For The First Time In My Life...

...I have had the word "nigger" hurled at me from the mouth of a white person. Here's what happened.

I was leaving a gas station waiting to turn left into traffic. Behind me was a white guy driving a black Chevy Tahoe. I guess he thought that I wasn't moving fast enough for me so he tried to go around me. As soon as he turned to go around me, traffic cleared and I pulled out into traffic. I had no idea that I had done something "wrong".

I get to the next traffic light to turn left to get on the interstate and the light is red. I was the second car in line to turn. I noticed the black Tahoe in the right lane next to me waiting to go straight. Just as the light turned green for both of us to proceed, he let's down his window and screams "NIGGER" and floors it away. Because my music was up, I could barely here him, but my eyes could read his mouth clearly.

To my own surprise, I burst out laughing as I made my left turn and laughed for about 10 minutes. I laughed because people still think that calling Black people that word still stings. It may sting to other people, but not me. That doesn't hurt my feelings at all. If you want to hurt my feelings, tell me that I the clearance rack at Banana Republic is gone!

Now I must admit that once I stopped laughing 10 minutes later, I did get upset. I didn't get upset that there are some people who just don't have a clue. They act as though the world still is and always will be ruled by white people. What gave that bastard the idea that he had the privilege to just go around me when I had the right of way. I'm sure if it had been another white person, he wouldn't have tried it. But my second thought was that I am glad that I don't own a firearm. I'm pretty sure that I would have followed his ass and done something regrettable.

But what strikes me as odd is that when I posted this on Facebook, I got a few comments that people feel like occurences of this type don't happen in their parts of the country. I think that people really need to wake up because racism and prejudice occur all over. Recognize and fight it and the world could be a better place.

On Thursday October 8, 2009...

...I embarked upon the Carnival Cruise ship with the Sailsation group!! Since February of this year, I had been waiting for that day and I was ready. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of fun that I had. I really can't, but know that I had the time of my life.

Now of the 2050 passengers on the ship, our group was only 120 of the capacity, but you can best believe that the SGL Black man and women of Sailsation made their presence known. We weren't being extra or anything like that. What we were doing is being ourselves. I was kinda put off at first by the stares that we got from the "others", but then I realized that they weren't there for us and we weren't there for them. We were there to have fun!! And that's what we did. We even had our very own comedian in the form of Comedian PT!!!!!

It was honestly so refreshing to see people who didn't know each other to come together and interact like we had known each other for years. I met so many people that I hope to continue to get to know. I didn't see any shade being thrown. I didn't see any competitions to see who was the better this or that. I didn't see any of the activities that people stereotype upon Black SGL people. All I saw was people having fun. And that was enough for me.

We boarded in Jacksonville FL, sailed to Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas, and then back to Jacksonville.

I'm not sure if they are sailing again next year, but just like someone told me about this trip, i'm telling you all!!!!

Here are some more pictures.

Enjoy!!

I Have No Faith...

...in people when it comes to spiritual beliefs and I believe that I have explained why in at least one post or another. This was a thread on facebook that a "friend" of mine posted. The comments, although intended to be comical, just made my eyes bug out. Why are people so critical of other people's beliefs?


GK: asks what do you say to an atheist after they sneeze?? Anyone?? lol

Yesterday at 4:48pm · Comment ·

LC: Kazuntite!! Lol Idk
Yesterday at 4:50pm

GK: lmao! thats a good one
Yesterday at 4:51pm

NP: Hope u didn't get any on you
Yesterday at 5:15pm

AJJ : "You're f#cked!" Lol sike just playing...I don't know good question.
Yesterday at 5:17pm

Norris: You don't say anything and respect their beliefs. That's what I do.
Yesterday at 5:30pm · Delete

TU: Jesus loves you! LOL!
Yesterday at 5:31pm


GK: When u die nothin happens???
Yesterday at 5:45pm

CM: Go to hell?? lol They'd probably love that.
Yesterday at 5:58pm

Norris: Wow!! I can't even joke on this one because of the negative judgements about other people's beliefs. And people wonder why I stopped going to church. Why can't people just respect what other people believe?
Yesterday at 6:55pm · Delete

NJ: Welp I think Norris just shut this topic all the way down. NEXT! Lmao
55 minutes ago


I just didn't think that this was funny. If someone had made fun of Christianity, Islam, or Judiasm, I don't think there would have been any LOLs in the comments.

I'm Getting Tired Of...

...going out to clubs, parties, and other events. I've been feeling this way for a while and have been wondering why this change is occuring. I noticed last year that when my friends would want to go out, I started declining and would just stay at home. But when it was just an event that involved only my crew, I was all for it. In the last few weeks, i've figured out why I have become the way I have become.

Back in the early part of this decade, I would go out and people would be out to have fun. They danced and sang and partied until the club closed. That just doesn't happen anymore. It seems that people go out to social places just to be seen. They go to do what I call S&M, or Stand and Model. They stand around with their friends and associates with drinks in hand and try to see who's looking at them.

And don't dare speak!! Oh my!!! You get the "who are you to speak to me" look with a grab of the chest!! Why the hell are you going out if you don't want to interact with the other patrons of the social environment? I just don't get it. I remember once I spoke to a brotha and complimented him on his jeans because they were quite unique. This muthafucka turned his nose up at me and then turned his back to me. At first, I was going to let him HAVE IT!! But what would that do? Absolutely nothing but run up my blood pressure. So I just walked away.

Last week, I attended a BBQ hosted by a guy that I know. We got there pretty early so we were able to see who all was coming in. Me being the person that I am, when I walked in the door, I spoke to those already in attendance. I noticed that as people came in, they didn't speak to others that were already there. Why the hell not? As the crowd grew, people started retreating to their corners with their friends with drinks and food in hand. After a while (and a few drinks), I got kinda tired of what I was seeing. I recruited 2 of my friends to go with me to speak to and introduce ourselves to EVERY person at the BBQ!!! And we did!!!! You should have seen the looks on faces!!! People were utterly shocked that we would do such a thing!! How dare you have the audacity to speak to people and introduces yourselves. Oh no they didn't!!! Oh yes the hell we did!!

I think that's one of the reasons why i've cut waaaayyyy back on my going out. I didn't go to the annual white party this year. I only go out to a club maybe 1 time a month. I don't do parties that often anymore. What I do is hang with my crew a lot more. Instead of trying to meet new people, i'll concentrate on improving the relationships that I have now. I don't need to go out to do that.

Maybe It's Just Me But...

...i'm feeling bothered by something and want to get some opinions on this.

Let's say you met a guy about a month ago. Fuck it!! I met a dude about a month ago and apparently he recorded my phone number incorrectly. I had just written him off by then. Then Sunday I went to play spades and he shows up since he lives in the same building as the host. We reconnect and have some convo and we ended up playing around later *no actual sex* that night (sue me, I was horny).

We've talked multiple times since then and he's telling me that he couldn't get me off of his mind for that month that we lost contact. I can't lie, the brotha left an impression on me that night also. That's the only reason he got my number. We've talked and several times and he's told me all that shit that I like to hear. But i've kept my guard up because we really and truly just met. I ain't trying to get goo goo eyes over a dude I just met. I mean the muthafucka is fine as cat hair, extremely masculine, and seems to be quite intellectual and he's getting his doctorate. But again, I'm not trying to get stupid over anyone.

I go to that same spot to play spades again and he's there. Since everyone there knows everyone there, we've kept the fact that we hooked up to ourselves. So there wasn't much interaction between the 2 of us. But I was playing spades and looked around to get a secret wink at him and didn't see him. When I got up from the table, I called him to tell him that I was about to leave. I figured that he was at home and I was going to ask him if I could stop by since I fly out Friday and he flys out Thursday. He answers and I ask him if he had left. To that he replied "yes" and then "let me call you back". All I could say was OK.

As I was preparing to leave, one of my boys asks me to play another game of spades with him. I sit down at the table and look out on the patio and he's standing on the patio looking me in my face. Of course, the first thing that came to my mind was "I thought he said he had left", but I let it go and continued my game.

Then when that game was over, I was preparing to leave. My card partner asked me to step out on the patio so that he could tell me about his new job opportunity. So I step out there and dude who I kicked it with is out there with some dude hanging off his neck. I didn't say anything, but just looked at him surprised. I told my boy that it was too hot out there and that we should step back inside to talk about his topic.

Now this is where I would like to have your opinions! I know I just met this dude for real on Sunday, but I was bothered. It wasn't curiosity, but truly frustration with brothas and there shit. I find it disrespectful to be hugged up with another dude while you're in the presence of someone YOU say you've want to holla at since you met. That's just not some shit I would do and I consider it foul as hell.

The strange thing about this shit is there were 2 different dudes flirting their asses off with me!! And one of them, I was attracted to like a muthafucka But because dude was there, I brushed it off.

So I have 2 questions.

1. Should I have been bothered by what I saw?

2. Should I have taken the cute dude who was flirting up on his game?

Let me know.


**Continuation***

First let me say that I am going to have to edit my post so that I don't seem so angry. I wasn't upset about the situation, I was just surprised. I knew I would need to get clarification from Doctorate so that I could clear my head.

I called Doctorate and we talked about what actually happened. When I called last night to see if he had left, he says that he told me "yes, i'm out on the patio, let me call you back". All I heard was "yes". But anyway I wasn't too worried about that situation.

On the other situation, he says that the guy that had his arms around his neck is a non-issue. They guy was drunk (to which several people there attested to) and he got a little too touchy feely. Doctorate says that when he wanted to push the guy off of him, but didn't want to cause a scene. Aight, so since I got my explanation and he got his about why I left, we're all good.

Now what I asked him was:

Can you be upfront and honest with me about anything that may happen between us?

Can you be truthful when I have a question about something?

Can you be respectful of me from the beginning?

Are you completely single and looking to date?

I got an answer in the affirmative on all of these questions and so did he when he returned them to me. I'm didn't ask him anything to try to jump into a committment. I asked him because I want to be assured that i'm not dealing with another brotha that is about head games. I just don't have the patience for it anymore. I'd rather ask upfront about a brotha's intentions.

So as of now, he and I are just going to try to enjoy each other and see what happens.

And i've got to learn to not overreact!!

One Of The Definitions of...

...the word CONSISTENT is: constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc. I don't think that a lot of men understand what this word means, so I have decided to blog about it.

How many of us have met a guy and he says all the right things to get you to like him or be attracted to him? We all have haven't we? How many of us have also had that guy to call you, visit, text you or whatever multiple times a day? We all have haven't we? How many of you have seen those call decrease over the few weeks after meeting that guy until they cease? We all have haven't we?

I recently had this happen to me with a guy that I had really started to think could be consistent. I won't even bother giving him a blog name because it's pointless now. We met and had a nice date. We talked a couple times a day. We sent and received text messages dozens of times a day. We spent time together when I wasn't traveling. Then after that first month, I noticed that the "good morning" and "good night" texts and calls were less frequent. Then he couldn't come over or didn't have time for me to visit him.

I never stopped with my calls, text, or desire to visit or go on a date. I never do. If we start out calling each other on our lunch break, i'll continue that every single day. If we start in the morning or before bed, i'll continue that. If we start visiting twice a week, i'll continue doing that. This is called consistently and I belive it in. I also believe that if this consistency is interrupted, then something could me amiss. And I will address it.

So me being me, I called him and asked him if he was actually single and available to date and if so, if he wanted to date and continue to get to know me. His reply was "I am single, but at this point in my life, I have too much going on to date someone. I would like to continue to get to know you, but i just don't have time to date." I wasn't shocked, upset or anything else because I knew that something wasn't right. My reply to him was "I don't want to just get to know someone, I want to seriousy date and form a relationship. Because you don't have time to date, I believe that it's best for us to cease contact". He attempted to convince me to change my mind, but I was done and I told him goodbye. I don't understand how you can get to know someone without actually dating. Truth be told, I didn't know there was a difference.

When people break from what they normally do, something makes them it. If a person deviates from a habit or regular function for no apparent reason, I begin to wonder why. Something caused them to change course and I will ask why. No doubt about it, I will ask.

What I don't understand is why when dating, people can't be consistent. And if they can't be consistent, why they can't communicate what they truly feel to you so you can make an informed decision on what you want to do with them? I truly don't understand it. I can do it, so why can't they?

I have attemtped to date so many of these inconsistent and non-communicative brothas that I have become fed up. But unlike others, I won't become bitter and become one of them. I'll continue to be same ole consistent Norris and hope for the best.

That's all I have to say.

I Have Never Understood...

...the point of smoking weed. Never. Have I tried it? Yes I have. Will I try it again? No. Why? Because it did nothing for me. What prompted this post? I'll tell ya.

I have a friend who smokes marijuana regularly. Yesterday I went over his house to play spades and to watch the BET Awards. His boyfriend also invited a few of his friends over. So I noticed that there was a distinct separation in the two groups. My friend and us were downstairs and the boyfriend and his friends were upstairs. We were playing cards, drinking liqour (water and sodas for me) and talking. They were upstairs "chiefing".

I went upstairs to play pool after I lost my game of spades and found the other group just sitting around smoking. When I walked in the room, there was a cloud of smoke near the ceiling and the room smelled like a bunch of ugh! What I noticed is that they were all sitting around looking depressed. They weren't talking, moving or anything else. It was like walking into a morgue. I kept wondering "what's the fun and enjoyment in this" becuase they looked like they were at a funeral. I went back downstairs and joined the fun there.

The one time I did smoke some, I was 27 years of age. Most of the people in my community I grew up with smoked weed and I just never wanted to. I just didn't see the point. In addition, it's illegal. So at the ripe old age of 27, I decided to see what the fuss was all about. So a friend of mine rolled up and blunt and gave me instructions on how to pull, inhale, and exhale. Well after the blunt was gone I noticed that he was in his own little world, while I was sitting there waiting for this so called "euphoric" feeling to come over me where I feel like all my troubles are gone. It never came. After about an hour of waiting, I gave up on that feeling ever coming. Smoking weed did absolutely nothing for me. Nothing.

I guess that's why I am a drinker and not a smoker. First of all, it's legal to purchase. I don't have to wonder if the person selling it to me is an undercover police officer or not. Second of all, I know what to drink to give me a "euphoric" feeling and I know exactly where to get it.

So i'm wondering if someone can tell me what they enjoy about smoking marijuana. Because a brotha like me just doesn't get the point.

I'm All For Self Expression, But...

...there are some things that can't be help being laughed at!!! This is just sad on so many levels.

No Longer Will I...

...be the doer in my relationships. Whether they be platonic, romantic, or familial. I just refuse to do it anymore. I ALWAYS the one doing all the work to keep shit going and I refuse to do it anymore. I fucking refuse. People in my life are going to have to do as much for me as I do for them or they can go to hell.

...be the conformist in my relationships. Whether they be platonic, romantic, or familial. I just refuse to do it anymore. I am not a conformist in the sense that I do what everyone else does. I am a conformist in that I attempt to change myself to suit other people or to keep the peace. NO MORE!! NOPE! ABSOLUTELY NOT!

...be the only problem-solver in my relationships. Whether they be platonic, romantic, or familial. I just refuse to do it anymore. When someone has an issue, I do what I can to help them, sometimes hurting myself to help them. I do this even when they aren't doing anything to help themselves. This here will stop. If you aren't going to do for yourself, then don't even think to ask me for help.

...be the driver in my relationships. Whether they be platonic, romantic, or familial. I just refuse to do it anymore. I've dated dudes who have never been to my house to see me. I have friends who have never been to my house to see me. I have family members who have never been to my house to see me. From now on, you will have to put forth some effort to get in your car and drive that ass to see Norris.

To keep it simple, i'm just realizing that I do too much for others and don't get much in return. It's not other peoples's doing. It's mine and I know that. But people have gotten used to me being there for them. The problem with that is that I feel that they aren't there for me.

There are some changes coming up for me and my focus is to make life comfortable for me and not others. And if that means being called a bitch or losing some relationships, so be it.

This Was Quite Interesting...

...but i'm not shocked that there was only 1 brotha with a truly enlightened opinion.

This is F-ing Stupid

People Can Be So...

...damn rude and inconsiderate that it makes no sense.

I went to Starbucks again today to get my turkey croissant, banana bread, and peach green tea. I walked in and got in line as any normal person would. Some guy just walked from over by the newspaper stand and got in line in front of me. I figured that he was in line before me and just stepped to get a paper so I didn't say anything.

So i'm looking in the case and deciding what I wanted and he's ordering his thimble of coffee and looking at his paper. By this time, there are about 4 people behind me waiting to order. After he orders, what do you think he did? Go ahead and guess. I'll give you a second.

This bastard proceeds to put his newspaper down right on the register counter and start reading it. Mind you that there are 5 people waiting to get to said counter to order their food. Since he had already (somewhat) gotten under my skin, I took action. I picked up my juice out of the cold, wet cooler and sat it right on top of his newspaper. The lady at the register smiled and let out a little giggle, but I was dead serious. He looked at me as though he wanted to say something and I gave him a Tasha Mack look that said "SAY SOMETHING"!

He got his paper, got out of the line and moved over under the "wait here" sign like his rude ass should have.

I would have liked to just know what he thought gave him the privilege to read his damn paper right there in way of other people who were waiting in line. I know he saw us because he looked at us when he jumped line. I should have checked his ass about that.

What the hell is wrong with people that they think that no one else matters but them. I don't get it. I really don't. As means as I can be, I am 99% considerate of how my actions affect other people. Whether it be while driving, in the grocery store, at a restaurant, or wherever, I try to be considerate of others.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all thought about how our actions affected others and acted accordingly?

It Takes Just One...

...person to redeem the indiscretions of others. Here's why I say that.

A few weeks ago, I headed to my physician's office for my annual checkup. As I walked into the building, a white woman who was maybe in her 50s saw me heading toward the elevator and tried to hit the "close door" button (she still had her finger on it when I got in). When I finally got into the elevator, she huddle herself in the corner like a frightened woodlands creature. I just looked at her, rolled my eyes and shook my head.

When the elevator stopped, I let her get off first as any Southern gentleman should do. When she stepped out of the elevator, she glanced over her shoulder as if to which way I was headed. I just stood behind her to give her time to get the hell out of my way. She turned left and so did I since that was where my doctor's office is. The entire length of the hallway, she kept glancing over her shoulder behind her and I just kept my distance. I also noticed that there were security cameras around. If this woman claimed that I had done something to her, I would have proof that I didn't. Then finally, out of no where she stopped, backed up against the wall and stayed there until I passed. I just walked on by shaking my head.

When I rounded the corner, she was still standing there against the wall. I stopped just to take a look back around that same corner and she had continued her walk toward my present direction. I continued on to my destination wondering why she was scared of me and wondering how I could have been so intimidating to her. Was she scared of men? I think not, since she was talking to the white man that got off before I got on. Was she scared of Black men? Probably so. But even though I was a little upset, I brushed it off as just another dumb ass white woman.

And this is how I know that God works magic when it needs to be worked.

After my visit, I headed back down the aforementioned hallway back to the elevator and saw that the door was closing. Suddenly the elevator door reopened and there was another white woman in probably in her 70s who was holding the "door open" button. On the short way down to the 1st floor, she asked me how my day was and I replied and and asked her the same. This short little interaction put a smile on my face and let me know that all white women aren't scared of us.

Each time something like this happens, it saddens me a little bit more that this still goes on. It happened again today except this time it was some gay white man grabbing his man purse when I walked toward his direction in Starbucks. It makes me wonder if I look that menacing and intimidating.

Do I need to soften my look and be sure to smile. But then I thought, why in the hell would I change myself to make others feel comfortable? I'm not the one with the problem, they are. And it's up to them to change themselves and their thinking.

I've Had My Share...

...of sex over the years. And now I want to just ramble on about it. It's just been on my mind lately that I have had a lot of sex over the years and now I feel kinda slutty about it. Luckily i'm still untainted and healthy.

I think that I had the most sexual partners during the years of 2005 and 2006. I was a true sexual being. During those 2 years, I think that I had about 20 different sexual partners. To some that may seem like a lot and to others that may seem like not too many. During those 2 years, I was completely single and free to do what I wanted. I just felt like I could do what I whatever, whenever, and whoever I wanted. Although I always used condoms, I was scared each time I took an HIV test or and STD screening. Well, I have slowed down in my old age. I still have sex every now and then, but not as frequently or with as many people.

Now this year, I have added to the number of sexual partners, but not in the number that I did in previous years. I guess it's because I actually want to date someone. I want to wait to have sex until I actually know someone before I have sex. I don't want my first memory of being with someone to be of us moving furniture and putting holes in the wall. I would so much rather have a first memory of a real date. But brothas don't seem to know what a date is anymore.

I still have had a few hookups recently, but I have a rule in place. If I meet a dude and all he wants is sex, then that's all he gets. After we hookup, I don't want to see him again. There will be no dating after a sexual hookup. NONE! Then there are the brothas that like to tell you what they think you want to hear so that they can get in your pants. They tell you that they want to to date or even get serious one day. But their intention is to have sex as soon as they can. I can smell these brothas a mile away. Sometimes, like Monday night, I go ahead and have sex with them. Most times, I just tell them that they aren't getting any and get as far away from them as possible. But I've made a decision that i'm going to have to stick with.

I've decided to abstain from sex. I've said this to myself several times and haven't stuck to it. But there have been 2 times in my life where I did abstain for 6 months or more. It wasn't fun, but I was assured that I wasn't going to catch an STD or HIV. This time i'm older, wiser, and a lot more patient. I can do it this time.

The reason that I'm abstaining is that I:

1. Don't want to catch an STD or HIV. No explanation needed.

2. I want to actually feel something for the next person I have sex with other than lust.

3. Casual sex has just gotten boring. I used to hookup because I liked sex and having sex made me feel wanted. But that shit has gotten old.

4. Did I say that I wanted to remain HIV and STD free.

So, i'm going to just hold out on sex until i'm seriously dating someone. There will be no more first night sex. No more sleepovers soon after or the day we meet. No more sex or any kind, oral, anal or foreplay after January 1, 2009. NONE!!!

I'm going to break out the ring that Jaila gave me last year and wear it on my hand instead of on my necklace. When I get tempted i'll show it to the tempter and let him know of my plan. The quickest way to run a brotha off is to let him know that your abstaining from sex until a you have a committment.

Let's see what happens!!!!

This Should Be Shown To Every Parent on Earth

I've been reading Xem's Blog and watching his videos for about 3 months now and each entry has touched this one. But this video here is one that all parents should have to watch. The things that he says and the emotion are just to real and close to home.

Real Housewives (?) of Atlanta

I don't even know what to say. What do ya'll have to say about this picture????

I Made A Decision

So I made up my mind about who will get my vote for President of the United States of America. Can you guess who that person is? It's boldly displayed on the back of my truck for all the world to see.

For the last 2 weeks, I have been paying attention to the things that I have read and things that I have seen. During comparisons, I realized that I share few ideals with the Republican candidate and and also very few with the Democratic candidate. But the issue comes in with whom I trust. And I honestly feel that I can trust Barack Obama a hell of a lot more than I can trust McCain to do what's better (notice that I didn't say BEST) for this country.

So Barack Obama, you get my vote.

Exceptions can be made if...

Like many many many Black and Gay men, I spend a lot of time on online "dating" websites. I've met a few ok guys and a whole lot of not ok guys. Earlier today I ran across a dude's ad that caught my eye. The dude in the picture was sexy as hell and I clicked on it to read his profile text. It said:

u need to have: a car/house, a job, education, all of your teeth, be well groomed, nice body ( u must work out), at least 5"10 and 175lbs or more, disease free, and good hygiene, 33yrs or younger (exceptions will be made based on person)dislikes: brotha's that smoke, bad hygiene, ungroomed cats, unproportionate body types.

I got to thinking about how I select the people that I date. When I thought about the "criteria" that a man must have, I couldn't think of many. For me, he must be:

Black (Or biracial with one black parent)

Male

Near my age

Have a means of transportation

Have a job or means to sustain himself

I must be attracted to him

I think that people have these preferences so that they don't have to deal with things that they don't like.

I want a Black man because I believe that we can relate to each other's culture. I have considered dating guys of another race, but I don't want someone that wants me just because I am Black. I also don't want racial differences to arise (and they will).

I want him to have transportation because I don't want to have to pick him up each time we go somewhere. I tried dating a dude with no car and it got frustrating as hell having to go see him everytime we wanted to see each other. Everytime we went out, I was having to drive all over town. I want a brotha to come pick me up sometimes.

I want him to have a job or means of supporting himself because I am not supporting anyone. I will not pay for everything when i'm with someone. I've tried this also, but when dude asked me to pay a bill, I was out of there.

I want to be attracted to the man because... Well do I even have to explain this? I don't think that many people want someone whom they aren't attracted to. Do you?

But what about the brotha that you meet that has all but one of your "requirements"? Would you still date him? That's why I highlighted the part in red up above. I think that we can all accept a brotha that doesn't have all that we want.

It's my belief that you are never going to get a person that has EVERYTHING that you want. You might meet a man that's financially well off, but he may have the personality of an overused knife (dull). You may meet a man that has 10 cars, but he is unattractive. You may meet a man that's sexy as hell, financially stable, owns his own home, has beautiful teeth, and has no looming baggage, but something is going to not be to your liking. SOMETHING!!!!

In the brotha's ad above, do you think that he would reject a brotha who met all of those needs except the fact that he was 5'9" tall or 34 year of age? I highly doubt it.

I guess it's ok to want certain things in a person, but when you expect perfection, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you meet that person that just makes you smile, enjoy the reasons that he makes you smile and don't sweat the small stuff.

Excuse You

I'm at the gas station on Tuesday putting some air in my tires. I'm already non-trusting of people so I'm always checking my surrounding. In the corner of my eye, I see this young white dude walking up to me. He gets about 8 feet away from me starts to speak.

YWB- "Hey man, go get me a pack of Newport lights from the store" as he attempts to hand me money.

Me: "Nope. I can't do that"

YWB: "Why not"

Me: "Muthafucka I ain't going to jail for your young ass! Now get the hell away from me!"

Now, I wasn't appalled that he approached me for cigarettes in the least bit. What pissed me off was that the lil bastard TOLD me to go get him some cigarettes. Not asked, TOLD!!!!!!!!

Seriously like WTFis up with kids these days.!!!!!!!!!!!

Excedrin RT II

So after reading all of the comments on the first Excedring RT post, I felt that I had to come back with a follow up and speak my mind. I'll admit once again that what I said may have been wrong and insensitive, but as I stated earlier, it's one of my prejudices. And my point of this post is that ALL of us have them. So when I read the comments on my blog it pissed me off that people had the nerve to call me ignorant and rude. What I said may have been insensitive, but I at my core am not ignorant or rude.

BIAS:

Dictionary.com defines it as "a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice."

Humans are conditioned to favor their own race. Even those who reject their race and assimilate into another race's culture. How do I know this? How many times have you as a black person been watching the news and hear that someone was arrested for robbing a convenience store. Before they show that picture, in your head *or out loud* you are saying "please don't be Black, please don't be Black." When the picture is shown and it's a Black person, you then say "DAMN." Tell me that you haven't done it and I can call you a liar.

When you are watching sports, are you not hoping for the Black athelete to come out on top?

How many of you want Barack to win on the sole fact that he is (half) Black?

I'll tell you a story. One night, a group of 10 of my friends and associates and I went to Joe's on Juniper for some food and drinks. As would be, the Academy Awards were playing on the television monitors in the establishment. We noticed that when a white person won an award, the mostly white crowd would go into applause. But when a black person won, there was silence. So we started giving applause when a black person won. What really pissed off the white people was when we gave a standing ovation and rousing round of applause when Hattie McDaniel's name was mentioned. She was mentioned as the first Black person to be awarded an Oscar. She won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone With the Wind. You should have seen the stares and dirty looks that we got. How's that for favoring you own race? But don't we all do it?

PREJUDICE:

Dictionary.com defines it as "any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable."

It's hard to believe that there is any person on this earth who doesn't have preconceived opinions about people who are not of their race. And the most striking thing is that people don't want to admit it. How many times have you started a statement with "white people..." or "latino people" or "Asian people...?" How many. The point that i'm trying to make is that we all have some pre-judged thoughts of people of other races. One of mine is that white people don't wash their hands. In turn I don't shake hands with them unless I feel that it's obligated. Call me prejudice if you will, I just may answer. Now tell me one of your prejudices, if you can admit to it.

RACISM:

Dictionary.com defines it as "hatred or intolerance of another race or other races."

Now this is a category of which I do not fall into. I never have and hopefully never will hate another race. I see no reason to. I may admit to being prejudiced, but nothing can make me hate another race. If there is, tell me now so that I can be informed. As many Black people were put into slavery, lynched, harassed, and denied opportunity by white people, I still don't HATE them. It's just not in my heart or mind. While I do have my pre-judged thoughts about other races, I refuse to be intolerant of another race.

CONCLUSION:

I wrote this post because I want people to know that Bias, Prejudice, and Racism are a part of each and every person on this Earth. Our differences are what both keep us apart and keep us together. Think about it. NO human can escape how they truly feel about racial issues. I honestly believe that expressing how we truly feel will actually help with racial issues. We should not be afraid to talk about them. If we dont' talk about them, then people can pretend that the issues don't exist. Maybe I shouldn't feel the way that I feel, but I am human and I am imperfect just like everyone else.

And to top it off, dude didn't wash his hands until after the conversation.