Friendly Neigborhood Nerd

To the one who sat too close to the stage

there but still distant, telescope perspectives

allowed you to perceive receiving

recognition to someone who

doesn’t know you but your shadow

is familiar. Darkened by an ambiance

to make the star look brighter,

however it is still stuck in the lonely space.

 You invaded me in my alienation.

But it wasn’t for domination,

maybe not from the start,

because my heart you did take over on the sly

you won’t admit to it and I can’t admit

why I let you, in that space I should have left you.

But there is a cold fact about isolation,

things move slower at cooler temperatures.

 A star, is bright and hot, so when we meet

we’ll be doing things far from chillin’.

‘cause you dared to touch what

many believed could not be handled

and remembered my calculated location

even when I was cloaked

In the daylight. For that I thank you.

Hope you’re not too disappointed

 When the stage is gone, and I’m not even what these

dim lights and spotlight make me to be.

So today in one of my Literary Criticism classes titled, The Short Story. I had to participate in a group discussion of the Story "Mines" by American Writer Susan Straight. Great read! Also includes socio-econmic issues of The Prison Industry on minority males. The question I formed was if the readership of the class thought that since the character of the story was college educated, did they feel it influenced her tones in the story. 

Tangent Alert in 5 .. 4 .. 3,2,1 someone interjects that just because someone is college educated doesn't mean that they will be able to transition into a successfull and desirable career. Good point. Has nothing to do with the question but okay. BUT THEN, that student went on to explain the amount of debit he had and will have to deal with for the next few years. Passionately I might add. Another student chimes in and talks about how she was working a good job but decided to go back to school but it was hard because she was almost 40!

And in my best Homer Simpson voice in my head I thought, "hey I didn't ask for your life story".

Yes its great to share opinions in discussions that  relate to the text but boy is it bothersome that someone just feels the need to lay their business out there on the line to a room full of strangers when we are talking about fictional stories and topics that are made up. And you can't just cut them off because then you would come off as rude or not compassionate. This is just my cautionary opinion, you MUST be selective in what you reveal about yourself in context to the subject matter! Otherwise you're going to have people (like myself) not giving a damn or even awkwardly being responsible for now having that knowledge. 

Thats like putting ice on my food plate in a buffet line. I wanted something to eat not cool my drink especially when I don't even have a cup. However, if you would like to pay me, I will then create the life story you so desperately need to share so that you can have people read it in a class setting and discuss how someone tried to dye their pubic hair as a child and now they can't eat apples.

It's fall 2005, I have a new job, my high school sweetheart broke up with me, I'm a freshman in college, and my Ipod still has a Click Wheel.

In that Ipod is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard!!!   

Kanye West - Late Registration

Much like the little Mascot Bear, I was a big fish in an even bigger pond! This album was the embodiment of my whole college outlook. It was my soundtrack. My theme music. I had a two hour commute from 67th and West BLVD in Inglewood to 1250 Bellflower BLVD Monday - Friday! I took two buses and the Blue Line back and forth, so I NEEDED something to listen to outside of the music I was making. Granted I did not Dropout and comeback, in retrospect my college career was met with a few breaks.

I woke up to Heard Em Say thinking that I had overcame adversity just by making it to a four year university and how life is too short to take opportunities for granted. Then Touch The Sky was just describing the moment of making it and being successful. Drive Slow reminded me that I was still from the hood so I had to be on the lookout, especially those times when I would be catching the bus home late from work or hanging out with friends. I was really getting into Commons older work at the time so having him on his own track on My Way Home to me was dope. The singles Golddigger and Diamonds did kind of get played out but they were still dope and Jay came and dropped a verse that people are still quoting to this day.

[Sidenote: this album had 21 tracks! You don't even see that anymore that's like a double disk today]

The Broke Phi Broke skits were comedy and I'm sure that they were a great joke amongst the Greek community at that time. The personal family joints like Hey Mama and Roses really let 'Ye showed a scope into his life and made him easier to relate to his fans.

Crack Music was on some militant revolutionary shit and then beats like We Major and Celebration took the album and hip hop music to a level that really just set a standard that couldn't be elevated anymore at the time (Until Kanye Came back with (Graduation).