Back In Da Habit Again

Over the past few months I have definitly been lacking on my posts.

Mostly because I threw myself into a number of projects.

In the past week, there have been some starteling life changes that have forced me to reorganize my priorities and focus on personal and professional projects which have been on my Bucket List for quite some years now.

One of them being documenting the life of a Dowtown Cincinnati dweller in the midts of a complete urban make over.

The good news for those who follow this blog is that you will again get an insight of what is happening in Downtown Cincinnati that you would not otherwise read about from other traditional media.

Yeah there are other blogs that give their perspective on the change, but I feel that my take on things will come from a more organic place and show the real possiblities of the area both from a resident, a lover of urban design and as a gay African American man.

If there are questions that you want answerwed about area, feel free to drop you a line and I will do my best to give an unbiased answer.

Otherwise, I will continue to enjoy my cup of coffee from Coffee Emporium while reading the New York Times.

Taking Some Time For Me

Has it really been this long since I have blogged?

I guess that’s not a bad thing. Over the past several months, I had thrown myself into community initiatives and am now taking a little time for myself.

If you are one of the diligent readers of the sparsely commented-on blog, you know that I have a few different on-going life projects that I have been plugging away at over the past few years. After making my 2011 New Year Resolution, I vowed to finally take most of them off of my plate, and so far had done a pretty good job.

Now I am ready to make the final push to get it all completed, and the “it” that I am spaking of is finally completely at least one of the novels which I have been writing for the past 10 years. I was thinking about taking some time from work and taking some sort of self inflicted writing sabaticle, combining it with a mini-vacation; some place that I have been dying to go, but never seem to quite have to time do get away and do so.

Here are my top few choices:

Montreal, Canada - I have been to the gay Mecca once before and fell in love with its European appeal. Not only was I able to speak French without crossing any major ocean, but I was also able to use my Korean on a regular basis….who knew? There are a few beds & breakfasts there that would be perfect to stay, while completing my novel, and without breaking the bank. Toronto may be another place to look in to as well.

Barcelona, Spain – Never been, but I have a good friend that lives in this city and visits here in Cincinnati a few times a year. Most recently, he was here visiting family during the week of St. Patrick’s Day and emphatically kept taunting me with a free place to stay if I were able to flip the bill to make it across the Ocean. Bad thing is, I do not speak Spanish and never really enjoyed visiting a county which I was not fluent in the language. Spain still tops my list though.

The Netherlands - Similar circumstances as Spain, but I am sure that it would be a lot cheaper once I got there. In this county, I have two different set of friends who live in cities about 20mins from one another (by train…so cool) I would have inexpensive places to stay in two different great European cities.

Of course there are great hideaways here in the States, and even more here in Ohio, but even though Cincinnati is my love, the city is disappointing me right now. I may get over it once I take a little hiatus, but the sore spot that is sticking in my side is the amount of opposition to the city’s street car. I am sick and tired of living in such a conservative city, where even proven economic stimuli is considered too radical….but I digress…this post is about where I will be taking my next sabbatical.

I am sure that there will be more places meander on and off of the list as I do my research, but I would love to hear your thoughts about the cities that I have named so far.

Quote O'The Week

"I've always enjoyed going back to Cincinnati. When it's one of the places youv'e played, as a coach you say, 'I hope I can go back.' I was elated. It'a a good feeling to coach where you've played." - Billy Thatcher (Cincinnati Reds)

Take Back Your Mink

I have to take back what I said a few posts ago about my little brother.

I wrote that I was so proud of him staying in school and playing basketing ball for a privet college in Ohio.

As you know, I have my own business where I create resumes and cover letters for those who are otherwise challenged at doing so.

Just last week I get a text from him asking if I could create a resume for him. The first thing I think is great...he is being proactive in looking for a part-time job during the off season of basketball.

In the next text he dropped the bomb on me that he is no longer in school and is now back home.

He claims that his father (we have different dad's by the way) stopped paying for tuition.

To me there seems to be more to the story...I will let you know more soon!

What I'm Reading Now

by Paul Shipton

Gay Travel in Columbus, Ohio...Where to Eat, Stay and Party

For gay men, travel in the United Stated for gay men could be a bit daunting. Ever since the horrific events that took place at Stonewall in the mid seventies gay and lesbian issues have been brought to the forefront of the American consciousness.

Even today, gay marriage and other rights of gays and lesbians are being challenged in major political races across the country. Since Stonewall, gays and lesbians have made it a point to nurture and create communities that caters to their needs and wants. Most major cities have gone so far as to establish gay communities to help flounder this, Montreal being one of those cities which has created the largest gay district in North America.

The mid western cities littered though out the United States are starting to follow suit. Columbus, Ohio has a flourishing gay area and here are some places that gays and lesbians traveling to Columbus must see during their stay.

Read the entire article here.

I would love to hear from my readers if anything has changed...

Review of Another Gay Movie

Another Gay Movie, directed by Todd Stephens (and also the one who wrote the screenplay) and starring Michael Carbonaro, follows the line of Scary Movie films by spoofing, American Pie. This time, as the title leads you to beleive, it takes on a decidedly homosexual theme and does so by incorporating scences from other gay-themed films.

Read the rest of the article here.

Its A New Year.....So Time For A new Car?

Fat chance...

With my credit score, the only car that I would be eligible to finance could be carting around a family with the last name of Grizzwald.

I know....bad joke, but I digress.

If you are in the market for a new car, the beginning of the new year is the best time for car buyers. Car dealers are chomping at the bit to get rid of their last year inventory to make way for the shiny, brand new boxes on wheels.

I wrote an article about how not to be taken for a ride by a car dealer when you set your sights for a new ride.

Let me know what you think, and if you happen to use my advise, let me know how you fared.

Never Another Brother 2 Luv

There really is something to say about he placement of your order when it comes to you and your siblings.

I see it exemplified more and more as I get older and I see my younger siblings grow up and become their own person, attempting to navigate the world.

I am the oldest of four boys and from what I can see so far, have definitely had more experience as far as seeing the world and growing up faster than the rest.

That's not to knock the accomplishments of my younger bro's.

The fourth and the last of my clan has exemplified the notion that the youngest gets to reap all of the benefits. He currently in his second year of college playing basketball for a private mid-western school and is the only one of us four who has made it two years in college....straight that is.

The other two have had their ups and downs...and since there is an even number of use, the two middle brothers have shared the auspice of being deemed "the middle child" and each one seem to personify the polar opposites of the definition.

Needless to say, I still love them...all their hard-handedness and and would never trade them for any other brother in the world...

New Year's Resolutions - Revisited

It’s a new year and yet again we are all revisiting our life goals and re-evaluating the order of the bucket list that we have spent years comprising…inevitably having the list become just that; a list that is long forgotten until the next time that the ball drops in New York’s Time Square.

This year I fought the urge to create yet another set of promises that I will fail to make come to fruition. But then I thought, why should I for-go the time honored tradition of making promises to myself. Not only does it urge you to take an inventory of what you have done with your life and will help you put your life’s goals into prospective.

So I dug out the past several years of New Year resolutions and found that there was an outstanding theme that jumped out at me…and that was to finish a novel that I have been working on for the past several years. So I guess that will be my resolution for this year.

It’s not like I don’t have the problem of beginning from scratch. There are three particular works which I have been toiling over and are very close to completion, so this year’s resolution should not be that difficult to turn in to reality.

10 to 1 (working title)

With a newly unfurled college diploma framed and hanging above the mantle of a small apartment, mystery novel follows Jacob Thompson as he is about to begin his adult life in a major way. In trying to come to out as a gay man to his ultra-conservative, relatives during the midst of a family tragedy, Jacob uncovers a murder plot that has been over twenty years in the planning, and must save the last victim before it is too late.

Triple Threat-Misconceptions of being Young, Black and Gay in America

My first attempt in the realm of non-fiction, where I take on the trials and tribulations of being young, gay and Black in America.

1865 (working title)

Taking a page from history, this novel, originally planned to be a short –story, but has morphed in to a full fledged novel, follows that story of a white, small business owner in the late 1800’s in Northern Kentucky who falls in love with a Black traveling worker.

20+ cool points goes to the one who can predict which one gets completed and published first.

Men's Fitness Fashion

For years, men with steroid filled veins and paper-thin muscled tee shirts have ruled the gym. Their oversized arms and elephantine legs made many of us men scared to show our face (or should I say our chicken legs and our bird chest) in the gym, in fear of looking foolish in the wake of most of these behemoths.

It has changed greatly from when we were kids and our father’s idea of getting a good workout was mowing the lawn or performing other types of housework. The days of men’s spaghetti tank-tops and using pushing the lawnmower in replacement of a dumbbell is long passed us. In greater and greater numbers, men are taking much more responsibilities for their looks and physical fitness.

Read the rest of the article here.

But not entirly in a bad way.

Whenever you are told that you are not pulling your weight, its always a hard thing to swallow.

Whether that its in your personal or professional life, espesially when you thought you were doing an alright job.

But settling for just alright should not be what I am happy with, because it never was the case in the past.

Sometimes it does take a kick in the butt to jumpstart your creative juices to make you process at the best of your ability and exceed expectations.

Never the less, there is still a great big "Fuck You!" is needed to be said...but in keeping with my aforementioned diatribe, I am going to keep this one to myself and just think it instead.

The Longest Hump Day of The Year

The Wednesday separating Christmas and New Year's seems to be the worst hump day of all the year long.

Especially when both of the aforementioned holidays falls on the weekend.

Christmas Eve and half of Jesus' B-day was spent at the family's house of my roommie. Fun times was had by all of course, but I was anxious to return to the sanctity of having to apartment to myself for a few days while he finished visiting with his family for a few more days.

A day after Christmas, I prepared brunch for a few of my own family members who made the trek in to the inner-city to come and visit, which does not happen very often. In fact, my closest family members; that being my three younger brothers and my mother, were not able to attend so I spent the afternoon placating my cousins over services of eggs, potatoes, sausage/egg biscuit's and a plethora of other brunch items.

This coming weekend plans to be a bit more adventurous, only one day being saved to let my hair down and party like it was 1999...oh I mean 2011.

The best part of the weekend will be the Monday following New Years when I have taken off from work to recuperate from the Holiday season as a whole.

Again, today seems to be the longest hump day of the year!

John Legend - Everybody Knows (Cover)

Too cute...in more ways than one!

Just What Your Workout is Missing?

I have spent the better half of the past decade attempting to get back into shape…and so far I have done an OK job but I am not nearly at the point in which I want to be. My laisez-fair attitude about getting back into shape and my hopes of losing a few pounds and tightening your love handles have done just that; gone by the waist side.

But I am trying not let the winter cold keep me bundled up inside. Every time I hit the gym, I try and think back to how excited I am when I first begin a workout routine or the first time you walked into the fitness center; membership in hand, with the determination to get back into shape. I try and use this nostalgia as motivation.

For men, gym visits typically comprise of lifting the most weight that we possible can while women tend to focus more on calorie-fighting workout with cardio. The two groups definitely have the correct idea; fostering an active lifestyle from sedentary one in order to stave off such things like heart disease and obesity. Both strength training and cardiovascular training are essential to creating a well rounded workout routine, but there is a third component which many forget. And that is the importance of stretching. By incorporating this component, you will revitalize your workout and begin to see the results which you wanted to see in the beginning of the year.

An easy and effective way to incorporate stretching into your weekly workout routine is take up the ancient practice of yoga. In recent years, yoga has increased in popularity and though many see it as a fad, this ancient practice of stretching, breathing and mediation has been around for centuries. One misconception pertaining to yoga is that is only for women. Though yoga incorporates emphasis on the core and does not include large bursts of energy and motion which is typical of a most men's workouts, its benefits greatly outweigh its mild persona. By adding the following basic yoga moves before or after your workout, your muscles will be more susceptible for healing, in turn creating faster muscle growth.

Standing Thigh Stretch

Standing, place feet directly under your shoulders, squaring your stance. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, slowly reach for your toes, keeping your legs as straight as possible.Lunge Your right leg should be in front of you with your left leg to the back of you. Place your right hand just next to your right foot, palms facing down, shifting the weight of your body so that you feel the stretch in your left hip. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths and then repeat for the other side of your body.

Plank

Taking a deep breath, move your left leg to meet your right (at this point, your right leg should be behind you). At the same time, both your hands should be supporting your weight in a push up position. Hold this position for 5 to 8 deep breaths.

Upward Dog

Slowly lower your upper body to about one inch off the ground or mat. Keeping your lower body as close to the ground as possible, straighten your arms, lifting your upper body to a 90 degree angle (or as close to it as possible). Take 5 to 8 deep breaths looking skyward. Repeat number of breaths rotating your gaze over your right shoulder, than over you left shoulder.

Repeat the previous stretches in reverse order until return to the beginning standing position.Of course this is not the end all and be all of yoga. There are varied positions, poses and techniques which will greatly enhance your performance and stamina. But for beginners like me, by incorporating these few stretching exercise, you will be buying a yoga mat in no time.