Vote MUSED Magazine Online for Best LGBT Blog of 2013!

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It’s with great excitement that I announce that MUSED Magazine Online is a finalist for Best LGBT Blog 2013 for the Black Weblog Awards! MUSED is a pioneering “digital destination for lifestyle, entertainment & culture for modern black gay men. MUSED serves as a collective of experiences and issues we care about” (see About MUSED). Its mission is to raise the level of consciousness for our community and provide reliable, relevant, interactive, and engaging content for its readers. MUSED is the only weekly online magazine for black gay men.

MUSED offers such wide-ranging perspectives on issues that matter to black gay men. It’s substantive. And truly in a class by itself. I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute to such a valuable, significant online resource. I look forward to contributing more in the future!

To cast your vote for MUSED Magazine Online, please go to: http://blackweblogawards.wufoo.com/forms/2013-final-ballot-copy/.

Congrats to the entire MUSED family on this wonderful achievement!

Tag! I’m It….

Sean Stone tagged me. The rules of the game are:

  • Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
  • Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
  • Tag 7 random people at the end of your post.
  • Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1) Contrary to popular belief, I’m very shy. I’ve always been. It’s not as bad as it was when I was a kid though. When I’m in a new environment or in a group with people I don’t know well, I sometimes have a hard time opening up and reaching some level of comfort.

2) My shyness may have something to do with anxiety. Though I carry myself in a confident manner, I can be self-conscious. I don’t want to make a fool of myself or say the wrong things. So I’m very careful of how I conduct myself.

3) Since I was a kid, I’ve had prophetic dreams. These dreams have included visions of future life events with people and in places that I’ve actually encountered. And when these events happen, it’s like déjà vu (“I’ve been here before….”).

4) I’m oblivious to the attention I get from people when I’m out. It usually takes people I’m hanging with to say that someone is checking me out or trying to get my attention before it registers.

5) Though I went to school for IT, I have a love/hate relationship with technology. Though many of our favorite technologies have become modern day conveniences, they lose their luster when you find out those who created them failed to consider the negative impact and disadvantages when these technologies are used for malevolent purposes. And those who feel the fallout from this the most, tend to be us, the consumers. With technology, the focus should be less on money and prestige and more on value, quality, security, and usability. (I could go on and on about this but I’ll save this topic for another day and another post! ☺ )

6) Since I was 11 or 12, I’ve written close to 900 poems, songs, short stories, and other prose pieces. I’m not one to boast but this is an astounding feat even to me. The issue I continue to have is figuring out the proper avenues for my work and the best route to go with publishing – independent or mainstream. I’d love to devote more time to this but the regular J-O-B is taking all of the limelight. ☺

7) Looking back on how much of my life has been devoted to performing, writing, and art, it’s much easier for me to express myself creatively than otherwise. It’s definitely a divine gift. I’m the vessel through which the creativity and the artistry flows. It’s not me—it’s through me. And I’m eternally grateful to the Creator for that.

Tag! You’re it!

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Now playing: Millie Jackson – All The Way Lover
via FoxyTunes

If….

I’ve been tagged by ProfessorGQ. These were some pretty cool questions. Check out my answers below.

If you were to be the opposite sex for one day, what would you do?
I would be a gold digger and have men cater to my every need. LOL!

If you had to name the most difficult thing about being a teenager today, what would you say?
Trying to be yourself in a world where people expect you to conform.

If you had to name the most embarrassing moment of your life, when was it?
There have been several of those. The one that sticks out the most is — when I was in the seventh grade, in the lunch room. I was just coming back to the table with my lunch. Sitting directly in front of me were two of my friends. They were fighting over a carton of chocolate milk. Before I could get my grub on, I found myself covered in–you guessed it–chocolate milk. I stormed out of the lunch room and to the nearest bathroom for damage control. I was so pissed! It was a shame too cause I was looking real fly that day.

If you had to name the most overrated actor in Hollywood, who would it be?
Tom Cruise – really can’t stand him. I still can’t get over the fact that that they allowed him to play a samurai. He is not worthy.

If you had to name the one personality trait that you have tried the hardest to change in yourself, what would you say?
Being a perfectionist. It has its positives, but definitely has its negatives. Sometimes you just got to say fuck it!

If you could go back for one minute to the Garden of Eden and give Adam advice, what would you say?
Yo dawg, you need to watch Eve. She about to set you up.

If you were to name the best “I told you so” you ever got to deliver, what was it?
Oh boy! I told one of my good friends that he needed to stop trying to play his ex-girlfriend, especially after a not-so-good break-up. He was still trying to talk to her, while talking to his new girl. I told him you need to stop thinking with the head between your legs and start thinking with the head attached to your neck. Cause if she finds out that you’re trying to play her, that’s your ass. Well, she found out (and she told the new girl what was going on). And let’s just say he had to lay low for awhile.

If you were Madonna, what would you do for your next publicity stunt?
How about nothing??!! She needs to keep it chill before she gets another hernia. BOW OUT!!!

If you could have a lifetime 50% discount in any single store at your local mall, which store would it be in?
Only one store….Not fair! Okay, I guess it’ll have to be Abercrombie & Fitch.

If you could have one more pet, what kind would you get, and what would you name it?
It would be a dog, a pug, and I’d name it Tamar.

If you could have God perform one miracle today, what would you want it to be?
Finding a cure for HIV/AIDS.

If you could spend next New Year’s Eve doing anything, what would you do, and with whom.
I’d spend it with my baby, DP, in the Bahamas.

If you were to set your country’s immigration policy, what would it be?
If you’re illegal and you get caught out there, you’ve got to go! There are no exceptions.

If you were given the power to settle the issue of gays in the military, what policy would you set?
It’s not an issue. If you want to serve your country, it should be your right just like anything else. Sexual orientation shouldn’t be a hinderance.

If you could have one person you have lost touch with call you up tonight and invite you to dinner, who would you want it to be?
It would have to be with one of my best childhood friend’s Larry. It’s a shame that we’ve lost not once, but twice.

If you could change one thing about your love life, what would it be?
The fact that it’s long distance and there’s a six hour time difference. Maybe I should be happy it’s only for a few more months.

If you could have prevented one book from ever having been written, which book would it be?
Hands down it’s On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of ‘Straight’ Black Men Who Sleep With Men by J. L. King.

If you have to name the best music album ever recorded, which would you select?
This is a tough one. There are too many to choose from. Okay, okay….Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin On?

If you could have one thing made out of pure gold, what would you choose?
Though I’ve got a few more months to go (thankfully), I’d have to say my master’s degree from college.

If God were to whisper one thing in your ear, what would you like Him to say?
You’ve successfully completed your journey. You’ve loved, shared, cared, inspired, assisted, led, learned, and lived. You’ve made me proud. Now it’s time for you to come home. Welcome!

Be On The Lookout…..

If you’re looking at the time of this post, you’re probably wondering what I’m still doing up. Well, I’ve been keeping myself pre-occupied by getting stuff done. (Of course being nocturnal doesn’t help.) And I’m a little pissed because Blogger ate up my post and I had to type this shit again. Anyway…..After I got my homework done for the day (cause there’s more to do tomorrow and the next day and so on), I finished writing up my thank cards to those who’ve been looking out for me these last few months, drafting upcoming posts for the blog, listening to music, catching up on my favorite blogs, and thinking about life and what I’m going to do next.

Well, it’s week 6 here at school. My, my how times flies. That means that there’s four weeks left of the quarter, then finals, and then Thanksgiving break here we come! With this being my last quarter of classes for my masters, I’m halfway free! I’m doing research and trying to finish my proposal for my thesis. This is the next big endeavor to tackle winter and spring quarter. I’ve been so busy that I’ve had little to no time to apply for jobs, fellowships and other opportunities beyond graduation. I’ve gotten as far as applying for one job and that was during our 15-minute break in my Thursday night class (6pm-10pm – it’s painful). Well, I guess there’s only but so much you can do before you break. And I will not be having one of those widely publicized breakdowns a la Mariah Carey (love you girl!). But then again, maybe it’s worth it if you can come back killin’ em only the way MC can do it.

Anyway, be on the lookout for these posts:

  1. The “Morally Reprehensible” William Bennett and Other Musings
  2. On Marriage….
  3. A new poem, “Homecoming”
  4. and of course, Music, Music Music

Until then, take care!