard at work, laying out plans for the next day.

Well that was more than twenty years ago when I could get away with crazy things like that. These days it's like my 40 year old body is telling me that it needs proper rest. Most of the time I ignore it though, and for a short time it seems like I can still get away with just a few hours of sleep...but then it all catches up with me and before it is all over I end up spending several days in bed trying to recover. Such was the case the past few weeks.

I had been suffering from a sinus headache, the doctors gave me some antibiotics and decongestants to take, but it seemed like I just couldn't shake the sinus infection. When my condition seemed to be worsening, my wife (who is always right) told me what the real problem was/is, and that was lack of proper rest. I wanted to disagree with her, but I couldn't come up with anything to prove her wrong (besides, she is always right), so I went along with her diagnosis and cleared my schedule for the next day, didn't bother setting any alarms and simply slept in.

It's amazing because I actually felt better after getting some rest. Rest is a good thing, and from here on out I am going to make sure that I get plenty of it. Now that I think about it, I wont be able to do anyone any good if I allow myself to become run down to the point that I am unable to do anything, so it is in my own best interest to get plenty of rest. Besides the body is a temple and it's time I started treating it like one.

How about you, do you get enough rest?

History in the making!

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:24:00 +0000

I just stood in line for more than an hour to cast my vote for change...it was beautiful to see every age group represented! You could feel the excitement in the air! I hope that you took the time to cast your vote as well....did you?

Big But Bug!

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:18:00 +0000

We were out working in the yard a few weeks ago and I noticed a large bug buzzing around. It was much larger than a bee and when it's wings were moving it looked like a flying dart. It was so busy buzzing around my daughter's head that it didn't see me creep up on it with a Badminton racket in my hand...that was the end of his buzzing around. I snapped a quick picture of it with my cellphone. Looking at the bug triggered memories of a few of our Home school adventures.

Wanting to give my children more than just text from a book my wife and I decided to do as many hands on interactive lessons as possible. When it came time to study insects we invested in a Bug Viewer so that our children could study live bugs and get a better understanding of their anatomy as well as see how they move and function.

One of the first bugs we managed to capture and study was a wasp. We knew that our study lessons would take a few days so we wanted to keep the wasp alive for the duration, so we began feeding him 100% Grade A Maple Syrup. It took us about a week to finish up all of the lessons and to our amazement the wasp survived. In fact he seemed to be quite healthy and active.

Since our lessons were done we decided to release the wasp. So one morning while we were on a break from classes we took the wasp outside, said goodbye and set him free. We went out later on that day and ran a few errands. When we returned home we were shocked to see our wasp friend hanging on one of our front windows. We decided to leave him alone, figuring that eventually he would get back to his old routine or return to his original home. He didn't!

Day after day for about a week that wasp hung right there at our front window looking for some way in. We had corrupted him...turned him into a maple syrup crack-head. I can't say that I blame him though, why fly around being a busy doing wasp type things and fighting with other bugs when you can just sit and look pretty while getting stuffed on Maple Syrup.

Our encounter with the wasp provided a perfect segway for me to talk to my children about addiction, and how it strong and devastating addictions can be. I explained to them that the best way to beat addictions is to never get addicted. It was the start of many talks regarding the subject. A lot of parents avoid the issue altogether or they wait until it's too late to talk about it. Some parents just want to believe that there kid(s) are so good that they will never fall victim to addiction...me I am just thankful for the wasp incident and that it provided me with a perfect opportunity to explain it to my children in a way that they could understand. Hmmm...imagine that all these thoughts triggered by catching a big but bug! :)

Thanks for reading!

Remembering 911

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:55:00 +0000

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:54:00 +0000

Two weeks from now the family and I will be attending our first Cards game together. Besides having a chance to hang out and have fun with each other this trip is kind of special. It's special because my children earned the tickets by doing something that most people take for granted...reading.

Earlier in the Summer my Children signed up for the Summer Reading Program at their Local Library. One of the top prizes was a Laptop, which each of my children had their eyes set on. They thought it would be a much needed addition to their budding entrepreneurial dynasty. Still no word on the Laptop, but so far they have won quite a few prizes from the program. Prizes ranging from free food and drinks from the Local Sonics (yummy) and other Miscellaneous items such as pens, notepads, message boards and gadgets.

Since my children were toddlers I have been trying to instill in them the importance of reading. I can remember my daughter Emm tagging along with Junior and I to the Library. She was in kindergarten and he had just started the first grade. Junior was off to visit the Library and receive his very own library card. I wish I had a camera at the time to capture the disappointed look on Emm's face when she asked if she could get a card to...the Librarian told her that she needed to be able to write and sign her own name, and unfortunately she could not. Emm went home empty handed that day.

Immediately upon arriving home from the library she hunted down a pencil and some paper and began practicing writing her name. Two weeks went by and it was time to return the books to the library. I didn't think anything of it when Emm asked to tag along again. When it was time to check out, Emm asked the librarian about the card again. I thought that maybe she was thinking that the librarian would have changed her mind since she asked nicely, but she didn't the librarian gave her the same answer, she needed to be able to write and sign her name. I was shocked when Emm pulled out her pen and demonstrated to the librarian that she could write her own name. (She never was one to be undone by her brother) She had spent the entire two weeks practicing to write her name. She was grinning from ear to ear as she walked home with her own stack of books.

Since that time the youngest Mei Mei, has progressed into quite the reader herself, when I look around the house if I don't see her right away, I usually find her curled up with a pile of books. Their reading selections are actually pretty aggressive, and they have actually suggested some books to me that I have read and we have been able to have some pretty good family discussion over, most recently it has been the works of Patrick Carman, author of The Land of Elyon Series and The Atherton Series.

Taking the time to make sure my children were avid readers has probably been one of the best investments of my time. Things like winning baseball tickets just help reinforce all that I have been saying to them all along.

Still California Dreamin...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:50:00 +0000

I woke up this morning really missing California. I am really starting to get used to being back in the Mid-West, but there are just some thing about California that I really miss. This morning I was actually missing the smell of the salt water. I'm surprised to admit it, but I even miss the sound of those annoying seagulls.

I guess what I have really been missing the most is the beach. We used to have regular family get togethers at the beach. I remember one weekend where we left early in the morning and went snow boarding in the mountains and we were back home and on the beach later that evening.

I remember sneaking away at night having late night dates with my wife on the beach. Once while were out walking along the beach we weren't paying any attention to the tide and we were completely doused by a giant wave, which sent us shivering back to the car. One thing I am sure of the next time I go back to California for a visit...one of my first stops is going to be the beach.

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:06:00 +0000

The Return of Slick and Willy

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Slick and Willie

Nobody throws a party/picnic/reunion like the people in the Mid-West. The food was awesome, so awesome that I will probably have to ride a few extra miles this week as a penance for all of the good stuff I ate. My family and I had so much fun that we were laughing and smiling for the entire day.

After spending a little time with some of my older relatives I began to see where my quick wit and my sense of humor came from. It was both a pleasure and a blessing to see some of my elder relatives (some in their nineties) still up and moving around like they were youngsters.

My children played several games and won some funky looking hats, I managed to talk my wife into putting one on and taking a picture with me. I think I caught her off guard because normally I probably wouldn't have done it...but I figure life is short...may as well have fun while you can.

On the way home from the reunion we were already counting down the days until the next family event. Good Food, having fun with our family...it's a beautiful thing and we can't wait!

MMOG37's Top Ten List

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:21:00 +0000

I love writing, so much so that i write several blogs of my own, I guest write for several blogs, I write for hire and I write articles for several paid to write online sites. I also publish articles and content for AC Content. Of all of the places (besides my blogs) that I write for I think that AC Content is my favorite.

AC Content is like my own personal therapy. When I write at AC Content, I usually write about the things that are floating around in my thoughts, and in the process of writing them down it actually helps me begin to gain a better understanding of them. I also enjoy the interaction between myself and the other content producers on AC Content.

This afternoon as I was preparing to submit some new content I was looking back at the articles I have published so far. Each one of them serves as a snapshot into the mind, heart and life of mmog37. Some of those articles made me smile...other made me reflect and how far I come...and still others confirmed what others have been suggesting..that I am not all there :P

I thought I would pick my ten favorite articles from AC Content and Share them with you. Some will make you smile, some might make you sad, some might even make you laugh, but all of them will provoke you to think. If you have happened to read these before...I think they are worth a revisit. Enjoy!

MMOG37's Top Ten List

10. Remembering The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A personal reflection.

9. I Aint Be Got No Weapon: Are you influenced by undercover stereotypes and assumptions?

8. Lost: Poetry based real events...

7. A Cup of Cappuccino: An early morning encounter with a homeless man on the streets of S.F.

6. An Open Letter to My Sistas: A letter from the heart to my sistas

5. Cleaning It Up: My struggle with eliminating several dirty words from my vocabulary.

4. Perception's Deception: It's not about how things are...it's about

3. It's All In Your Head: Whether you think you can or you can't...you are right!

2. Top Ten Fears Blocking Barak Obama from Becoming President: My first political satire piece.

1. Early Morning Football: Lessons learned from a summer of early morning football games

There ya have it, my top ten list. I hope you enjoy them. Feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks in advance for reading :)

My Dirty Desk...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:59:00 +0000

I have managed to clean my desk off three times this week. This may not mean much to you...but this is nothing less than a miraculous. Some people are able to work from an extremely clean desk...not me. I have a unique process when it comes to working and most times I am working on several things at once.

I have discovered that it irks me when my desk is really clean...it's counter productive for me. It's almost as if I haven't been doing anything. When I am writing I usually have several notepads and tons of reference materials on my desk. When I am working on my art I have stuff everywhere, art supplies, reference items and a big fat cup of coffee somewhere within my reach.

I have tried working with a clean desk...but it feels to creepy for me. This week I really did do my best to keep it clean...but after being at work for a few minutes the messed had returned. I've decided that I wont fool myself with the notion that I can keep a clean desk...but I will compromise and clean it at the end of each day. That way I can look forward messing it up the nest morning.

How about you, are you a clean worker? Do you have any quirks of your own when it comes to your work flow? Tell me about it:)

Defiant Kids...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Being the analyst that I am (my wife calls it being nosey) I often notice that there seems to be a lot of out of control kids these days. When I say Out of control, I don't necessarily mean bad, it's just that these kids are very determined not to listen to their parents.

I always cringe when I see this because I have flashbacks to my own childhood. My parents were old school. There was no bargaining and from day one they let it be known that their household was not a democracy...there would be no voting or consideration of opinions. In fact their motto was when they wanted my opinion...they would give it to me.

My parents, unlike many parents of today, were not afraid to be the bad guys! They had no problem at all with hurting my feelings if it would keep me alive and keep me from becoming a menace to society. During my adolescence, I didn't quite understand it, but now as an adult with children of my own I can clearly see it.

When it comes to dealing with my own children, I take a different approach. Like my parents before me, my household is not a democracy, but at the same time i constantly wok on making sure that my children know and understand that they can trust the decisions that I make. As much as it pains me sometimes I also admit when I am wrong. Unlike my parents I also try to be as transparent as I can be...instead of telling them them to be nice to people I let them observe and catch me in the act of doing it myself.

When my children were small I didn't negotiate with them I made sure they they clearly knew that there such things as boundaries and when they are crossed there are consequences. Now that they are teenagers I find that those early lessons have paid off.

I might just be old school but I think too many parents are taking advice from people who don't even have children, and they are trying too hard to be their friends. Here's my two cents mom and dad...they will have plenty of friends but you are the only parents they will have...so be the parent!

What Do You Think? Are today's parents push-overs?

Lawd Give Me Strength!!

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:53:00 +0000

It is that time...the time most parents dread, the time of....the teenage driver!! Yes that much feared time is upon us, where children in our house have reached an age where they are eligible to acquire their driver's license. It has been ten years since we last experienced this phenomenon, and it has taken the entire ten years to recover from the last one.

Actually it started way before the ten years. It was more like 16 or 17 years ago. My wife and I had just purchased a car, it was our first one and it was beautiful. The same weekend we had purchased the car we had guest over. Early that Saturday morning I took one of my nephews for a ride in the new car. If I recall correctly he was about twelve years old at the time. As I was driving he was asking me different questions about the car. He was very attentive and I guess that I was kind of impressed. He was a pretty smart kid and he was a fast learner, so I decided to give him a quick driving lesson.

We drove to a virtually empty lot and there I gave him a quick course on how to start and stop the car, how the signal lights operate, how th use the brake, change the gears and accelerate. Once he demonstrated that he knew how to use these things I then drove around the lot several times and showing him how to navigate, accelerate, slow down and stop.

Once he indicated that he ready I switched seats with him and let him take a turn at the wheel. Everything started off smooth. Like I said, he was a smart kid and a fast learner. We started off driving in small circles and practiced accelerating and stopping, all of which he did very well. We eventually began driving in larger circles and as he became more and more comfortable we decided to drive a few time around the entire perimeter of the lot.

I mentioned that this lot was virtually empty, and it was save for a lone telephone pole that somewhat near the outer corner of the lot. Just off of the lot on the right hand side was an old set of bleachers. As we were driving around the perimeter my nephew noticed the bleachers and the pole. I told him there was no need to worry there was a good twenty feet between them and that all he needed to do was slow down and drive right between them. I saw no reason to be alarmed as he had already made quite a few successful laps earlier.

Apparently my nephew's decision making skills were not that developed, confronted with the though of having to drive between the two items apparently was too much for him, because just before navigating between the two obstacles, he let out a loud screech...jumped up on the seat tucking both of his feet under him and covered his eyes and continued screeching until the car smashed into the telephone pole.

It happened in a matter of seconds, and in a matter of seconds my feelings changed from relief that the kid and the car were okay..to anxiety about having to go home and explain to the wife why I let the kid drive in the first place...and at that moment I actually couldn't think of any..maybe the shock of the crash knocked it out of me.

Fast forward a few years and it was time for my daughter to get her license but I had sworn after the incident with my nephew that I would not subject myself to that kind of terror again. (not to mention I promised the misses no more driving lessons.) My daughter insisted that I was being unfair and that she was much more responsible and she began using the guilt trip thing. ( I was a wimp back then) I decided to give her one chance, so on the way to school one morning I decided to give a chance at the wheel. It was only 4 blocks on a straight stretch...

OH MY GOD!!!! I had never been so scared in my whole entire life (and I have seen some scary stuff!!!!) This girl must have thought that she was Speed Racer and that my little mazda was the Mach 5. I remember asking her to slow down, and cautiously turn the corner...she must have heard speed up and see if you can drift around the corner...The shock and the stress of the Telephone incident came rushing back into my memory and I began to panic and pray (does it count as a prayer when all your saying is "Lawd Jesus..Help Me Jesus..Oh Jesus Please!!!)

I finally managed to get her safely pulled over and she got out skipping and happy that she had the chance to drive, meanwhile I just sat on the side of the road trying to collect my sanity. Rather than go through that again she received the remainder of her driver's training from a paid instructor

So fast forward another ten years and here I am again with another ready to take the driver's seat and two more waiting in the wings hot on his trail to do the same...and all I can say is Lawd Jesus Help Me!!!

Good Bye....

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:42:00 +0000

This weekend was one to remember, as it was marked with the passing of two well known African American celebrities, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. Although both of their deaths were untimely, I think Bernie Mac's is the one that surprised me the most. At 50, he was only 10 years older than me, and in my opinion he was still on the young side. Both Mac and Hayes have made and left their mark in their career fields, Mac as a King of Comedy and Hayes as the Voice Soul.

The passing of both of these men has men thinking and wondering if we (African Americans) are as conscious about our health as we should be, or more directly am I?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Lending a Hand, Praising God and Dirty Words...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Sounds like an interesting combination of subject. What could Lending a Hand, Praising God and Dirty Words have in common. They are all titles or the subject matter of recent articles I published at AC Content.

Lending a Hand: Addresses the reality that sometimes when you extend a hand to help someone, you just might get more than you bargain for or expected...knowing this do you still try to help? As always colorful illustrations are used.

Worshiping God: Conversations With The Rock, is a fun poem/short story reminding us of the importance of making the time to acknowledge and worship God. It's humorous and relatable, I think you will enjoy it :)

Dirty Words: Cleaning It Up, is an expose on my struggle with several dirty words...as always there is a twist!

I welcome you to read this, feel free to let me know what you think.

Paris Hilton...For President???

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:10:00 +0000

I'm not a fan of Paris Hilton...but I have to admit her campaign ad was pretty funny...what do you think? Here's the news report on it and the actual ad itself

Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad (censored)funny videosFunnyOrDie.com

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

I'm Turning Into My Parents...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:31:00 +0000

Not really...but some days it feels like it. It only takes a moment of letting my guard down and before I can catch myself I am saying things like, "When I was your age...I had to walk more than twelve blocks to school" (which I really did) or I catch myself saying things like. "There was no such thing as an allowance...I only received money by cutting grass, raking leaves and shoveling snow or some other menial task!" (I made pretty good money too) As a kid I was sure that my parents were putting 10 on the 2 (exaggerating), but now that I am older and have kids on my own I realize that as times change and as culture changes, there are a lot of things that we no longer have to do, and so there truly are some drastic differences in the way things are done. After having conversations with my children I discovered that when the wife and I share the things that we had to do, it does sometimes seem outlandish or far fetched.

Another bad habit I noticed that I have inherited from my parents is speaking a different language when I am scolding my children. Sometimes no words come out at all...it's just a combination of grunts and gestures and vivid facial expressions, but somehow they manage to get the message loud and clear. I think that it's some primitive form of verbal parental dyslexia. Letters and words become jumbled when you attempt to scold. For instance while scolding my son and checking to see that he is listening I asked "Boy! Do you Under-Hear Me?" (a combination of do you hear me and do you understand me) these phrase usually have and adverse effect as they sometimes sound ridiculous and elicit chuckles from the scoldees.

Over the weekend I was amazed and had to turn my parenting brain off while we were out in public. I couldn't believe the number of young parents I saw that had absolutely no control whatsoever over there children. In several cases the young children were almost injured as their parents stood by begging and pleading with little Johnny and Mallory to come out of the street while the little kid blatantly ignored them almost being run over. Seeing all of this thrust me right back into that mold..."why back in my day I would have never even dreamed of defying my parents like that...man..they would have smacked the taste out of my mouth for even contemplating or entertaining the thought in the back corners of my brain..." To which my children respond..."We Know Dad...We know"

Party Like a Rock star?

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:46:00 +0000

I few summers ago we pulled up our old patio. The plan was to redesign and relay the flagstone patio. Unfortunately a major storm hit and did some minor damage to the house and our focus shifted to those repairs. Shortly after that I aggravated my old back injuries and couldn't do much of anything.

This summer I decided that it is finally time for me to finish this project. The truth is I really wasn't all that excited about having to move those stones again. 700 square feet of flagstone is nothing to smirk at.

I couldn't put it off any longer, as my new office looks out into my back yard, and it was as if those piles and piles of stone were just taunting and teasing me. Not to mention the fact that the bees, birds and bunnies were using the stones as a hiding place.

Last week I began the process of moving the stones and getting them placed back onto the patio (hence the light posting) As much as I am not looking forward to lifting and moving those heavy stones...I am looking forward to when it's done so I can sit out back in the cool of the evening with the love of my life. So if you happen to notice my postings getting a little light...I didn't abandon you...I'm just playing the handyman role.

Is This Funny?? Why You Shouldn't Play with Guns!

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:03:00 +0000

Is this funny...probably not...but I can't stop laughing!!!

Gun Scare Prank

The Family That Preys, New from Tyler Perry

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:56:00 +0000

Headed for the Big Screen...

This Week on I was just thinking...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:35:00 +0000

My blogging has been kind of light lately as I have taken on several new projects and decided to change my blog layout. I am finally at the point of restoring some order to my schedule. So here's a preview of what I will be up to this week;

Tool Time: I will be starring in my own episode of Tool Time, tune in as I attempt to renovate my bathroom. It promises to be very entertaining with plenty of finger smashing, head scratching and the misuse of power tools.

Beating the Heat: Yesterday was one of the hottest days yet and the rest of the week is supposed to be pretty hot also, I've been doing my part to "Go Green" but I'm thinking I will be running the AC this week. (If it's warm where you are remember to check on your elderly neighbors)

Hot Off the Press: I have quite a few articles being published this week on AC Content. Among them will be articles dealing with the subject of Hearing from God, a lighthearted look at race and a continuation of my "Like Father Like Son" series (You don't want to miss it!)

An Idle Mind...

noreply@blogger.com (mmog37) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:09:00 +0000

The old folks used to have a saying, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop!" I heard that phrase quite often as a child. I had no idea what it meant nor was I aware that I was the living breathing Poster Child for the phrase.

As far back as I can remember, I have always had an analytical/scientific brain. I always wanted to know how things worked. My siblings and my parents didn't quite understand they thought that I was just being destructive when I took their toys and radios apart. It wasn't destruction it was curiosity. I do remember one (or more) occasion(s), however when my curiosity actually had some destructive side effects.

The most memorable event took place one summer. I believe I was only 8 years old. I don't remember the reason but I was restricted to my room which happened to be in the basement. After a few moments of nothing to do I began to look around for something to entertain me. I still am not sure how I came up with the idea, but I noticed that there was a light socket that was missing a bulb, and then that scientific brain of mine went to work.

I found myself wondering what would happen if I stuck something in the light socket and pulled the chain on the light socket. I began looking around for something long enough to reach up to the light. Conveniently in an area where my dad kept his tools I found a piece of wire screen. I took the screen and rolled it up like a long stick. The I found a chair to stand on so I could reach the light socket.

I carefully stuck the screen into the socket and slowly pulled the chain and POOF! there was a bright shower of white sparks. It was like a mini-fireworks show. After a quick check to make sure everything was still in tact on me, I inserted the screen again and pulled the chain and again the bright white sparks. Convinced that I couldn't get hurt I had the bright idea to pull the switch really fast to create an uninterrupted light show.

My calculations were correct, by continually pushing up on the screen and rapidly pulling the chain switch I was creating a non-stop flow of beautiful white sparks. I was so caught in the display that I didn't notice that my piece of screen was getting shorter and shorter with each click. I was also to preoccupied to notice the smoke that was starting to build up and make it's way upstairs to my mother.

All I was concentrating on was the sparks. Click...Poof, Click...Poof, Click...Poof and that's when it happened. I went to push the screen in and pulled the switch...expectantly waiting to see those lovely white sparks. This time instead of white sparks everything went black! I hadn't noticed that there was only a small bit of screen in my hand and that I had actually inserted my thumb into the socket. When I pulled that switch I received a totally different kind of show.

Before I knew what happened the electricity ripped through my arm and made it's way through the rest of my small frame. I was sure that I was about to die, and I probably would have if my violent shaking had not knocked the wobbly chair from underneath my feet.

By then my mother had noticed the smell of the smoke and the flickering lights and had come to investigate. She arrived just as I was falling to the ground. She quickly picked me up and made sure that I was okay. Once she saw that I didn't have any major injuries and that I was going to live....she promptly beat the living daylights out of me.

Needless to say I never did that again. It's incidents like that which have me convinced that kids need something to do or something to occupy their time...because an idle mind really is the devil's workshop!