Possibly the ONLY summer blockbuster?!

Not only is August 14th two days from my birthday, but it is also the release date of a pretty interesting movie as far as sci fi fanboys are concerned. I'm definitely going to check THIS one out!



Its a shame too, because almost every "summer blockbuster" that was supposed to be a "summer blockbuster" has pretty much sucked. Well, I'll give a pass to Terminator Salvation because I thought it was pretty straight as far as content, and sticking to the story line. So far, Star Trek was the best one, but lets hope District 9 takes us home with some deep, behind the sofa, caught up in your belly button FUNK!

SaaaWING and a Miss!!!

So I have this book, Siddhartha. A friend let me borrow it almost a year and a half ago. I've read most of it and it is very good to say the least. I didn't finish it because well, I do that sometimes. It is a book about a man living in India named, Siddhartha. He meets the Buddha, but somehow feels that the path to Enlightenment should be his own, and not something mimicked from someone else. He lives a rather full and interesting life, no doubt taking "the path less traveled" by most seeking Nibbana. The Buddha's teachings make a sharp impression on him however, ultimately helping him to find his own path to Enlightenment.

Over the past year and a half, my friend has found the time to periodically harass me about giving her book back. Now you may be thinking; "Shit, its her book, so give the thing back!". Can't fault you or anyone else for thinking this. Before i get to, "the rub", lets put a number on how many times my friend has contacted me about getting her book back. Six. I'm pretty sure its more, but not by much.

Okay now the rub...

Each time, save maybe once, we've coordinated getting her book back, she has totally fronted and either
1. Not showed up
or
2. Came up with a lame excuse as to why she hasn't received her book yet

She gave me the book in my house. Am I wrong to assume she should pick it back up if she wants it? Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way, when it came down to it, she balked on more than 5 occasions. No matter which way one looks at this, there is a glaring truth about what we read, as opposed to what we LEARN.

The book, if you could not already tell, is a Buddhist writing translated by Hilda Rosner. If there is anything to learn from Buddhist thought (Mahayana or Theravada), it is that we should not become so attached to things. I am not absolving the fact that I myself am pretty attached to more than a few things in life. But that cannot stop me from recognizing seeing it not only in myself, but others as well. My friend is very attached to her belongings. I can tell by how she is acting with this book. Not only that, but she's attached for the sake of being attached. Because she knows no better. This is seen because she never shows up to actually GET the book back, which shows a glaring lack of true importance. She's attached to something which, in its overall message, tells us not to be attached! Earth can indeed be an interesting and oxymoronic place!

She may want to ask herself; "Would the Buddha ask for his book back?"

Don't Pale In Comparison to...

Every now and then, something sparks a thought in our heads that harkens the question; "What are we, and why are we here?"  I mean you would not be human if you didn't ask yourself this question here and there.  Front if you want.  Be as deep into your supposed faith as you THINK you are.  Thats fine.  But don't be upset with yourself if you find yourself asking that very question.  

I was driving a few days ago, and there was an unusually high number of fireflies out that night.  Then I got to thinking... 

What makes Fireflies turn on the little lights in their bellies?  When did the FIRST Firefly turn on its light?  Did it think to do it?  Is that even instinct?  Do thoughts lie within the instinctual realm?  Do Fireflies "think" with little tiny brains?  Did a higher power just make this happen, or was there an evolution involved? 

Pretty strange what an overabundance of fireflies can do to the mind on any given night.  These thoughts of course lead into something I watched a little earlier today called, The Pale Blue Dot.   Enjoy...

This week in music.....and thought...

music music music!! classics surround us, and we don't even seem to pay them any attention anymore.. I watched an old interview with Leaders of the New School, and listened as Charlie Brown, gave props and respect to those who came before them.  He didn't call them "old", or "out dated".  Listen to what he says when he talks about "what the old school is about".  

 Thats just how it was.  Everybody gave props to those who inspired their creativity.  I had an argument with someone a week or so back, and she told me she wasn't going to "hate" (hate blog coming soon), on the younger generation running hip hop now.  She of course didn't have a really GOOD reason for not hating but simply said, and I'm paraphrasing, that she didn't think telling them they're music is a dumbed down bootleg version of the original would do any good.  Oh on the contrary mo' frair!  Thats what Hip Hop was spawned from.  People are so afraid of telling people they suck nowadays.. The younger generation doesn't "know" and they really don't care.  Its unfortunate, because in the above interview, "they" (the corporates) would boycott selling OUR music.  They would put out "rap" versions of songs and NOT play them on the radio.  Now they run shit, and our youngins sweat the shit out of em'.  Its a shame.  But like i said, thats for the "hate" blog.  Enjoy some Dred Scott! 

  

Danger Means Everything........... at least when you're dealing with Xanaxed out Chimp!

What do you get when u get when a chimpanzee becomes a pet of +1o years, 5 (or more) Xanax pills because he acts a little "erratic" sometimes, and a longtime friend who returns from the beauty solon with a BAD haircut?  You get a chimp-man who thinks he's a hostage in a terrible sci-fi movie.. The rest you can hear for yourself...  Personally, I don't think the 911 operator believed her at first but.....

Arts, Beats, and Blogged out Lyrics 7.0 styleee

Well another year has passed, and we've come around to another spat of the annual "Arts, Beats, and Lyrics" celebration. This year, it was held at the Blake Hotel in downtown Charlotte. I suppose it was a step up, as far as location was concerned considering it was held at Center Stage in NoDa the previous year. Truthfully, I liked the NoDa location. It had more of an "Arts, Beats, and Lyric" feel as opposed to the somewhat stuffy Blake.

The Art Work was no doubt on point, featuring some of Charlotte's dopest artists and photographers such as; Jasiatic Anderson, Marcus Kiser (God City), Wolly Vinyl (GC), and the rest of the God City crew. Here are just a few examples of the goodness we all got to experience...

The music was cool. When we first rolled up in the spot, there was a very cute female on the 1's and 2's, along with some dude who was MCing the event. She was very cute, but most definitely was new at the whole DJing thing, as her playlist was incredibly predictable (which may or may not have been her fault), and her blends sub par at best. She lost me with the shades she had on while spinning.. Props usually mean people are trying to draw attention away from something else.. Dj Applejack did his thing up there about an hour and a half after the event kicked off. Only gripe I had with him, didn't really have anything to do with him at all. It had to do with the fact that at every hip hop event I go to, there is some kind of "Dilla" tribute.. Do not get me wrong, the guy was a great producer, and definitely had his own sound, but fuck! There are a lot of cats in the hip hop era who have passed away that we should be showing tribute too.. I STILL haven't seen a Jam Master J tribute here in Charlotte! Scott La Rock, Big L, etc.. We gotta do better.

There was a pretty cool B-Boy battle between cats from Atlanta, and the homers from Charlotte.. Don't know who really "won" but it was pretty entertaining for the most part..

Oh, I almost forgot to give props to Jack Daniels for hooking up some free drinks at this illustrious event. All one needed was a ticket and one was eligible for alcohol consumption (21 and over of course). I somehow found out a way to get way more tickets than the two I was greeted at the door with. Meh, people weren't that interested in getting a little toasty I guess. Not this woodsmen though! The rest of the night was filled with chillin with the fam, meeting some new folks, and so called "networking".

The thing about redheads is, they never stay focused! lol

A rather interesting shirt! I've seen the Wu joint, but the Bulls joint? Thats the team that dismantled my damn KNICKS so many times!! Props tho!

One of the artist and I..We protect the guilty here at 7.o mf's!

A pretty dope band even though I forgot their name.. They DID however, need some bigger jeans!!! Damn man!

Yes, she's guilty too... Of being a sick Photographer... Though, you'll never know who she is cause she's protected!

All in all, Arts Beats and Lyrics was pretty cool.. Props... Flav out...

The return of the FIGHT scene!

Had this posted a few weeks back on the side.  Definitely worth the watch.  This is especially for fans of the first Ong Bak.  This one scene makes the movie, scheduled to be out here in the states sometime in September, actually look promising.  Gotta give it up to the the choreographers on this one...