Predictably Unpredictable

Today’s Question of the Day from WordPress asks: What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever? Being a lyricist myself, this question immediately grabbed my attention. For as long as I can remember—going all the way back to the first poem I wrote at eight years old—I’ve always loved the power of words and clever wordplay. You all know how much I love music, but when a songwriter can…

When I was a kid, going to the store wasn’t just a quick errand — it was a rite of passage. At six, seven, eight years old, parents trusted us with a handwritten list (on a slip of paper easy to lose, by the way), a couple of coupons, and the expectation that we’d come back with the right stuff. Now, we might’ve gotten it wrong the first time or two, but you only had to mess up once before you…

There was a time when going to the grocery store late at night simply meant fewer people in line and a little peace and quiet while you picked up bread, milk, cereal, and whatever else you forgot during the day. At least that’s what I thought. But somewhere along the line, retail stores, especially Walmart (yeah, I said it), evolved into something completely different. They became theaters. Not…

Last week, I was sitting in the Walmart parking lot, waiting for my family to come out, minding my business, listening to some music, and casually looking out through the windshield. Across from me, I saw a car pull into a parking space—but not cleanly. He had to adjust a little, because the car next to the space he was pulling into was already parked too far over the line and at an angle. You…

Today is National Film Score Day, where we recognize musical masterpieces—those powerful, often unspoken forces better known as film scores. These are the sounds that don’t just accompany a scene… they define it. We also take a moment to celebrate the many composers behind those moments. Some names you know. Some you’ve never heard. And some… you don’t even take the time to notice when the…

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and by the time many of you read my Question of the Day, it will already have been posted as my team’s engagement question at work. Have you ever had a near-death experience or a close call where you later realized how fortunate you were to escape it? I can easily predict that it will create quite the discussion. And they’re really going to get a kick out of the…

There are moments when I look around and wonder, When exactly did the world rewrite the rules — and forget to tell me? I’m not talking about politics or technology (though both seem to need an instruction manual lately). I mean the little things — the everyday grammar, writing, and cultural quirks that somehow changed while we weren’t looking. I grew up learning that coffee, water, and beer…

No matter where I go, if I fly, I wear Chicago paraphernalia. You see, my very first flight was a rough one, and someone told me to wear something that makes me comfortable instead of a suit, which I was wearing at the time. I remember another flight where we were experiencing what I can only describe as midair mayhem. This little girl sitting next to me grabbed my hand and said, “Mister, don’t…

There’s a question I’ve found myself asking lately — one I’ve probably been circling for years without realizing it:Am I more like Martin Luther King, Jr. … or Malcolm X? The older I get, the more I see pieces of both men in my thoughts, my reactions, and even in how I write. They’re two sides of a legacy that shaped not just a generation, but the conscience of anyone who ever wrestled with…

“The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.”— African Proverb There’s a proverb from Africa that says, “The axe forgets, but the tree remembers.” Simple words, but behind them lies a world of truth about hurt, history, and the way memory lingers in people and communities long after the moment has passed. When an axe strikes a tree, the wood carries the scar. The bark splits, the mark remains. But…

What is wrong with you people? No—seriously. What in the frozen tundra is wrong with you? I’m trying to understand the decisions folks are making out here while we’re coming off record-breaking cold snaps, sub-zero temperatures, and snowfall so heavy it shut entire counties down. In my area, we had a Level 3 snow emergency—the kind where you’re not supposed to be out at all unless it’s…

It’s February once again, and you know what that means — another month-long tribute to films featuring fictional and historical figures, events, and stories rooted in the Black community, and the African diaspora as a whole. If you’re new to this series, you can check out my previous selections at the links below: 28 Days Of Black Cinema (2021)28 Days Of Black Cinema (2022)28 Days Of Black…

I remember sitting at a bus stop in Tallahassee, Florida, many years ago, talking excitedly about the Chicago Bulls. They were finally headed to the NBA Finals, and a few of us were going back and forth about what it meant. Out of nowhere, some guy who wasn’t even part of the conversation jumped in and said,“You’re stupid if you think the Chicago Bulls will ever win a title.” Eight years later,…

It’s been a few months since Ironheart landed, and now that the hype’s cooled, it’s easier to see what worked — and what didn’t. When Marvel introduced Riri Williams—young, brilliant, and unapologetically Black—I wanted to believe we were witnessing the rise of a new kind of hero. But from the moment she entered the scene, something felt off—not in her potential, but in how audiences and the…