Life in the Mind of a Modest Genius

Things to Be Grateful For

The Return of the Meme
I'm fairly certain that I've already included "Meme" as something to be grateful for somewhere along the way previously.  However, it's been a minute since I've done one.  I was recently checking up on Success Warrior's site and came across this one.  Which also reminded me that I need to add him to the Blogging Against the Machine rollcall.  It may be a little long compared to the brief memes I normally prefer, but it does give you a little more insight into the Modest Genius...

1.  What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Salted cashews

2.  Where was your Facebook profile pic taken?
In the Dark Knight

3.  Can you play guitar hero?
Like it's nobody's business!  On the Easy level.  Once it starts requiring more than three buttons then I'm done

4.  Name someone who made you laugh today.  What was it about?
One of my co-workers trying to rationalize why it's not really all that cold in the office

5.  How late did you stay up last night and why?
Right around 1:17am-ish.  Probably fell asleep watching tv as usual

6.  If you could move somewhere else, where would you live?
Depends.  If money wasn't an issue, then definitely California.  On a realistic level, probably Houston where I know there are plenty of job opportunities for which I'm qualified and the cost of living is reasonable

7.  Ever been kissed under fireworks?
That'd be a big fat no.  Is that supposed to be something special?  Sounds very chick-flickish to me.

8.  Which of your friends lives closest to you?
I'm gong to have go with Wahl on that one.

9.  Do you believe exes can be friends?  With benefits?
Of course they can be friends.  With benefits?  I guess that all depends

10. Do you like Dr. Pepper?
Can't stand it

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?  Really hard as opposed to just sniveling?
Come on, now.  I'm a man.  I don't cry.  Next question please...

12. Who took your profile pic?
Me, of course

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Some random guy dressed up in the costume of Fat Jesus from "The Hangover".  I need to get out the post that coincides with the picture

14. Was yesterday better than today?
Well I woke up again to see another day.  Whenever that happens, it's a good day.

15. Can you live a day without TV?
I can, but I sure don't like doing it. 

16. Are you upset about anything right now?
I'm always upset about something

17. Do you think relationships are ever worth it?
That depends also.  They're not for everyone

18. Are you a bad influence?
I've been told that on occasion

19. Night out or night in?
Definitely in

20. What items could you not go without during the day?
My iPhone

21. Who was the last person that you visited in the hospital?
I typically don't do hospital visits.  The last I can remember would have been a former co-worker who had recently had a baby and even that was a couple of years ago

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
"I don't care how drunk you were, your sick!" from co-worker Colin Farrell.  You don't even want to know what the picture was that was sent along with the text

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
Eh.

24. Do you hate anyone?
Hate is a very powerful emotion that requires a wealth of energy to fuel it.  I'm not trying to invest that much time and effort into negative feelings towards anyone

25. If we were to look at your Facebook inbox, what would we find?
Yet another message from a Mafia Wars clan that I somehow belong to. 

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
With flying colors.  You wouldn't even find any traces of alcohol

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before.
Never

28. What song is stuck in your head?
"This is It" - Michael Jackson

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2 a.m.  Whom do you want it to be?
Someone telling me that that I was the winner in the Powerball Lottery

30. Do you (or did you) want to have grandkids before you were 50?
I had really only thought about having shorties.  Hadn't really given much thought to having grandchildren

31. Tell us your Saturday night?
Probably a movie.  Maybe going out to see one, but more than likely it would be a Netflix and/or a Redbox pick

32. Do you think too much or too little?
Definitely too much.  I'm over analytical

33. Do you smile a lot?
Funny you should ask...  http://tinyurl.com/nosmile006

Things to Be Grateful For

Hassle-free Inner City Travel

I was trying to think of just the right name to give this one and the most effective way to describe it.  That was the best I could come up with.  It sums up the relief I enjoyed once I returned from Detroit.  It's pretty self-explanatory to touch on the frustration I dealt with while trying to navigate the streets of the Motor City.

When I was at Hertz getting the rental car, they asked me if I wanted the navigational system for an extra $13 a day.  I quickly told them I didn't need it just out of habit.  I was accustomed to driving around cities where I was familiar with the layout.  Even if I wasn't, I had my trusty maps app on the iPhone to help me out when I was in a bind.  Then something told me that I better take it just to be on the safe side.  So glad I listened to that inner voice.

It seemed like there weren't many streets in Detroit that went on for more than a mile or so tops before they came to a dead-end, had an abrupt turn or in some cases even blocked by construction.  To make matters worse, it was just my luck that I was in town while there was some marathon going on that blocked off more streets.  Apparently this must be marathon season since Des Moines also had one going on before I left.

The navigational system was a great help, but there were some instances when even it couldn't assist.  It didn't foresee the marathon cutting off some of the routes for instance.  There were also times that the turn was so quick and sudden that the GPS couldn't keep up.  I can't even count the number of times I heard the annoying "calculating route" response because I had left the path the GPS has originally mapped out.

Then there was the obvious issue of the freeway system.  This is something that wasn't indigenous to just Detroit.  Every large city has the problem.  The problem where there are so many intersecting exits and interchanges in and around the city that it makes it too easy to get lost on the highway itself.  I'm sure if a person had lived there long enough, you would probably get used to it.  But for someone visiting just a few days, it was annoying.  Almost down right stressful.

I never thought I would be so happy to see I-235 in my life.  I get home to Des Moines and back to one main freeway that traverses the entire city.  You can get on I-235 and get to pretty much anywhere you want to go in the city.  It's nearly impossible to get lost on it since it runs in a circle around all of Des Moines.  No confusing looping exits like those big cities.  Although they did try to make it like that when they recently redesigned the downtown exits. 

As far as our downtown, it doesn't get much simpler.  Grand and Locust are the two main streets that go one way in either direction thru all of downtown.  You don't have to worry about getting lost due to an abrupt dead-end.  So folks can clown all they want about how small the city and the downtown are, but at least that size allows us to get around effortlessly.  It just reminds you of that old adage that sometimes less is more.

Things to Be Grateful For

More music

This is Is It - Michael Jackson
I didn't realize that when they were planning a concert movie that it also meant new music from Mike.  This new single sounds more like vintage Mike than it does new material.  Come to find out it's because this was actually written in the 80s and is just now getting released.  I could really care less.  It's still a great song.  I don't know if it's good enough to get those AMA awards he's nominated for, but it was definitely good enough to make the Zune.

Sweet Dreams - Beyoncé
I was hearing bad things about that whole "Sasha Fierce" cd so I never bothered to pick it up.  Not to mention that I wasn't particularly feeling "Halo"or "If I Were a Boy".  Oh, and "Single Ladies" got played to death.  So much so that the only good thing about it is the "SNL" skit.  But then I caught this one on one of the digital music stations.  Definitely feelin' this cut.  Although still not enough to get that "Sasha Fierce" cd.  Even if it doesn't cost me anything with Zune Pass.

Regret - LeToya featuring Ludacris
Speaking of Beyoncé, her former bandmate is quietly blowing up on her own.  All without the help of Daddy Knowles.  I've downloaded her entire "Lady Love" cd and pretty impressed with it so far.  This first single highlights her soft vocals accented perfectly by great production.  As much as I like Luda, he really didn't even have to be in this song and it still would have been good.  The funniest thing is this cd is further proof that they should have kicked out Michelle and left LeToya in the group.  At least from a talent standpoint.

Try a Little Tenderness - Chris Brown
He may just now be nearing the end of his probation period.  Not the court-imposed one.  I'm talking about the one where we can start listening to his music again.  This isn't even a new song anyway.  I was watching "This Christmas" (yep...I still have a problem with the belt-whipping scene) on Starz and remembered his performance of this song.  Not a bad remake at all.  Although I still think Chris should do the most obvious choice for a remake and do an Ike Turner song for his comeback cd.

Things to Be Grateful For

The Sounds

Time to bring everyone up to speed with the latest sounds I've been feeling.  There's actually quite a few more since the last time I shared my favorite musical tastes; however, I'm going to keep it brief while still providing you a sample of how diverse my Zune palate can be...

Close to You - BeBe and CeCe Winans
It's their first studio cd together in 15 years.  15 years??  Has it really been that long?  The strange thing is it doesn't sound like they've missed a step at all.  They still sound like pure magic together.  The even stranger thing is they still have that gift of making songs that are supposed to be gospel but are vague enough to have an R&B feel

Moody's Mood for Love - Brian McKnight
A repeat viewing of "This Christmas" (and yes, the belt-whipping scene STILL disturbs me) reminded me of this song.  Then listening to it brought to mind the episode of "The Cosby Show" when I first heard it mentioned.  I thought then that it was a made up tune.  When I tried to find it this time around, I discovered that there have been over 90 different versions of it recorded.  There's no way I was going to listen to every single one to see which I liked best, but it's always hard to go wrong  with anything from Brian.

Give It to Me Right - Melanie Fiona
Sistas are really stepping up their game in the R&B genre this year. Melanie is another newcomer who sounds as though she's been doing this for years.  In fact, this cut has a very old school feel to it.  You can almost envision go-go dancers with white patent leather knee-high boots and bouffant hairdos doing the jerk as this cut plays in the background.

Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys
This song is now more famous for the semi-spectacle that Lil Mama tried to make at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.  If I'm not mistaken, that was the only obnoxious moment that occurred during that awards show.  Anyway, the best part of this tune is easily Alicia's part.  As much as I hate to admit it, Jigga could have easily sat this one out and this could have have been one of Alicia's best songs yet.

Last Name - Carrie Underwood
Never in a million years did I EVER think I would have a Carrie Underwood song on here.  Ever.  Then I'm watching an episode of "Glee" and their choir performs this song.  Something about it just hooked me.  It could have been that it had a rock vibe to it.  Or the fact that it was just extremely entertaining watching Kristen Chenowith perform it.  Whatever it was, it's on the Zune now and I have to make sure no one's around when I pump this one.  Can't have anybody thinking I'm now diggin' country.

Things to Be Grateful For

I discovered some time ago that is important that I use scalp conditioner.  It doesn't matter that I keep my hair cut so low (virtually shaved bald).  In fact, that is probably makes it even more crucial that I use scalp conditioner.  I use that term only because some folks may not know it as the term I'm more familiar with:  hair grease.  That's what it was called when I was growing up.  That's what was used to keep the scalp moist to prevent flaking and in some cases, even a little bit of hair cologne/perfume.

The product I have always been most comfortable with to accomplish this was Ultra Sheen.  That's what Mom always used so I had grown accustomed to it.  It managed to keep the scalp conditioned while at the same time having a nice aroma to it.  At least I thought so even if some folks couldn't appreciate it.  But again, it was probably because I had grown up with that scent and was particularly fond of it.

Then when Elijah came up to visit, he introduced me to Proclaim Coconut Oil Hair & Scalp Conditioner.  I'm not even sure if he knew the exact name as much as he just recognized the appearance.  Mariah had asked to go to Sally's to get stuff for her hair and Elijah picked up the Proclaim while we were there.  When it came time for Elijah to catch his flight, we were reminded that the 12-ounce container exceeded their security allowance for carry-on so he couldn't take it with him.  He still had over 3/4 of it left.  I wasn't about to waste it so I went ahead and took it home with me.

It just so happened that I was out of my Ultra Sheen.  Either that or I just couldn't seem to locate it since unpacking.  That's probably the more likely scenario.  At any rate, that's what caused me to eventually try the Proclaim.  I was leery to do it at all because of the whole coconut thing.  I didn't want my head smelling like coconut.  Oddly enough, is it is virtually odorless.  Maybe that's why it was less expensive than Ultra Sheen. They didn't have have to invest the money for that additional head cologne/perfume scent.

Proclaim is now a regular part of my daily routine.  I make sure to apply a generous amount as soon as the dome is dry from the shower.  It gives my head a modest little glow to it while simultaneously keeping my scalp moisturized.  And thanks to its larger size, I can milk the container for a while.  I'm still on the same one I had when Elijah was here and that was two months ago.  It should last me for at least another few months at this rate.  You can clearly see why Proclaim has become the new Ultra Sheen.

Things to Be Grateful For

Antacids

I was going to get more specific and call out some by name by mentioning either Tums or Rolaids.  Or maybe even that generic brand that Auntie Ann gave me.  The truth is that they all do pretty much the same thing.  They're all effective no matter what they decided to call it.  Therefore, I just kept this broad so it could apply to all of them.

There was a time when using an antacid was the furthest thing from the mind.  I can still remember seeing those Alka Seltzer commercials as a kid (who doesn't remember the classic "Pop pop..fizz fizz...oh what a relief it is"?).  It was a clever little jingle, but I didn't ever think it was something I would have a need for.  I had an iron stomach.  I could eat anything with no worries.  Then again, most of us had that invincible air about us when we were younger.

As I got older, my digestive system was the one thing that decided to go first.  The spicier food that I eat, the worse off my stomach gets.  The more I will eventually pay for it later.  How often I pay for it and how soon it hits all depends on the type of food that I eat.  Spiciest food yields the worst results.  That sucks for me because it also happens to be my favorite type of cuisine.  Now the phrase "the hotter it is going in; the hotter it is coming out" has never rang more true.

I've got this thing down to almost a science now though.  I've figured out that if I time my antacid intake just right, I can eat pretty much anything I want.  I can usually eat any any type of spicy food as long as I make sure to precede it by a Tums and/or Rolaids appetizer.  Even if I forget to do that, I will still be okay as long as I follow up the meal with a Tums and/or Rolaids chaser.  The key thing is to make sure that I have some type of antacid extremely close to the time that I've just had the spicy food in question.

Last night was another one of those nights where I had to be reminded the hard way of what happens when I don't follow the aforementioned regimen.  I just happened to get off lucky and it wasn't near as bad as what it could have been or has been in the past.  I suppose I could go the easy route and just give up on spicy food altogether.  But why take the easy road?

Things to Be Grateful For

Zune Pass

It wasn't that long ago that I highlighted my Zune in this category.  I only made brief reference to Zune Pass at the time when it clearly deserved so much more.  It only stands to reason that it should get its very own shout out given all of its benefits.  Especially since it's been getting such frequent heavy usage from my Zune.

Zune offers it's own application for downloading songs from their network onto your Zune.  It's basically like a scaled down version of the iTunes Store.  The songs normally cost $.79 to download.  That in itself is a bargain because iTunes charges a minimum of $.99.  Not to mention the fact that iTunes recently changes some of their prices so depending on the cut, you could pay upwards to

$1.29 for one song.

With Zune Pass, you get an unlimited amount of downloads.  You sign up for a member ship for only $12.99 a month and it pays for itself after just a dozen songs.  Then you can go out there and choose from thousands and thousands of songs as often as you want.  The bonus part of that is even though it may be a no frills version of the iTunes Store, their selection is just as expansive.  I have yet to search for a song that I haven't found.

Thanks to Zune Pass, I have been able to fill up the Zune with about an additional 10GB worth of music.  Each time I hear a song on either the Tom Joyner Morning Show or Doug and DeDe on the Ride, I can get home and download it immediately.  Legally.  And just to be on the safe side, I can get the whole album to make sure i don't miss anything.  If I end up not liking it, it didn't cost me anything extra anyway.

Zune Pass does have one liability, but it's a rather small one in the bigger scheme of things.  Any of the songs downloaded are only able to be played on the computer with the Zune app on it or on a Zune device it's transferred to.  That means there is no burning any of the songs to cd.  But who even needs cds anymore when you have mp3 players?  Plus, I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I could find somewhere on the internet that someone has already found out how to convert the format so that the songs are playable on anything.  I just haven't had the need to do it yet.

As it stands now, I've gotten several different playlists set up via Zune Pass.  Hip Hop Old School, R&B Old School, White Old School, Gospel, The New Blood (the latest hits) and the recently added Get Ya Laugh On (comprised entirely of stand-up bits from some of my favorite comedians) just to mention a few.  I'm sure there will be more playlists to be added as I get in the mood for different types of music.  I will also be adding endless amounts of new songs the moment they cross my mind.  All of it done for a mere fraction of the cost of what it would take to get the same amount of music in stores.

Things to Be Grateful For

Heroes

No, not the NBC television series.  Although whatever happened to that show?  I swear they take the LONGEST break in between seasons.  Once again I'm going to need a serious update before the next season starts to see where we last left off.  So since it's not the show I'm referring to, maybe I should have clarified this better and said Modern Day Heroes.  Meaning the average folks doing above-average things that clearly deserve recognition.

I have seen this story about 18-year-old Kaleb Eulls circulating for a minute this week.  I got the gist of it but didn't really get into it until I saw the video.  You can check that out here.  For those of you who just do the quick fixes and don't have time to read the full story the Cliff's Notes version is Kaleb prevented a major tragedy from occurring.  When a classmate took out a semi-automatic pistol and started waving it around on the bus, he tackled her and disarmed her.

Kaleb could have just sat idly by like the rest of his classmates were doing.  However, judging from the grainy footage of the surveillance camera and the news reports, it appears he may have been one of the oldest students on the bus.  Clearly, with him being a star defensive end on the football team, he was the largest.  It's good to know that he had enough courage to do something before that crazy student started getting reckless.

What I really like about this story is the attitude of Kaleb.  When you watch the video of them interviewing him, he seems VERY humble.  He's intelligent enough to know that what he did was significantly important, but he doesn't want to make a big deal of it at all.  He comes across as a very genuine, well-mannered and respectful young man.  There's no conceit at all about the fact that he may have very well saved someone's life.

Even if this young man doesn't want to make a big deal out of what he did, somebody should.  Getting all this internet recognition is a good start, but it's not good enough.  Not for something as monumental as what he did.  How about one of those ceremonial keys to the city?  Or maybe he can get a sit-down with the President and get one of those Presidential awards they give four outstanding service.  Something.

Stories like this one really warm my heart.  Not just the average people doing extraordinary things, but the fact that it's a high school kid.  The fact that it's a brotha.  So you mean to tell me there are actually young Black males out there that are doing positive things in the community by protecting the community??  Huh...go figure. 

Things to Be Grateful For

Trailers

Yeah, it's a pretty simplistic one today.  But I can be a pretty simple person sometimes.  Plus, the whole point of this category was to appreciate the little things.  Trailers definitely fit into that category.  They are only a few minutes long, yet a good one will tell you all that you need to know about a movie.  Then there are some that tell to much and spoil it for you.

I enjoy trailers (or previews, as they are also often called) so much that I will go out of my way to get to the movie early to see them.  They are like getting little bonus flicks with your featured attraction.  Not a whole lot different than the little shorts that Pixar runs before all their films.  In fact, there have been more than one occasion for me when the previews before the main feature ended up being better than the film I was originally seeing.

Nowadays we also have the option to visit any number of sites online to view trailers.  One of my personal favorites is Hollywood.com where you can more than your fill of movie previews.  Still, something about seeing them online doesn't give you quite the same rush as seeing it in the theater.  That atmosphere gives it an entirely different vibe.

This latest one I caught is a classic example of a trailer that may be doing too much.  With a running time of over 3 1/2 minutes, they sum up the entire movie for you leaving very little for you to experience when you see it.  Much like the "Obsessed" trailer did.  The big difference for me is the storyline of "Preacher's Kid" is a little more appealing.  I've always had a sneaky suspicion that some of those traveling gospel plays have a little bit more going on behind the scenes than they would care to admit.  This may just be fiction, but we all know that a lot of fiction is based in reality...

Things to Be Grateful For

*First Day of School

You're probably wondering why the asterisk, huh?  The reason being that it wasn't technically G's first day of school.  Thursday was.  However, I wasn't able to take him to school that day.  His mother has relocated to Ames which is 30 minutes away.  In Chicago, that would just be considered a suburb with that kind of distance.  We're not in Chicago though.  I didn't have the means to take him that day, but Friday I did.  Therefore, as far as I'm concerned, Friday was his first day of school.

It started for me the night before.  I picked him up from his mother's house and he was chatty the entire time.  I always love to hear his voice no matter what he's talking about.  For some reason he kept asking me questions to things he already knew the answer to which I thought was rather odd.  So I flat out asked him why he was doing that.  His response...in his trademark soft, innocent voice...

"Well....I guess I just really feel like talking"

It's the little things like that that really make my day.  Even if some of the conversation is a little different.  Like him asking me if me and Auntie Ann are the same age.  I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment for Auntie Ann or an indictment on me.  I'm just going to chalk it up to the fact that, as he indicated himself, G was just trying to find things to talk about.

When it came time for bedtime, he didn't flinch at all.  I wasn't used to that.  I still remember when the other one was around and bedtime every night was a struggle.  Not when it is just G.  He went to bed with no hesitation whatsoever.  He even turned the light off, having no reservations about being in the dark by himself.  It caught me off guard.  I was sitting there wondering why he disappeared for so long and asked him what he was doing.  He reminded me that he was going to bed like I told him.  Life is good.

Come the actual day of school, I tried to calculate how long it would take to get there.  I had put in the address in my trusty iPhone Maps app, but I didn't use the correct beginning location.  I used just "Des Moines" as the starting location instead of "West Des Moines", where I currently reside.  So when it gave me a driving time of 41 minutes, it was about 15 minutes off.  So much for Ames just being 30 minutes away.  I kept telling his mother that that 30 minute theory was only from city limit to city limit. 

Still, he got to school in time.  That's just the type of skills I have when it comes to driving.  That and perfect planning when it came time to get us up early enough to get ready and depart.  I just wish I could drop him off every day.  As well as pick him up.  There's something about the look on his face in the morning and in the afternoon that helps to complete the perfect day.  At least I have this picture to remind me of that.