2005 August | BlackGayBlogger.com

Posted on 08/29/05 @ 12:36 am

Personally, it's been another rough weekend. Finalizing the bachelor party arrangements, making sure the groom is going to be taken care of before I get there, getting the tux rented…this wedding better go off without a damned hitch. In the meantime…

August Wilson has been diagnosed with liver cancer. I first met Wilson a few years back when King Hedley II was at the Alliance Theatre. His talent and incredible storytelling abilities even came through in just ordinary speech. But I'm not going to write the man's obituary; doctors say he might not live to the end of this year.

I had a lot of fun on Friday - I went to Goofball's friend's friend's house for beer and board games. We started off with Killer Bunnies (sorta like Magic The Gathering but with an easier — and funnier — learning curve) then broke into a round of Texas Hold 'Em and then we split into two groups for other games. My group played Scrabble and the other group played some hex-board type strategy game. Overall, it was a very fun night…and then I started wondering how many Black gay men in Atlanta I could get together for the same thing without someone expecting it to turn into an orgy.

Speaking of black gay male orgies, can I say I'm glad to not be in Atlanta for more reasons than one this weekend? Although I will miss the Montreux Jazz Festival and Dragon*Con, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I should be back by Sunday evening though to make the Literary Café, but I can be one cranky bitch after a cross-country flight. Even moreso than usual! I should try and make it though, even if my intentions for going are less than literary.

The AJC has a rather interesting exposé on one of Atlanta's many pimp preachers, Bishop Eddie Long. Some of you may remember the sequined-shirt Sunday snake-oil selling shepherd from his December march with Bernice King promoting several causes; one among which was a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. According to the AJC article, Long has received a whopping $3.07 million in compensation from his non-profit company and from his church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. And his flock? They approve of his exorbitant lifestyle and opulent home saying "when you come before the priest and he gives a word to you, then it's your duty to meet the needs of the priest." Please…give that nigga a loaf of bread and a fish and put that three mil to some better uses, why don't cha? They call them sheep for a reason.

While I'm on the AJC's nuts, they also had a story in Saturday's edition about the high disproportion between average Atlanta salaries and both the housing and rental markets. The annual hourly wage to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta is $14.42 ($28.5K annually) and the annual income needed to purchase a "cheap" $165K home is $52,326. Meanwhile, condos sprawl through the metro area like kudzu, apartments disappear or move further outside the perimeter, and the majority of Atlantans live beyond their means just to break fucking even. How the hell does it look when the busboys, waitresses, firefighters and policemen who help keep ITP safe can't even afford to live within its borders? The money crunch is real.

I finally picked out a phone to get; the Audiovox SMT6500. Aside from being a Windows Smartphone, the styling of it is very chic and I can sync my accounts between the work and home computers as well as e-mail on the fly with the POP3 and SSL capabilities. At $300, this will probably end up being my Christmas present after upgrading The Magi.

Man, that is a pretty phone.

Filed under: Asides
Comments: 4 Comments

Asides #3

Posted on 08/25/05 @ 11:08 pm

My mind's been everywhere and nowhere these days. Can't you tell from these topics?

Next week I'll be in sunny California (Bay Area) for Twin and Triplet's island wedding. Why they decided to have it during Labor Day Weekend, I don't know, but it would be fantastic to get out of the city for a while during that time because I am sorely in need for a vacation. In December, I plan to be in Chicago for a work-related conference so I'll hopefully get to meet fellow blog buddies Tony and Bernard and Summer. Is Khandi still doing Chicago, y'all?

While we're on blogging, the Black Weblog Awards is coming to a close soon. There have been some great prizes donated and there might be a few media mentions in the next few days (Newsday and Newsweek especially). It's not too late to get your votes in. I've already thought of ways to streamline the process for next year, so I am excited at continuing this project for future years. Big thanks to all those who have helped me out by promoting the Awards, whether positively or negatively. There's no such thing as bad PR, you know.

I usually get tech offers from a couple of different sites; one was for the Motorola RAZR (Black) free with a two-year plan from Cingular (my current cell phone provider); another was for this little gem:
The LG F9100. Ain't it cute? I love the sliding keyboard, but the reviews I've read have been less than stellar. And it doesn't even have Bluetooth or a camera! Eh, I think I'll save the ducketts and get a Sony Ericsson S710. Man, it's tough being a tech geek.

The search is on to upgrade the Magi. Granted, it's not shabby now (P4, WinXP SP2, 120GB drive, 512MB RAM, 16MB video card), but I want to bump the RAM up to 1GB, get an external hard drive (for the porn), and switch to Linux. My motherboard can handle 2048MB without frying, but hell, I'd get another computer before I go that far with the upgrades. Me and Goofball will probably check out Best Buy at lunch tomorrow for something.

Lately at the J-O, I've been a regular John Coltrane. In other words, every time I do something noteworthy or get praise, I toot my own horn and send out e-mails to all the bigwigs. Aside from alerting them to what's going on, it helps me manage my manager since she manages to throw a brotha under a bus like my name was Mr. Goodwrench.

The job search is on. Why, you ask? M-O-N-E-Y. Hell, I ran a salary check on the median income someone in Atlanta should be making for my job, and it's 2.5 times more than I'm making. 2.5. Last I checked, salary was always a viable reason to make that move. I could stick it out with this economy, but there's no way in Hell I'd get a salary bump like that with 3% merit raises every year.

If you're in the New York area this weekend, step on down to Luke and Leroy's and contribute to the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Scholarship. Check the flyers for more details. And don't be cheap! If you can spend $20 on dinner, you can spend $10 on a more worthy cause. C'mon brothas…dig deep.

Coming Up… 100 Things About Karsh Twin and Triplet's Wedding Karma: Not Just a Bitch Anymore

Filed under: Asides
Comments: 7 Comments

Workin' In A Coal Mine

Posted on 08/21/05 @ 8:41 am

Another long week of work, but at least it's ending off on a high note.

I've been really really REALLY trying not to blog about work. But with the rampant stupidity and priceless one-liners, I feel like my hands are tied by not telling y'all about it. Ah…the dilemma. As I've said before, I love my job and I love what I do. I like some of my co-workers (namely Bear, Sistrionic and Goofball), but just like my last job (and the one before that, and the one before that, ad infinitum), I am not feeling how these annoying ass White chicks around here can sit around, giggle about their boyfriends, flip their hair, get nothing done on time, and STILL GET PROMOTED while my Black ass is working like a Hebrew slave only to get thrown under the bus at every available opportunity by Micro-Manager. My six-month review is coming up, but I know if I voice these grievances, my ass is as good as fired. If I don't voice them, I'm setting myself up for more of the same behavior; moreover, Micro-Manager is not fond of me because I prefer to get my work done instead of playing Yes-Man to her every inane request. Did I mention that the job is engineered to be a static position (read: no room for advancement)? Either I need to pull a Wacko Jacko/Liz Taylor transmogrification or my ass needs to start looking for more fulfilling employment elsewhere.

Oh yeah…and more money too. I ain't getting paid much more than when I was doing my "How can I help you" customer service gigs. Dude needs ducketts, dig?

So to start off what hopefully will be more cash flow, I have been putting my feelers out and ran across a few positions in my same work area that would be beneficial (and at least $5,000 more a year). One in particular is really speaking to me, but it's at the same place The Why works and where The Ex and McQuickie go to school. Talk about something that could turn into an awkward situation. Jesus, entreprenuership is looking sweet right about now.

I did get to burn off some work week stress though; I hung out with Curt (Mike from UrbanHonking's brother), and we had a few beers at Sidebar, played some Texas Hold'Em, and saw The Aristocrats (his first time, my second). Curt's new in town, so we're probably going to be doing more things together once both of our work schedules allow it.

Regrettably, I had to work yesterday and will probably have to go in for a few hours today. And after that my regular 40 hours a week and another Saturday and Sunday working.

Hell, at least at the last plantation, I got my weekends off.

Filed under: Jobs and Work
Comments: 7 Comments

X Communication

Posted on 08/14/05 @ 1:15 am

In math, we have two main types of functions: implicit and explicit. Everyone's seen explicit functions. a = 4b - 7 for example. Implicit functions are trickier devils since they're usually expressed in relation to the variable is given by an equation for which the function has not been explicitly solved.

x + y = 2, for example.

Since solving for both variables requires implicit differentiation, finding a solution often takes more time than an explicit function. Same goes for relationships. Two different people coming together to form a constant. It begs the question: if I had an (e)x, do you need to know (wh)y? (more…)

Filed under: Miscellaneous
Comments: 6 Comments

Top 10 Music Meme

Posted on 08/09/05 @ 11:16 pm

Tagged by Tony:

The rules: List ten songs that you are currently digging — it doesn’t matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they’re no good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying right now. Post these instructions, the artists, and the ten songs in your blog. Then tag five other people to see what they’re listening to.

	What Have You Done For Me Lately? \| Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings \| Dap Dippin' With Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings This remake of the Janet Jackson classic is infused with funky beats, a sick bass line and of course, the trademark tone of Sharon Jones.
	Dead Right \| Psyche Origami \| Is Ellipses If you've watched Adult Swim, you've heard of this native Atlanta alternative hip-hop group's unique sound of MC'ing and DJ'ing. The whole album is hot.
	Junglebook feat. Andre 3000 \| Esthero \| Wikked Lil' Grrrls Ironically, the album as a whole was just OK. But this track stands out and gets constant replay value.
	Aquarium \| Me'shell Ndegeocello \| Dance of the Infidel This haunting jazz melody is only made better by the smooth voice of Brazilian singer Sabina. Just smooth and easy.
	Heatonism \| Minamina Goodsong \| The Transcendental Game of Zen Another local alternative hip-hop group with some nice rhymes. Also an Adult Swim track regular.
	Pacifics \| Digable Planets \| Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) sundays to relax / sundays to relax / some sunday morning drama / is calling up my mama There will never be another album or another group like this.
	You Make Me Cool \| Yoko Kanno \| Cowboy Bebop OST2: No Disc Only a few seconds of the song is heard in the series, but the whole tune is a roaring big band number meets lounge lizard lush. I love it.
	I Gotta Know \| Nikka Costa \| can'tneverdidnothin' It starts out as a folksy piano/guitar ballad and ends up a psychadelic trip of Hendrixesque riffs and Costa's signature sound.
	Chemical Calisthenics \| Blackalicious \| Blazing Arrow This song is just a rhythmic orgasm of syncopated beats and rapidly changing tempos. And it uses a paradiddle!
	Doghouse \| No Doubt \| The Beacon Street Collection It's probably the only No Doubt album I can listen to uninterrupted. It just screams 1992 in Cali.

I am tagging Bernard, Bernie, Rod, Christopher David, and Colin.

Filed under: Entertainment and Memes
Comments: 4 Comments