Chicken Soup For My Soul And Then Some...

"Let me be patient, let me be kind.  Make me unselfish without being blind..."  Tell Him - Lauryn Hill

It's Good Friday for all the Christians out there (I being one of them), so I will be taking the time to spend the Easter Weekend with family.  But before I do that, I wanted to line my page with a few words.

First, I would like to shout out my girl Vivrant Thang, you can find her on her blog Songs In The Key Of Life.  Of course it was the name of her blog that caught my eye.  Yes, the title of one of Stevie Wonder's phenomenal works of genius.  Then when I started to notice I was anticipating her entries, she became a mainstay on my bookmark.  She is definitely listed on my blogroll and rightfully so.  Her blog is crucial, to the point and as her name states - Vivrant.  V - thanks so much for the shout out, I really do appreciate it!!  And girl, it looks like Mint Condition will be singing Happy Birthday to us both!  : )

I had no idea what I was going to talk about today, but my girl Vivrant came to the rescue.  On her blog, she mentioned that she was looking to loose 20 lbs by summer and that she's NOT playing.  I am right there with Ms. Thang.  I have embarked on another ambitious project and that is to tone up and look H-O-T for the summer.  Unfortunately, that project consists of subjecting myself to torture and punishment every second day of the week by working out or practicing my new religion as some of my gals call it.  Oh yes let's not forget revamp my eating habits and continue to do what makes me HAPPY.  I do believe that if you are going to do something like this, it has to be done inside out.  Believe it or not, I have started on my campaign since February and I must say, I feel superb. 

 

I used to be a pretty athletic person, well at least I thought I was.  I played basketball, netball and ran track in my younger days.  However after a knee injury, I stopped sports completely.  After physio, I started working out again and was in the best shape that I can ever imagine (in my 20's) - thanks to my muscle bound cousin.   Then because of health reasons beyond my control, I completely stopped working out again.  Only recently have I turned my attention back to my health (did I just show my age?)  I lost my Dad to cancer last year and an Uncle and Aunt to diabetes in the year as well.  It's been tough all around, but I have learned and seen so much.  Life as well as death always puts things into perspective.  I have always been the type of person to live life fully and do me.  However, I do dare to argue that we take so many things for granted - ESPECIALLY life.

Alright y'all, I'm not here to preach but here's my word.  Diabetes is no joke, cancer is no joke and neither is any other disease or negative additive that sucks away at your life line.  If there is something or someone in your life that is causing you harm - L.I.G.  If there is something or someone in your life that is causing you to doubt yourself or think twice about anything positive you do for yourself - L.I.G.  IF there is someone or something in your life that is in the way of you becoming or continuing to be the enthusiastic, loving, exceptional person that you are and need to be - L.I.G.  In L.I.G.  I mean LET IT GO.  And whatever change that can be done, whether it be a cross country move, quitting that job that stresses you to move on to bigger and better things or purchasing the pair of hot red bejeweled Stewart Weitzman pumps you saw in the store window (guys, it could be those fresh pair of Timbs you will wear with your new crisp jeans that DO NOT sag below your ass!) - whatever it is, EMBRACE it.  Do you!!  You only live once!  Give thanks for another day of life, watch a sunset, take time to gaze at the stars and watch the clouds go by.  Or listen to a baby or child laugh, it is one of my favorite sounds.  It's one of the most jubilant and innocent sounds on earth.  It is always...and I cannot stress that enough...always the simple things in life that count. 

On that note, here's the flashback of the day.  Here is Don Cornelius' fro' and Cuba Gooding Jr's father doing their thing:

Happy Easter to all of you celebrating, to those who are not - have a great weekend.

Tha Connoisseur

Mellow And Chill, That's The Key...

"I can let my life pass me by, or I can get down and try.  Work it all out this lifetime - work it all out this time."  Lifetime - Maxwell

As I sit here mellowed out by Miles Davis' "I Fall In Love Too Easily", I reminisce of my early exposure to music and how it changed my life.  Not to be dramatic, but we should realize that music holds the key to a lot of meaning in life.  It was not a joke now and wasn't a joke then when Stevie Wonder named his album just that.  Music is scientifically shown to heal and teach in many ways.  Commercials are sold to you by jingles = music.  Music is also used in different types of therapy = music.  There is an actual American Music Therapy Association, really there is.  It's the feeling that music has on your brain, your body and your soul, it's inexplicable.  You try explaining to someone how you felt when you first heard your favorite song.  Or how your wedding song makes you feel when you hear it in passing.  Uh huh...that's what I thought.

I have digressed a bit from my train of thought!  As I was saying, my early exposure to music was from my Dad (god rest his soul).  I would awake on a Sunday morning by the sounds of Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MG's and of course, his woman Aretha Franklin (I did mention previously I have a sibling named Aretha).  You better believe it was every Sunday like clockwork.  And his favorite line to me would be - "Kid, you don't know good music like this!" That statement alone was a challenge for me (I love a challenge!) to learn about the good music I didn't know.  My Father's collection is full of goodies - every Aretha album under the sun, Carla Thomas, Donnie Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and others that I never even heard of.  And it was not just soul music alone.  There was soul, rock, calypso, soca, reggae.  Name it, it was in the house.  As soon as the music bug hit me, I had my second teacher, my older cousin, teach me about the best in the late 70's into the 80's.  A bit of Debarge, Prince, The Jacksons, Millie Jackson, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendegrass, SOS Band, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and then some.  Being inundated with such talents really brought my love of music to new heights.  Like many aficionados out there, I meticulously collected  8-tracks, vinyl, cassettes and CD's.  Making sure to try and not buy anything to tarnish my collection.

I then became a student of piano and later vibraphone.  Of course feeling like I was the only person in the world who played a vibraphone, I was quite content to learn that the great Roy Ayers was a master at his instrument of choice.  So I figured, why not me?  Looking back, music runs right through my family.  I have an aunt who is a Calypsonian, a younger brother who plays a mean alto and tenor sax (and is studying Music at the moment), a cousin who writes, sings and composes music and an older brother who was a DJ.

The whole point of my tirade is that music for some of us out there is life.  We live, breathe, and feel music.  Our love comes in many forms - as a music writer, producer, promoter, publisher, label owner etc and most of all FAN.  Remember in I'm Gonna Git Ya Sucka, Jack Spade was told that every hero's gotta have some theme music?  Well I think that goes for everyone.  Music is the soundtrack to our lives.  And when I reach the end of my journey, I want my soundtrack to be vibrant, expressive and a reflection of the person that I have evolved into because of my Dad's Sunday morning teachings.

Here is the video flashback of the day - this one is for my Dad.  I miss and love you.

That's all for today y'all, see you on the horizon.

Tha Connoisseur