There’s speculation that I may be acquiring another dog. Not just any canine, but the breed of dog I’ve wanted since 2002 – THE PUG We got a pitt / lab mix puppy, Clyde, last year and he is growing into an exceptional watchdog. We have a 10+ year old pitt bull that looks more like the Chick-fil-A cows and she’s afraid of her own shadow. When we got Clyde,…

FFC on Rhodes from Fave on Vimeo.

Death forces me to face the reality of those who meant so much and left here too soon. My man, Herman, embraced being a “big guy” way before it became fashionable. It didn’t stop him from being the coolest preacher’s kid in town. His street smarts didn’t stop him from getting his degree from a prestigious university and giving that knowledge back to the streets as a teacher. He married…

I have lived during six presidential administrations and never in my history has a presidency felt so connected to the people as the pending presidency of Barack Obama. Not because he is black, but moreso because he addressed human issues, economic trials, foreign policy and community involvement throughout his campaign. His focus was on the character of men and women, which resounded most for me. As a black man, I…

I’m writing my next novel using the Snowflake Method. This style of structuring and building your story has proved successful for many authors and I’m always down to try something new. I’ve managed to write the one-sentence description, synopsis paragraph and two character profiles. It almost killed me Change often comes with discomfort and this methodology challenges my current flair of “writing ’til I feel it’s done.” It forced me…

I stepped into an elevator with four ladies and a gentleman today. They were discussing last night’s Fiesta Bowl and Texas’ late TD victory. I stood there, holding my environmentally unfriendly food container, listening to their banter on our 10-floor journey back to the lobby. The portly man with thick, Coke bottle glasses contends, “I HATE that Texas won!” The ladies exclaimed, “What?!” almost in unison. One of them continued,…

**DISCLAIMER: this post is brief, yet slightly “stan-ish” but I don’t care..these are my hip hop heroes, dammit.** While on Twitter today, Q-Tip replied to me after I sent him a tweet about his album review on the Best Albums Round Table (BART) 2008 podcast. Kind of cool, huh? I thought so. I love the way artists are flocking to Twitter and truly engaging with their listeners / supporters. This…

Most of us dread Mondays. It’s viewed as the death of the weekend and the birth of long hours at work, never ending action items and five days until the next 48 hour reprieve. It’s rare that we see Mondays as the mark of a new beginning. New opportunities stand patiently behind a door we’re too distracted to see because we’re lamenting over a cup of coffee. But today is…

In the morning, I will return to work after an intermittent hiatus. A lot of people are dreading the return back to work, deadlines, school, etc. but I’m looking forward to it. I enjoy what I do and the subsequent results (i.e., paying the mortgage, eating, etc.), so I welcome going to the grind for the first time this year. This is a season of new beginnings and although I’m…

I need clothing, food and shelter. I don’t need Sean John denim, Cheesecake Factory entrees or a condo in the Mosaic. I need water that falls somewhere between 3rd world, polluted river nectar and double-filtered, reverse osmosis, mountain caressed liter bottles. It’s a thin line between love and hate and I believe there’s a thinner line between needs and wants. My misstep pivoted on the illusion that I would be…