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I was driving home from Folsom Street Fair today, and in my tired stoop, all I wanted to do was listen to Kanye's new jam, Stronger. I pulled my ipod, Stu-pod, out from my bag, plugged it in, and listened to said song.

A moment later when the next song was supposed to play, no audible noises came out. After resetting itself a couple of times, the file folder icon and exclamation point icon above popped up...

Sad!

It's an end of an era.

I bought Stu when I got my car, and after resuscitating Stu once (I saved him from a dead battery), I think Stu is done for good. I can't imagine my world without music, and to think that only 4 years ago I was scoffing at ipods. Now it's so unthinkable to be without it. Luckily I still have my 2gig nano, but let's be real. It's only 2 gigs!

Perhaps it's time to buy an iPhone.

Lots of things make me smile, and I like lists, so here goes (in no particular order):
1. Kids laughing
2. Mangoes
3. Food that smells remarkably good
4. Cuddling
4. A clever, well-written passage in a really good book
5. Technology and gadgets
7. The combination of warm brownie and cold ice cream
8. Soft unexpected touches
9. Feeling warm sand on my feet
10. The smell of the salty ocean breeze

Wheel by John Mayer

Ever since my car accident in 2002, my life's goal has been pretty clear: to serve and better the lives of children and youth.

This has been kind of hard to explain to other people when they ask me, "Why? Why don't you just work in the private sector now, make lots of money, and then donate that money to some charity?"

How can you explain your passion? If I were as passionate about singing opera or coding software programs, would I need to explain myself over and over again for those?

I just read an article in Time magazine that helps to explain my drive to serve children and youth, and my hopeful vision to be able to do this on a wider scale in the near future.

Here's an excerpt and link to the article:

As the Constitutional Convention of 1787 came to a close, after three and a half months of deliberation, a lady asked Dr. Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" "A republic," replied the Doctor, "if you can keep it."
— ANECDOTE FROM THE RECORDS OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION OF 1787, ED., MAX FARRAND, VOL. 3, APPENDIX A, 1911

A republic, if you can keep it. The founders were not at all optimistic about the future of the Republic. There had been only a handful of other republics in all of human history, and most were small and far away. The founders' pessimism, though, came not from history but from their knowledge of human nature. A republic, to survive, needed not only the consent of the governed but also their active participation. It was not a machine that would go of itself; free societies do not stay free without the involvement of their citizens.

Today the two central acts of democratic citizenship are voting and paying taxes. That's basically it. The last time we demanded anything else from people was when the draft ended in 1973. And yes, there are libertarians who believe that government asks too much of us — and that the principal right in a democracy is the right to be left alone — but most everyone else bemoans the fact that only about half of us vote and don't do much more than send in our returns on April 15. The truth is, even the archetype of the model citizen is mostly a myth. Except for times of war and the colonial days, we haven't been all that energetic about keeping the Republic.

When Americans look around right now, they see a public-school system with 38% of fourth graders unable to read at a basic level; they see the cost of health insurance escalating as 47 million people go uninsured; they see a government that responded ineptly to a hurricane in New Orleans; and they see a war whose ends they do not completely value or understand.

But there is something else we are seeing in the land. Polls show that while confidence in our democracy and our government is near an all-time low, volunteerism and civic participation since the '70s are near all-time highs. Political scientists are perplexed about this. If confidence is so low, why would people bother volunteering? The explanation is pretty simple. People, especially young people, think the government and the public sphere are broken, but they feel they can personally make a difference through community service. After 9/11, Americans were hungry to be asked to do something, to make some kind of sacrifice, and what they mostly remember is being asked to go shopping. The reason private volunteerism is so high is precisely that confidence in our public institutions is so low. People see volunteering not as a form of public service but as an antidote for it.

That is not a recipe for keeping a republic.

Read more here.

Apparently Saturn is moving into Virgo for the next couple of years. According to Alex, my resident astrologer/spiritual advisor, this means that people in general will be more nitpicky about things in their lives.

The following quotes were taken from www.astrologicallyspeaking.com:

Saturn is the planet of concentrated effort—no short cuts—and he will now be spending time in the practical earth sign of Virgo. Virgo excels at performing tasks until these become acquired skills and loves hard work. Virgo is also analytical, discerning and excels at organization, taking care of details and looking after others. Virgo is the sign we associate with service, the harvest and interestingly Vedic astrologers call Saturn the servant.

This is my sign and what Saturn moving into Virgo means for me:

Capricorn Dec. 21-Jan. 19

Your ruling planet known for its ability to structure, assign responsibility and doing things properly is moving into discerning, analytical and organized Virgo for the next couple of years beginning in September. The area for you is foreign travel, learning and distant places as well as in-laws, publishing and legal matters. This could see you moving to a distance, signing up for classes and naturally acquiring a new relative or few. What is it you desire in your life that would allow you to broaden your horizons. This is a wonderful time to choose changes with discernment of course.

It seems like some changes are in store for the next couple of years...

Little can be said about the secret rituals behind the training of a Rap Director... but I have some exclusive pictures from my two-week training back in June. If you remember, the training took me first to Baltimore, Maryland, then Virginia to Fredericksburg and then Williamsburg. I got to know nice other trainees extremely well (some would say too well), and more importantly, I got to know myself more.

I can easily attribute my recent success with BUILD's Boot Camps to this training as it has made me a better facilitator.

Anyway, here are some choice pictures from the action-packed, tiring, and life-changing two weeks of training.


Ashlee and I at Morgan State University (showing off our lipgloss... yes it's poppin!)


The Lovely Ladies of the "Tentative" Ten (we have yet to have a real team name)


We drove around a lot in these big vans... That's Daphne, me and Joell in the back and Latoya and Mercedes in the middle.






Daphne being exposed, and Rogelio's birthday surprise.


Having way too much fun with cupcakes on Rogelio's birthday


Cupcake madness!!!


Post-Fountain Jump


Fountain Jumping Part 2. I know it's dark, but it's worth the squint to see us.