It is a time of reflection and moving forward. What have we got? What have we lost?I had a scare a few weeks back. In the middle of it I wondered if I truly contributed more than I have taken from this life. The answer is, I could do better. I have to make choices that will take me into uncharted lands and people. Not that I shy away from such possibilities but I need to make more of an effort not to be complacent.I also need to kick the gratitude thing up a notch or two. By word and by deed. This is a musical reminder from Miss Nina Simone who...
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
It continues to happen and short of wearing microchip pasties I don't know how much more we can do to help the fellas get a clue. Brick and mortar retail stores are still dissing women walking in to buy products and services. How stupid is that?Answer, very. Beloved menfolk, we don't hate you; we hate the attitude that you assume all women do not know anything technical.Yes, I can bake a cake. So can some men.Yes, I can install my terabyte drive without help. So can some men.Yes, I do know the difference between a Dual Core and Core Eight and really...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
I don't want to believe it. I just don't. But CNN, People and other media sources are saying that Teena Marie passed in her sleep. This is Teena in a classic music video, Lovergirl.Mercy. I'm not happy but if her spirit is at peace and pain free then so be it. This is Teena performing a rendition of His Eyes Is On the Sparrow.Not ready to let my musical icons go but it seems I have no choice. Much peace and respect to her family and her extended musical family of fans who are hurting something awful tonig...
Friday, December 24, 2010
My neighbors are whooping it up in celebration which makes it hard to be in a contemplative mood. Can't blame them and who am I to tell folks not to sing and dance.Pema Chodron is a teacher who can explain ancient wisdom for western ears.Anyway, I'd thought I would share some stuff from Sounds True. Sounds True is a place where you can find inspirational talks and teachings from a variety of disciplines. It is a commercial business but that business is helping others find healing tools and techniques for living.I have a subscription on iTunes and...
On this day I have what I want and what I need. I try to remember that each and every day but there are some days and weeks that make me want to separate myself from everyone.I get lost in the woulda, coulda and the pernicious shouldas that I forget that there is beauty around us.I have proof. I was in a room of people talking and no one really saw what was occurring out the window. I almost missed it because I was scarfing down lunch but my eyes...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Once of the reasons I'm crabbing about the rain is that there was no way to record the lunar eclipse that happened on December 21, 2010. Fortunately other folks with cameras and camcorders did not let that stop them.Kareem Brown shot this time lapsed video of the event. The actual eclipse was four and a half hours, this will take about 1:30 to wat...
Friday, December 17, 2010
It is raining in Los Angeles. We have skipped Fire season and headed straight for the drips. Don't get me wrong, Fire season is nothing to be desired but it was a bit warmer and you can do more stuff outside. We never got our heatwave. We didn't even have a proper summer, if you ask me.No, we have, and I do appreciate on a certain level, rain.It rained on me this week. It was one of those challenging weeks where I couldn't ignore my body. I caught a cold. I do not like to be sick. Hate it. This is the second time this year I had a really bad cold....
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sister Aretha Franklin is in many of our hearts and prayers this day and in the days to come. I'm not ready to let her go just yet but God knows it is not in my hands.It is harder to think of a family that hasn't been touched by cancer. You'd wish it be more selective and take out the crumb bums type of folks that need to leave the planet quick, fast and in a hurry. That is me being spiteful. I meant it but it isn't a nice thing to say or think. So let me try again. I remember being a kid and walking around the neighborhood. Folks had either...
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
There are times when you are funky and there are times when you need the power of The Funk to lift you to a higher space.I don't know Aaron Vest because his wife twitters 72.8 times more than he does. I have met him once or twice but not a day goes by without Mrs. Vest throwing a tweet or two in his direction.This is for his birthday and since I don't know what to get a man who has everything, even in the mist of a hell, high water and is that a tsunami about to break? kind of year.This is the full get up off that thing version of Mr. Rufus Thomas...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
It is raining on and off. This is strange. You see, this is supposed to be our fire season. Some doofus either sets a fire or nature causes a spark that has everybody nervous. It is better without the fires. I know that.But it is raining. This isn't right.You see we have our rain season between February and April. Los Angeles generally has really warm weather between September and November. I love my hot Santa Ana's winds. It is like being in love with an air stream.Those with allergies do not love the Santa Ana's as I do. Those that hate high...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
I'll post one one video on the last day of VloMo10 but I got time crunched toward the end. To make it up to you I present a one man cheerleader squad of four part harmony goodness. Salud to our writing compatriots as well as those in the VlogNation. Special shout out to those that did 30 Pies in 30 Days. My hips forbade me from even contemplating such a crusty adventure but props just the sa...
Saturday, November 27, 2010
I am not sure how older men see themselves. Well, I have glimmers. I think the image gets locked in at their best year and that is what they see from life forward.I mention this because Bruce Williams has a great looking face. The white beard is working for him. He doesn't have the washboard abs that is being projected as the standard of male beauty and perfection. Bruce occupies a body well lived in that has stories and poems to share. His poems are much like his beard, there is history in present and waiting if we would slow down and truly listen....
Friday, November 26, 2010
No ten dollar words today. I have met the challenge of the day by not spending any money or participating in any way toward Black Friday. It is time to dance, make silly and drop any pretense of maturity.From the dust bin of time, I give you Mr. Soupy Sales and the Hullabaloo dancers doing The Mouse. For those that protest I remind you that a few months later we were all doing The Batm...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
In the caves of the Salt Mine there were strategy meetings on getting the goods. Techniques were reviewed such as scarfing down dinner and then stand in line until the 4 a.m. opening. Miner #56 wanted first dibs on the 40" television.Miner #39 was thinking about how many targets she could hit in a two hour window. The desk was lined with ads. She was marking her positions on her phone to graphically see if she could get to point A, B and C in time for the designated specials.Salt Chizzler #320 questioned the need for sleep but was concerned about...
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Robert Lundy is the writing partner of Elizabeth Yahn Williams. They often write about the same topic but with different styles and viewpoints.Rhyming poetry is deceptive in that there is a message or story that is carried by the rhyme. You might have to shift you perception antenna a little bit to really hear what is going on.This is Robert reading his poem, Deja Vu All Over Again.For more information about Elizabeth and Robert check out their web site atwww.hitherandyahn.comThis is day 23 of National Videoblogging Poetry Month aka #Vlomo10 on...
Monday, November 22, 2010
I have to put this out there. Most of the older women poets will not allow me to record them or their poems. I totally understand and respect that decision. I think it is a mistake. People need to see and hear from our elder poets. Not just because they are "older" but because they offer a bridge to what was and what is in the here and now. Growing older is not a toxic condition no matter what the advertisers try to tell us. Take your choice, grow older or cease to be? Then again in Elizabeth Yahn William's poem maybe there is a choice to come...
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Poetry can slice through a lot of nonsense. Politicized issues about aging, health care, faith, humanity and even pestilence are made clear line by line. I listened to Julia's poems and I was uncomfortable, not in a bad way. It was the feelings of recognition. Of the reality of being vulnerable to other people who will take advantage. It is also the recognition of others who will rise up and overcome the darkness but not before a lot of tears.The discomfort is the reality of remembering to focusing on what is really important. We need to be made...
Saturday, November 20, 2010
It has been too long since I've written a proper poem. I'm hanging out with the poets to find my voice that was shelved for a reason I can't remember. It might have been a job or a man.I can't remember. Once of the things that I like about spoken poetry and poets is that there is a lot of risk taking. Can you say the words? Will they understand. Will the spirit of the poem come through. This first poem is in memory of David Stillwell entitled REM Revelation.Sometime you just have to let things happen. This is CaLokie with Don Kingfisher Campbell...
Friday, November 19, 2010
I'm a day late but just under a dollar short. I came home last night and I tried, I really tried to post something. My body was not having any part in it. I woke up around 3 a.m. to write about image sensors.I really want to write about digital image sensors and I needed time to think and write. So that is what I did. Then went to work, did a few chores and then attempted to catch up.I'll have you know the body will protest if you try to stay up more than 20 hours. Gone are the days when I could stay up to watch the Late Show, the Late, Late Show...
Wait, I can't find my ruby slipper! Oh, wait - I don't have one. My bad. I am learning to appreciate Twitter because the people know stuff. Liz Henry's tweet pointed me to this video by Maria and the Diamonds.Yes. There is dancing and singing and merrymaking with menfolks on our terms.Yo, what's not to like?Still cranking away for days 18 and 19 of Vlomo. I fell asleep. I was tired of real life and needed to visit my dreams. Oh, well back to the sprint.Carry on and dance why don't you. Menfolk t...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Life was a bit simpler being a six-year old person. You could write a letter to someone you did not know. You thought about the letters that made up the words you wanted to say. As you age up a bit you become more self conscious and hopefully a bit more reflective. I did type hopefully. Anyway this video is an answer video to Frank Carver's Vlomo10 post on the A14.Hi Frank.This is the California state highway 134. It is normally jammed up with folks going and coming from work or trying to get to the Rose Bowl. Lord help you if you are on it...
Monday, November 15, 2010
I like really good hamburgers. I'll reconstruct the burger to make it right. I don't want mustard. I can tolerate fresh lettuce. A real tomato or nothing. I want onion rings, not chips of onion.Pickles are optional. There is nothing quite as nice as a single burger from In-N-Out. No cheese. No fries required. Just a $1.75 burger.I have had the Vanilla Shake with a burger. Made with real ice cream. It is thick. You'll need a spoon. I try not to order that more than once a month. Moderation of desire I guess.So this is not only my homage to In-N-Out...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
I was clearing space and trying to throw things away. I found an old toy digital camcorder with a 1GB card in it. It works like a Diana/Holga camera in that the imperfections can make interesting videos. This one had a kind of meditative quality to me. Anyway, I had recorded a video crossing Suicide Bridge. Yes, it has earned the name but the city doesn't like the bridge referred to as such. With millions of people acting like they have drunk the equivalent of 2 cans of Four Loko (fortified alcohol drink with an added shot of caffeine = a lot of...
Friday, November 12, 2010
There are times when we are on automatic. We go shopping for stuff. Generally for the stuff we need but we are diverted by the stuff we want. Or think we want.Or didn't know that we wanted it. Me, I go looking for what I haven't seen before and can tote home in a shopping bag. I don't want a painted Buddah or a tarted up angels. But I did see that kitsch really does have a price tag.This is a lemonade video on account that I didn't know that the iPod Nano will record 480 x 640 if I record in portrait mode. This is my day 12 video for National Videoblogging...
I've got orange marmalade and leftovers in the refrigerator. I really like to mix food together. My derriere is not all fast food. Nope. I stuff it with veggies, pasta and other assorted food items.Yet even I would draw the line at a Twinkie diet. And by Twinkie I really mean Chocodiles. Or Ding-Dongs. Chilled, of course. And then I find this video. Merciful heavens. I've heard of cultural appropriation but this cuts the cake. As a funny parody example. I don't even like Gilbert & Sullivan musicals. I tried but meh, not for me.But I get it....
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Being 52 I don't like doing the same things the say way all of the time. I was thinking about the ruckus about the Twinkie diet experiment. There are some people who are going to fantasize emulating eating Chocodiles for each and every meal. For the record, this is so not a good thing. Ok to fantasize but not ok to try. Your body will rebel. So this is my attempt to try to make a video collage about that rapture of thinking about eating junk food and the rational behind it.The good news is that I don't appear in the video. This is my day 10 video...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A few months back I wrote a post for BlogHer about the theater. This is a version of that post but I thought it would be timely to look again. The movie For Colored Girls opened this week. My heart isn't into rushing to the movie.There has been a lot of discussions about the movie, the play, re-interpretation and so forth. My BlogHer colleague Nordette Adams wrote an excellent perspective from various stake holders.Here is my two cents.I attended a performance of For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf play many years...
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
There is a story underneath every blanket or two. This is one of mine. For the record, this opossum doesn't look half bad.This is a starting point of just how ugly the one in my neighborhood looks like. It could just be the California Opossums got the short end of the ugly stick.Do not be fooled by the slicked up portraits of nice smiling critters or Disney animations. These beings have attitude - generally bad.This is my Day 9 atmospherically dark video in order to hide the laundry for #Vlom...
Monday, November 8, 2010
Some women do shoes. I have books. Lots and lots of books. Mysteries, computer, history, dictionaries all over the joint. I have hardback, paperback, pdf, cassette, CD and mp3 books.I do not as yet have a book reader. The desire is there but I'm waiting for the perfect one. I'll probably will be sleeping with it.This is my Day 8 video for #Vlomo10 - National Videoblogging Posting Month.Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. The music in the video is from Danosongs....
Sunday, November 7, 2010
On this day I learned that no matter what you planned to do something can happen to make you wish you never heard of computers, cameras or vlogging. I went out and shot video. I was using my 5th Generation Nano for what I like to think of as my retail whimsy documentator. Came home, extracted the video and discovered that the Nano records video in 480 x 640 as well as 640 x 480. I had a bunch of video in a non-standard format. Ok, no problem. I can use QuickTime to apply layers. Something I haven't done in six years. It was clunky even then. Wasn't...
Saturday, November 6, 2010
This is another poem by Calokie. I could try to explain or interpret but he is moving so fast I guess I'll leave it to you to latch on and ride the roller coaster. I recorded hand held with my Kodak Z1285 that also shoots HD video. That little sucker puts out a great image but I never know then the batteries will go splat. Still in search for the perfect for me HD camcorder.This is also my Day 6 video for National Videoblogging Posting Mon...
Friday, November 5, 2010
We take a pause for the videoblogging cause on account I'm editing and trying to upload before midnight. This is the week that the republicans and tea party participants are celebrating.Phase 1 on taking the country back. I never can get a straight answer as to where or back to. My guess is limited government. Limited social engagement and services. Less controls over the oppressed and downtrodden business class. Let me not forget the establishment of a Christian nation codified in some governmental documentation.Even though the founding fathers...
Thursday, November 4, 2010
I have to eat a bit of humble pie. I had finished the video yesterday but I looked at myself talking. I second and third guessed that maybe I should do this kind of video. This is counter to what I am telling other folks.I'm not comfortable. I haven't found my public voice I tell myself. This is nonsense. Half the time you can't shut me up. It was the appearance thing.I did not look pretty. Meaning slicked up. It really is embedded that women should not present themselves unless the are displaying physical and aesthetic perfection.For who? Seriously.Most...
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
For the record peanuts are a good and necessary food source unless you are allergic to the goobers. Speaking of goobers, this is my not so sneaky attempt to get use to writing prose and poetry again.This isn't prose or poetry but it is a commentary riff on how age is sold for profit. This is also my Day 3 video for National Videoblogging Posting Month.To watch other videos by creators from all over the planet zip over to Twitter, plug in the hastag #Vlomo10 and see what you can fi...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
This is an experiment on how to express being 52 years old. I want to play with visuals, silence and poetry. So for some of my contributions to National Videoblogging Month I'm going to see if I can tell that story in traditional and non-traditional ways.This is a short clip on being able but not vocal about how many weeks I've been on the planet. If you are so inclined, whip up your own video, upload it and use Twitter #Vlomo10 to let folks know that you have a video to wat...
Monday, November 1, 2010
There are days you have to look at your own personal trash to know how far you have walked from it. A poem is a safe place to revisit personal hell and tribulations. This is Jon Epstein reading his poem, Eight Milligrams.Today is the first day of National Videoblogging Posting Month. One of the reasons I started videoblogging was that I wanted to record people and places that were not being seen. It was the environments that I found myself in just being a regular person.I'm not a high tech cadet. I buy what I the equipment that I can afford and...
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Margaret Fabrizio is working on a quilt project. She is an artist, a vlogger and a bit older than I am. If you are watching this on a day after October 31st then you might be confused. It is the questions. Always the dang questions that leads us to enlightenment. But not before you get kicked in the tush with lesso...
On November 1, 2010 those that are in need of honoring the muse are gonna give it go for National Novel Writing Month. Those caffeinated jar heads are gunning for 50,000 words of literary adequacy.It doesn't have to be a great novel. Just a novel. So you can say with pride and conviction, "Yes, I have written a novel."For web video folks we pay tribute to the spirit of the challenge and go them one better by trying to produce 30 days of video. National...
Friday, October 29, 2010
The intersections between Black folks and White folks is a precarious one. There are those that proclaim "I don't see color, I see people." That is acceptable until the person with the color on the skin speaks up.Then folks get agitated.Why can't you be like me? Why must you be different? Why must you speak different and what is up with the hair thing? My faith is all you need to know; anything else is blasphemy. There is only one true American and it ain't you because you don't look like me. At the time this clip was created the only visibility...
Saturday, October 23, 2010
So the dude from Countrywide is gonna beat the rap. Not even go to trial?Not even gonna pay the fine because Bank of America will pay the bulk of the fine for him per a prior agreement?Tell me again how crime doesn't pay? Unless you have an excessively white collar you seem to do just fine and dandy.This is a video that I found on BNet a year or so ago. I meant to post it but it seems like this is a good time to remind folks why we are in the mess that we are in.One reason is that is a serious separation between legitimate earnings and greasing...
Friday, October 22, 2010
My head hurts. It has been a week of media personalities, companies and politicians acting badly. What is the difference between this week and any other?There are some potentially unintended repercussions. At this point, it almost does not matter. I think I have an ache in my heart too. When I was thinking out the video of the week it didn't take long for me to remember this stunner from 1984. The band is Frankie Goes to Hollywood and this is Two Tribes.I am a passionate believer of freedom of speech. I have found myself supporting really noxious...
If you have never been to The Huntington Library this is your chance to make it up to yourself. It is physically beautiful place and crammed to the rafters with books, art and a plant or two.If you can, stroll in on a sunny weekday so that you can take your time getting lost in the stacks or in the botanical gardens.Here is another good reason to head over to The Huntington. From now until February 14, 2011 there is an exhibit of his life and work....
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I purchased Nancy's poetry book called The Vast Unknowing. It is a journey into Jewish identity, living in Los Angeles and the fears that bind all of us if we are honest.This is a poem with multiple levels of depth. The intersections of youth and culture mixed in with straddling living in America when you were born elsewhere. How do you fit in? How do you understand freedom?For me it is loving the poetry of Rumi and finding out "Wait, there are others poets I should know about?" Of course there are other Persian poets and people I should know...
A poet is rarely just a poet. I don't want to affirm the poverty mentality of fiscally challenged poets but it is a tough slog trying to get non-poets to pay attention or come to a poetry reading. When you do take a chance to attend a reading or performance good things can happen. Rick Smith is a poet, musician and a bunch of other stuff. In this video Rick tells a tale about how fame can smack up an ego upside the head and reads one of his poems about blues harmonica players. His new book is Hard Landing. There is an separate audio CD that has...
It is raining. This means I'm going to be very productive today as I can't go any where. Sorry for the delay of posting poetry videos. I had a wicked cold/flu thing that made anything more than basic functioning impossible.Ok, on with the goods. This is Karineh Mahdessian reading her poem, Manic Monday. Karineh's poem appears in the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, Summer 20...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I get the Black Women's Network brochure every year. I usually can't go because it is on a weekday. This year it is on a Saturday. They almost had me until they said the LAX area. Los Angeles airport to the out of towners. Just can't do and make other commitments that day.This is a bit of the history of the network from the web site:Black Women's Network (BWN) was formed in March 1979 as the result of the energy of the Black women who attended a regional career conference in Los Angeles, California. Many of these women in attendance realized the...
Monday, October 11, 2010
I have a subscription to the Periodic Tables videos from the University of Nottingham, UK. Professor Martyn Poliakoff, his team and videographer Brady Haran have created 118 videos about each element in the periodic table. The videos are usually fun, informative or explosive. And I do dig the professor's hair. They are moving on to minerals. However in this video Professor Poliakoff wanted to explain about how the situation in Hungary got started and where the trouble is going to end up, possible in the Danube.Many of the broadcast news channels...
Friday, October 8, 2010
I bought the cassette of the first album of the Sounds of Blackness. Side one was so good it took me two years to remember to flip to side two. I took inspiration anyway I could get it.I watched Joseph Campbell on TV, even the re-runs of the program with Bill Moyers. The story about the man, the kid and the glass of milk still rattles me. Les Brown was coming up at that time. Flipped through Science of Mind magazine to check out that action. Taking Yoga classes when I could afford them. Reading new age and thought type magazines. This is a representational...
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A room full of chocolate and a few dames. We're talking the good stuff. Cacao powered chocolate. Chocolate with spices, vodka or a fruit or two. This is a advertisement for the event. It is time once again for the L.A. Chocolate Salon.I went to the event a few years back. I had never been surrounded by chocoholics before. It was amazing; women were calling their friends giving reports on various confections they just tasked. I was planning on going but something came up and I yield the floor to a chocophile that can take up the sla...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
A person, place or thing can inspire a poem. I have memories of chomping down on Ticonderoga #3. For those of us that have a different take on getting the lead out this poem is for you.This is Charles Harmon reading his poem, A Day in the Life of A Pencil.Don Kingfisher Campbell is the publisher of the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly. If you want more of Southern California poetry or would like to purchase a chapbook then scoot over to the blog.Coming up on October 9, 2010 is another poetry reading by some of the areas known poets as well as...
Friday, October 1, 2010
We will survive if we can endure. I wish I could have told that those young souls who ended their lives because of bullies. Suicide is not a good option. It is final but the pain that is left behind for others to carry is too much.There are people that want to do better but first, a musical interlude to mellow us out after a tragic week that will pass into time but not without a handkerchief of tears.This is Chantay Savage with her rendition of I Will Survive (Doing it My Way)If you never experienced being bullied as a child or a teen you really...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
This is Rosalee Thompson reading her poem, "Everyone Gets Everything".Don Kingfisher Campbell has a poetry blog (who am I kidding, he has a bunch of poetry blogs) for the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly that he publishes. You can amble on over to check it out the poets listed in the Summer 2010 edition.For the record, all of the poems are owned and copyrighted to the original poets. I encourage you to support poets and buy a chapbook or audio mp3 whenever you get a chance.What Else Have I Got?Well, this morning I was listening to a podcast...
Friday, September 24, 2010
I have a few spare minutes this morning so I'm trying to clear out my Drafts. Stuff I meant to post but forgot or was distracted. I don't have children but I have to interact with people 3x generations after me and have been raised different than I was.There is no longer a cultural permission to be quiet. Each device, phone, portal connects with the other. Engagement is conditional. Maybe it is cellular communication. If you are not in the cell group you and your thoughts don't exist.This is video from Edutopia on how parents can understand and...
Terry McMillian is coming to Vroman's Bookstore to promote her new book "Getting to Happy." It is the continuing story of the characters from the book "Waiting to Exhale. A quick visit to her web site shows me that she has moved on from turbulence to the next level. This generally happens when you work through it instead of staying stuck and swimming in it long after the event has passed.VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & GossipFor those who need a little Shoop Shoop therapy this is your opportunity to engage in some...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I got sprung from the Salt Mine earlier than expected today so I actually can spend time doing what I want to do. I was looking at my Blogger Dashboard and I noticed the new to me blog statistics feature.I'm happy if one person gets value or enjoyment from my blog posts. I have a lot of things I'm interested in. I was curious what folks read or glance through. The stats have been active since May 2010, but I think they just slapped them on everyone's...
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