Testing My New Signatures

They're so PRETTTTTTTTTTTY, like me!! :p

PS - I can't be stingy so if you want to make one or a few go to
My Live Signature.com. There's like 6+ pages of font styles, another for the size, one for color options, and yet another for the "slopeage". Not in that order but you get my point. Have fun... oh did I mention some options are free and some you have to pay for?? You know me... mine are so free it's not funny.

Song/Video of the... #27

I never cared who George was referencing in his tunes but this was MY GUY back in the day. I wish I could pull out the photo I took on my way to see him and Andrew (collectively known as WHAM) live in Philly. I had on my Hawaii print shorts, headband and Wham tee. We saw them as close as feeling their sweat drips as we squashed our way to the front of the stage. This was also the first man I experienced wearing some of the most gaudy, large earrings I had ever seen until Katt. Sorry... no man - gay or not - should wear bigger earrings than a female - EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!! Did I say never, ever?? NO LAUGH and on we go to a couple of my favs from George Michael. He's on a US tour and I would love to have $$ to go see him for sure.

The Stevie Wonder version is far better but it's not online. Please enjoy'em all.

That's No Real 'Blacks' Diss

Not sure what part ya'll seemed to have missed
Can't see why ya'll gettin' unverved and pissed
Dude got people fussin', upset and real mad
Ya'll don't see the BS hype which is so sad
Those comics are a hellava force
Look at who he used as his source
He's not nor has been really relevant
Not even worthy of their same element
It's all planned and scripted out
Yes, he's simple without a doubt
This video is the biggest and sorriest publicity stunt
But he just put millions on the net version of Punk'd
Why are we even passing it on to so many others
When we should try to recognize and love one another
He's telling the real truth if you've been truly listening
Blacks BEEN the shyt, what part are THEY missing?
Too bad we can't see it just as clear as he does fo' really tho
What, we had to wait for a white man to call us out on video
As you see, I didn't need to scream out any names
We all know who's crying bout the mastered game
They say don't hate the playa nor the game, hate you don't know A simple rule
I'll take any of those comedians to make him see who's now the real public fool
Even if you were born again in a Black lifestyle and attended any of our HBCU's
Sorry, there's no surgery for natural Black and it ain't happening no time soon.


(smh and rolls out...)

"You'd Better Recognize"

I was on BlacqueSmith's Blog and saw a number of remarkably grand and much needed reads. Well, for me at this present time but... it sill does not stop me from passing it along:


You Better Recognize: A Spiritual Guide - Because Life’s a “Trip” by Valerie Rose

In this book, the author encourages the reader to wake up and smell the coffee, to give yourself roses and to live life to the fullest. She states to do this, we must RECOGNIZE….

RECOGNIZE…. the light within you

RECOGNIZE…. that you are a powerful force in the Universe

RECOGNIZE….that opening your mind can open doors

RECOGNIZE…. the blessing of forgiveness

RECOGNIZE….. that life is change

RECOGNIZE…there is nothing wrong with being good to yourself

RECOGNIZE….the benefits of silence

RECOGNIZE…..the healing power of laughter

RECOGNIZE….that if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.

RECOGNIZE….the power in prayer

RECOGNIZE….opportunity when it presents itself

RECOGNIZE…. that pain means growth

RECOGNIZE….that tomorrow is not promised to anyone

RECOGNIZE….that action is the first step to your eventual success

RECOGNIZE…. that not everyone is going to like you

RECOGNIZE….that happiness is a state of mind

RECOGNIZE…. that you are the key to your dreams

RECOGNIZE… that we are all connected

RECOGNIZE…. and respect Universal Law (e.g., sowing and reaping, Karma)

RECOGNIZE….you are love

Life is a literal and metaphorical trip. Make it good one. In the movie Braveheart, WIlliam Wallace says “Every man dies, but not every man really lives.” RECOGNIZE the power in you and live your life to fullest.

Dick Gregory For President (S/V of the... #26)

I had the pleasure of riding the Amtrak to the Million Woman March the same wee hour morning as Mr. Dick Gregory. If you are not familiar with him, here's HIStory. He was resting as we should have been doing. But we were so excited about making HERstory and then to see one of our greatest philosophers in ALL time, breath-taking. He was gracious enough to allow us to photograph with him. And here's my Song/Video of the...

WTH??

I was on the IMDb (Internet Movie Database dot com site) and saw this AD at the top of the page:




First off, this is like ooooooooooold stuff and secondly, WTH?? See how advertisement REALLY is messing with people. Or... is it just me???? And no, I did not click-thru as I need no more of it.

Short post.

BTW - all imagery left here, click on it for either a larger view of it or the actual website linking to it. I just learned how to link images in HERE. YAY ME!!

If Ya'll Don't Know About The Afro Flow...

I'll be tellin' ya all about it momentarily. Mes, Pound and Ms JJ, you'll enjoy this musical message.

Alrighty, I'm back and bout to get wordy. Last night a group named Afro Flow stopped back by Morgan State University as a continuing part of their HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) tour across the US. Their first trip was less than they expected crowd wise said Mike-E while giving his story to some eager listeners at the end. I was informed of the group's existence thanks one of their members, DJ Invisible. The "DJ" is an Internationally known musical entrepreneur covering such places as Germany, UK, Australia and even his own back yard - Detroit Michigan. I met him via a forum for his cousin, the actor/rapper Xzibit.

I was excited not only to be able to go back to my old school again but to see DJ I and this new to me experience in music. I did very little research but found that they've been doing this HBCU touring for some time. And sadly, very little info seemed to have been passed out at Morgan's Metropolis, I mean campus as attendance was... hmmmmmmm... LIGHT let's just say. As I drove thru, around and around (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH BEING LOST - OK????), I noticed how many more structures had been built since my last visit in ooooh '85ish??? I attended from 81 - 83ish, hung around till '84 and went back for one Homecoming Game and that was it. I drove past it for 10 years on the way to work watching from the outside what was happening to the Library, Murphy and Hillfield House and beyond. I even tried to catch a glimpse of the infamous bridge over Coldspring Lane and any happenings on it. Sadly, I just never walked on campus after they locked it down for that last Homecoming event I attended. I was so upset as I wanted to see my old dorms but... it's a city campus and they had to do what they had to do to protect the kids.

Now, back to the event... I went in, heard the music/voices and was like where is it?? Kids sitting around seem so unfazed by this FREE event. They were more interested in my HUGE camera that they never had a clue about the upstairs going ons at all. I arrived in the Ballroom to find it near EMPTY. What a huge room it was in a HUGER building with barely the stage area covered. Participation had to be literally pulled from those who were in a hands reach of the performers on stage. Mike-E was doing some talking and I was trying to get the peek on who was who. Ahhhhhhhh, there's the DJ and now who else is there. When I finally figured out that I had left the disc for my camera in the laptop... at home, I was deflated again. But Mike-E, Kenny and Red were doing so much on that stage, I barely had time to notice the camera. I sat it inside my coat and continued to enjoy the show. They did a set about cigarettes and the negativity of it - YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. Kenny did a tribute to the old days of NICE music like Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway and Red - well Red just did his thing on every instrument on the stage - literally. And let us not forget the African Warrior, (son of a Legendary Warrior) Sowande. Percussions are his life and that's all need be said. You'll have to see and hear for yourself. There were 2 more guys in the band, one on synthesizer?? and one on drums. The whole set is one you NEED to enjoy as we seemed to have forgotten that LIVE music needs to continue to be AHHHHHHHH LIVE and FREE FORM. Their set can be very, very energetic if you just allow yourself AND you have some active participants. (HINT, HINT MSU)

In this 2 hours, they invited "freestylers" not "rappers" on stage, invited singers to lend a voice and introduced the next musician hopeful in micro mini form. This is where my 3rd kid story comes in. Mike-E tells us we may need to help the next lil guest on stage because he can be a bit shy. So, we sing a lil song to what appears out of the side as the tiniest lil guitarist with the cutest lil face and attitude to match. Oh, he "plays" his guitar with such enthusiasm that he seems to forget we are they instantly. He never needed coaxing as he seemed to know he was getting his just attention. And when he's motioned to wind it up, his lil arms just goes in circle form winding and play plucking like the mini Pro he's becoming. Nooooooo... he did not slide with guitar - down ON the stage. Sheer laughter but nothing but love for the lil guy, I mean. He looks out in the crowd to get Mom's approval, back at Dad for some instructions and into the crowd again to see he's being enjoyed just as much as the grown folks on stage with him. Watch out world, a DJ's 4 year young son will be soon recking the globe, one guitar lick at a time. And to think, he's been playing since 3. WHAT?? At 3, I wish I could even remember what I was doing but I don't think it was anything musical you can believe that. I hope to hear more from him as he is NOT a part of Afro Flow's normal entourage. It sure was fun seeing him this tour stop. Oh and he performed the prior performance night as well.

Back to the band at hand. The presentation was a fusion of all sorts of forms... freestyle, spoken word, jazz, hip-ish hop (ahahaha) and instrumentation at it's finest. Keyboard, percussions, guitar, drums, voice, DJ... I mean - what else do you need? ALL HANDSOME ETHIOPIAN/AFRICAN/AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN!! And you know I loved it. Pure music in pure form. The DJ played a part of band breaking out the guitar to playing the hand operated lil metallic shaking thingy that gives the extra effect. I can not call that instrument, so someone feel free to help me. He even did the DJ-ing bit with the turntables t0o. At one point they invited singers up out of the crowd. This one poor girl who landed on stage twice giggled so much that if she had talent, she blew her chance to show it. She seemed like she had a nice voice but was somehow stage shy, I guess. At the end, they invited people to come over for CD purchases, autographs, flyers, wrist bracelets and other promo material. They even allowed tour bus entrance which I didn't really think about until I went on the site AFTER I came home. It's a fully decorated bus as seen on their site. The American Cancer Society, PellePelle, Ethiopian Airlines, Chrysler and Java Hope (also seen as 'Perk & Brew' Coffee who "In 1996, Perk & Brew became a certified minority and woman owned firm with national distribution.") all are their sponsors.

So go over to their website if this sounds interesting or even too short. You can register for updates, see video, hear music, chat on a forum, and just get heaps more info than I can give here. And if they come near you, IT's FREEEEEEEEE. Go see them and encourage REAL MUSIC STAY FREE FORM!!

PS - "they don't have groupies nor fans, they have supporters". Damn I should have hugged Mike-E for that one. Bowie is next... we shall see...

PS #2 - all the images in this message should link to the related sites. And the darker color text is a link as well.

Almost hit a kid today

I was looking at the kid and a SUV when the kid went in my blind spot. Next thing I kow he is inches from my headlights. He's fine as he backed up and I slammed on brakes - simultaneously. I am not sure if the people in the car where his parents or not but only the man stopped. The female just looked up and kept getting in the car. The man turned around, said something and then he got in the car. Kid in the meantime (while I'm parking) goes in the office where I'm headed. So I get out of car and apologize to the people who don't seem to speak English. I guess "I'm sorry" translates the same in whatever their language was because he wa smiling. The female looked mad but she was this way prior to me even nearng the kid incident.

So I am walking to my destination and kids is re-entering where I am to go as well. He is coming out almost as quick and I try apologizing and he smiles and runs off. I take care of my business and head towards my car. Guess what? Kid is in the car with the people I made my apology with. I'm still shook because it bothered me but never seemed to bother them. Kid is ok, so maybe I should be ok with it too.

Someone please tell me the word for those who have a fear of leaving the house. I need to see if I if the definition of how I'm starting to feel.

A Wee Quiet

I know I've been a wee quiet here lately. So much has been going on offline that it requires more focus. There's so much to talk about like Mes has said. I just do not have the strength to address it all nor the time like I want. I do know the water issue with meds in them is one thing I found out last year. And I did what the article said we should not do to that very day I first read it.

DO NOT TOSS MEDICATIONS IN THE TOILET.

Oooooooooooops.

And I move on to the sadness I feel reading kids on various forums who are just sad in their lives wherever they reside on this globe. I'm saddened to see someone who helped me recently also is in need of help themselves. It saddens me to see a person I thought was true is not. It bothers me that she "acts" so concerned but yet never lifts a finger. And it bothers me that I can't do anything about any of it...

But you know what... sadness only lasts as long as you allow it. I am so glad I can feel sadness, ya know. Someone on life support and only has THAT equipment to keep them alive feels not a thing, that we know. Someone who has lost a limb probably has given up. Some child who is being mistreated has no will to feel...

And who am I to even complain about anything when all said and done and in the face of...

I thank The Almighty everyday... to feel... to be a wee quiet...

Song/Video of the... #25

Rahsaan Patterson has to be one of the most, wow... I can't even find a word or words to describe how much I love his work. Due's range is off the Richter. I just found out that I'm missing some music because I only see ONE of his CD's in my collection. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr... You can best believe when I get some extra pocket change, they WILL be replaced. And without further ado, here ya go.

More Maxine-isms

These were sent in by my girl 'Kayoz' She just thinks about me in the kindest way!!

Maxine-isms

Idiosyncrasy is noun that is defined by WordWeb as - a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Quirk is yet another noun and in definition, by Word Web again, means - a strange attitude or habit

And I bet ya'll thought I fell off the face of Blogging, eh? Not a chance. I should be studying but I thought I'd take a break from the thought of studying and post a note. I'm feeling so Maxine right now as things get crazed these days. So here's my thoughts on a few things via the Crabby One:

She is just a card isn't she? And to add on to the "quirky" computer woes I face every now and again as Geek Girl, this is my favorite from her:

And of course I have to have one for everybody else's Monday blues (I don't have blues ONLY on Mondays :P) :

And for the Political side of me, nothing sums it up better than this since I've not said much about it anyhow:

What's your Maxine-ism for today or any day for that matter?

Things People Say To Kids

I was recently in a public setting and overheard a "man" speaking to a child about 4 maybe 5. The man tells the lil boy "We have to get you somewhere else. You're going with your Momma to work next time." And the lil one just rolled all over the man who seemed to be rather close. I can't recall if the boy said "Dad" at anytime but why was my feelings more hurt than the playful lil kid's??

Maybe I'm just too sensitive right now because of a heap of stuff going on offline and on. I really thought that was cruel. I know kids can be draining and I know parents are saying "you don't have kids, you have no idea". I don't know, maybe it was just me looking on the outside never to know what really goes on inside. I do know it still is ringing in my head and my heart considering where we all were... (sighs)

"Doodles"

The USA's celebratory 'National Doodle Day' is May 8, 2008. In the UK it reads March 7, 2008. Back up you say? DOODLES?? Yes, Doodles. It's ones quick drawn penmanship of whatever the thought process provokes at that time. You've done it and may not have given it another thought afterwards. But is/was it worth money? Well who knows as the are auctions on Ebay for not only Celebrity Doodles but common folk doodles too it seems.

It was brought to my attention again as I am watching the unfolds of the X-Files 2 movie in progress and Xzibit's (Alvin Joiner) participation in it. I'm really eager to see what he brings to the script/film for sure. Anyhow... Gillian Anderson had mentioned that he'd be added his "doodle" to many others already seen and/or auctioned off for charity. The funds raised from the auction will go to benefit 'neurofibromatosis' (NF). "Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that affects one in every 2,500 births. NF is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease combined. Funds raised from the Doodle Day auction will go to support education, advocacy, coalitions, and research for treatments and a cure". (information quoted from NF's website)

Here's Xzibit's Doodle and the link to see more X-File 2 cast as well as other celebrity drawings. Also, I link you to the UK website for a heck of a lot more creative art drawings. So, do you doodle? If so, what have you drawn that we can see? Believe me when I say if you saw mine, you'd not know what it was either.

Good People Gone Home (S/V of the... #24)

It's a sad week ahead as it has been for over 30 years now. I met my birth sister for the first time in her casket when I was 11 or so. She was born and died on her birthday, March 4. The hurt has never subsided and it never will. On top of that today, March 2, is my birth mother's birthday who is with my sister, I hope. She left me somewhere in the early 90's and I miss her sooooooo much. I can only pray she is watching over me and hears every word I send upwards every day of my life. So, with these two special women gone home, I had yet another person to add to this week of sadness. My great, great Aunt (yep, she was my Grandmother's Aunt) leaving us after 110 years of earthly life on/or about March 4 a few years ago. I really don't do exact dates at all as you can tell. I just do not like having that exact moment I found out replayed over and over again. Nor do I like remembering the exact day everything went down... well, up... I guess. For some reason I thought about 2 more people, not related to me, who were good people too and have gone on home as well.