Out with the Boys at Emory and Deeper Love Project, Sports Highlights, Prayers to Haiti

So last weekend I went to visit my friend Raphael at Emory. At the top is where he resides which is Clairmont Campus. Last semester I only saw him twice but this time around I got the chance to spend some time with him. We met Raphy's friend Michael (cute Latino) on campus and walked On the right is a restaurant called Zaya's and I purchased some cheese fingers which were really good. They also served some cheesecake but I wasn't willing to pay 3.99 for a slice. It did look good though.

The pic on the left was taken at Zaya's also. We walked from Zaya's to Michael's house where I met his roommate Tom. Tom is real cool and he plays bass guitar. The drums on your right belong to another roommate who didn't arrive yet. I took a turn at playing the drums and I actually had a good time testing it out! I understand now how much work it takes in playing the drums. When I hung out with Tom and Michael, it reminded me of my days in undergrad when I had dialogue with other races in class, work, or within the organizations I was apart of. They have an Asian roommate who is a doctor...he looked quite young too like he just graduated with his M.D. They have another roommate who was a Jew but they called him "Dirty Jew." I don't why they call him that. **Shrugs**They have quite a good mix of races as you can see which is rare but good nonetheless. Raphy and I were drinking some gin and tonic. Raphael said it tasted like a bad Sprite. I thought it tasted like water mixed with grapefruit with a bad aftertaste...Later we made a run to McDonald's and I grabbed a McChicken and small fry. Michael bought some Mad Dog from the store and I first I thought it would taste disgusting but later when I took a few swigs, I was not bad at all! Michael called it "Hobo Wine." I can see how someone could get messed up drinking that. Ralphy told me stories about when he got drunk and one time passed out. I have never gotten so drunk that I passed out. After we left Tom and Michael's place, we traveled back to Raphy's place. We watched television for a while and Michael gave me and Raphy back massages which felt really good!!! Raphy stated that Michael said he is straight but him and I both know he is curious. I had a great time chillin with Raphael and hope we can do it again in the near future. He is supposed to be attending Mardi Gras in New Orleans next month with some friends.

Earlier in the week, I took a survey where I received a $25 Target Card and participated in a focus group which was sponsored by the Rollins School of Public Health At Emory. The Group was entitled, "Barriers to Participating in HIV Prevention Research among Men who have Sex with Men." This was my first time ever being apart of a focus group but it was interesting nonetheless. After member of Deeper Love finished with the focus group, we traveled down to Midtown, first to Caribou Coffee then to Outwrite. Above is the pic of a delicious cold mocha drink I bought at Caribou. We had a very stimulating and intellectual dialogue after we traveled back to Caribou since Outwrite closed. Some of the topics included, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, US politics, religion, the history of SGL friendly cafes, and world politics. I was very grateful to be apart of this thrilling conversation with my brothers and made sure we could connect via Facebook.

Sports Highlights
New York Jets defeat San Diego Chargers 17-14

New Orleans Saints defeat Arizona Cardinals 45-14

Minnesota Vikings defeat Dallas Cowboys 34-3

AFC Championship Jets Vs. Colts
NFC Championhip Vikings Vs. Saints

NCAAM Upsets
Georgia Tech defeats UNC 73-71

Teams who are looking shaky:
UNC1-2 Conf. 12-6 Overall, Kansas 2-0 Conf. 16-1 Overall, Duke 2-1 Conf. 14-2 Overall (just a lil)

Fell out the map
Florida 1-2 Conf. 12-5 Overall

Where the hell happen to:
Illinois, 4-1 Conf. 12-6 Overall Bradley 3-4 Conf 8-9 Overall, Illinois State 4-2 Conf. 13-4 Overall

My condolences and prayers go out to those in Haiti and the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake that has killed thousands.

Next up:
MLK Weekend, MLK Day, Australian Open Highlights. Peace.

Feeding The Homeless,Weekend Fun, Cool Kids, Mild Politics, Basketball

Hey what's going on everyone? Happy New Year to all my readers and I hope you all are claiming peace and renewal in 2010! This past weekend on Saturday was great. First I got the opportunity to participate in a monthly event called "First Saturday Feed The Homeless" where a group of folks come together every month, purchase food items, go to a location where the homeless in Atlanta occupy, and pass out food and clothing. I was shocked by the number of black men who were homeless. Nonetheless, I was very grateful to be apart of helping others less fortunate! Above are the pictures which I took on my phone and camera of the preparation and the distribution of the food. If anyone who is in Atlanta is interested in participating in this event let me know by commenting or sending a message on here, Twitter, or Facebook.

Afterwards, my friend took me out to Oliver Garden and I enjoyed this lovely platter below:

This was the Chicken Parmiagiana. Absolutely Delicious! And so was that raspberry lemonade.
The rest of the weekend, I went over some acquaintances' house and enjoyed their company along with a little wine. Good times indeed. It is always good to engage in a stimulating conversation along with a nice drink.


Meanwhile...The Cool Kids came out with some songs for the holidays in collaboration with Don Cannon. Now if you are a true Cool Kids fan like I am, their songs are never out of style no matter what the season. Click on the pic to download their songs. Straight from the sight. 2010 we will still be watching out what they will come out with next! Stay tuned....

Charlie Rose talked with Former Secretary Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Jeff Zeleny in their discussion of Obama's press conference on attempted terrorist attack on the Northwest Airline flight to Detroit on Christmas. Zeleny felt Obama was coming out strong in his address on the error by Intelligence to prevent the incident which occurred. However for those of you who watch Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper stated "Whos Responsible?" and wanted to know who was to blame and why no one has been fired after this. In addition Anderson also mentioned the 3rd uninvited guest at the White House dinner being discovered which would add to the further breach of security for the President. I feel the White House dinner and the attempted terrorist attack on the Northwest flight should be separated. I'm pretty sure that are different directors who hold responsibilities over both White House events and something as big as Terrorist Watch List and I'm sure Obama and his administration have discussed both issues. I don't think automatically firing someone will change the issues of breach of security. Chertoff on Charlie Rose discusses the difficulties of security measures being implemented within the country and outside. What is most important is that he mentioned that this was a wake-up call for the Obama administration and hopefully this will step up security overall. What do you guys feel about it? Let me know.

NCAAB Winners: UCLA-California 76-75 OT
Duke-Iowa State 86-65
Kansas-Cornell 71-66

NBA Celtics-Heat 112-106 OT WOW Let's Get It Celtics!

The LA Lakers are down right now in the 4th to the Clippers. I'm not happy but hey you win some and you lose some. That's all for now until next time. Peace.

Jamar's 2009 Review

2009 has finally come down to its conclusion. Let us all take a big deep SIGH. Whewwwwwww. Indeed it has been a struggle for everyone and I must say that I am grateful to be still alive and endured to another year to write a review. Let us give thanks to God, Allah, Buddha, or whomever you look towards as a higher power.

At the beginning of 2009, I was entering my first semester as a graduate student. After recently graduating from my alma mater Eastern Illinois University, I put myself in a position to continue on my goal towards becoming a professor. Here I am transitioning from a predominately white institution toward a historically black institution. Among students at the WASPY school, a black student is always aware of his race as his isolation is encompassed everyday with being the only student in class. This predominately white environment allows for a black gay man to have more leeway in expressing his sexuality in ways that would are scrutinized at HBCUs. A black gay male is unbothered by others since neither him nor the other races pay him any attention.

Transition to a HBCU where I notice undergraduates are competing in a fashion show every semester as they prance around on campus trying to see who looks better. A very interesting environment but unfortunately I discovered that some appear to be very shallow-minded and stuck in their appearances and not a person’s character. Blah. I was trying to make a new groove into both Atlanta and Clark.

Meanwhile in politics, President Obama was being thoroughly examined by the public as everyone took in his first 100 days of office. High expectations were expected from Obama who had just been inaugurated in January. Indeed, the historical moment of America electing their first black president was fading.

2009 Deaths hit close to home as my Aunt Jonnie left this earth:
RIP Aunt Jonnie—my aunt who died from complications of pancreatic cancer. The oldest of my mother’s sisters, and was parent to my twin nieces. We all love you and miss you Aunt Jonnie.

In March, One of the first well-known figures passed away:
John Hope Franklin—One of the most distinguished and accomplished African-American professors who among the greats such as DuBois and Booker T. Washington. He lived a long life. I didn’t find out about him until his death but from what I know he is an overachiever to say the least. RIP Dr. Franklin.

Towards the latter part of my first semester, I met the Cool Kids! At Standard in ATL and snap some shots with my classmate’s camera. That was definitely the best!

As the summer began, we all watched the LA Lakers win their 15th NBA Final Series 4-1 over the Orlando Magic.

June brought home the following individuals:

Michael Jackson- One of the greatest music artists of all-time. What can be said about him that already hasn’t been said? No one can replicate what this man put together for 40 years. His music will live on with future generations. We love you MJ.

All-time favorites:
Billy Jean
Thriller
Beat It
Smooth Criminal
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough
Rock With You

Steve McNair-Gone too soon. NFL Quarterback for the Titans. Even though I did not know much about him, I still was aware of his name and it was indeed sad how he died. RIP Bro
Ed McMahon—The game show host and announcer for the Tonight Show
Farrah Fawcett—The lovely actress we will all not forget who died from her battle with anal cancer. RIP Farrah

Also at the end of June we watched in embarrassment the BET Awards and its pathetic remembrance for Michael Jackson. That will be last time watching that mess…the only thing worth noting was Maxwell’s excellent performance! Maxwell during this time was just coming back with his new album Blacksummers’ Night.

Followed by a shocker in July the month of my birthday:
E. Lynn Harris-our brother, author, and greatest admirer. His literature created a safe haven for black gay individuals and allowed his readers to read every page without stopping. His books have helped me become even stronger as a black gay man and indeed I am forever grateful I met him. His legacy and contribution spread across all communities and we all miss him dearly.

By the end of the summer, many Americans were solemn, broke, and jobless wondering when this recession would cease making our lives miserable.
The fall semester was approaching and I was ready to head back to school. I watched Serena win her third Wimbledon title edging her sister Venus Williams in the final. I continued watching the US Open Series in hopes Serena and Roger Federer would win the US Open. I was sadly mistaken.

By September two young individuals went home as well:
Jasmine Lynn-The Spelman student who was accidently shot and killed outside of my residence hall earlier this semester. RIP Ms. Lynn
Derrion Albert-The boy from Chicago who was killed among chaotic fighting which occurred on the streets of Chicago. I’ve written posts about him.

At the beginning of this month was Black Pride in Atlanta and this was my time attending any pride event. I enjoyed meeting, eating, and talking with fellow YouTubers and bloggers,
some I knew and others I was meeting for the first time.

Let us not forget the infamous XemVanAdams who I did not get enough time hanging out with when he came to Atlanta. Nonetheless, I was grateful for his presence and I hope we can meet again in the future.

The next shocker took me back of those who went on in 2009:
Tye Allen-My facebook brother who I didn’t even know died until someone had a RIP on his page…I miss him already. Gone too soon. RIP

We all will remember this year’s VMAs with the notable mentions being the stars of the hour:
Kanye West de-throning Taylor-made Swift
Lil Mama setting up her own image among stars Alicia Keys and Jay-Z
Janet Jackson’s stellar performance in memory of her late brother Michael
Beyonce showing love towards Ms. Swift after her dismissal by Kanye West

The latter part of the year was just a continuation of tragic losses:
Fort Hood tragedies—The brave American soldiers who risked their lives to save their comrades while another fellow soldier took the lives of 12. RIP and your contribution to our country won’t be forgotten. That is the most important thing to remember about this tragedy overall.

4 police officers killed in Washington—Indeed, I could not believe it. RIP to all those officers and my condolences to their families.

Chris Henry-Gone too soon. Wide Receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brittany Murphy-Some facts about her I didn’t know. She was born in Atlanta and she was the voice for Luanne in King of the Hill and she also was the voice for the mother penguin in Happy Feet. RIP Brittany

Seven CIA employees just recently who were killed in Afghanistan.

Notable mentions:
Former governor Rod Blagojevich is impeached on charges of misconduct and accusations of trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat.

Serena Williams—first fined $10,000 for verbally assaulting a lineswoman which ultimately cost her the US Open title against Kim Clijsters who became the champion, coming back years after having a baby. That was Clijsters’ second US Open’s title. Williams later was fined $175,000 with a two-year probation period. Ouch. If she does not get into trouble within the two years her fine will be reduced to $82,000. I love Serena and despite what occurred it doesn’t make that much of a different. She is still the current World No. 1 and was named ITF World Champion in Singles and Doubles. Go in Serena!

Roger Federer-The current World No. 1 player was on fire this whole year with the exception of the US Open and the ATP World Tour Final where he lost to Del Potro and
Davydenko. Congratulations Federer for defeating Pete Sampras 14 career title streak. You are indeed one of the greatest male tennis players of all time!

Del Potro- The man who defeated Roger Federer at the 2009 US Open. I really respected him because he killed everyone in the tournament including the favorite and former champion. Kudos toward him.

Melanie Oudin—who surprised everyone when she defeated Sharpova, Dementieva, and Petrova. The young American women’s tennis player and is the new upcoming star! We are expecting great things from Oudin in 2010! Look out!

Gay Retreats-The first in May (in my hometown) and the latter in October (Atlanta) were both intriguing and thought provoking. I was so grateful to meet the men who shared a portion of their lives. I was grateful we came together to better understand ourselves and become better black gay men.

Tiger Woods—Mr. Woods one of the top American golfers admitted to having an affair with his wife. Unfortunately, the media pounced on him and drained all his credibility and squeezed until some of his endorsements were dropped. I hope for only the best for Tiger and I will continue to support him when gets back to his golf career.

My 2009 Top Artists

Mariah Carey—Her Album “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” is one of her best albums thus far. Mariah came back and did her thing especially in her role as a social worker in the movie Precious!!

Amerie-Amerie came back and I personally thought her first album “All I Have” was her best. Everyone was anticipating her newest album “Love and War” and I was not disappointed! It is different yet the same Amerie is still there alive and fierce as ever! We love you Amerie and appreciate your music which pushed me in the latter part of 09.

Maxwell-Our brother Maxwell came through and brought us his presence and lovely vocal skills. He is truly exciting to see and melts all the souls of all his fans! Keep em coming in 2010 Maxwell! Maxwell tweeted something very important in which he stated that we need to stop the War. That statement was very powerful and I am in complete alliance with it.

The Cool Kids—Even though they haven’t produced a new album yet, their mixtapes “That’s Stupid!” and “Gone Fishin” are bananas! I am a true fan of Cool Kids and if they ever have another concert here I will make sure I’m there! They already finished their tour but we are all expecting more from Mikey Rocks and Chuckk Inglish!

Chicago- My one-week escape. I stayed with my cousin and hung out some of the bros. It was excellent and wish I had more time to hang out with all four of my bros! 2010 will hopefully give me an opportunity to come back up there. We shall see…

Shoutouts: Markese, Ralphael, Sal (My Emory bros)
Andrew Foster, Darnell--Love you always.
Frank Roberts
Randall, Torrence--yessir
Jo Work--Love you hun!
KB--you know how much I love you. Ive said it too many times
Chauncy--HS Classmate
Tyrrell, LeAaron (Chicagoan suburbans)
Chase, Jeff, Branden, Nick, Marcus—The Crew
Jordan and Darrius (Hometown Crew)
Tye (RIP) and our boy Dario
Kendall-St. Louis bro
Omari A, Keith Jones—DC bros
Ryan
All My Twitter Brothers (including JakeJacobsVI, Omari James, Prince2Charming, JoJo, KlothezMinded, WhatsTheT, DramaDupree, joshyCOUTURE, MrCouture)
Darian, Anye, Charles, Lloyd, Kevin and everyone from Evolution Project and Deeper Love
Jeremy, J –Two long standing friends
Ian, Brent, Bryan, Luis, Keeva, both Justins Love you all with my heart and soul (Alma Mater bros)
All My Facebook Bros
Terrell—My Frat! 2010 is going to be bananas! Love ya!
My Cohort—Thank you guys for being there and enduring with me while I work on my master’s. I love and miss you all and can’t wait to see you in the new year!
Eric, Arrington, Ronald B
Ronald L-Love you with all my heart and soul. Happy New Year!
Parish, Damario and Antoine --Love you all


If I missed anyone please excuse me.

2010 predictions on top of music charts:

Alicia Keys

Mary J. Blige

Finally, I wish everyone a great New Year and let us breathe a big sigh of relief that 2009 has been laid to rest! Own 2010 and let yourself become victorious and face challenges head on. Smile and learn to love everyone and not judge people. Meet people where they are and remember, we only have one life to live so make sure you have fun and do everything you can do before you leave this earth. Tell all those who you love that you love them because you never know when you may see them. You guys ready? I know I am. Peace and blessings in the New year! I’ll post pictures later I just at least wanted to get the words out before the New Year actually approached! Jamar Herrod wishes everyone a very happy New Year! 2010 Go In, Go Hard and Let’s Get It!

Chicago, Sweet Treats and 1st Year in Grad

Okay So I know I'm long overdue For A Post And Tomorrow I will Do My 2009 Review. Relax! I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays! So I Went To Chicago For a Week and I'm mad I only went to Starbucks Once and it was at night of all times! Ugh! On the Left is my boi Tyrrell (@king_ty89) and the right is the very ambition future Chicago politician LeAaron. It was indeed a pleasure to see them even though when did not have ANY time to hang out like I truly wanted. Next time fellas when it's not so cold! You guys owe me! **Fist pump** lol.

To your left is a picture of downtown I believe on Michigan Ave. in morning during the week. I know Illinois schools were finishing their finals at this time. Right down the street was Columbia and I saw students making their way to the building. To the right was some street downtown..I was with my friend Drew (@DrewKanyeJudah) and I was snapping away with my camera. Now I know you guys are wondering why an Illinois native would be taking pictures of Chicago like a tourist? Well, I'm not from Chicago and that was my first time being in the windy city for a week so I took the opportunity to get images to share with you all.

I would have placed more pictures on here but since these pictures are HUGE it would take too long to upload since I could upload one at a time. I have to admit, it would have more enjoyable if it wasn't so cold but oh well. The previous night before I left, I was walking and a homeless man asked me a profound question that caught me off guard "What keeps you going?" Unfortunately, I could tell he just wanted money and was not looking at the significance of his message. I gave him two dollars and kept it moving. Nonetheless, it was a great question that made me think and I told the guy that I actually have been asking people that very same question. Just to let you all know my thoughts on the question: My music, friends, my blog viewers, my brothers (aka "family"), and my goals which I want to achieve.

These delicious treats come from Martha Stewart and since I love chocolate treats, I wanted to share these two that stood out to me: Cream Cheese Brownie and Rocky Road Tart. Do you guys have any favorite chocolate desserts that you make or like? Let me know.

Finally, my first-year in graduate school is finally complete. I am still maintaining my 3.0 happily and I hope to continue excelling in my writing and analysis of texts. I am forever grateful for my cohort who over the past semester has kept me afloat while I was contemplating about the program. I want to graduate with my five classmates and continue to love and support them even after we are finished at Clark. I truly appreciate what they have done and will continue to do as we build on our love for one another.

Some of times I can reflect on come from all the intellectual conversations we have AFTER class is over and we are outside still discussing issues regarding race, sexuality, class, etc. I absolutely love that and feel blessed to be around individuals who can voice their opinions and still respect someone else's point of view!

2010 is going to bring great things and I claiming my blessings in this! Peace and blessings.

WORLDS AIDS DAY

ONE YEAR AGO was my first time recognizing WORLD AIDS DAY and since having been aware of it, I continue to promote and reflect on all those who have died of AIDS and HIV. For all you have family members and friends who have died from AIDS/HIV, my thoughts go out to you all as we reflect today. It'so easy to say what everyone should do in order to prevent catching HIV. However, WE HAVE TO ALL WANT TO PROTECT OURSELVES. That's the first step to prevention in my opinion. You have to not be afraid to discuss your status with your partners and be able to ask what their status is. We also must importantly have to be real with ourselves about our sexual behavior and put that into check because SEX is where it all begins and where all the trouble can manifest itself.

Notable Mentions: R.I.P. Marlon Riggs and Essex Hemphill



Check out photographer's James Holder and his pro-active stance WORLD AIDS DAY.

In my thoughts are my brothers who are living with HIV today: Lawrence, Jonathan, Blake, Craig W, Antron. If I left anyone out I do apologize in advance.

Google has the sponsors and organizations promoting WORLD AIDS Day. Peace and Blessings to everyone.

Remembering My Alma Mater: A Reflection

I never really got an opportunity to reflect on my undergraduate years. I graduated last December and immediately started on my Master's. Yes, that was the plan but it all went so fast. I remember holding back tears at graduation which wanted to flow so freely. I thought I had found brotherhood only when I arrived to Atlanta. However, I realized that was not the case. I found that brotherhood my first-year at EIU as a transfer sophomore. I had one of the coolest R.A.'s Andy who truly made the floor community come alive. At that time I was also the Hall Council Executive Board member and I enjoyed organizing things for our hall. All those on 4-South (before renovation) were cool as hell. Shoutouts to: Chris, Zach, Darryl, Hall Council President, Assistant Resident Hall Director, Senior English major, Mark, Joe, Maurice (Fly Guy) and a few others I don't know by name but know by face.

I missed the times when I would walk up the stairs to my floor and say wassup to everyone. That type of brotherhood is truly priceless and I am grateful that I met all the guys who made it a great experience. White, black, and brown folks were all enduring college. I remember all the guys on the executive board would eat dinner every now and then. In that type of environment, you often forgot about racism and prejudice issues.

Reflecting back...I remember walking down the long sidewalks on campus (North Quad, Library Quad, South Quad) during the afternoons and at night..when there was few or no one outside. I enjoyed walking by myself and thinking about life and where I was headed.

Reflecting back....I recall getting up and often running in the cold working my shift in the early mornings at the library on certain days. Then of course, Senior year I remember always running to the dining hall, trying to beat the clock as I clocked in late! Lol.

Reflecting back...I remember my JOOD times in Taylor Hall Sophomore Year or Junior Year. LOVELY and often sad memories in Douglas Hall before I moved there. Then of course the GOOD LIFE in Thomas Hall (where I originally resided sophomore year)

Reflecting back...seeing my college mate Chris wrapped in a towel walking down the hall..YESSIR! LOL Totally respecting Mark and his very military-style organized room. I enjoyed our talks whenever ran into each other. One of the coolest white guys.

Senior Year: Fall Semester was by far the best semester at EIU. I had the "ideal" roommates, (2 gay(really bisexuals when it came down to it) roomies and 1 straight white roommate). Meeting Keeva (as we both dealt with the deterioration of my dance team). We became close over time and I was so grateful to not only embrace this new friendship but to know that this brother was part of the family. I got the opportunity to actually tell a crush AMONG THE many Ive had in matriculation of school in life that I liked him. He understood and said when he was ready to take on those feelings he would. I think he just hasn't accepted he is part of the family yet but I enjoyed knowing that we were real cool. I enjoyed all the hugs we gave each other (I love hugs SERIOUSLY.) I was grateful knowing that he came to me and ask me about girl issues...

I got my haircut by the coolest and sexiest RA in Taylor Hall. It was truly a pleasure each time he cut my hair and I was very appreciative when he cut my hair before I graduated. I felt the love of brotherhood truly my last semester. I enjoyed my part-time job at the dining hall, co-workers (shoutout to all of them including both Justins, Erica, Eric and my cute Arab co-worker who was the coolest bro and I will miss him truly) my roommates (overall lol), and all some of the brothers on the first floor in Taylor Hall. The 1st floor community in Taylor Hall reminds me of my experience in 4-South Thomas Hall.

I can't forget about my Indian brothers (from India, couldn't speak English very well but it still worked), it was like 4-5 of them and they knew I was gay. I had to tell them after they wanted to ask me about girls lol. I wasn't having dishonesty. I felt (this is just my opinion) they respected me and we would often stay outside and talk. I was extremely grateful to meet them and was very sad when most of them transferred to a school in Chicago. They did share with me some things that were going in India (tragic train crash or bombing) but I appreciated what they shared and told me about their life in India.

The women that were cool...(far fewer but still significant) included: Janiece, Mesha, Avis, Ava, all those in TRiO ambassadors (Raquel, Nicole, Ratisha, Kristin, Josephine), and so many others (Karen, Cleo, Ashley (ZPB) Grad student, and others)

All of my experiences, organizations I was apart of, made it truly worth enduring and enjoying EIU. Everything wasn't always good it's true but the good always outweighed the bad.

Mini-Reflections: First kiss in the library, holding my boy when he needed it, Kappa house party, Zeta Dance-Off, looking at his ass as he walked up the stairs EVERY TIME in those basketball shorts. St. Louis trips, TRiO Support, Alvin Ailey performance, Floor Crawl, Zoos at the bar, DANCING in the studio (future post solely on this) Dance mate's nearly naked body walking down the floor, the after-dance practice night. Walking out of Coleman Hall and seeing all the leaves on the ground..feeling the fall weather and taking it all in. 5 of the best professors who taught me alot which I will never forget (Thank you all from the bottom of my heart)

Whew...it's quite emotional but I wouldn't trade it for the world. EIU: Originally my second choice but the place that I landed at and prevailed.

Does this make any of you reflect on your times at your Alma Mater? Dare to reflect.

**Sidenote**: The reason I bring up brotherhood so much is because my brothers mean SO MUCH to me. I have always wanted for a long time to be able to bond with men. The opportunities I had in undergrad during Hall Council and Thomas Hall pushed me toward the brotherhood I received now while working on my Master's. Now brotherhood is in my cohort and within the the confines of my Professor's African group. His students show so much love and have shown they are there for me. That is real love and I value only what is real and legitimate. Shout out to my brothas at Emory (Sal, Markese, Raphael, Kevin), GSU (Torrence, Lloyd) GSU alum also known as "the crew" Chase, Jeff, Marcus, Nick, and Brandon.

Have a good weekend and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

HOLA: STILL Standing

It's been so much going on. I dont even know where to start. I'm hanging in there. Been dealing with the stresses of school and maintaining sanity during the remainder of this year. It's been so much going on in the world. Ft. Hood, Pakistan suicide bombings, Orlando shooting...I'm hanging in there...it has just been hard. I have learn to think of all my brothas who I can count I'm down and out: J, KB, Michael, Jordan, Darrius, Tye (RIP), Tyrrell, LeAaron, Dion, Drew, Robert Lee, Ochieng, Raphael, Markese, and Drew.

We all have a spiritual connection with each other and thinking of my brothers is helping me get through all the madness...From the bottom of my heart I thank you and I love all my brothers unconditionally (also including my bloggers too).

I just purchased my round-trip ticket for Chicago last night and I am so excited to see my brothers up there. I don't have a whole lot to say honestly. The semester has been a blur and all I can think about is getting out of the A and visiting my brothers. Before I go I wanted you all to check out two links here and here which I read from one of blog brother's site.

Some of the music I just purchased is by The Roots Things Fall Apart and Illadelph Halflife and A Tribe Called Quest from their Album Midnight Marauders. I'm reverting back to the REAL HIP-HOP. Finally I thought I would exit off with my own quote: Don't Forget Those Who Help You Come Along and Don't Forget U because You're The One Who Made It This Far. Peace.