The Yellow Brick Road

The journey of a million miles begins with one simple step. It is the destination that dictates our direction. Once your coordinates have been set, then the only thing left to do is walk.

 I was told to follow the yellow brick road. That it would lead me to a place called the Emerald City, and there, is where I would find all of the answers to everything I ever wanted to know. What they did not tell me, was that the bricks on the road, are not always yellow. They did not tell me that the road had bridges either. Like any and all other bridges, without proper maintenance, they deteriorate and collapse. The road to the Emerald City is filled with fragile and broken bridges. It seems that everyone wants to use the yellow brick road, but no one wants to maintain it.

I have often seen this place in my dreams, and on a few occasions, actually got to meet the wizard. One time, he told me a secret about the yellow brick road and it made me laugh. Not just giggle, I mean rolling on the floor laughing. I wish I could share it, but I promised not to. You are sooooo going to laugh when you learn it. Have fun on the yellow brick road. 

Dear Momma

Behind every good man, there is a great woman.....

A saying with more truth to it does not exist. But before a man can ever be great, he must first be created. It is only by the grace of God and the portal of a woman, that creation can occur.

It is for this reason that I can say without a single drop of doubt that " before every good man, there was a greater woman.

In a world viewed through my extremely biased eyes, there has been very few men created greater than I....(yeah,  I said it) Therefore, there could only have been even fewer women greater than my creator....My Mom.


It is with the highest degree of love, respect, and thanks, that I share this tribute of the greatest woman to walk the face of the earth since Eve. This poem is dedicated to my magnificent mother.

Enjoy.

Like potted plants, enriched with love, I have risen like no other,
above the grass, to uncharted paths,
trying to be just like my mother,

Just as Theodore Rose....you chose, to speak softly and carry a big stick.
Not once did you raise your voice at us,
Not once did you throw a mad fit,

I've never got the chance to say, how much I appreciate,
The way you allowed me to make bad choices,
And learn from my own mistakes,

You've been my rock through stormy weather, my shade, in sweltering days,
The Alpha, to the "Enforcer Omega"Ω
The lighter fluid on the trails that I blaze,

So on this day, of maternal thanks, I hope this will leave you with smiles,
Know that I love you, and miss you each day,
though we'er separated by 5,362 miles.


I LOVE YOU MOM.......HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.


Goldeneye aka Che' Che' ake Semsem aka   heeeyyyyyy sugar

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Mr. William Earnest Henley wrote the words


"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul."

Taken from his poem "Invictus", Mr. Henley reminds us that no matter how desperate and impossible a situation my appear, if you look deep within yourself, God has given you everything you need to overcome that obstacle.

All you need have is FAITH.

Which leads me into my topic for today.....Are you afraid of the dark?

I sat in my apartment this weekend, and watched as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the tree line in front of my building. 

With all of the lights off at the time, the sun light was more than enough to brighten the entire room. Around 7:45ish, the sun was almost gone but I could still see everything in my living room, clear as day.

By 8:00, there was no sun, no light,.....nothing, but I could still see everything in my living room. 

I felt safe, secure, and comforted by the darkness. I used to not feel that way.

I started to reminisce about the days when I was a kid, and how I was so afraid of the dark.

The shadows in the room looked like gigantic monsters about to devour me at any second.

 Every noise sounded like the devil was coming to get me for stealing that ButterFingers from Kroger, and I didn't know if that hand on my ankle was my brother fucking tatering with me again, or the Real Boogie Man this time. Either way, I was probably about to piss my pants.

Mom told me that there was no Boogie Man, there were no monsters, and she had already beat the shit out of me for taking that ButterFingers from Kroger, so I had nothing else to fear in the dark.

I trusted mom, ....So why was I still afraid of the dark?

It took me years to realize that only thing that separated people who were afraid of the dark, from people who weren't was FAITH.

When you have faith, you know that nothing is going to happen to you because you are protected. Weather it's God, or your mother, you know that they aren't going to let anything happen to you. Otherwise, they would never have put you in the dark.

So back to the present day........back to my dark living room.

I finally saw things sooooo clear. I realized that there is no "darkness", there is only a dimmer bright.....

Darkness = without light

Technically, there is no such thing as without light. Everything has light, some things just need super technology to see it.

When you let your eyes slowly get adjusted to dimming light, you can see everything. It is only when someone turns the lights off without warning that you can't see without them.

So if you are in a dark place right now, just close your eyes for 30 seconds and let them get adjusted to the blackness, and when you re-open them, you will finally see as clear as day.

As for me,....I no longer fear the darkness,.....I embrace it.

The darkness fears me, for the darkness can not destroy me. All I need do, to destroy the darkness, is to flip the light switch to "on".

GTP- 2's

Battle Field

The stage is set.....You can smell it in the air.

Something is coming.....
The streets are empty, churches have shut their doors, and even the Shake Junt is closed.
It must be something big.

Silence like this can only mean one thing......It's a battle coming, and it's coming pretty fast.

In times of war there are only two options....
1. Join THIS side
or
2. Join THAT side

There is no standing in between. Not unless you much rather chose death over choosing sides.
When you stand in the middle you have 2 enemies instead of 1.
So even though you have ties with THIS side, as long as you haven't joined them in the fight, you are a possible liability, and therefore need to be eliminated. They don't know if you are friend or Foe.

The same is true if you have ties with THAT side. Although you may still be friends with them, without your pledge of allegiance, you pose a serious threat to them because you wear a different uniform than they.
 THERE IS NO NEUTRAL GROUND 

You either fight or die.

So who's side do you choose? Do you choose the side that you like the best? OR Do you choose the side that has the best chances of winning?

How you answer that questions speaks volumes about the MAN or WOMAN you are.
It reveals if you are a loyal friend or an selfish opportunist who is always looking out for #1..Your fucking Tatering self.

The is a war coming people, and you better start thinking about which side you're on....
Because THERE IS NO NEUTRAL GROUND.

The Truth Can Set You Free

Have you ever wondered why people confess?
Regardless of who they confess to,(parent, partner, preacher, or police) it's all for the same reason.


You might think that someone is an honest, good-hearted person, who has decided to stand up and accept responsiblity for a wrong that they've done, but that is incorrect. 
The truth of the matter is, that people no longer want to carry the burden of guilt within themselves. 
Guilt, is like a tiny pebble falling on a persons spirit. The length of time that a person carries that guilt, is equivalent to the height from which the pebble is dropped above your spirit. The higher up the level from which the pebble drops, the harder it lands on the spirit.


You ever had a secret that weighed you down? Remember the feeling you had the day you finally told someone your secret? That's the feeling of freedom. Thats why they say "the truth shall set you free".......even though in actuality, it will probably get your ass locked in jail, so you exchange the freedom of you conscious for the freedom of you body.

"Iron Free" My Ass

I woke up this morning at a very specific time, in order to be at a very specific place, at a very specific moment. In order to stay on schedule, I always dream about what I am going to wear the next day, while I sleep the night before (I know that sounds weird, but whenever I pick out my clothes the night before, I always change my mind in the morning, so it is a waste of time to do it the night before).

I planned on wearing my black suit, with the baby blue shirt and tie combo.
So when I awoke, I went to the closet and pulled out the outfit, and that's where things began to go bad. I noticed that my "No Iron" shirt, was wrinkled as hell.

I was pissed, b/c it wasn't wrinkled in my dream and I didn't have time to iron it. So rather than be on time with a different outfit, I decided to iron the damn "No Iron" shirt and be late.

I know what you're thinking.....why didn't I just pick a different outfit?
Well, I am the most indecisive person when it comes to picking out clothes (that's why I have to dream about it the night before). Picking an alternate combo would have taken at least 30 mins, and that doesn't include putting it on.

So to you bitch ass, lying, dress shirt company's who falsely claim that your shirt is "Iron Free", "No Iron", or "Wrinkle Free".......and it isn't......

SAUCE YOU !!!!!!!!!

I Bet You Won't

Let me take you back for a moment.

Remember back in grade school when a group of kids would dare you to do something stupid? All it took was a "I dare you".......then an.. "I double dog dare you".....then comes the big "I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU".
Now, who in the hell can turn down a TRIPLE????

Well, now lets fast forward to the present "Adult Life" you live today. Have you ever wanted or needed to do something, but were too afraid to?
Well, I'm here to say to you......."I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU"

Go ahead, pussy. I bet you won't do it.
There are times in life when you need someone to stand beside you and hold your hand......and then there are times when you need someone to stand behind you and push you into the water. It could save your life.

So I am here, to give you all out there a love-shove.
If you are on the fence about a job change, get off and make a choice.

If you aren't happy with your life, then do something different.
If you only have one life to live, then why would you spend the majority of it wondering what you want to do?

I say "Fuck that".

If you don't seize the day, then the day is forever lost, because tomorrow will always become today, but yesterday will never be anything other than yesterday.

Someone once told me about my job, that is true in life......"Make a decision....it doesn't matter if it's a good one, or a bad one.....Just make a decision. The worst thing you can ever do is NOTHING".

So I leave you with that.
I pray that I have inspired someone to do something good in their life today.

Love, peace, and KFC chicken grease.

GTP..... Downstairs

Late to my own funeral

It is a common saying among single men, that when a fellow "dick swinger" (male), is walking down the aisle to get hitched,....he is walking to his own funeral with "dick in hand" about to end life as he knows it.
I guess when you think about it.....it's almost the same thing.

They both usually take place in a church, with a preacher. The same people who are at your funeral, probably went to your wedding, and you show up to both, dressed in your best outfit, and more importantly, somebody is out of a shit load of money after both are over. Right?

I have never felt that way about marriage, but I can see their point.

Most women are nuts and it seems like God banished Satan to be forever tormented within the confines of a diamond.

***Originally, diamond rings were called demon rings, but in the late 1700's, clergy started calling them diamonds, so they could wear them too....FYI  true story***
Somehow, when a woman puts the ring on, it unleashes a demon within......Almost like when you combine baking soda with Vinegar. You put one of them by themselves, and it's all good. But the second you put them two mother f*ckers together.....All hell breaks loose.

Before the ring

After the ring

But, I digress. ..
This blog is actually about the time that I was late to my own wedding but I was explaining why some guys called it a funeral, plus, I was just giving you some background info thats all.....FYI

So anyway, I actually got married at the courthouse initially. We had a ceremony later, but the legal marriage was downtown. We had a 10:00 appointment with this judge who looked like Judge Mabalean Ephrim from TV, and she wasn't a very happy looking lady.

Put it like this, if I was facing charges in her court room, I would represent myself and save the lawyer fees, cause this lady didn't look like she was a "wrist slapper"......naw.....she was definitely an "ass-kicker" if you know what I mean.

So I was so excited about getting married that I partied all night before in celebration of this joyous occasion.
Problem was, I partied too much. I was shit faced..

I was so shit faced that I didn't hear the alarm clock go off.

It wasn't until 9:15 that I woke up and realized that I was supposed to be in downtown Memphis in 45 mins, saying "I do".
I jumped up and practically pushed my "soon to be wife" out of the bed and told her we were late....and the race was on.
We got dressed in less than 15 mins, which left us exactly 30 mins to be in front of the judge. We got in the car and headed to the city. At the first light we came to, I noticed that the gas was low. My dad always told me that when the light comes on, you got about 15 miles left in the tank. Well, the light wasn't on yet, so I kept going.

Meanwhile at the courthouse, my brother, friends, and frat brothers, were already there calling us and trying to find out where the hell we were. I asked them to stall for me and told them we were in route.
I was driving at least 110mph on I-240 and right at Parkway, I noticed that my car was slowing down and I couldn't get it to go faster. I checked the gas gauge, and the light still hadn't come on yet. So after I was stuck on the side of the highway, I realized that the gas gauge was fucking broke, and the light didn't work either.

With 15 mins to spare, I called my brother and had him come pick us up.
We made it to the courthouse about 20 mins late and I had to take a verbal "bitch-slapping" from the judge and everyone else who was waiting  on us.

I don't know what made me think about that story today. I was just driving and started laughing about it.
It may have not been the most "over the top", lavish wedding in the world,
But, one thing is for sure,
I will never forget the day I was late to my own funeral.

The Cat With The Hat

Every super hero has their trademark prop that makes them unique.

Superman had the red cape and the "S" symbol. Thor had his magic hammer. Batman......Well, I guess he just had the whole "bat thing" going on with him.

There is this super cool cat that I know who has a magical hat. Whenever he wore this magic hat, he instantly turned into the worlds most interesting man. His words turned into commandments, his moves turned into art in motion.
How could a hat possess that type of power?
One time, I saw this guy talk 5 ladies into buying "HIM" a drink.
I can't even get my girl to buy me a drink.
Have you seen that "Dos Equis" (XX)commercial, with that James Bond looking guy?

Well this guy with the hat is him.
I bought a hat like the one he has and my wife told me I looked stupid and made me take it off.
You know, maybe the reason that she didn't like it, was because the minute I put the hat on, she felt her knees get weak from the magical power of "The HAT".

 
 Damn, I can't believe I didn't realize that the hat was working it's magic. Oh well, I guess it's gone forever.....So to the cool cat, with the magic hat........We salute you.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Quitters never win, and winners never quit...... That's what coach Frost used to always tell me ( i guess that's why he never gave up smoking, he didn't want to be called a quitter). That was my track coach back in high school. You know, I have never really enjoyed running until later on in my life when it became a stress releaser, but there was never a time that I had stopped to rest during a run before 2005.

No matter how bad it hurt, I never quit going. I couldn't allow myself to quit.

That day in 2005 changed my life forever.
It was a regular sunny day, but quite hot outside. I was about 1.5 miles into a 2 mile run and for the first time in my life up to that point, I just stopped running and began to walk. I was hurting a little bit, but no more than any other run. Something inside me just said..."fuck it". So I just walked the rest of the way home.

The reason why that day was so pivotal in my life was because from that day on, I realized that I could just give up if I didn't want to keep going.
Before that day, quitting was never an option. Walking was never an option.
After that day, I found myself questioning if I could keep going when times got tough, or if it began to hurt.
I noticed that I found myself giving up at things I never would have given up at.
It completely changed my life.

If all you know is winning, then winning is all you will do.
But the moment you let the thought of losing enter your mind, you will bring it into existence.

I regret that day in 2005, when I quit running. I wish I could take it back.
I have quit many things since then because I learned that I "could quit".

I have spent the last few years of my life trying to get back to that point in my life where quitting is not an option. I am almost there, but there are many times that I simply want to quit.

If I can just push through that last 1/2 mile that I didn't 6 years ago, maybe one day I can once again be a Winner.

Why do people stay in bad relationships just for the Kids?

Inquiring minds have asked the above question.

I know you that you won't believe what I am about to say, but.....
I don't really know the answer to this question. Well, at least not from experience.

However, I know plenty of people who do and this is their response.

When a marriage or relationship has hit the rocks and the ship is sinking, under normal circumstances, the response is simple........JUMP SHIP AND SWIM FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!

 Now,.....If you were to throw some kids on that same sinking ship, everything changes. You no longer can swim for your life.......now you have to decide who is going to swim with the kids on their back and still manage to stay above water.

Men and women stay in relationships involving children for different reasons.
Many of the men I know, grew up in one parent homes and rarely, if ever, saw their biological fathers. They have experienced the pain of growing up as a man without one there to show him the way. Let's be honest, a woman is completely capable of raising a boy into a man all by herself.    Shit....most men today were raised by only women and turned out just fine (others, had a little more sugar in the tank than normal, but hey....everybody loves Kool-aid right?).

 But there is no substitute for a strong male figure in a young boys life. The same is true for a young girls life as well.

It is for this reason that many men stay in loveless relationships. They do not want their kids to go through what they did......."a fatherless childhood".

Please don't completely buy into the bullshit just yet.
There are many men, who are only concerned with how society will view them if they leave. They like to walk around town, bragging about how good of a father they are how they hold it down for their kids.
("WHISTLE")------Bullshit flag.
15 yard penalty, repeat 4th down.
These conceded mutha f*ckas, use their kids to make themselves look good. They buy them nice things like clothes, toys, and video games.......

but tell me this..
When was the last time that "great father" showed up to a recital, huh,   or to a parent teacher conference, huh???

 Ask him if he knows what his kids are into.

 I am sure he shows up to all the events where pictures are going to be taken though.
If he really cared about staying together for the kids, then he wouldn't be next door at Ms. Parker's house getting some milk and cookies, would he. No, he'd have his ass at home making milk and cookies for his family.

Now lets get to these women.
Most women are naturally instilled with the compassion and bond with their children that will never allow them to leave. Many of them are willing to stay in a relationship no matter how terrible or even abusive it is to them, for the sake of allowing their kids to keep on believing that "they are one big happy family".

They will trade their happiness for their children any day, and putting up with a broken marriage is a small price to pay if it makes their children happy.

Please don't completely buy into the bullshit just yet.
They are many women who are only concerned with keeping their man in their lives, so they use the kids to keep them around. There are other women, who are only concerned with how much money they can squeeze out of a relationship. These are the women who are responsible for the word "Bitch" applying to more than just dogs. They use the kids as pawns in a game, where they manipulate the men in their lives to get whatever they want. If the man wants to leave and gain full custody of the kids, she will pretend that she wants them in order to negotiate the highest possible alimony settlement she can get.

So there you have it.
There are many reasons why people stay in bad relationships, just for the kids.
I hope that whatever situation you may be going through, it is truly for the kids. Other wise, I am more than happy to donate some prayers in your honor.
I hope I never have to go through it.

Love, Peace, and KFC Chicken Grease.