Bowling with the Lovable Ole James

I have a wonderful friend named James Blagden. He's one of the luckiest guys I know. Why? Because he got married to one of the most beautiful women I know. Now James and I have been friends now for about 6 or so years. He's been to many of my birthday Freaky Deaky Fun Fests and I've shared a bday cake or two with him. So it was a no brainer when I got the email from his loving wife Alma that this year's James B celebration was a bowl-a-thon.

Shino and I were in the house after I got to discover a "grandma slice" from one of her favorite pizzerias in Park slope on Union and 4th. We met up with the crew at Melody Lanes in Brooklyn and it was on like Popcorn. All of my favorite folks were in the house from Jake to Alex (missed you Branda). We had three lanes to get busy on and wasted no time doing so. Plus there was a jukebox so you know there was some good tunes care of the crew.

Now I know that Shino is a lil competitive because when we play connect four she gets TIGHT when she looses and goes crazy when she wins. Well this was on another level when a bowling ball came in the picutre. For one, she bowled better than me. I think her first game she bowled a 130. Not bad eh? The rest of us weren't so lucky. It was cool seeing James synchronize bowl with his friends and once Roni, Hobbs and the rest of the crew fell through it was a TRUE party.

Hobbs had the only 5 minute per release bowl. You could go and make a cup of tea waiting for his ball to make contact. They brought a ringer with them too who kept a spare in his back pocket. Many people took turns, strikes were bowled gutter balls were laughed at and a good time was had by all. It was cool watching Alex make the move of the night by trying to bowl on Hobbs lane, walk past the line and launch into the air with his feet 2 feet off the ground before hitting the wood HARD! We all collapsed in laughter.

So thanks to all the good folks who are friends of James B which makes you family. We are blessed to know such a man who hails from Denver and thus... takes Brooklyn a little higher.

Obama Fried Chicken. Where Do You Stand?

So when I first saw a picture of a chicken spot in Harlem being renamed Obama Fried Chicken I thought nothing of it. Maybe it was a joke or you know... maybe it was real. I honestly couldn't care less. Today I am on Okayplayer (my home away from home) and I read that there is more than one "Obama" restaurant AND there is one in my old neighborhood of Brownsville.

As one could imagine there are differing opinions regarding the renaming of this hood eatery. After reading the swipe posted on the Okayplayer boards it appears that my city council representative Charles Barron (who I'm a strong supporter of... though I'm still registered in Brownsville and can't vote for him because of it) is against the new name. He finds calling a fried chicken "restaurant" Obama Fried Chicken offensive as it reminds folks of some ugly stereotypes placed upon my community. While I see what he's saying, I can't stand with him on this one. Before this situation became a reality myself and many other Hood USA residents enjoyed many an unhealthy meal from Kennedy Fried Chicken, Crown Fried Chicken and Royal Fried Chicken (which this particular restaurant used to be called). I would get down on an Italian Cheeseburger(don't ask) from Kennedy Fried back in my teenage years.

A president is a president to me. Sure for the neighborhood this particular chicken spot is in they can relate to the president whose name graces this awning in Brooklyn. The owner seemed proud to have his restaurant named after the 1st African American President. I'm proud that it's in my neighborhood. I don't think it's offensive at all. This is no bullet through a monkey situation. This is a good business idea and something the people can smile about in Brownsville. Now if we can just get them to stop eating the terrible food that's cooked in there the real victory will be won (Pick up some veggies yall PLEASE). However in the mean time the Obama Snack Box will have to do.

Photo taken from
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0331092chicken1.html

...with a bowl of Alpha-Bits and Milk

Do you guys realize that there are a generation of people out here who have never watched a black and white television? The first TV I ever owned was a small black and white set with one speaker and two channel nobs. I used to watch all kinds of TV shows on that old set. I remember at one point my youngest sister Kima stuck a damned Italian ice(y) wooden spoon/scraper into the speaker and broke it. I had NO SOUND! My mother being the resourceful woman she was, found a radio which could broadcast television channels and gave it to me. I remember watching Pryor's Place on a Saturday using the radio to hear the audio of what I was viewing.

Those were some good times. I watched so many cartoons on that set with NO COLOR. It didn't matter (until I got my Nintendo) to me. I was happy watching Different Strokes and Yogi Bear on this black and white set. I was happy to just have a television. I used to play my Colecovision (yeah I'm going way WAY back!) on this set. Donkey Kong and Turbo into the wee hours of the morning with my cousins on a black and white set. I must admit that after a while I got bored with the lack of color and began messing with the vertical hold to add an effect to my video games. This was the time where TV Guide was a very important thing. You looked forward to a new Saturday Morning Cartoon line up. The fall preview was a big deal. My family would eat together at the dinner table and watch an after meal show before heading off to bed.

I eventually got a color TV from a neighbor who was moving on to better sets. My video game playing days took off from that point on. So thanks to Ms. Geneva and the color TV she gave me. To my very first TV set I will never forget thee.

So this is close to what I had.



This is what my sister used to assault my television.

And this is what I would watch on my beloved B/W TV set.



Peep Ray Parker Jr. on the intro. You can see an early hip hop influence with the cop dancing. I think this show was only on for one season and I didn't know Sid & Marty Krofft were involved.

all you see is CRIME IN THE CITY...

If you are a New Yorker like me, you know the MTA/Albany is ready to give us "straphangers" the 09 bump. They reportedly don't have the money needed to operate the subways system at it's current handicapped state. So instead we will now have to deal with the elimination of whole train and bus lines along with service cuts of others. To top this all off the fare is reported to increase from $2 to $2.50. The daily, weekly and monthly unlimited cards will also increase in fare.

So now that that's out the way, what do you feel about this? Are you ok with there being no B25 anymore? Are you cool with the W train being a thing of the past? Now don't get me wrong there have been improvements since the days of my childhood in the 80's. I was on a 4 train last week and the lights went out for about 10 seconds. I remember when that was a daily occurrence on the 2 train which could result in someone loosing a tooth from fist to jaw action and being robbed instantly. So yes the trains are safer these days. However I still have to wait 10 minutes plus for a 3 train at Atlantic Ave during rush hour. The trains on the weekend are a a bit of a joke and have been for quite some time. However fares have gone up and up and now we are here again living in increase land.

But who am I kidding, at the end of the day the fares will increase and I'll pay. Why...because I need to get to and from work and as much as I love my home of Brooklyn I enjoy the WHOLE city (minus S.I. sorry). The weather is getting warmer and my bike will be a major mode of transportation for the kid once again. That said I am not looking forward to this and it's not really because of my personal dissatisfaction. What about the folks who are struggling to put together the two bucks go to one way? I made a joke yesterday that the train fares have been pretty much on par with the price of a slice of pizza through the years. When I was younger a slice cost $1.25 and so did a token (remember tokens?). Then they both went up to $1.50 and now 2 bucks ($2.50 in the city). That's five dollars for two slices and 5 bucks to go to and from somewhere. That's 35 bucks a week (weekends not included). You kinda have to get one of those unlimited cards otherwise it's a problem. People don't have jobs and have to pay more to travel. *smh* Get a bike people, walk more and fill out those apps. It's gonna get worse before it gets better.

I personally don't care to point fingers anymore. After spending a fortune traveling via the railroad system in Japan I see our fare as being, lets say comparable. I've seen worse my friends. In Tokyo their "unlimited" cards are a bit of a joke and there is no 1 day or weekly unlimited. The fares are also based on the distance of your trip, meaning the farther you travel the more you pay. Your in town for two weeks, TOUGH! I hope you save up because it's gonna cost. At least we have some sort of relief here...I guess.

For a look into how these service cuts may affect you check the link below.

Click here to see if you need to kill or not.

Can I live... elsewhere? Pt. 2

When I left you guys I had the pleasure of viewing some beautiful shrines and eating great Japanese food outside of Tokyo. Now I felt it was time to explore the insides of the great city and hit some of my old stomping grounds. Of course first on the list was Akihabara the mecca of all Nerds worldwide. If you are not aware Akihabara is a section of Tokyo dedicated to electronics of all kinds. You can find DVD's, video games of all kinds and more action figures than you can shake a stick at. If only you could see the huge smile on my face as I dropped dollar after dollar playing Street Fighter IV, some Gundam games I don't know the names of and Soul Calibur V. I took a trip to the huge mall dedicated to electronics in Akiba. Like the true "Otaku" I am I fit right in. I didn't make it to a maid cafe though... but there's always next time.


Next on my agenda was to hit up Shibuya to take in some Japanese fashion highlights and get some feedback on my clothing company MotherGreen & H.K.M. I had some really good conversations with a couple shop buyers about the brand. Shino of course played translator/business manager because of my limited Japanese knowledge (thank you very much). While walking down the street in Shibuya Shino and I found ourselves next to another black man who saw me and exclaimed "oh damn, I thought I was the last brother left here!". After conversing for a while with the homie I learned he was from San Diego and had been living in Japan for 6 years. He was looking to stay for the long haul and was not fond of the economic conditions back home. In his words you could make good money teaching english or doing security work on a military base, meet a good attractive woman and in general live a happy life in Japan. While standing on the corner with the Californian named Shawn another black man who knew Shawn walked up. This gentleman was a soft spoken church going gentleman also from the states. This guy had been living in Japan for 12 years and according to Shino his Japanese was perfect. It turns out he was originally from NY and moved out there for a change. After that ANOTHER black man just walked up and joined in. We now had an official State of the Black Union meeting in Shibuya. Tavis Smiley would be proud.


On another day I got to visit the area called Ginza which is very reminisent of Fifth Avenue in NYC. Tons of big name stores all over the place. I saw a Kabuki theater in this area. Took some pictures and kept on walking. There's actually another huge electronic store in Ginza (about 5 HUGE floors) called get this... "Big Camera". The name of the store is Big Camera. *blank stare*



After Ginza I found myself in Shinjuku which I have to say is just beautiful at night. Shino took me to a very tall building there to overlook the city of Tokyo. I got to see Tokyo tower from there. We also went to a Krispy Kreme where they have you stand on line AND while waiting they give you a complimentary original glazed doughnut. It was on the second floor of this Krispy Kreme that I wrote my many postcards headed back home to the US. It was here that I realized I had only a few days left in Japan and began to think of the return home.

Check in for the next chapter of my great trip to Japan.

Frustrations and the pain they cause.

It's been a difficult week for me at the day J.O.B. Small issues have become big issues and they are all landing at my feet. Actually let me explain this better. Looking back on this week I've approached my work with a "just enough" attitude. By covering off on my individual projects and seeing things up to the point where I didn't feel that my physical presence was needed. Wrong...wrong (c) Charlie Murphy I am a person who operates from a place of being authentic. For me that means doing what I said I would do. Doing what others expect me to do because of my word. And exceeding those expectations by doing what I know has to be done. This week, I had a breakdown in that way of being. When I get these type of breakdowns it shows in my face and body language. I have a very hard time hiding these emotions. I take my work very seriously and take it personally when I feel exposed by not being completely authentic. This only became more complicated when three days in a row I got the same results. After some honest talks with some trusted co-workers I was able to let it go. I also asked for some advice from my guy Datwon who assured me that "bad weeks are just bumps in the road...but them sh*ts still hurt."(edit for my parents who read this stuff)I have allowed myself to get caught up in the illusion that this stuff is what matters. That this means something. Actually, as I type this I realize the lunacy of these thoughts. None of this is permanent and it's only as important as I make it. I choose to make my work ethic very important and I choose to invent the role of being the greatest manager in my agency. Not for anything other than making it a game and playing full out. I feel lighter for writing this out. Thank you for taking the time to read this. A few weeks ago I had a co-worker and now he's gone from this earth. Yeah...here's to what's important. Peace Dashaun

Can I live... elsewhere?

I went to the crazy and beautiful land of Japan last month for the second time. It was a great trip. This time I got to see some historical landmarks I missed previously. My trip could be sectioned off by the locations of my daily travels. 

The first neighborhood outside of Tokyo I visited was the beautiful city of Yokohama. According to Shino Yokohama is like the Brooklyn of Japan. The people who live there exhibit great pride in their home. The rappers from that region even rep their area code in their lyrics. The first thing Shino and I did in Yokohama was take a ferry ride to see the shoreline and the many hotels of this great city. There's a really cool amusement park located along the water. While I liked it the park seemed like it's more directed towards children. I caught some cool pictures of it (see below). There was also the cleanest Chinatown I've ever seen in my life! Tasty treats were sold on every street, inside and outside venues alike. I am a big fan of steamed dumplings of the chicken and vegetable variety. However in Japan I got laughs when I even brought up such a thing. When it comes to dumplings the Japanese (in Chinatown and outside) only cook up pork and beef dumplings. At least for the most part, I did find one place with veggie dumplings which brought a smile to my face. 

The next place I visited was Kamakura. This city is located south of both Tokyo and Yokohama. On this portion of my trip I was accompanied by Shino's entire family (Father, Mother and Sister). The Yanagawa clan are quite a trip. We had a great time visiting many shrines and a very famous Buddha statue. After taking a tour of a few shrines we sat down for lunch. The spread was delicious and the service was great. I was told by Shino's sister Chiho that someone took my picture when I wasn't looking. The owner of the restaurant also told Shino's parents that he felt as if he knew me from before. It was really interesting to hear that being that I've been told in a past life I was Japanese. *shrug* So after lunch was done and I got finished hitting my head on the low ceiling entering the dining area AND leaving the dining area we went to see Buddha. 

The Buddha statue was breathtaking. There was an entrance for you to go inside and see how it was all put together. It was all very interesting. It was a sunny day and there was a wedding going on near the statue. I felt very lucky to be taking in all of these experiences and I wasn't 4 days into my trip yet. The ride back was pretty quiet being that everyone was tired from all of the walking we did that day. I just observed folks on the train and looked at the passing neighborhoods in awe. 

A trip like this one couldn't be summed up in one entry. Stay tuned for Part 2. 

And in case you were wondering the photos you see are provided by Shino Yanagawa and myself. (but I'm getting better!)

The restaurant Owner and myself. 

Brooklyn's Own CHIN CHIN (Stop Sleeping)

I've had the pleasure of making some wonderful friends in this great city of New York. Some of them are bartenders, photographers, designers, jerks, lawyers (of the non jerk type) etc. Today I want to talk about some musician friends of mine. My boys CHIN CHIN on the Def Jux label. These cats have been laying the ground work for a great music career the past few years. Their new album "The Flashing The Fancing" just dropped yesterday in stores (go pick it up). Their music is funktastic in my opinion. And of course...they rep Brooklyn like the kid so how can you go wrong. Peep the video for their lead single "Go There With You" below. Then if you like what you see SUPPORT THE ARTS!


Chin Chin - "Go There With You" from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

And if you liked that but want a little more. Peep this 4 part webisode affair they put together.


Chin Chin - Comin to Getcha - Episode One: Rippin Randy Rolando from Definitive Jux on Vimeo.


Chin Chin - The Flashing The Fancing Episode 2: Rhonda and Rhonda from Definitive Jux on Vimeo.


The Flashing, The Fancing Episode 3 - Rhyming Rudy Remmington: Technical Difficulties from Definitive Jux on Vimeo.


Chin Chin The Flashing The Fancing Episode 4 - Rap Star Curmudgeon from Definitive Jux on Vimeo.

R. Les for Pres.

My current artist of the moment is the young genius Ryan Leslie. Now for those of you who don't know this man he's a cat who has put in work in music behind the scenes. He's written songs and produced for artists like New Edition, Danity Kane, Cassie and Britney Spears. His debut album is finally in stores and it's the first R&B album I've been excited about in a LONG time. Dude has put together a solid R&B record that makes me groove when I listen to it. He has also launched an ill viral campaign for himself. Actually the way I got introduced to him was through this Youtube video of him making his second single Addiction.



From that moment I knew I had to cop dudes album and I'm happy to say it was a worthy purchase. In these days and times people would rather download an album and get around to making a purchase later... maybe. I guess I'm still in the old mindset where I like going to a record store and purchasing a CD. I just found his latest music video from the album on his website www.RyanLeslie.com and it's another banger. This guy is really talented. His voice is not the strongest by far but his melodies are way on point. Check this out. Oh... and he directed this video as well. TALENTED!


How It Was Supposed To Be (Military Version) from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo.

Say it again and say it with feeling

Today I saw a dear friend in a casket. I've known him for almost 3 years. Bebe was the kind of man who would twist your ear slightly just to get a smile out of you. A tall man who was very fond of shorts no matter what the weather called for. (Gotta love an individual)

When I first met Bebe he was on the floor above where my desk was. His office was always dark and he kept a radio playing. He seemed pretty cool and kinda kept to himself. When we moved to our downtown offices I got to talk to Bebe more. I learned that he used to live in the Ft. Greene section of Brooklyn. He lived there before it was cool to. Bebe's Brooklyn experiences were that of crime and a sketchy Ft. Greene park which is the vision I grew up with. Yet Bebe and I shared a love for the gritty time of NYC. He was a fan of the old rough around the edges bursting with creativity NY. Now all that's left here is Applebee's after Olive Garden after Whole Foods, you get the point. :(

My first company related layout was critiqued by Bebe as it was on his brand and with an art director under his guidance. It meant a lot to me that he liked the work we came up with. I was fortunate enough to have a few private conversations with him. As a fellow person of color at an ad agency there were topics we could discuss with a candor that others would not get. I loved the way he spoke. He used words in a very relaxed manner. I never thought for a second that he would not return to create with our work family. I fully expected him to come waltzing through the door into work past my chair just as he would always do. He would flick my hair or pull my ear. Just something to let me know he was there and he noticed me too.

One thing I've learned from this loss is that we are only here for the time we are here. Don't expect people to always be there because we are not promised tomorrow. Express your love for those in you life you cherish. Seize the moment and make your feelings known. Let them know you appreciate them.

There will never be another like Bebe, nor should there be. We got it right the first time with the Chinese "man in black".

I love you B.
Dashaun

Shades of Brooklyn Vol. 1...GO WATCH IT! NOW!

I feel privileged to be apart of such a talented family. A couple of my brothers over at Sunshowah Films put together a great short giving you a piece of Brooklyn. I look at it as a slice of life kind of film from a Young G's perspective. For those of you unfamiliar with their work (Eye Jammie, Rev' o. lu, shun...etc.) peep the trailer below and once you're finished go to HBO On Demand and watch the film. Peace to Daoud, Dahkil and POP for putting together quality product repping our home.

I Went From Brooklyn to DC and I'm Back Again Pt. 2

My alarm went off at 7am. After dancing heavy at the Wonderful party the night before I felt a little fatigued. Yet once I remembered what lay before me for that day I perked up. I got ready within an hour and walked outside to find a stream of people walking down the street. First Shino and I had to get some supplies for the inauguration. We went to the supermarket up the block and decided on bagels and water (wrong choice but I'll get to that later). There were a bunch of people had the same idea we had. Once free from the market we joined the continuous stream of folks headed towards the capital. Being that we did a trial run the previous day which led us to the parade preparations, we had a edge on the others.

As we walked I turned on a song by rapper Killer Mike called "Pressure". It's what I would call an angry political rap song. I personally love it. Once I took in the swarm of people all heading towards the Capital building to see the first Black President sworn in my eyes began to water. The sight before me combined with the lyrics discussing police brutality the price of freedom and ending with a speech by Malcolm X left me emotional. It started to hit home for me that history was happening and I was a part of it.

Once we got near the mall the traffic of people got thicker. Police began to have a presence and kind of directed us as a herd. I quickly realized that we were being sent towards the back of the mall. This didn't worry me too much as I figured once we got on the mall we could just walk up and get as close as possible with no tickets. As we walked on the grassy area and made moves to walk through folks and cross our first street the cold DC air was there to greet us. It's as if the earth said "oh so you think you are just gonna be a part of history and it's a piece of cake? Think again". It was a bitter cold out that day. The HAWK was out to see this President take the oath on this Tuesday morning. I felt my toes going numb and had to jump up and down a few times to make that uncomfortable feeling go away. While amongst the crowd Shino and I tried to eat our bagels, which became bricks and were at this point a joke. The bananas we purchased were our saving grace to have at least something in our stomachs.

After getting stuck in an area due to tight security and being kept from moving up much at all on the mall, I realized we were gonna watch the event on a jumbo-tron near by. All good, because at least we could see and hear everything, plus we were THERE! From the moment the man of the hour Barack Obama graced the screen the place went nuts. We were cheering to be heard in the heavens above. However when the current President graced the screen he was met with a round of boos only topped by a bad call during a Super Bowl. (I'll leave it up to you to determine if that was proper or not.) Once Obama placed his hand on the Bible and was officially sworn in everyone screamed from the top of their lungs. Now there were musicians and other notable people speaking at this inauguration but by the time a poet got behind the mic I knew it was time to make a strategic exit. My walk back home wasn't too bad. I ran into a friend from back in Brooklyn whom I've known since 2nd grade. The spirit was high on those DC streets. I just wanted to get out of the crowd though and you can tell by the look on my face in some pics.

There were people from all over in that crowd with us that day. All wanting to be a part of something great. American flags were everywhere and the hands waving them were of all different hues. And of course vendors looking to make a profit to share in the occasion. Gotta love it.

Now if you weren't in DC and still want to represent this new administration in a fashionable way check out Potter Esquire Clothing and their official Inauguration shirt.

Potter Esquire Clothing Company

I hope you enjoy all of these pictures taken by Shino (except the one she's in). The following are more scenes from a joyous occasion.

If you enjoyed the photo's displayed thus far in this entry check out the links below for a much broader view of this historic trip to DC. You can also see pictures from the Stevie Wonderful party I mentioned in Part 1. All photos taken by Shino Yanagawa.


DC Pics 1

DC Pics 2

DC Pics 3

DC Pics 4

When You Grow Up With Sisters...

For most of my childhood I had only two sisters to grow up with (lil bro came later). Growing up as a kid in the 80's in Brooklyn I was pretty regular. I loved to play Nintendo, watch cartoons and use my imagination to entertain myself. There was a time when in the mornings my sisters and I would watch cartoons. Being the dude that I am I would want to watch He-Man, Rambo you know, shows like that. However I had two younger sisters and when we were in the living room we had to share the TV. These two young ladies loved to watch JEM! (truly outrageous). Naturally a cartoon about some female music executive who was a manager/girlfriend by day and a secret rockstar by night didn't immediately catch my interest. I was CERTAIN there was something else I could be watching. But after the first episode I was hooked. JEM was actually a highly entertaining cartoon. Every ep had a lil video performed by JEM and her band the Holograms. There was also another rival group on the show called the Misfits always out to take JEM's spot at number 1. If you ever set your eye's on this cartoon talk to me.

For those who don't know what the hell I'm talking about peep game.






And yes I'm secure in my manhood.

Newsflash: Layoffs Suck

So today at the J. O. B. the ax came down on about 40 heads. Is this my first experience with layoffs? No. Will it be the last with the way this economy is going? Likely not. I've been on both sides of the layoff coin. Packing my stuff and saying good bye as well as shaking hands and giving well wishes. It's never easy.
There's always the same questions. Does this person have a family? How's the job market at the moment? The mood in the office is tense. People go out for lunch to discuss what's going on. There's a company meeting to discuss/calm things. Rinse/Repeat.

I seem to be safe at the moment (like my ex-coworkers thought yesterday). Things are ugly in the streets. I have friends who have been unemployed for more months than I'd like to mention. I have freelance companies calling ME for leads. Not because they have opportunities, but things are so dry they are basically cold calling folks for work.

Now I grew up in the 80's in NYC so I'm pretty much used to making it through hardship. I have a feeling a lot of these "New" New Yorkers who think NYC is sweet because of the Disney era Giuliani ushered in might be in for a rude awakening. I grew up in Brooklyn and sure my area wasn't nice then and it aint nice now. However areas like Ft. Greene, North Flatbush, Crown Heights and especially Bed Stuy have had an influx of folks who haven't lived there since before Civil Rights. Rents were raised, Subway franchise's were opened and people were priced out. Fast forward a few years and the economy is in ruin, jobs are scarce and unemployment is up up UP. Folks are gonna start going back to the "get it how you live" mentality. Stick ups and the like I expect to rise. Harlem already lifted the ban on shoot outs last summer. The new residents up there already see the changes back to the bad ole NY.

So for those of you who think that layoffs begin and end in the office, I'd like to say think again. I am happy to still be employed for the moment and have put any National Lampoon European Vacation ideas on hold.

For those unfamiliar with Layoffs peep the ultimate movie on such a topic.

I went from Brooklyn to DC and I'm back again.

In case you have been living under a rock (or in one, your preference) we are entering a new era here in America. Word got around that Jan 20th was the day to be in DC and over 1 million people made that word their bond. I was among the multitudes of different genders, races, ethnic groups and nationalities all sharing in the cold air that gave life to our new President and his administration. But lets rewind back a bit to Saturday when I got off the Bolt bus in Chinatown DC.

Shino and I carried our bags on the DC Metro down to the waterfront where we would stay with our friends Maiko and Mike (plus their super cute son Musashi). I got my first taste of Ethiopian cuisine this night and it was pretty good. A little spongy on the bread part but pretty good. However across the street from the Ethiopian restaurant was a DC landmark called Ben's Chili Bowl. Now this fine establishment had lines around the block causing 2 hour waits in the cold because of one man's chance visit. Pres. Obama. However that meal would have to wait for another day.

On our second day in DC (Sunday) there was a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial which we missed. When we reached the area I did run into a guy I see in BK all the time and we never got to meet so that was cool. There were tons of people out there all attempting to leave the area at the same time. This was just a preview of what was to come in terms of numbers for Tuesday.

Going into Monday the energy of the city was high. We took a walk down to the Smithsonian and ran across a few floats being put together for the parade. The sun was shining on us because we walked upon the home floats for both the President and Vice President Elect. Making our way onto the Mall deciding to take in the loads of people visiting the nation's capital like us. We saw families, photographers, good vendors, hustlers and macaroni dudes...impostors. The jumbo-trons replayed the free concert from the previous day for those like myself who missed Stevie Wonder, Usher, Bono and others showing their support for the new President. We walked almost the whole Mall, down past the Washington Monument and just kept running into happy and enthused people.

After all of that walking we went down to U-Street during happy hour and just hung out at the Bar Euphoria owned by a fellow Okayplayer (what's up Remy) until it was time to party. You see Dj Spinna , Bobbito and DJ Rich Medina had the grand idea to put on a double party (Half Wonderful Half Funk) . Shino and I were only able to boogie hard to the Wonderful portion of the evening. During the party we all got caught up in the moment chanting "Obama, Obama" to the beautiful musical backdrop of songs like "As" and "Another Star". I got to boogie hard to some great Stevie Wonder songs before heading to bed for the great day in American history. As we entered the train station rushing to catch the last train we saw a woman going the opposite way with a huge sleeping bag, 4 bottles of water and a heavy coat. This was at around 1:30. I guess she was a sign of what was to come.

See Part 2. for the conclusion and the beginning, if you get my drift.
All photo's taken by Me from my iPhone (because I left my camera in my other bag)

"...a young brother got it bad cause I'm brown"

Whenever things like this happen (way too often) I think of O'shea Jackson. I think of walking with my boys on new years eve and seeing my friends get patted down, while I pretend my elementary knowledge of freemasonry will prevent me from harm. I think of the generations of men and women who have to teach their sons how to deal with the police. At the same time I think of those who don't have to think of this 'rite of passage' and for them dealing with the police is not a life or death situation.

There has never been a time in this country where Black men were NOT the target of police brutality. It's not a daily occurance where the police kill an unarmed man. However when it does happen you can pretty much guarantee that the victim is Black. In writing this entry I did a google search for the numbers of unarmed men kiilled by police in the US and every answer on the first page was a Blackman. I didn't ask for Blackmen but that's what I got because that's who they kill. A Blackman's life has never been worth much on US soil since the first slave ship arrived. Yet here we stand less than two weeks before the first Black President is sworn in (I'll be there) and a 22 year old Black father is shot dead on the ground like a dog...again.

The folks in Oakland are taking this both "lying down" and standing upright. I've been told a number of protesters layed out in the street in the same position as the victim Oscar Grant. While a gang of folks took to the streets on foot starting out peaceful ending with smashed windows and police chases. The latter is what you see in the following pictures.



I'm not going to ask the usual why questions because I feel like between Diallo and Sean Bell I've exhausted those in my own mind. Honestly after Sean Bell I just felt tired. Tired of all the weight, of people not understanding or not caring. Tired of feeling powerless to stop something that's been going on for generations before me. I wonder if having more people of color in higher positions in politics will change the face of this American tradition. In NY the city council just signed a resolution requiring police officers to fill out detailed reports when a weapon is discharged. (http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/91831/council-votes-for-longer-reports-on-police-shootings/Default.aspx) In 2009 this is just NOW being addressed? I guess progress is progress. I would love to hear your view points on this whole ordeal. Please leave a comment to express...whatever you want to express.

For more info (and video) see this link.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/MN2N155CN1.DTL&o=1

Photo's courtesy of Thomas Hawk and mashget.

Lets give it another shot

If you look at my last post you can see I pretty much gave up on this whole blog thing. Now that I'm rolling with team Mother Green I'm doing more writing and wanting to put up more and more content. Hell I might start doing videos to really get involved.

So this is me in a nutshell. I'm Dashaun aka 13Rose, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I was raised in Brownsville spending weekends in Bed Stuy and Ft. Greene. My worldview has been shaped as a black male growing up around intellectuals, gangsters, high school dropouts, shoplifters, teenage moms and drug dealers. When I look back on my life it really was that heavy on the lean towards negative influences. Hell I think the reason I have a somewhat decent life is that my parents kept a book in front of me at a young age. As a result I graduated High School on time (when 75% of the kids on my block didn't) and eventually graduated with a BBA from Baruch College. Now I work in advertising, perform hip hop karaoke for fun and overall love my life.

I will use this blog again to exercise my writing itch and share my likes and dislikes with the world.

Starting with tonight's event. I'm going to see TV on the Radio in concert here in NYC. My boy's brother Jaleel is the drummer for the band. My brother Just has been a big fan of this band for a minute now. I've tried in the past to get into their stuff and it didn't grab me. This morning I played their first album and I admit I liked a few songs. I've been on a big concert kick lately. I went to see Raphael Saadiq last week. BANGING. Then I saw Digable Planets in Times Sq. That was dope too. I've got an upcoming Maxwell concert which is gonna be icing on the cake. I can't wait (c) Sleepy Brown

So give me a shout, and let me know what you think about my blogging.
Peace and Love

Dashaun from Brooklyn
DashaunWorld INC.