We lost George Carlin earlier this week. For those of you not familiar with his work, I urge you to check out his great legacy of stand-up and writing. Before I even became a comic or knew I wanted to or could be a stand-up, George Carlin blew my mind and offered new ways of thinking and being. George Carlin was and will always be what so many profess to be but aren’t, an artist and person whose life, art and words were always consistent, fair and true; even if they weren’t popular or soothing. His points were always reflective of how he felt and never just what people wanted to hear. And he did it all with insanely efficient razor sharp wit, mad passion and massive charm. In this day and age so much art is designed using reverse engineering and marketing plans and people make hollow points to people they know already agree with them. We should all learn from the example he set. He spoke truth and let that alone be his reward.
He also never tried to pass on gratuitousness as provocative-ness. I see so many comics feigning anger or making obvious points with attitude and smugness that would suggest their taking risks or pushing the envelope but their only standing in place loudly. It’s not my goal to expose comics but more to shine the light on Carlin’s greatness. He paved the way for the rest of us to talk about whatever we want and to be brazen and fearless. George Carlin will always be my personal favorite and the world of comedy rests on his tiny shoulders.
We can’t all be Carlin but we can all be true to ourselves and use our mental faculties to question things, ultimately enriching our lives and mankind as a whole.
I had the pleasure of meeting George Carlin. He was kind and friendly and true to the words he spoke on stage.
Thank you Mr. Carlin, there will never be another like you but I for one will forever be inspired by your radiance. We will miss you.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
This is sort of the flip side of a blog I wrote a while back. I went to a Yankee game yesterday (BX Stand up), picture perfect day to catch a ball game (74 and partly cloudy.) Luckily, the Yankees won and I was with one of my laid back homies. What ended pretty well had actually started out quite stressful.
I was running a little late. Not late for the game but late for our meeting time. We wanted to meet 2 hours before the game started because it was cap day at Yankee Stadium. But only the 1st 15 thousand get a cap. Mind you, Yankee stadium holds well over 50 thousand people. I’m typically not a get somewhere 2 hours ahead of time kind of guy. But, I wanted a hat and definitely didn’t want to prevent my buddy from getting a hat. My reason for running late? I tried to sneak in a quick Tae Bo On-Demand session in the morning to “earn” the right to pig out at the game.
So, bad judgment call notwithstanding I run up to the gate to meet my friend with plenty of time to get a hat and chill out before the game started. But, instead of just checking my bag the people at the gate make me go across the street and check my bag in at some random after game pub. There’s some weird no bag policy at Yankee stadium that I still don’t understand as I counted at least 30 bags once I got in. Seems like some racket to help the fledging bag check company across the street.
I try to plea my case but it feels almost like airport security. Like, if I kept protesting, I would’ve been rewarded with a cavity search. And not the kind dentists give you. But they let purses in and certain kinds of bags in. Not like you could ever conceal a weapon in a purse. Or put stolen items in a purse for that matter. Get real Yankee stadium. There’s no way you can handle 30 thousand bags being checked which, to me, indicates that only some are checked thus making the whole thing extremely silly and suspect. In a non driving city like New York sometimes you have to bring all your stuff for the day with you: book, jacket, umbrella, fig newtons etc. So basically my book bag is a socially acceptable man purse. And, since they were letting purses in. I should have been allowed to enter with my…ahem…book bag. Or I could have just bought a purse and risked even greater scrutiny from the New Yorkers.
NEW YORK DUDE: Hey get a load of twinkle toes with the purse over there. Hey, Rupaul, where’s the drag show…
I think not. I run across the street check the bag and run back into the stadium, only to be 5th in line when they ran out of free hats. Keep it together.
Fine, I rarely wear baseball hats anyway, time to enjoy the game get a hot dog and root the pinstripes. I wait in line for 15 minutes to get a hot dog and soda only to be told the hot dogs are not ready. Not ready?! Did you guys not know there was a game today? An hour before the game and they’re not ready. That’s all you have to say? Its one thing to have your quiche in the oven as dinner guests arrive but it’s a travesty to not have hot dogs ready to go for 40 thousand crazed fans that were overcharged and hatless. So I grabbed an ice cream, reversing the order I had in mind.
QSN: Can we stop calling those ice cream dipping dots* the ice cream of the future and just call them the ice cream of today. They’ve been the ice cream of the future for about 15 years now. The jig is up.
Come on Yankees; don’t force me into going to only small market and minor league games. In the end my friend did get a hat, the Yankees won and I look better without a hat anyway.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take 50 bucks for nose bleed seats
Make me check my book bag ‘cross the street
Wait in long line for dogs not ready to eat
Root, Root, Root for the home team
They better win cause I’m damn near bankrupt
Well, it’s 1,2,3 strikes –
Uh hell no! I paid too much to be up in this piece. My beer is warm and I took out a 2nd mortgage for these cold ass chicken fingers. I better see some home runs. I better see the skin ripped off the ball-
At the old ball game
* http://www.dippindots.com/company/
I was running a little late. Not late for the game but late for our meeting time. We wanted to meet 2 hours before the game started because it was cap day at Yankee Stadium. But only the 1st 15 thousand get a cap. Mind you, Yankee stadium holds well over 50 thousand people. I’m typically not a get somewhere 2 hours ahead of time kind of guy. But, I wanted a hat and definitely didn’t want to prevent my buddy from getting a hat. My reason for running late? I tried to sneak in a quick Tae Bo On-Demand session in the morning to “earn” the right to pig out at the game.
So, bad judgment call notwithstanding I run up to the gate to meet my friend with plenty of time to get a hat and chill out before the game started. But, instead of just checking my bag the people at the gate make me go across the street and check my bag in at some random after game pub. There’s some weird no bag policy at Yankee stadium that I still don’t understand as I counted at least 30 bags once I got in. Seems like some racket to help the fledging bag check company across the street.
I try to plea my case but it feels almost like airport security. Like, if I kept protesting, I would’ve been rewarded with a cavity search. And not the kind dentists give you. But they let purses in and certain kinds of bags in. Not like you could ever conceal a weapon in a purse. Or put stolen items in a purse for that matter. Get real Yankee stadium. There’s no way you can handle 30 thousand bags being checked which, to me, indicates that only some are checked thus making the whole thing extremely silly and suspect. In a non driving city like New York sometimes you have to bring all your stuff for the day with you: book, jacket, umbrella, fig newtons etc. So basically my book bag is a socially acceptable man purse. And, since they were letting purses in. I should have been allowed to enter with my…ahem…book bag. Or I could have just bought a purse and risked even greater scrutiny from the New Yorkers.
NEW YORK DUDE: Hey get a load of twinkle toes with the purse over there. Hey, Rupaul, where’s the drag show…
I think not. I run across the street check the bag and run back into the stadium, only to be 5th in line when they ran out of free hats. Keep it together.
Fine, I rarely wear baseball hats anyway, time to enjoy the game get a hot dog and root the pinstripes. I wait in line for 15 minutes to get a hot dog and soda only to be told the hot dogs are not ready. Not ready?! Did you guys not know there was a game today? An hour before the game and they’re not ready. That’s all you have to say? Its one thing to have your quiche in the oven as dinner guests arrive but it’s a travesty to not have hot dogs ready to go for 40 thousand crazed fans that were overcharged and hatless. So I grabbed an ice cream, reversing the order I had in mind.
QSN: Can we stop calling those ice cream dipping dots* the ice cream of the future and just call them the ice cream of today. They’ve been the ice cream of the future for about 15 years now. The jig is up.
Come on Yankees; don’t force me into going to only small market and minor league games. In the end my friend did get a hat, the Yankees won and I look better without a hat anyway.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Take 50 bucks for nose bleed seats
Make me check my book bag ‘cross the street
Wait in long line for dogs not ready to eat
Root, Root, Root for the home team
They better win cause I’m damn near bankrupt
Well, it’s 1,2,3 strikes –
Uh hell no! I paid too much to be up in this piece. My beer is warm and I took out a 2nd mortgage for these cold ass chicken fingers. I better see some home runs. I better see the skin ripped off the ball-
At the old ball game
* http://www.dippindots.com/company/
Friday, June 13, 2008
Casing Your Every Move
I ran into an ex neighbor of mine in Starbucks. He shared with me the joys and pains of home ownership. Then we ran the gamut of all the perfunctory small talk and right on unspoken cue he got up to leave, slipping me his business card as he rose. I guess just in case we needed to pick up our weather conversation at a later date. After all, our discourse hadn’t touched upon humidity or barometric pressure.
I actually had no idea what he did for a living. Turns out, he’s a private investigator. His card says “Private Investigator” and he’s not kidding. Very cool. I actually had a parking spot adjacent to a Private Eye, a real life Gumshoe. This is the makings of an action movie trailer……
In a world where the line between good guys and bad guys was blurred…one man set off on his own to re-draw the line. Make the line more distinct…kinda like pro wrestling in the 80’s….anyway… To make the world a better place, he gave up his badge and became….Dwayne’s neighbor- the private eye.
On top of it all, he’s a brother. Wow a black private eye, super hero must be right around the corner. I better get fitted for my tights.
I actually had no idea what he did for a living. Turns out, he’s a private investigator. His card says “Private Investigator” and he’s not kidding. Very cool. I actually had a parking spot adjacent to a Private Eye, a real life Gumshoe. This is the makings of an action movie trailer……
In a world where the line between good guys and bad guys was blurred…one man set off on his own to re-draw the line. Make the line more distinct…kinda like pro wrestling in the 80’s….anyway… To make the world a better place, he gave up his badge and became….Dwayne’s neighbor- the private eye.
On top of it all, he’s a brother. Wow a black private eye, super hero must be right around the corner. I better get fitted for my tights.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, June 06, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
A Place for Everything & Everything in It’s Place
Whenever I try to clean my room my bed becomes a holding bay for all the items and paperwork without a home. After everything else is fairly straighten up I'm usually left with a bed full of knick knacks that I don't want to throw away yet have no place to put. Sometimes I just leave them on the bed…indefinitely. Good thing I have a Full size bed. I basically have 2 adjacent twin size beds. Like a 60's sitcom husband and wife. Except, my wife is a PBS programming guide some mango insence I bought in Hawaii 3 years ago but never burned.
QSN:I actually have never burned insence. Why would I ever buy insence? It's just like that Kente clothe vest I copped back in 93. I had to know somewhere deep inside that I would never wear it. Did I think I would get invited to an NAACP African themed awards show?
Tidying up is cool but what I really need is a complete make over. When I do upgrade my stuff, it's going be hard to know where to start. I actually started already though. Your boy got himself a flat screen. Not sure if I really need a 32" LCD High Def TV to watch Seinfeld and Kramer re-runs but what the heck. But now the TV looks like it showed up to the wrong party. Like a guy in a tux who shows up at a Hawaiian shirt kegger. Because of the TV I had to get a nice stand to put it on. But now my nightstand has to go. It's bringing down the property value. And that cardboard box can no longer double as a desk. This TV is sure costing me a lot of money.
Maybe I could get one of those TV shows to come and fix up my place. Although, I don't think my story is compelling enough. Maybe they'll come once they hear my latest announcement.
***I'M STARTING A VIDEO BLOG****
That's right! Hence the room clean. Although, I may be reporting live from my bathroom or living room. Any whoo. I figure I would take questions from the masses. And by massed I mean 20 people who read my blog and each week answer one of them via video. The questions can be about anything: relationships, economics, politics, sports… you get the picture. So please email or Myspace me with your questions.
Here goes nothing….
QSN: Quick Side Note
QSN:I actually have never burned insence. Why would I ever buy insence? It's just like that Kente clothe vest I copped back in 93. I had to know somewhere deep inside that I would never wear it. Did I think I would get invited to an NAACP African themed awards show?
Tidying up is cool but what I really need is a complete make over. When I do upgrade my stuff, it's going be hard to know where to start. I actually started already though. Your boy got himself a flat screen. Not sure if I really need a 32" LCD High Def TV to watch Seinfeld and Kramer re-runs but what the heck. But now the TV looks like it showed up to the wrong party. Like a guy in a tux who shows up at a Hawaiian shirt kegger. Because of the TV I had to get a nice stand to put it on. But now my nightstand has to go. It's bringing down the property value. And that cardboard box can no longer double as a desk. This TV is sure costing me a lot of money.
Maybe I could get one of those TV shows to come and fix up my place. Although, I don't think my story is compelling enough. Maybe they'll come once they hear my latest announcement.
***I'M STARTING A VIDEO BLOG****
That's right! Hence the room clean. Although, I may be reporting live from my bathroom or living room. Any whoo. I figure I would take questions from the masses. And by massed I mean 20 people who read my blog and each week answer one of them via video. The questions can be about anything: relationships, economics, politics, sports… you get the picture. So please email or Myspace me with your questions.
Here goes nothing….
QSN: Quick Side Note
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