2009 Survival Manual - Addendum

Don't keep this on the T. Share this with all of your good people. Here is how one can receive all of the good blessing waiting for you in 2009:

1. Take the best care of your body that you can, at this moment in time. If the lumpy, bumpy, fleshy thing you move in this space is not healthy, than nothing will feel right. Like a peeble in your shoe, or even worse, dogshit on the bottom of your shoe. Everywhere you go smells like shit. Work at fueling yourslef as much as possible with things that turn to the sun for nourshiment. I struggle with this good people, but it's worth the battle.

2. Replace the negative with the positive. I hear all of yah moving air molecules as you huff and puff at this cliche idea. Motherfuckers, give it a motherfucking chance. Okay darlings? Replace hate with love. Remove fear with bravery. And, most important replace lies with truth.

3. Wonderment is a good thing. Find something new and exciting, green and inviting. Be life-long learners and get in the game. Get outside of yourself and your head and remember that the wise person knows, he or she knows nothing at all. The great mind studies ideas, the mediocre mind studies events, and the small mind studies people. Find the balance. Ya know I love my junk-food for the mind, but there has to be a balance.

I love you good people. You came into this world perfect, and sadly for some of you, others told or treated you differently. Dream big and put action into it, the Universe will assist you with the work you have done, make your dreams possible.

Happy New Year, ya crazy and adorable, High-Riding Bitches!

Psst...Yo I Got That Louis & Coach

True story good people. As I was making my way through Chinatown in NYC the other day, I noticed some not so down-low thing going on. Stationed at several key locations throughout Canal St. are asian women going up to touristy looking ladies, and letting them know they have the connection for designer bag knock-offs. They even have a sheet of paper showing the styles their sweatshops are putting out.

At one point this suburban looking white woman was huddled into a phone kiosk talking to the "connection" about what she has and how much is she asking for. Meanwhile, her counterparts looked on with a nervous giddiness. I'm sure they were living on the edge.

A few blocks down I see a billboard that lets folks know when you buy knock-offs and other counterfiet items you are supporting, child labor, drug trafficking, sweatshops and other negative influnces on communities and countries.

But these "shoppers" don't give a fuck. That's those people's problem, not theirs. Hey, fake bitches, flaunt fake shit!

NY State of Mind

Thanks to my darling friend Izzy, I have been staying at his apartment on 16th St in NYC for the past two days. He went on a lovely vacay to S.F. with his man, Victor. I hope they are having a blast. I know I am.

I'll share the sordid details later. Todd! Junior! Watch your backs, you never know where this blogger is going to show up! LOL.

Here are some not so good pics of my walk around today. I used my cell phone camera. If you want real hot pics of NYC, visit Todd's blog.

This gentelman (pitcured below) has been selling his little handy-dandy vegetable peelers, on the streets of NYC for years now. He has a English accent and is always in his suit. I think just about every NYer has at one point of time seen him in action. He goes everywhere!


Ahhh good ol' graffiti. Brings back memories of my days as a b-boy

Jean Paul Goat Yeah

Junior inspired me to post this video, with his most recent entry on his blog.

I was reminded how back in the late 80s, Jean Paul Gaultier was all the rage for the fashion queens. The gurls did not venture out into the night without their fashion being bangled, beaded, bustled, billowing, bold and black. The queens wanted to always make the unique fashion statement. Everybody was a fashion designer. Good people, I use to wear leggings with some thrift store finds one night, and then threw on the banji-drag on other nights. LOL. Whew! I was all over the place.

Nowadays, you see a lot of the homo thug look and/or a style that was bought straight off the rack. It's cute, yet commercial. Christopher St. is no longer the fashion runway it use to be.

Shade With A Beat

A scandalous track from Sophia Lamar. Is she hating, or sending out a wake-up call? I will say this, I have a low tolerance for phony bullshit. Yet, I'm okay with manscaping. It's my pisces nature.

Stargazing Again

The winter sky is returning. The giant Orion is back in view. He looks like the image above.

Marcos needs some stargazing in his life. I want him to indulge in wonderment because, it's a healing thing. Yesterday, I took him out around dusk and showed him Jupiter and Venus, which are visible to us folks in the Northeast of the U.S. Just look Southwest into the early evening night sky. They are the two biggest points of light. Remember, planets don't flicker, so the light is steady. Enjoy the view. It's miraculous.

Speaking of Miracles

In this season of miracles, I was reminded of a youtube post I did sometime ago. Click below to see what it was all about.

There is an interesting development regarding this post. I heard from the son of the mother I had talked about. He had this to say:

"That woman that you are talking about, that mom, she is my mom. And her brain injured son is my brother. And I just think that it's really great to hear a positive response to this whole thing because my mother has been getting really frustrated with people who are saying that she should be arrested because she is using the drug in an illegal way. So thank you for being someone who sees this the way that it was meant to be seen."

I wrote him back and told him his mother rocks, and that she should keep doing what she is doing, and that I hope his brother and family are doing better.

R.I.F.

Over the past few years I have revisited some of my favorites books. I may have blog about this before. I have found the experience to be so much fun. Recently I reread Animal Farm by George Orwell, and Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut. I have to say both books have proved rather prophetic.

I'm sure you are all familiar with the tale of corruption that unfolds in Animal Farm. If not check it out. I think every young person should be given this book by an older caring human being. It's a must. I gave it to my nephew on his 14th birthday and inscribed in the book "Don't ever become a sheep!"

Galapagos tells the tale of a planet that is killing its natural resources, paper money is losing its value, and the big brains of humans causes more trouble than they are worth. Also, the tale is told by a ghost that stays on earth for a million years, because he was waiting to see when humans beings finally became better people.

Ahh books. Oh and I finally got a library card for the local libraries. My school's library did not have a circulating copy of Animal Farm (can you imagine that) and I realized I needed to increase my options.

Get On The Bus

I love public transportation. I can even tolerate the times when it's crowded, or smelly, etc. etc. One reason is I think it's a way to cut back on polluting the earth. I also think the fare here in CT ($1.25) is very reasonable. What I really dig is the overheard conversations and spontaneous situations that go on. Here is a sampling:

Elderly woman gets on the bus. She is all of 4'5" tall. Wrapped in layers of clothing, it was really cold that day. She takes her seat, looks around and starts to hum what seemed like a gospel tune. Than the spirit hits her and she feel compelled to testify:

"I got JESUS with me! Yes, the lord is taking care of me. I am blessed people. You all need to pray and thank the lord. I got my nails done, I got my radio at home. I'll settle in and lock my bedroom door. My husband has his own bedroom. I have no need for him after 25 years. I'm married to Jesus now. The only man I want to hook up with if it aint Jesus, is Obama. Obama! Obama! Obama!"

Many of my fellow passengers, myself included chuckled and smiled at each other. One middle-aged woman then said "Amen, I'd like to hook up with Obama too!"

To which the elderly women replied "Yes, sister!" while she looked at her freshly painted, fire engine red, nails.

A High-Riding Bitch

I was a smart-ass when I was a child, became a people-pleaser as a teen, and have slowly evolved into a high-riding bitch.

Let me unpack that term for you. Here's my definition:

A high-riding bitch moves through space in time, with love, beauty and compassion in her heart. Her head is filled with thoughts of what is true and possible in the world and she strives to contribute to make it happen.

She accepts herself for being human, yet sucks her teeth and smirks when her vulnerabilities are revealed to herself and others. When faced with adversity she digs into her bag of wisdom and plots the best course she is capable of at that point and time. Whatever doesn't work she notes it down and doesn't go that route again.

She believes in forgiveness, because it is really the only way to put down the baggage and move on. Hey, she walks through life in killer heels, so she doesn't need the extra weight.

Only when necessary she destroys. She understands that slash and burn is sometimes necessary in order to allow something new to grow. This belief in that red hot energy is also summoned when she has to tell life to have a seat, so that she can kick it in the teeth.

It not about being evil, catty or selfish. That's for children. It's about the high-riding bitch being convinced that she matters in the world, just like everyone else does, and she doesn't have to hide anymore.

Approach us high-riding bitches with the best of intentions. A better ally you will never find. She is divine energy that likes her valley of goodness licked, and will always return the favor.

Life on the Rock - Holiday Season

A few years back I worked at 75 Rockefeller Plaza. I had the perfect view of the Christmas tree. It was lovely to watch and despite the job becoming an emotional drain on me, I did appreciate my my view during those five years.

Here's a little secret about the tree. It's actually kinda scrawny, very Charlie Brown-ish. The weeks leading up to the lighting ceremony, they fill in the bare patches and thinned out areas with remnants from other trees. Yes, good people, the tree gets a weave job!

Also, all of the Rockettes wear really thick pantyhose that gives their legs a uniformed-skin tone and blemish free effect. Oh and they are not really all that tall. But, honey they got that synchronicity thing down!

Happy Holidays.