Turning point...

Hello again. It's been some months since I've logged into this thing. I guess my blog became my "woman of the night"... I'd turn to 'her' in times of angst, confusion, disbelief (etc.) to achieve some sort of solace and release. No pun intended. Well, kinda...lol

I'm at another major change in my life where some serious thought is needed. So, in essence--I'm back to "pimping" my blog... I've sought the voice of God in many matters which have come up and I'm just waiting on His response.


Untitled
I'm patiently waiting
Like that track on Fiddy's first
If I don't hear an answer soon
I'd like to think I won't burst

Got the girth of Mother Earth
Sitting sidesaddle on my shoulders
No longer am I waiting around
Allowing my ambition to grow colder

In a couple months
I'll be licking icing off the cake topper
Don't wanna be still in doubt
Still wondering what I have to offer

Looking to You for guidance
Looking to You for this license
Looking to You for direction
Looking to You for protection

IFYL!!! (September 29, 2008): Restroom Caution Edition

Welcome to the return of Intelligence For Your Life! It has been a hot minute since my last post... Brotha' has been a little pre-occupied with the iminent collapse of the U.S. dollar, but that's for another conversation... Today, John shared some tips and factoids on germ caution at the public restroom which got under my skin--to say the least.

1) When using the dreaded public restroom, use the first stall/urinal from the entrance

• The first stall offers an assortment of "leasts"...



• This stall is used the least because it offers the least privacy which in turn carries the least amount of germs

2) When washing your hands, make sure to sing the "Happy Birthday" song at least twice before turning off the tap

• By singing the celebratory tune twice, you ensure that your hands have been submersed in high-quality H2O for long enough!



• (get ready for this...) Also, hot water doesn't kill any more germs than lukewarm or cold! Many of you out there will have a hard time accepting this, but studies have found it to be true!

3) When there's only a hot-air blower available to use for hand drying--DON'T USE IT! Use a toilet seat cover if you must!

• Using the hot-air blower only blows more germs back into the restroom "germ-osphere" (germ infested atmosphere within the restroom)

4) After flushing...RUN!!!

• Make sure you make a mad dash for the door after pulling the handle!



• Flushing actually stirs up the germs in the toilet bowl and releases them into the air



• You'll wanna be out of the restroom as soon as humanly possible, unless you relish at the thought of inhaling other human urine and excrement. Whatever floats your boat or finds your lost remote!

Intelligence For Your Life!!! c/o The John Tesh Radio Show

IFYL!!! (August 28, 2008)

Ever have a morning when you don't wanna be bothered? Feel like telling your significant other to "get outta your face"??? Well this "getting up on the wrong side of the bed syndrome" plagues many people on a daily basis.

What is a cause?:

- Hormone levels

• In the morning hours, the hormone cortisone is prevalent; It elevates blood pressure and prepares the body for the "fight or flight" response


• The hormone testosterone (which is more concentrated in males) is present at its highest level of the day in the morning time; It creates a higher desire for competition which may lead to grumpiness if one doesn't get his way

How to rid yourself of this "tuuudddde"...

- Plan to reward/pamper yourself

• By making a plan to treat yourself, you are giving yourself something to look forward to; This anticipation helps the grumpiness subside

- Do something for someone else

• It would feel REALLY abnormal to do a good deed with a mean mug, so try this method if you wanna get over your "moody Rudy blues"

Yet another useful, yet random, tip from Intelligence For Your Life!

Intelligence For Your Life c/o The John Tesh Radio Show

IFYL!!! (August 21, 2008)

Did you know that people who leave traces of the food they've consumed (i.e. pile of bones), eat 20% less than those who constantly have their tables cleared?

• The remnants of the food serve as a reminder of what's been eaten
• Once your table has been cleared your mind isn't focused on the food recently consumed, but rather the next course coming out!

Intelligence For Your Life!!! c/o The John Tesh Radio Show

Bolt strikes TWICE!

For those of you fellow red-eyed, baggy-eyed, squinty-eyed, sleep encrusted-eyed followers of the Olympics--we have witnessed more history in the making! The 100m and 200m domination of Jamaica's superstar sprinter, Usain Bolt, has been at the forefront of news (most notably after Phelps-mania subsided).

Bolt, 22, gained notoriety for his early celebration in the 100m race. Many have criticized the sprinter for his seemingly premature "chest pat" claiming it to be unsportsmanlike and disrespectful to the other runners. In any other situation, I'd probably feel the same way...but as for this case--WHO CARES?! This guy brings a combination of intensity and confidence to the sport.

Not since the 1996 games in Atlanta (da "A") has a runner captured my full attention (Michael Johnson). Bolt's height of 6' 5" has definitely given him an advantage over most sprinters. His long legs make his strides seem effortless.

I don't know about you--but I was completely FLOORED by the fact that this guy has time to frickin' slow down at the end of the race!!! Most runners are trucking full-speed ahead at the finish line, but this guy is easing up and looking at his watch as he pulls into the station!

If you aren't on the Bolt Bandwagon yet, you may wanna pull up a seat beside me! (I bit that from Madden NFL 2005)

Intelligence For Your Life!!!

Everyday I find myself listening to the John Tesh Radio Show on Sunny 100. Tesh does a segment called "Intelligence For Your Life" which distributes little nuggets of wisdom regarding daily activities and useful info on a variety of subjects. It's interesting because it's just embedded in me to be skeptical about everything before I get background information on it. So...naturally I was skeptical about this show and the "intelligence" they call themselves spreading!

After several listens (is that used in the correct context???), I found myself realizing the validity of this guy's suggestions!

So from now on--I'm going to be sharing some of the more interesting suggestions from John with you all. Hopefully you can find some use for these random factoids!

1) Take time to eat your food SLOWLY

• Studies have shown that people have a tendency to overeat when they consume their meals quickly
• It takes the brain 15-20 minutes to send signals to your stomach that you are full or satisfied; People who eat a little more slowly find that they are less likely to overeat or stuff themselves!

2) Bring a bottle of water with you to most places

• Sometimes when you think you're hungry, it's really your body's reaction to dehydration
• If you carry a bottle of water around with you, it may lessen your chances of eating when you aren't really hungry. Now you can be sure when you're on the brink of hallucinogenic madness due to lack of water!

3) Be wary of the send button!

• Studies have shown that the office/workplace contains more rampant germs than a bathroom toilet
• Where's the epicenter of all this germ-ridden activity, you ask? (dun, dun, dunnnnn) Yeah, that's right...the send button on the fax machine
• Due to the constant use of the send button moreso than any other button, the send button has become a cesspool of filth and disease-laden germs
• What to do??? Periodically wipe down machines/equipment with buttons that are frequented by various individuals throughout the day (i.e. computer keyboards, phone keypads, fax machine buttons, copy machine buttons)

Well...that's all I have from John for today. Stay tuned for more tidbits to help you get through the day a little more intelligently!

Shaving off layers of concrete...

Wow. As I sat in my office, I realized how far I've come along as a man/human being/believer. The past four years of my life have been like a calm-yet-turbulent windstorm. In other words--things have been bittersweet at best.

During my last year of college, I experienced love/betrayal/happiness/rage and many other paradoxical outlooks on life. I told myself that I'd never feel that way again. So--I began to plop on layers of concrete around my heart. If no one can get through to your heart, you can't be hurt again--right? Right. (you expected me to say 'wrong', didn't you?) So I caked this cement-laden mixture around every valve and ventricle to make sure this feeling never returned. It's one thing to make a promise to others, but when you make a vow to yourself--it's seals the deal a little tighter.

Since that time, I went through various insignificant "relationship-lets". Relationship-lets are those relationships that didn't even have enough substance to be worthy enough to be mentioned. In these I realized that all I wanted was a companion to hold my attention for about a month or so, then move on her way. It was somewhat of a vampiric thirst for attention. Once all the desired attention was "sucked" from that particular person...Count Dracula (me) moved to his next victim.

After a while, a new prospect made her way onto the scene. She was great. Maybe a tad different from the previous women I had dated--but that may be what I needed. After months of long-distance dating, I realized she and I had nothing in common. I don't know how that happened. How can you not know basic things about someone you've dated for close to 5 months??? Easy. Just make sure that you've only physically hungout twice...then try to start up a long-distance "thing". ...like I did.

I'm rambling--I know. But after this last endeavor ended like the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger, I began to allow God to take control. I was sick of things going sour in my life and in love and in my career... Something needed to change.

I finally came to the realization that I no longer knew how to love. The more I truly sought a closer relationship with God, the more I learned how to love again. God began to let his light shine within me again--and as this happened, bits of the dried concrete started to chip off my "ticker". It's a wonderful feeling to be able to feel love again. Not romantic love or parental love...but God's agape love.

Now, don't get me wrong... I haven't shaved off all the concrete left, but a huge chunk just fell off as I typed this...