Drink of the Week: Week 4

The Drink of the Week is:
Hennessy/w Apple Juice

This selection was influenced by Keri Hilson. She mentions knocking down a few of these on her new album, which I haven't heard but I hear is worth the buy.

Ive never actually had it but if Keri can handle it I know I can so, I'm going to make a nice concoction sometime this weekend and let you know what I think of it.

So you do the same and let me know what you think.

Vacation!!!

Vacation is a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday,(Dictionary.com). We all need vacations. They are necessary to keep balance and peace in your busy life. Whether you are a student, astronaut, police officer or worker at McDonald's you need a vacation. And not all vacations require a million dollar budget--we all can't afford to go to the Cayman Islands on a cruise or Miami for spring break. But everyone can afford to set aside "me time." It is possible to vacation in your house.

The main reason for vacations is to rest and relax your mind and body. So why can't you do that on a regular day off? You can, I say you should take a vacation anytime work, school or life in general is becoming too much. Just sit back and put everything in perspective and restart your mind and body. The new refreshing state of mind will relieve stress and make most things a lot more tolerable. Now your next door neighbor's dog, or your professor or boss will not aggravate you as much.

But if you do have the means to travel on your vacation. By all means please do. Don't waste your time doing your taxes or cleaning out the garage. You can do that some other time. Book a flight to somewhere--where the water is clear blue, the sand is white and the liquor is cheap. And enjoy yourself. Life is about enjoying it. Try your best to keep a pollyanish attitude about the ills that life may offer because you always can say to yourself it can be worst. Because it truly can be worst.

A few vacation spots I recommend are:
1.Miami
2.Cancun
3.Bahamas
4.Jamaica
5.Cayman Islands

And if you don't want to go tropical:

6.Washington DC
7.Atlanta
8.New York City
9.Los Angeles
10.Las Vegas

King Griffey

A few weeks ago Ken Griffey Jr., the greatest baseball player of our generation returned back to Seattle to finish his career. Griffey returning to Seattle meant something special to me. I’m about 90% positive that Junior is my favorite athlete of all time. Even though basketball has always been my favorite sport, back in the 90’s I was trying to be the next Ken Griffey while everybody else was trying to be like Mike. Not only was he was the best player in the game, he was black, and he was left handed (just like me and all other great people) which put together made him an easy choice to be my sports hero.

Walking into Yankees Stadium with my Mariners hat on, No# 24 Griffey jersey on, and my Ken Griffey Jr. edition baseball mitt on my right hand and watching Jr. hit home runs against the hated New York Yankees on not one but two different occasions are two of the 10 greatest moments of my childhood. He single handily made baseball cool in my eyes.

By the end of the 90’s Jr. was named to the All Century Team and was named player of the decade in the 90’s. At the age of 30 he was on pace to be one of the youngest players ever to hit 500 home runs. Everybody knew that it would just be a matter of time before Hank Aaron’s Home Run Record would be his. Before the 2000 season Griff was traded to the Cincinnati Reds to be closer to his family. This meant that I had to change team as well and jump on to the Reds bandwagon.

Being a Reds fan lasted maybe a month or two at the longest. By the time school was out that year I was off the bandwagon and was just a Jr. fan. I just couldn’t get into the team at all. Ever since then things have been rough for Griff. He played in over 140 games once do to injury, after injury, after injury which was terrible to watch because it was clear as day that he wasn’t the player of old anymore.

During this same time Barry Bonds was going bonkers!!! In a 4 year period when Griffey couldn’t catch a break if it landed in his glove Bonds was having the 4 best years that any player in the history of the game has ever had in row. The man hit over 200 hundred home runs and won BACK to BACK to BACK to BACK NL MVP AWARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! To the casual baseball fan Griffey was pretty yesterday news at this point. He could have run around kissing the starting pitchers wife before games and nobody would have cared about him. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have been mad at them.

Now we all know the problems that Barry Lamar Bonds is going through due to the popular opinion being that he was on the roids during those years. And personally I don’t know or care about what he was doing. But, one thing I do know is that Ken Griffey Junior was clean as a whistle and still put up numbers that some of baseball greatest players could only dream about which will easily make him a First Ballot Hall of Fame whenever he decides to hang them up. And that is why is the G.O.A.T. of our generation. Congrats, you did it the right way.

Drink of the Week: Week 3

The Drink of the Week is:
Mojito

I know this post is a tad bit late. Reason is because a majority of us here at C.L.A.S.S.
are heading to South Beach tomorrow. And, it's only right that you have a few Mojitos
while you are posted up on Ocean Dr.

If your location is a little to cold for this, don't worry, I'm going to have enough for all of us. lol.

RESPECT your ROOTS

Respect your elders; no really give them attentive respect. Do not just hold the door and say hi because you feel like you have too. Treat them like the humans they are. They are more than capable of holding full conversations and unlike talking to your peers you can learn a lot of new old information. New to you, old to them.

Elders aren't aliens from out of space; they are YOU in a few years! Many youngsters find themselves too busy to slow down for grandma and grandpa; some are even too fast to deal with mom and dad. But imagine if they wouldn't have slowed down for you! HMMMM, where would you be?

Hey you cute girl strutting along in your 3 inch heels, song glasses and low cut top with your 3 letters on you chest, walking so high and pretty. Too high off yourself to see the older soror sitting on the plot looking hot and thirsty. Let me remind you if it wasn't for her working to build the foundation of this sorority you wouldn't be able to wear those colors and please believe back in her day she had on her bell bottoms and heels. Now arthritis has kicked in, like it will do to you one day. The moral of the story is DO NOT THINK YOU CREATED THE WHEEL, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN SPINNING FOR YEARS. If anything talking to the elders can help you improve your spins.

Now imagine sitting alone at home everyday and that’s it, no real calls, no real activity. Sunday you go to church and then you return home. Family pops in for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas/birthday gifts consist of ties, housecoat, Wal-mart gift card and that's as creative as it gets. To add to this the economy is a mess and you are just trying to live off your little retirement. You have 2 kids and 4 grand kids. The grand kids are in college or in early stages of their career, so they don't come or call often because they are so wrapped up in themselves.

This to me is bull. Cards are available at the dollar tree, 2 for $1. The same price or less than Wendy's value items, entrance to a club or new clothes. So why is it you haven't sent the family an "I Love you", "I miss you", "Just thinking of you", "Thank you for all you do" card? The card is 50 cent and the stamp is 42 cent. Add a few words from the heart and you just made grandpa/ma's day. When you are home for a break take them to breakfast or lunch, go to church with them and while you are out if you have a few extra dollars stop by the grocery store and picks up some things for their house, if they need it.

Life is short and there is no need to look back and think I wish I could see grandma again. Why so you can walk by her? Take advantage of what you have now, all it takes is a little time and attention. Help me take all the don'ts and DO NOTS out of this article but most of all take them out of your life.


HELPFUL HINTS TO STAY IN TOUCH (can be used for all family members and friends)
1. Set a weekly reminder in your phone to call home, grandpas and a random friend that you haven't talked to in months.
2. Go to dollar tree on pay day and spend $5 on cards, that's 10 cards. Get birthday, thinking of you and just because and sympathy. This way you can always have a card on hand when an occasion pops up (got that from my mom)
3. Do a family weekend. Invite the family to your new city or new home, including mom, dad, aunts, and grandparents. (You want to keep it to immediate family unless you are hosting the family reunion.)
4. Back to the lovely elders. Use your grandparents as venting tools. When you need to talk give them a call they would love to listen and more than likely they will be on your side.
5. Honestly sit down and think about your life in 40 years (if the world still exists by then), picture how you want to be living and see if that is how the elders in your life are living. Do you want to travel? Do you want to sleep all day and shop all afternoon? Do you see yourself alone???????? I'm sure you don’t and I'm sure they didn't have that plan either, so do unto others as you pray others will do unto you.

Ok enough of me talking go call your family especially the elders. They can't wait to hear your voice!

Glorification of the Hood

While watching my daily guilty pleasure Worldstarhiphop I was thinking about how the ignorance that is displayed on the site and how it bothers me at times, yet I still watch it. Sometimes the ignorance is too much. When I see people on camera talking about robberies, brandishing guns, burning money and a lot of other nonsense that I've witness a chill goes through my body and I wonder is this setting the black race back a few years. But the answer is no. There will always be ignorance in the world by all races and creeds. That is one small piece of the black race that is represented. We still have the blacks that are representing the positive.

Does everyone wants or have to be from the biggest and baddest place on the planet? Do we have to witness cracks sells and murders on a regular basis? No, then why do people always brag about where they are from--but only talk about the negative aspects from where they are from. That isn't a good mentality to have. A lot of people grew up in the "hood" and by all means rep it hard because it develops and mold a person and provides character that no other place can match. And just because you are from a place that a million of murder occurs, if you aren't doing the killing then please be quiet. You aren't the person that is going to spend life in jail or be buried six feet deep because of violence and other ills of growing up in the "hood".

I totally condone representing your "hood" and being proud of it, but don't boast about the wrongs that are taking place in the "hood". By all means definitely talk about it and make people aware of everything that is going on but do not glorify the negatives of the hood. So whether you from Brooklyn, Watts, Miami, Baltimore or DC no matter what hood you're from and represent your main goal is should be to grown. You should want to earn money, wealth and stability(financially and mentally). You should believe in social mobility--just because you are from the hood doesn't mean you should stay in the "hood" and just because you leave the hood doesn't make you a sell out as long as you don't forget where you came from. Drug dealers don't just sell drugs to sell drugs they sell them because they want to "live the life": fancy cars, diamond chains, stocks and bonds. It's about growth. So love the hood and learn how to make it out the hood. Don't fit in with all of the negative stereotypes that comes with being a product of a negative environment. Strive to be that rose growing from the concrete.

Every single person on this earth will always be ignorant to something. But it isn't true ignorance knowing that you don't know. Think about it!

Health Insurance: Why is it so much?

“With no union with no dental plan I can’t eat off no 100 grand.” This is a quote from the rapper Beanie Sigel. His profession doesn’t have health insurance. He is rapping about how difficult it is to live a comfortable life with having to pay out of his pocket for health related issues. Despite his high salary he finds it difficult to pay for his everyday life essentials and healthcare. This topic is usually a determining factor when choosing a member of the house or senate, mayor, governor and especially the president. The American public wants to know what are you going to do about their healthcare. The healthcare quandary in America is horrific. Last week the healthcare issues in America finally hit me. I never seriously cared because I am a pretty healthy person, I rarely get sick and for the longest I was on my father’s insurance. Now I am a college graduate and my healthcare issues are all mine.

I have salary paying job with paid vacation and benefits. But the benefits aren’t as good as I first thought. The monthly payments for health insurance with my current job is about $360 a month—this past Friday I received a memo with my check and found out the insurance is going up to $470. Not only is it $470 a month, but you have to pay a co-payment. That is truly absurd. They are trying to find another vendor with cheaper insurance because I am not paying in health insurance what I can pay for in rent or a car note. That just doesn’t make any sense to me; especially since I don’t have any severe health issues. I think the $360 dollars is too much, that is why I am included with the other 10 million plus people in America without health insurance.

If I want health insurance I will have to do my own personal shopping on what healthcare out there fits me and my needs. When choosing healthcare pay close attention to monthly payments and/or whether it is a deductible or co-pay. Without health insurance can be tough. I wanted to go get a yearly check up to make sure I am as healthy as I think I am. I wanted to do a little bit of research. I was willing to pay out of pocket for a physical. As I call around I was in for a rude awakening. Most doctor offices and clinics required $100 plus just to schedule the visit then I had to pay for the actual physical, which the end amount would have been close to $400. And that is a lot of money to the average American. I can’t even imaging how it is for people working on $200 a week working minimum wage. A change in our healthcare system is truly needed in the United States.

In order to end my dilemma I decided to go to the Health Department in my area. It is free, the wait wasn’t as long as I expected and the staff was extremely helpful and kind. Health is very important because without good health it is arduous to lead a good life. You can have money and great family and friends but without good health you cannot not enjoy your money, family and friends. This is article wasn’t meant as a written attack on the U.S. Healthcare system but just to make people aware of their surroundings. We need change. Change will come, but change takes time. Be patient and optimistic and all will be OK.

TV Addict: Volume 1

Everybody who really knows me know that I LOVVEEEEEE TV. I can sit at home all day and find something to watch. I blame my parents for this addiction since I was not allowed to watch TV as a little kid growing up during the week.

Since the early years I have been glued to the tube. Some of the shows that sit in my TV HoF are Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince, King of Queens, Real World, Las Vegas, West Wing and the great Nash Bridges.

There are a few shows that I currently set my schedule around and must watch each week, that one day my get added to this list. The one show that is guranteed to be a First Ballot HoF'er is... drum roll please... THE BIG BANG THEORY on CBS. The show is simply comedic genius.

My words won't do the show any justice, but luckily we have youtube for problems like this.

Here are a few clips of greatness: