I usually don’t post this much in one day but I came across a dynamic, spectacular, emotion-filled, powerful vocalist that I did not know of before until today. On a hot day, here is something to give you goose bumps…

Read about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Bassey
http://www.iclassics.com/shirleybassey/about/
http://www.songsofshirleybassey.co.uk/

Law school is a funny machine. On one arm, students are encouraged to be social. This is important because networking is the way to build a “stable career in law”. On the other hand, my grade depends on my neighbor’s failure; we are constantly reminded that “you are graded on a curve – someone’s got to get the D” or to “look to your left and your right…one of you will not be here next year.” A spirit of selfishness, competitiveness, and dishonesty is perpetuated. On the reverse of that, because we attend Howard University Law School, and all the legacy that follows, we are supposed to regard each other as family. For all of our lives, we have learned that family is supposed to share and love unconditionally, not to compete with each other. It is difficult to be focused on success and consumed with spending massive amounts of energy into trying to fit into an uncomfortable mold. With all of these conflicting expectations bearing down, in addition to the pressure to learn a vast amount of information in a short time, one can be drove to insanity.

I never felt the urgency to pray, meditate, and foster health relationship, as much as I do now. I’m trying to maintain my sense of self at all times. But trying to continue to grow and learn, while trying to hold for dear life to my identity as I know – it feels like I’m running against the wind. I am trying to figure out what the lesson is that I need to learn from this process – trying to refrain from living in the unknown future wishing I was done – and live in the now.

Fact: Stevie Wonder plays the piano, harmonica, drums, bass, and the vocals chords. Listen to this dude at age 12 – jammin…

This summer, school and work opportunities took me to Rio, Brazil, and to Houston, Texas, two places I have never lived or stayed for an extended period of time. Rio taught me to blend in and Houston taught me to be comfortable being me. This weekend, I drove back to Brooklyn, NY for the first time since I left with all my things packed in a van last August. I drove back with only one suitcase packed, and this time I was alone. I was excited to see my friends, my sister, and the strangers that roamed the streets at all hours of the night. When I got closer to the city, I began to feel an energy pulling me in. Although my old apartment had changed in appearance from a new paint job, and my room was no longer mine, once I was in the core of the Big Apple, I felt like I was home. No over-thinking, no unfamiliar streets. I was back in the rhythm of the city – looking for parking, sweating my ass of waiting for the train, walking the block, dodging strange men trying to drop pick-up lines, seeing old homeless clients still on their street corner, staying up with my roommate shooting the shit, and even walking through my old outreach route in the Port Authority. I met up with friends for drinks, ate late night/early breakfast in Brooklyn, drank Chimay with a handsome face, and rode the train with a slight beer buzz. I woke up and went to my old church in Brooklyn on Sunday and had lunch with a kindred soul. I was home. I hate being a visitor – I miss being resident. Like a guy once told me: New York, I don’t want to be your friend, I want to be your lover. Plotting my course back home as we speak…..

SOUND OF LOVE:

LOOK OF LOVE

Over the course of my summer vacation, I have heard many stories from both men and women about the silly, strange, and plain ol’ psycho stuff people tend to do when they have lost their minds in a relationship. A friend of mine sent me a link to one man’s tale of his crazy girlfriend – I can’t make this stuff up…..

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