Mind:Blown

I got off work early today and decided to head down to a lounge on campus, find a comfy chair and read my book for class. I knew i wouldn't get shit done if i went straight home...anyway, a quote from Socrates really threw me for a loop:

"For let me tell you, gentlemen, that to be afraid of death is only another form of thinking that one is wise when one is not; it is to think that one knows what one does not know. No one knows with regard to death whether it is not really the greatest blessing that can happen to a man; but people dread it as though they were certain that it is the greatest evil; and this ignorance which thinks that it knows what it does not, must surely be ignorance most culpable....so I shall never feel more fear or aversion for something which, for all I know, may really be a blessing than for those evils which I know to be evils."

As a person who has spent most of her natural life completely terrified of death, this was quite eye-opening for me. Not in a "suicide is ok now" way, but a "if something happens to you, don't be afraid to die" way. He is right; we don't know what's on that other side. Many religions have theories but NO ONE has ever been able to come back and report. PLUS, every time you see psychics talk about communicating with dead people, those dead people seem to overwhelmingly report how happy, calm or at peace they are. AND they be hanging around their loved ones all the damn time. So i can spend time with my family but not have rent or bills? YEAH!!!.

ok for real tho, I still think my true fear of death stems from knowing how sad my loved ones would be...especially if my children were still children. so maybe i'm more afraid for them than i am for me.

Whose HOOOOOOOOUUUSSSSEEEEEE?!?!??!

2 RunDMC flyer, originally uploaded by The Canon Rattman.

RUN'S HOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUSE!!!!!

Before I write about my beloved legends, I gotta send a huge shoutout to Flickr. I love love love their site. Not only do they make it easy and fun to archive your own photos, you have access to zillions of other photos that you can use in blogs. There's even a handy button above every photo that says "Blog this". Bling Blam. And it even takes care of the whole "photo credit" issue. Sweeeet.

So yeah, that flyer above. I think i was just starting high school when that tour began and i was so bummed that my dad wouldn't let me go. He felt i would be trampled and killed (or worse) at a rap concert. My little boom bap'd heart was broken for weeks.

Run DMC and LL Cool J epitomized hiphop for me and i wanted to emulate them in every way. I salivated over my first pair of shelltop Adidas, attempted to save up for a fresh Kangol hat, and was jealous of everybody i saw wearing an Adidas track suit. I even tried to write rhymes (thank goodness none of those still exist.)

Fast forward 20 years later (jesus christ, 20 years later!) and my new favorite TV show is Run's House. Reverend Joseph "Run" Simmons is the new Cliff Huxtable. If the Cosby Show were a reality show, this would be it. He's just as wise and just as silly as Cliff Huxtable. And he happens to also have 5 amazing kids and an adorable wife. Family meetings on the couch are a regular occurrence. The kids range in ages from 8 years old to adulthood. The show is fun, wholesome, funny, poignant, funny and inspiring. And as a super-bonus, we get to have occasional outrageously witty repartee between Run and his eccentric brother, Russell Simmons.

The show is in it's 3rd season but i'm still catching up on the older reruns. My sister told me about it a while back, but at that time, i wasn't quite ready to add another entree onto my TV dinner plate. My idiot box cup runneth over like a muh-fucka. Between Oprah, Heroes, The Sopranos, Entourage, and American Idol, I don't get no damn sleep! School work suffers! Children go hungry! Villages burn!

ok it ain't that bad but yeah.

I'm supposed to be reading Plato

Death of Socrates, originally uploaded by Maulleigh.

More specifically, The Last Days of Socrates. Thankfully, I only have to read one piece in that book, The Apology. There just wasn't time to read it this weekend with the kids here. They had so much of their own work that i needed to help them with.

I can't believe how lucky i got with this first class. The workload is fairly light and Prof pretty much loves whatever I write, even when I KNOW it's crappy. But hey, i'm not complaining. If he's happy, I'm happy.

We have this 6-page paper due in two weeks and i haven't started it yet. I would like to complete it before I leave for Japan so that i don't have to stress over it. I WAS going to write a critique on a rap song, but i've realized it's going to be way more challenging than he deserves. No disrespect to Prof, but if he's cool with my output at it's current level, i see no need to expend extra intellectual energy to impress him. I'll save that for a Prof who's actually kicking my ass. I need to conserve energy right now. I have a feeling my next two classes are going to be taxing.

12 Days Until Japan

pestulent poser, originally uploaded by Mr. Mark.

I can't believe it's this soon. I'm ready but i'm not ready. It still doesn't seem real...

Winning this trip in a sweepstakes is definitely among the top three Most Surreal Things To Ever Happen to Me. With the other two being

-dancing onstage with Prince at Madison Square Garden

-holding a $64,000 check in my hand after appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

I have so much more to say about Japan but i need to get to sleep...

My (Sorta) New Love Affair

I used to do radio. And I loved it. Being on the other side of that wall...knowing that i'm speaking and unseen people are listening...it was heady and lovely and intoxicating. Every week i would walk into the station and see those microphones there and the control board and i'd just get excited. The only thing that would make me more excited was when listeners would call in to react to what we were saying and to what music we were playing.

I listened to alot radio back then. Probably just as much as i did when i was a kid. But after i stopped doing the radio show, i also stopped listening to the radio. It wasn't purposeful. It just kinda fell away from my life altogether. Then i got down with mp3s and it was a wrap. If you can create your own playlist for every moment of your life, what do you need to listen to commercial radio for? Ok admittedly, i'm probably missing out on a lot of new music and artists and i do feel out of the loop when it comes to that. I feel like i should know at least one song by TV On The Radio but i don't. oh well...

But now...now. i have a new radio love. And ironically, i discovered it as an mp3. a podcast to be exact. Chicago Public Radio has this amazing show called This American Life. Ira Glass is the host. Each week he brings you stories on a particular theme. Stories of average Americans of all ages and races. It's poignant, insightful, hilariously funny and sometimes sad but it absolutely perfect...and it just makes me oh so happy. In fact, in recent weeks, i don't think i've been happier than when i'm listening to his show. I anxiously await the next week's download and i plan out when i will listen in the car...only in the car. It's my special time and place to reflect on This American Life. Oftentimes, I've stayed out in front of my house, in my car for an extra half hour because i just wanted to finish the hour-long program before going inside. I can't listen inside the house. It's just not as special. I don't know why.

Outside and Inside.

Caught in mid-stride, GianTess pauses to admire the view of the city she's traveled millions of miles to find...

Sunset from my pillow..

Christmas 2006