Glimpses of FreeDem

Transitioning Back

2011-10-31T00:13:00.000-07:00

Thank God I've given myself a good week to return from vacay before the season starts. I almost forgot about the phenomenon of lingering spirit. Long ago, when I was frequenting Jamaica, I discovered that although my body may come home, it takes a good 5-6 days for my spirit to return. So has been the case for me. Before I left, I was highly motivated, approaching business after business in hopes of fundraising for our basketball program. Also, aligning X's and O's to assure our plan of attack is well calculated. Upon return, my mind is moving soooo slow, it's difficult for me to even decide which cereal to eat in the morning :)

The beauty of vacation was, I really didn't have ANY decisions to make for the last 10 days. However, the backlash to that is, the decision making part of my brain has by grossly malnourished. I've had more than a few laughs at myself as some of the more simple crossroads have given rise to extended deliberation.

Its not all bad though, the island vibrations are still very much at the core of my movements, as a few last second monkey-wrenches have thrown onto my coaching plate, yet my mentality has been "Deep breath".."And so it is." A few weeks ago, I may have lost a lock or two stressing over these matters.

That being said, it is now time to gear up for the upcoming season. As my 1st at the helm, there are more question marks than exclamations. Especially when it comes to talent on our roster. Regardless, in a matter of one week, all of the ideas will now be given the opportunity to take shape. As a firm believer in the creative trinity Thought-Word-Action. I am chomping at the bit to begin intertwining mindfulness with sport. I remember being absolutely astonished at my body's capabilities after 1week of yoga. Yet equally disappointed that I was 21 years old and finished with my playing career.

Of course I enter this affair with extreme optimism, but a good part of the journey will be witnessing what works...and what doesn't. Ideas are beautiful, and I have no shortage to those. But execution, that remains to be seen.

In all these areas...Only Time Will Tell. I am certainly excited, anxious, and a myriad of other emotions about these forthcoming days. Yet here, in the present, I am thankful as can be for the spiritual tune up I just received in St. Thomas. The time for talk is now subsiding. Action is now upon us!

Bless

Re-Freshed

2011-10-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

My host Star

As previously stated, I managed to make my way out to the island of St. Thomas. Little did I know, that my friend whom I was visiting happened to be living in his own private resort!

His spot was gorgeous. Nestled into a hillside, it overlooked the ocean and provided panoramic views from his poolside deck. Toss in the "pool room" complete with pool table and flat screen tv, conveniently located at the shallow end of the pool, and you've got all the fixings of paradise!

View from the Deck

My primary motivation was to be WARM for the duration of my stay. St. Thomas accommodated just right. Every day was a pleasant 85 with a cool sea breeze. According to my host, my timing was perfect, as it was apparently humid and muggy just before I arrived. Needless to say, this made for ideal beach weather, and when in search of white sand beaches one doesn't have to look far to be dazzled in ST.

Of the 7 beaches I went to..Yes 7!!, not one of them disappointed in any way shape or form. The sand alone was the stuff vacations are made of. Not to mention there are random, different sized islands sprinkled off the coasts. So depending on which side of the island you're on, your view changes drastically when gazing out at the ocean. My initial intent was to take some time and work on a few songs, as nature continues to not only inspire me, but also give a bit of clarity and space to create from the core. However, this go round, I think I put my headphones on twice during my entire stay, as I purposefully chose to simply listen. Listen to the water, the wind...the laughter of the children...and the bickering of the parents! It was all a part in the sensational experience of the island.

It took me a day or two to realize, contrary to my initial beliefs, St. Thomas is very much America. Although the culture has strong Caribbean influences, from Puerto Rico to India, at the core of the surroundings are all the familiar sights one would come across back home. Foot-Locker, Wendy's, Hooters :), etc. At 1st I was a bit put off by this, as I'd been hoping for a 'wholly other' experience. But it didn't take long to grow on me.

Island Eats

The one cultural element that I was openly anticipating to engage in was EATING. From my trips to Jamaica, I had very high expectations of what was to come in the food category. Once again, it took a few days to find the spots, but once I did, the possibilities seemed endless, and my belly was the only obstacle between me and taste heaven, as I simply couldn't fit all the goods in in such a short stay. Pictured here, was my plate from G&G aka 'The Black Truck.' This was the exact dish I'd envisioned from back in Cali; Ox Tail, DUMPLIN, Mac n Cheese, Cabbage, some Yam, & Rice n Peas.. words do no justice to the pleasure I experienced when eating this. Nor the 'itis' I had after! As much as I wanted to eat, it didn't take me long to realize I was best off, eating something light for breakfast, and then having 1 solid meal around 2/3 o'clock that would last me the day. The food was so hearty and proportions so large, this was all I could stomach. Aside from G&G which was the best on the island, I also indulged in a lil Texas BBQ Pit and a Puerto Rican spot that had fried plantains! Heaven ya'll...heaven!

Trunk Bay, St John

Oddly enough, as much of a traveler that I am, I'd somehow forgotten about that initial acclimation period. The 1st 2 days or so, I felt extremely out of place, as if an outsider trying to learn the secret codes of communication. I probably talked to all of 3 people other than my boys friends. However, something clicked on that 3rd day, where the island began to have its' way with me. I not only felt a little more comfortable in my own skin, but also adept to my surroundings and more "me" so to speak. That was when the magic of traveling, and doing so there in St. Thomas, all started to take shape.

The people are absolutely beautiful. Engaging on a whim. Witty as all get out. And insightful beyond words. Interacting with them brought out the best of me. As much as I love me some Santa Cruz, there were dynamics that I was expressing from the pit of my being that seem to be overlooked in my day to day living in Cali. And above all, the people are much more friendly and considerate. To not say "Good Afternoon" to someone when passing by or entering a room is considered extremely rude. Of course, it's easier to be friendly when you LIVE in the tropics, but still, the folks truly brought my island experience to life.

Squitooos

Just when you thought I was basking in utopia...allow me to inject a piece of reality. Mosquitos love foreign blood. I woke after my 2nd day with no less than 75 bites scattered about on my legs, arms, shoulders..NECK?!?! Ridiculous. From that day forward I slept, dowsed in Off, with a bug zapper disguised as a tennis racket at my bedside. I'd imagine by the end of my stay, we were about even. Me, in a vengeful rage...and they in their night stalkings. So yes, even in my most peaceful state, I was at war.

Although my motivations were primarily basketball and mind/body/soul alignment, I'd be a fool to not capitalize on the opportunity to spread the word about my music. A little hustle supplied me with the opportunity to rock the mic at the islands' most prominent night club, Fat Turtle on a Friday night. Although my presence came as a surprise to most, it didn't take long for the folks to shift gears from that top 40 listening, to my material and still keep it moving. That was a beautiful sight to behold, watching people look up at the stage, go through their own mental evaluations and then decide, "Hell Yes, this is hot...I"m dancing!"

After rocking, the rest of the night took on new life, as we were VIP. Kicking it backstage, then allowed into the next club after it was "closed." We ended up kicking it with a whole bunch a jewelers and their lil lady friends for the night. Turned out, the owners of the club were from Tel Aviv. A place I spent a couple weeks in. Needless to say, the night lit up from the moment we made that connection!

As my vacation was winding down, I had one last hurrah before setting sail for the mainland. A guest appearance on the islands' most prominent radio station, 105 Jamz. The interview went well to say the least. And once the DJ (Tony T) got a listen to my music, he was all about the cause. Made mention of putting me in rotation, which is always lovely for an up and comer like myself. After banging a couple of my tunes, I made sure to thank the people of the island for playing their part in assisting in my alignment and sharing the good spirits that they have. And on that note....I exited stage left!

Full of life, light and purpose, I now return to Santa Cruz ready to shape the lives of a handful of young men. Thank You St. Thomas for the energetic enhancement!

Last Sunset

On The Horizon

2011-10-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

As basketball season draws near the anticipation is building not only for myself, but my staff as well. In less than a month, we will be leaving our stamp on the personalities and spirits of 25-30 young men in a fashion that will never be forgotten. To this day, I have a myriad of memories which I call upon from time to time with respect to every coach I've ever played for. I can only hope to make those positive ones for my players in the days to come. As we seek to solidify the dynamics of our program (offensive/defensive sets, philosophy, etc) I've decided to take a step away and place myself in an ideal environment to not only recharge my battery, but also lock in the disciplines I intend to pass on to the players. After sifting through my options, it came to my attention that I could use miles to fly just about anywhere I wanted to in the tropics. As enticing as a return to Jamaica sounded, I ended up settling :) for St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands! Thus prompting a reunion with a great friend of mine from my college days, "Star." Ironically, he was there the 1st time I donned the name "Free." It turns out, Star's been doing a bit of leg work for me down there, and a couple of my songs are already playing in rotation on the radio station 105 Jamz. Couple that with a guest appearance at a major show Friday the 14th at one of the islands' hot spots "Fat Turtle," and you've got the making of an ideal "vacation." Looking forward is an understatement. However, before doing so, I've got a good deal of business to solidify here in Santa Cruz. We've begun our major fundraising campaign for the this season. What we're selling is advertisement space in our program. After my 1st day on the town, the reception has been surprisingly delightful. I had no idea so many people in the community have connections to our school and basketball program. From the looks of things, sky is the limit for us financially. That is, IF, we ask. And I'm making it my business TO ask :) Not only here in the community, but out there in cyperspace too. If you're interested in donating to our program, you can do so hereRegardless, all looks extremely bright on the horizon. For those of you who pray, please do keep my Harbor High School Boys in your prayers, not only for their health, but for added doses of patience in dealing with their new coach :) Blessings

The cover of today's Santa Cruz Sentinel

2011-09-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

My Mom's latest greatest..

2011-09-01T13:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a little something my mother wrote recently. Powerful enough to share. Certainly good food for thought. Waiting To Be SavedThe Temptations had it right when they sang their hit song, Ball ofConfusion in 1970. Now, 40 some years later, those old lyrics still holdtrue. It is amazing that in all the years since that song became popular,our planet is still in the same dysfunctional position it was in then.We’ve not yet been able to take control of a world out of control. Instead,we’ve embraced more wars, which are clearly God’s fault, as well asnew forms of communicating. We now have the internet, I-pads, smartphones, digital, wireless connections (shall I include Skype and Facebook?) that increase the sounds of our voices and expose the shadows of ouractions in record speed. We can see clearly now with our new abilities tovisualize within seconds of an event taking place. Is the world speedingup? Possibly, where are we going?We can depend on elections of any kind to present a dire picture of thestatus of our world. It is impossible to escape all the rhetoric, the picturepainting and the name calling that propels voters to make some sort ofan emotional stand. We get tired of it, yet we encourage the dark side ofpolitics by the attention we give it.We are a world that is waiting to be rescued. From being asleep formany years, we’re finally beginning to awaken and we are terrified withwhat we see around us. We’ve spent generations ignoring signs that theEarth Mother was suffering. We have located fear in every corner of theuniverse and have produced more terrorists with our belief system thanever had existed. We are suddenly aware that we’ve overspent our budgetand we’re now in financial, physical and moral bankruptcy. We haveeach set the stage for personal and national disasters and we search forsomeone to blame for our dis-ease.Perhaps we were waiting for our prince to arrive and make life perfect forus while we slept soundly, lost in our grandiose dreams of a life withoutretribution. Certainly if anyone could save us it would be our Presidentwho promised change. We assumed that meant there would be no price topay for ignoring generations of misconduct. Our prince would eventuallyarrive and fix everything for us. He would waive his magic wand andall the fear, all the abuse and decades of dark manipulations woulddisappear. We’d be whole again; miraculously healed by someone or someorganization outside ourselves. Sadly, somehow it didn’t turn out to bethat easy and we are indignant with the results.Surely there is a president, a prime minister or world leader somewhere, apolitical party, a world bank, perhaps even a carefully selected minister ofGod that can save us. There must be someone that can step forward andheal our self inflicted wounds, making life a little less painful for us. Arethere not protestors everywhere that can sound the alarm that we need asavior of some kind?We have lost our personal power and our freedom by mindlessly givingaway our own, individual, responsibility for creating peace. We have givenaway our rite to happiness to our governments, our spouses, our children,abusive relationships, our careers, religions, our politicians and our Gods.In our disorientated state of mind, we continue to blame everyone else forour personal tusumis, and our terminal dis-eases. We are dying a suicidaldeath and we’re still waiting for someone to find us and gallantly save usbefore it’s too late.Suddenly the planet demands that each one of us is faced with our ownlikeness in the mirror. We are astounded to learn that it is we, ourselvesthat will be held accountable for the actions we have (or have not) taken.The winds of change have been blowing while we have slept and suddenlywe find ourselves unprepared for the future we have created. There is noone left to blame and there is no one coming to save us.Yet, it is when we find ourselves in our darkest hour of need that welearn our truth and evoke our strengths. It is when we have come tothe stillness of the deep that we are faced with our self created demonsand we finally realize there is no way out unless we courageously find itourselves.It is there, in that darkness of despair where we make our decision. Willwe continue to be victims, tossed about like a sailboat in a hurricane?Will we follow the example our distracted, elected officials are showingus by assigning blame to everyone else for our tribulations and ourineffectiveness? Are we waiting for God, the President or perhaps Oprahto come and fix what our ignorance has destroyed?Isn’t it time for us to bravely step forward and own what we’ve allowed?Isn’t it time we finally take responsibility for our own healing by realizingthat we are the savior we have been seeking. We are the answers tothe questions we have been asking. It is each one of us, individually andcollectively who has the power to confront our enemy (and excuse) whichis named Fear.There is an anonymously posted quote found on the internet which reads:“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fearIf it were legally possible I would rewrite the last sentence to read:“Only the moment we reject all help and all excuses are we freed.”Written by Brenda Silverhand-Garriss28 August 2011

Commencement '11

2011-06-17T04:48:00.003-07:00

As fate would have it, I received a phone call a few weeks ago from the principal at Santa Cruz High. Although I’ve done a good bit of teaching over there, summer was on the horizon and I couldn’t quite place why she’d be reaching out at this particular time. It didn’t take long for her to bestow upon me one of the greatest honors I’ve received in this lifetime. Keynote Speaker at Graduation.

As the day drew nearer I began to jot down ideas and coordinate my thoughts for the event. With a good deal of stage and classroom speaking time under my belt, I wasn’t too concerned with nerves or organization. So long as I could step to the microphone with some notes as a reference, I felt pretty comfortable addressing the students off the cusp so to speak.

Well, the day came, and as I strolled at the front of the procession, smack dab in the middle of shorter district representatives and school heads of staff all adorned in black gowns, I couldn’t help but say, “(Damn)…I feel like OBAMA!” It was great.

Photo by Pamela K. Iriguchi

Even better was standing on the stage, watching the students file in. There was an overwhelming sense of pride emanating from both them and their parents looking on. It was truly powerful.

As the last of them made their way to their seats, the principal stepped to the mic and said. ”Students, you may be seated.” However, NO ONE HEARD HER! She glanced back at the soundman, baffled. Yes, the unthinkable was happening. Before a good 3,000+ people, the mic was not working! All too familiar with the unreliable nature of sound systems, I smirked knowing full well we were in for a ride for the next few minutes.

Initially, I wanted to jump up and snatch the mic and start checking it…”Check Check..1,2 1,2” Then I thought to grab another mic and make the switch. Without question out of everyone on the stage, I was the most comfortable with handling this kind of situation. BUT..I was THE keynote speaker. I had to keep some dignity about me! So I sat.. and I sat..and waited for the sound man to do what he was being paid to do. After the longest 3-5 minutes of our lifetimes, there was still no sign of progress. I could sit no longer.

Pamela K. Iriguchi

I stepped beside the pulpit, looked toward the students and said let’s clap…We started slow and progressed to fast. Basic and fun. Next we moved on to the wave. Started it with the students and passed it on to the parents. It took a few tries, but by the 3^rd time we managed to get it going all the way around the stadium. With that, I returned to my seat and whispered to the Assistant Principal, ”You’re on your own.” A couple of minutes later they managed to generate sound.

As the principal began addressing the students, I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my notes, to review my progression speech wise. No sooner than I did, did she begin to start her shpeal about me. I looked at the AP and said…”I’m on NOW?”

She said, “Yep.”

I was stunned. I could’ve sworn the keynote speaker came well into our ceremony back in the day. But I can’t say that I recall so clearly now a good 10+ years removed from my most recent graduation. Regardless, the time was NOW and I was extremely uncomfortable as I stepped to the microphone.

Pamela K. Iriguchi

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The moment I began to speak, one of the students started to toss a blow up girl around the student body. It was absolutely hilarious! But quite a distraction to fend with in the opening of such a meaningful moment.

With no time to waste on account of our delay, I jumped right in despite the diversion. It took a good while for the buzz to die down and the focus to return, but I pushed through and continued to deliver, all the while that voice in my head was screaming “What the fuuuuck?!?”

Needless to say, my rhythm was disturbed, but this is graduation. It’s not like the classroom where you can stop the students and say, “Hey, I’m trying to tell you something important right now and you’re over here playing with dolls.” You can’t tell the parents, “Hush folks, I’m tryin to give these kids some guidance.” No..you simply push through. And that’s what I did.

Pamela K. Iriguchi

I drew parallels between graduation and the Rites of Passage ceremonies that take place in cultures throughout the globe. Discussed the balancing of passions and practicality. (Can you believe? J) Addressed the power and uniqueness of the stage of life they are in and how they have the opportunity to guide their lives toward whatever it is they’re passionate about. And a myriad of other nuggets before closing out with a story about my good friend Awad, from Sudan, who told me right there by the Red Sea in Egypt that no matter if I’m on TV or in magazines, a millionaire or just a good father… I will be and am A STAR. It was powerful.

Pamela K. Iriguchi

And then I sat…and wondered…just how bad that speech was? It felt choppy, disorganized and anything but smooth. I couldn’t believe it, right there before thousands of people, I failed to rise to the occasion and capture the moment. But as they say in Egypt, “Hallas.” It’s done. No turning back, no undoing…it’s done.

And when graduation was done, all those doubts were put to rest. Students, parents, teachers, Grandparents, they all came and shared a different part of the speech that spoke to them. For me, that was the most meaningful part, seeing all the different generations who were touched by the message. I even got a Hallelujah in the middle of one part!

It was awesome…and still continues to be. Now when I walk downtown, I get stopped by people I’ve never met before who were there and were moved by the words that spoke through me. It’s absolutely HUMBLING. Not only to be given such a beautiful opportunity, but to feel a purpose much greater than me has been served.

God Is Good. (and so is Buddha and the rest of em!)

The latest on Japan from Shux Wun

2011-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

I recently reached out to everyone I build with via email with a life update detailing some of the beautiful events that have aligned for me of later. In return, I asked them to fill me in on what's been going on with them. A good friend of mine Shux Wun who has been in Japan since I left almost 2 years ago filled me in on what the transition as been like for him and those surrounding since the recent earthquake.

DJ Sarasa, Shux Wun, A Homey, Mr Free

Well, following the biggest natural disaster in world history a few months ago here, things got pretty difficult. I lost a lot of students (not perished, just stopped taking lessons) and lost video clients. People were not focused on the extras, just their immediate needs and watching their pockets closely. Aside from losing over 20,000 people to the tsunami there are tons of people who survived but now have no home. Then to add to that, so many people who were unaffected by the quake and tsunami but forced to evacuate their cities due to the radiation in their areas... so needless to say, it's a bad situation for a lot of people here still.

Tokyo was virtually unaffected, however, the initial fear of radiation affected everyone here. I left Tokyo for awhile and stayed in Osaka, as did thousands of others who were unsure about the actual reach of the radiation. The government here did a very good job of keeping their people in the dark about everything, so a lot of people decided to either leave the country or go farther south until further notice...
I left because within the first two days after the quake I found out that all the foreign embassy offices here had moved their locations to Osaka... so what's good for them is good for me I figured. Also, all the convenience stores and supermarkets in my area got completely wiped clean of dried foods, because we were facing electrical blackouts and our refrigerated foods became a problem. People panicked, hording and whatnot, although in a much more peaceful manner than what would have happened stateside... nobody was robbing and stealing to get theirs here, from what I know of. However, the greed was blatant although more polite. I bounced south and Osaka was perfectly fine, no problem finding food and nobody seemed concerned about radiation.

After a bit of research it was realized that the radiation levels were very minimal in Tokyo (but that doesn't include the thousands of gallons of contaminated water dumped into the ocean and potentially affecting our seafood). I returned to Tokyo and things back in the neighborhood were better at the supermarkets and whatnot, but still a very tense feeling in the air about what we all are really facing concerning the radiation. Upon more research I realized that even if there were radiation affecting us, it wouldn't be a health risk for another 15 or so years as something like cancer may develop, but that would be the extreme case in being exposed to a high level on a daily basis. As of now, even American and other foreign experts are reporting a "no health risk" situation for this region. So, I feel a bit better but not completely at ease... but enough to keep me here I guess. :)

If you're interested in seeing more...Shux put together a few videos as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5kX6Ifu0sc (March 14th 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-aH4zfXLYY (April 3rd 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EvR7qU9MYo (April 23rd 2011)

Keep Japan in your prayers!

SC High Hoops Review 2010-2011

2011-05-18T02:55:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of consistency in writing this past few months. All I can say is, there are times to write about life...and times to simply live it. And I've been doing a good amount of living of late. I'm a do my best to catch you's up with the latest greatest. But warning..this may be a lengthy process!

photo by Paul Firenzi

In my 2nd season as an assistant coach on the Santa Cruz Varsity Boys Basketball team, we had a roller coaster ride of a year. Heading into our final regular season game, we were tied for 1st and in need of a road victory coupled with an Aptos loss to give us the outright league title. Well we went ahead and handled our business on the road with a 62-48 victory over Soquel. And don't ya know, Aptos messed around and lost by 9 giving us the regular season title (which was a 1st for our staff!)

Keith Williams - by Paul Firenzi

But the true magic unfolded in the week to come as our post season tournament took shape. After dismantling Soquel to the tune of 59-38 in the 2nd round of our league tourney, we advanced to the championship game to face Aptos. But get this, although we were the 1 seed, the game was hosted at Aptos high school. California is just flat out silly when it comes to logistics like this. i.e. girls games are played before the varsity boys games.

Anyhow, it just so happened that the championship game fell on a Saturday. This was troubling for me as my finances were in a bit of turmoil and Saturday night was the only shift I bar tended. Torn as I was, I had to inform the kids I wouldn't be able to make the game.

Word of this trickled back to the parents, and before it was all said and done, they'd put together over $200 on my behalf. It was absolutely humbling. The one element that I consistently return to when speaking on Santa Cruz is the sense of community. And never before had it been so prominent as then.

Zen Maki - photo by Paul Firenzi

The game itself was exhilarating. Both teams came out hot. My favorite kid, Zen Maki, set the tone from the jump, attacking the rim, finishing strong, and pulling up for cold hearted jumpers..Splash! The game was moving at an alarming pace and it characterized everything that's good about high school basketball. Well, minus the crowd participation, but Santa Cruz is a surfer town. :)

The 1st quarter ended with us up one 26-25. We're talking 8 minute quarters folks..that's some offense!
By halftime we had seized control of the game, outscoring the Mariners 28-11 in the 2nd quarter, a championship seemed all but inevitable. And when we stormed out of the locker room to kick em where it hurts to the tune of a 32 point lead there was no doubt the trophy was heading back to our way. Then the lead turned to 25...and 25 became 15...Zen fouled out of the game and no one seemed to be stepping up to take the game by the horns. With 4 minutes left, the lead was trimmed to 9. I was astonished, but well aware that this is a game of runs. Jonah Hodges, who stepped on for Zen at point, rose to the occasion, not only breaking down their pressure, but knocking down clutch free throw after free throw in the games' final minutes. And at the final buzzer, We were Champions!! Again!! 91-81 Santa Cruz!

The vibe wasn't quite as celebratory after it nearly slipped away. Not to mention, the core of the team had already won the title last year, and had their minds set on higher goals. But it was quite an accomplishment none the less. Back to Back league champs...pretty impressive.

Then we moved on to sectionals. As the #2 seed, we did exactly what we were supposed to do. we slaughtered our 1st round opponent Harker, 70-30. Then in the sectional semis, we ran the 3 seed Palma out of the gym...76-52. This set us up for the moment all these kids had been hoping for all year long. A rematch with Sacred Heart Prep. At (24-2) they were the #1 seed in our section. But more importantly, this was the team that ended our season last year on a heartbreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the game. Revenge was in order.

Dominic Brommer - photo by Paul Firenzi

Just before the jump ball, we learned that their best player, (coincidentally, the guy who hit the 3 last year) was suspended for fighting the game before ours. Hence, seeming to give us an edge. But that edge was lost minutes into the game, as we fell behind by 8 and played in a disheveled manner that can drive a coach crazy. At one point in the game we'd missed 10 lay-ups. Just chippies, that were right there for the taking, but it seemed to be nerves that had us coming up short, time after time. Were it not for the heroics of our senior, Dominic Brommer, who dropped an uncharacteristic 10 1st half points, we would have been in trouble. However, we went to the half down 2.

The 2nd half was a sloppy, back and forth affair in which neither team seized control despite being given numerous opportunities to do so. Eventually, Sacred Heart willed their way to victory, nailing a few timely 3's and knocking down big free throws down the stretch to seal the game. It was anti-climactic and down right mystifying when it was all said and done. None of our go to guys showed up. Part of that was a credit to SH's defense, but it looked to be the bright lights, big stage (the game was at Santa Clara University) that shook our guys a bit.

The weird thing about California hoops is, although we lost in our sectional championship, we were still allowed to compete in the State regionals. I guess the thinking is, the 2 best teams can come out of the same section.

We entered the Northern California regionals ranked 5th. This allowed us to host our 1st game vs Marin Catholic. They boasted a 6'6" 350 center who is UCLA's top recruited O-lineman..... we ran them boys outta the gym early and often. The final score was 87-69.

Next stop Colfax, we chartered a bus and took the 3 1/2 hour journey to play in their territory. But not before stopping off at Cal Berkeley to get a tour of the basketball facilities by the Assistant Athletic Director and former Santa Cruz High grad, Foti Mellis. We also swung by the track to get a few words of inspiration from last year's team captain and current track and field star at Berkeley, Taylor Kientzel.

Needless to say, by the time we reached Colfax, our boys were full of ambition. And it showed! We stomped em from the opening tip. Final score 72-43.

Lo and Behold, this team which I'd had my fair share of doubts about, was now heading to the state quarterfinals, to play against the #1 team in the state Salesian. Just so happens their head coach was not only a Santa Cruz High grad, but also a good friend of our head guy, Bill Domhoff. The match up pitted these two old friends against one another.

Ti Demeo- photo by Paul Firenzi

To call us underdogs entering the game was the understatement of the year. Coach's approach was let if fly and ask questions later. He wanted every kid to have absolute confidence and not to hesitate versus a seemingly more talented foe.

Salesian just looked impressive. Their center was a 6'6" 290lb junior who's being recruited by every Pac-10 school around to play D-line. The major difference between D-line and O-line is athleticism. And unlike the kid we faced in our 1st round game who was bound for UCLA, this kid could move. He was accompanied by Jabari Bird, who at 6'4" or 6'5"is the #1 rated sophomore in the state.

These boys lived up to their billing. Attacking the rim and finishing with style and flare. The game moved at a speed and level that could not be duplicated for kids in this area. And for the most part, our guys looked intimidated in the early going. At halftime we were down 14. And there seemed to be no hope in sight.

As we neared the end of the 3rd period, coach seemed to throw in the towel. He subbed in our last 5 guys so they could get the experience of playing on the big stage. One of these 5 was a kid named, Etai
Levy-Richards. At 5'7" he doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of men. However, everyday, when practice finished, Etai was the one to stick around and play a little 21, or put up some shots. This is a coach's dream. Well all that hard work paid off in unthinkable fashion as he drained two inspirational 3's to bring us to within 9 points.

Entering the 4th quarter, we now had belief. That is til, their point guard, Dominic Artis, split the double team with the games prettiest move and proceeded to get and and-1 to push their lead back to double digits with about 2 minutes left. That one not only pushed the score out of reach, but slayed any remaining morale. We ended up losing 85-66.

Disappointing as it is to end on a loss, it was still a season of great accomplishment. One I'll forever remember as a coach and fan. And hopefully, when it's all said and done, those kids can reflect on their achievements and be proud. I know I am!

RIP J Dilla

2011-02-08T14:09:00.000-08:00

I confess, it wasn't until his passing that I traced the greatness that J Dilla embodied in his time here. Little did I know, I'd been bumpin to his beats for years prior. However, once I finally did get a taste of his flavor there was no turning back. I immediately made it my business to get my hands on any and everything he's produced. 200 songs later, I'm probably half way there...but I thought it was important to pass this on to all of you out there who may have not known about him or the unrelenting spirit he embodied. Undoubtedly a Genius. RIP J Dilla...here's a recently released documentary detailing his ascent

2011-02-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

"The Edge" on iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-edge/id416885186

New Album "The Edge" debut's today

2011-01-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

http://mrfree.bandcamp.com/album/the-edge
This is a freeload, so enjoy..and pass along if you like!

The Edge - Album Cover

2011-01-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

A glimpse of the album cover for "The Edge" due to be released 1/31/11. Check the 1st single, "Suicide" at http://www.musicandstrength.tv/profiles/blogs/mr-free-suicide

"Suicide" Featured in Scandinavian magazine King Size

2011-01-21T02:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.kingsizemagazine.se/News.aspx?ArtNo=18748

Mr Free & The Misanthropist - Suicide (1st single from "The Edge" - free album)

2011-01-21T02:33:00.000-08:00

Suicide by MrFree

Jay-Z and Cornel West choppin it up NYC library

2010-11-18T03:56:00.001-08:00

http://fora.tv/2010/11/15/Decoded_Jay-Z_in_Conversation_with_Cornel_West

Masters at Work/Play

2010-10-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

This is the type of stuff that's been motivating me of late

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Drips/Take Notice" feat Flying Lotus from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.

The Company You Keep

2010-10-15T03:33:00.000-07:00

As beautiful as my recent plight has been, building a band, dropping the video, hoopin at a level unprecedented, there has still remained a degree of disappointment that has lied beneath the surface. In search of therapy, I turned to my usual medications known as Vokka and Vokka! :)

I am far from a morning person and quite a strong supporter of the gradual ascent. However, I've been rising with a weight upon my spirit that I couldn't quite pinpoint or detail. Of course there was no one factor to blame for such a phase, but after some self examination, I've come to terms with a major contributor to not only my "morning sickness" (no not the Vokka!) but also my overall energetic well being. MY FRIENDS!

One of the greatest attributes of living in Santa Cruz is the beautiful community that I've been interwoven with through the years. However in recent months I've chosen to spend a great deal of time with people who are not a reflection of the highest self I aim to be. Now this is in no way a judgment upon them as individuals or beings, but rather a self analysis of how my moments are being spent and the depth of what's being exchanged. As I took a closer look, I became aware of how very surface level most of my conversations remained. My roomie was quick to point out that a good deal of the folks I've been kicking it with were receiving a lot from me, but not offering much in return. An interesting dynamic. Not exactly revolutionary but an eye opener none the less on because I was absolutely oblivious to the fact until she made note of it.

With that in mind, I reset my intention, not only mentally/spiritually, but also verbally. I reached out to a handful of brothas here in the area whom I hold a great deal of respect for. That being said, I kept the cap on my bottle and almost immediately began to magnetize not only those I called out to, but also other's who are resonating on a similar frequency. The results have been powerful to say the least.

There's no true measure for making a shift of this sort, but it's refreshing to feel a momentum beginning to build. Almost as if I'm just now paddling in to a wave. Although, the time hasn't come to stand up on the board yet and just enjoy the ride, the anticipation of doing so is now more visible than ever. And that alone is reason to celebrate.

One Perfect Love

World Premiere: FreeDem / Do Ya Thing

2010-10-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...Well Rooted Music presents...
Mr Free-Freedem / Do Ya Thing
A music video edited and directed by Salvatore Fullmore.
Enjoy!

An interview out the archives w Kristen Kittleson (iroster.com)

2010-10-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

DJ Idol Hannz is spinning hip hop and house tunes while Carpool in Herndon, VA awaits Mr Free’s arrival. It’s a thin crowd for a Saturday night, but when Mr Free arrives and takes the stage, the rhyme and rhythm of his words create a new symphony and it is worth the wait. People are looking up and listening to the tall, thin, gentle-looking, dreadlocked man speaking his truths at the front of the room.

But Mr. Free is more than an emcee or rapper. Known to friends and newcomers as Mr Free, Geoffrey Gary has a lot on his mind in addition to making music. He is a visionary, spiritualist, teacher and aspiring inspiration to anyone who will listen.

At 17, his father challenged his self-identity – “Why are you calling yourself Geoff! I named you to be more than that! I blurted out, ‘Cause I’m not Free yet!’” Prophetic words from such a young man, but by that age, he had already begun his path to spiritual enlightenment through reading The Celestine Prophecy and studying Native American philosophy. Combined with the influences of an evangelist mother and a Pentecostal preacher grandfather, it is no wonder that Mr Free’s mission is to open minds and have a positive impact on children through teaching.

Mr Free considers himself a nuisance to the schools he works in sometimes, but only because he spends more time tapping into the minds of the children he teaches than sticking to the lesson plans he’s given. He feels strongly that the current state of American school systems do not cultivate the inherent gifts children posses, but rather forces them to conform with no focus on the energy they bring.

He credits his life as an artist, Scott Stapp, lead singer of the rock band, Creed, who with guitarist Mark Tremonti, heard something he didn’t know he had. Mr Free met the band in Kauai, Hawaii where he was a valet runner for the hotel where they were staying. They hit it off and Mr Free stayed in touch with the band.

They crossed paths again in Virginia, where Mr Free had just been offered a teaching position. Creed asked him to open for them at Nissan Pavilion, which turned into a job offer from Scott Stapp to tour with them. “In my whole life, the biggest blessing has been his (Scott Stapp) belief in me to believe in myself. Up to that point, I didn’t take myself as an artist very seriously. It was more of a fun thing, like a hobby. But when somebody of that magnitude says ‘you’ve got a gift’ you’ve got to cultivate that and take myself seriously.”

Mr Free’s music is much more just notes and words. He wants to pass along the blessing he received to others, to inspire them by his belief in himself to believe in themselves. “People are gonna doubt you. I’m gonna stand up on top of all that of that and say ‘I’m good! I believe in myself!’ That’s something that’s frowned upon. We’re socially raised to sort of bow our heads.”

He says he brings a distinct energy to his shows that takes people a couple of tries to get, though he jokingly admits that his early songs were based in a preconceived notion he had of what hip-hop was, that it sounded more like that ‘nonsense you hear on the radio.’ “I bring a comfort zone, I’m gonna be me up here and maybe in the process, you’re gonna be you.”

The single 30 year old, originally from the Bronx, NY, is frustrated with the DC music scene. He expresses that guys he has worked with for years, that he left to pursue his career in Santa Cruz, CA, are basically where they were when he left four years ago. He has returned to the metro area to spend time with his family before he moves to Japan in 2009 to teach English and pursue his art abroad, where many hip-hop artists have found success. While he is here in DC, he has a show coming up at the St. Stephens Church Youth Center on Newton Street, February 23 and is hoping to line something up with a tour that may be coming to town in April. Check out his website www.wellrootedmusic.com for biographical information, samples of his music, and a calendar of upcoming events. Welcome back to DC, Mr. Free. Hope you’ll stay a while.

It Ain't all Good!

2010-10-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

So yeah...I know I have the tendency to choose my stories on the brighter side of life...most times.. But I do feel it's important to tell the whole truth and nothing but..so help me Buddha! And on that note....

So we were hooping in another hum drum city league game. Absolutely slaughtering our opponent...when my ace tried to split the defense with a slick lil between the legs move that ended up bouncing off the back of his heel. Inspired by his creativity and will to do the unthinkable in that situation, I gave chase to the soon to be out of bounds ball. At full sprint I attempted to scoop the ball back inbounds. Yet midway my overall sense of well being said, "Man...there are 2 double doors fast approaching...don't die!" Just then I planted my foot to begin my self preserving maneuver. However, the tile which I planted upon decided to detach itself from the floor beneath, leaving me in the most compromising of positions.. right hand still swung back toward the court (as the aftermath of the attempted save) an all my steam headed directly to wards those double doors. (This was all happening in the space of 6 feet at best.) Oh yes, the inevitable happened, as the only protection I could manage was turning my head to the side as my face slammed into the door before me, and my knee BUSTED off of the metal rod separating the two. Sucked the life outta the whole gym.

Thankfully, I stood up and limped over to the sideline with nothing but a bump on the knee to show for it. My Angels work overtime!

But yeah...just had to let it be known...as beautiful as life is...it ain't ALL good.

That Santa Cruz Magic

2010-10-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

It's said that years back, Native Americans traveling down the California coastline actually looped out of their way to avoid the magnet that is Santa Cruz. As my 1st full year back in the states fast approaches, I can't help but agree whole heartedly with their assessment. Like it or not, this place has a way of plucking your heart strings. And it didn't take long for it to work its' magic on me.

BUT LOOK AT THE RESULTS!!!!

This past Sunday was yet another testament to the brilliance that abounds here. After dropping an obscene number on some old timers that we played against in our city league game...final score 108-52, a few of us headed up the coast for a lil taste of adventure. It turns out it was one of the guys on our squad's birthday, so we had no choice but to show em the ropes a bit out this way.

A good 40 minutes north of SC, we pulled off on a dirt road, put in the magical gate code, and ascended the surrounding hills. When we reached our destination, there were a strong 15-20 people there partying on a property that offered 360 degree (if anyone know's where the degree key is on the keyboard, please do tell!) panoramic views, and lush natural greenery to boot. It wasn't long before the owner of the property escorted us up to his 3 story tree house. Talk about a breath taking view, we could now see well over the surrounding hilltops out onto the Pacific. It was ideal.

And just as we were starting to head down, a few guys showed up with harnesses and handles. Although they previously stated they'd shut it down for the day, they were gracious enough to rekindle the flame and allow us to take a ride on their 900 foot long ZIP LINE!!!! Exhilarating is an understatement. Each of us took a couple of runs and got to hooting and hollering like 12 year-old boys. It was quite the experience.

Apparently the line itself is 150 ft up at it's highest point. But all of us were too cool to show any inhibition to jump out there and go for a ride. "I ain't no punk" was the theme for the day!!

And when it was all said and done we got to soak in a gorgeous sunset, and my homie got a nice lil peak at a different side of SC on his born day.

The Blessings Abound!!

Upcoming Show

2010-10-04T16:39:00.001-07:00

Just Right

2010-09-16T23:09:00.000-07:00

A few of you may remember when I was staying with a friend of mine Dylan earlier this year in a wonderful twist of events. As previously stated, his family has long been my "Santa Cruz family." We've done numerous holidays and dinners together which have given me some semblance of that familial connection out here.
Well as it turns out, sailing is a family past time. His father, Jim, invited me numerous times to come join him on any given Wednesday night. A few weeks ago I finally got around to taking him up on the offer. It was a quite the adventure for me as it was the 1st time I'd actually sailed on the ocean. (As opposed to Cayuga Lake) We went out on the Elixir a 54 ft beauty. However, it had a bit of a Scooby Doo feel to it as the notorious Monterey Bay fog engulfed us just before we were set to sail. Being the rookie that I was, I still was as bright eyed as could be.
Despite a few gorgeous Wednesday's since, my schedule didn't permit me heading out. But I made it my business to free up for this go round. And was it all one could ask for in terms of scenery and experience. This go round we set sail on Akela, a 77-footer which apparently is quite a beast when it comes to racing.
Although I was given some initial duties, it didn't take long for me to be relieved and hanging over the side of the boat swapping traveling tales with an Aussie from Brisbane. In addition to the expected natural beauty, every single bird in the Santa Cruz area made it's way to water and created quite a spectacle to behold. Even the old timers were pretty amazed to see so many out.
Quiet as kept this bit of practice is actually a race. One no one contested us in at any point, but made for some good laughs aboard as some people took it a little more serious than others.

The surprising part of this whole ordeal is the after party. Never in my life have I been invited to hang out in a "Yacht Club." But I guess my visions of becoming a millionaire are starting to align, amenities first!! It didn't take long for me to connect with the surroundings and the rest of the night flowed Just Right!

Inspiration: Panther Beach

2010-09-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

A few years back a good friend of mine, Summer, introduced me to an incredible beach which is just off the beaten path here in Santa Cruz. Roughly 5 minutes up Route 1 lies a cove which offers a variety of feels to it. You can descend and head toward the beach. The 1st of which is tucked in nicely between some cliffs. Which often times providesa nice shield from the winds. But if you're feeling adventurous (and the elements are cooperating) you can walk beneath the natural arch, study the timing of the waves, and sprint across to the other, more extended beach just as the water retreats. A shocking development for 1st timers...let me tell ya! If that's not enough to thrill you, there is alsothe option of staying on high ground, and walking out to the cliff's edge and taking in a very impressive panoramic view of the coastline.

With the Sun just emerging from the typical Santa Cruz fog, something in my gut summoned me to head out to "Panther." To my surprise, upon arrival, a friendly couple informed me I wouldn't be needing my hoody, for the typically windy coastline was being generous this day.

Indeed it was! Moved by a Misanthropist instrumental, I threw my headphones o

n and started boppin my way out toward the cliff's edge. The day was priceless. Moderate waves, cloudless sky, and only a handful of people on the beach below. Actually..4... people on the beach below.

Empowered by the setting and realization that I was just now revisiting an old favorite spot of mine, words began to flow like the waters beneath me. Forceful, unpredictable and ever so fluent.

Amidst my muse, I was vaguely aware of 3 or 4 latinos who seemed to be posting up at a few of the lookout points along the cliff. Focused, I found it passively interesting that the

y too had taken such a likin

g to the view.

I stood atop the power point of the whole layout. Dead center, directly above the arch, where I could see both beaches and everything surrounding, minus a few nooks and crannies obscured by the contour of the cliff's edge. From there I noticed the female in a couple beneath (who had that entire side of the beach to themselves) peel her top off and start heading for the ocean. Needless to say, my focus unraveled immediately! As I laughed with the Creator for providing me with such temptation amidst my previously divine process :)

But in all honesty, I made it a point to divert my gaze as to offer them what little priv

acy they could have amidst such a memorable day. And it was then, as I turned away, that I caught a glimpse of one of the latinos damn near sprinting down the backside of the hill. Less than a minute later, he appeared, hastily walking toward where the couple had set up shop. As he drew nearer, he positioned himself in one of my blindspots so I couldn't be sure as to what he was doing, although I had a good idea his intentions were malice.

The moment the boyfriend saw him walking in that direction, he put on his trunks and went in the water with his lady. Meanwhile, the rest of the latinos I'd seen earlier (and refrained from assuming were together as to avoid pre

judice) had now taken front row seats from above, watching whatever was going on.

Wrestling with my own creative process and an obvious episode unfolding, I did my best to give what I could to the music, all the while, watching things develop from below.

Not 2 minutes after they returned to their spot on the beach did the couple pack up and start walking away, only to stash their stuff not too far from where they were and then set off on a walk. The whole thing reeked of ugly but perhaps I was simply making assumptions.

That voice was quieted abruptly as moments later, the same guy appears on the opposite beach now walking toward the only other couple out there. These two look to be fast asleep in each other's arms. He posts up maybe 20 feet from them (on a wide open beach) and then lays

down on his side facing them...and JUST STARES.

I saw this and said "Hell No..." and started stomping my way down the path toward

the beach. Along the way I scooped up a good sized rock to clear any doubts of my sincerity. As I began to make my way down the hillside, the couple must have awaken, and the guy picked up his stuff and started to walk toward me.

Body language alone made it very clear why I was making my way out there. And as our paths drew nearer, he picked up his cell phone and started to make a call. As soon as I was within ear's range I laid into him.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Shaken, he responded, "What do you mean, I'm doing nothing?"

I proceeded to chastise him as he attempted to reel in the 2nd victims to vouge for his innocence. I gave them a quick and heated synopsis of what I'd seen from above, and they laid in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Mr Pervert man walked briskly in the opposite direction attempting to get away from me as fast as possible.

I stayed right in his pocket and gave him a healthy earful before shouting some pretty vengeful threats and heading back to my post.

As I passed by the couple, they were like "Yeah man, we saw that guy and we were like dude, what the fuck?"

We exchanged some pleasantries and I headed back up to continue working on my song. Of course, the process was now adrenaline filled and vicious as ever! Some quality shit talking got done! Hope I can rekindle that energy in the booth!

And it just so happened as I finished up and headed back to the car, I crossed paths with the couple. They were two bright spirited travelers who asked if I was making music. Turns out the guy's pretty into spreading the word and putting people out there so to speak. (Go Figure)

I made mention of the situation earlier, and he proceeded to tell me that the man pulled his junk out and started rubbing one out right there in front of them. The nerve of motha fuckas!!

Crazy as it was, that twisted cat had little bearing on what was an absolutely gorgeous day at Panther Beach!! :)

Rock The Bells on MusicandStrength.tv

2010-09-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

My man Shux Wun has a dope video highlighting the Rock the Bells 2010 tour. Lotsa behind the scenes interviews and snippets of all the hottest artist rocking. Tribe Called Quest, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Rza, Gza, Snoop....Enjoy ya'll..

Click here to view

Will's Wisdom

2010-09-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

Most my life people have told me I was like this guy. And it's only today that I agree whole heartedly. This was a nice lil wake up call in terms of some elements that make or break success. Enjoy the words and Spirit of Will Smith..

Sweet Dreams

2010-08-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago, I tweaked a muscle in my neck during a work out. Every day since, I've had a lingering 'crick' in my neck which has limited my mobility and been quite irritating. Although it hasn't been excruciating, the pain has been subtly frustrating to say the least.

So get this. Last night I had a dream which began with me awakening face down in a hospital bed. Instantly alarmed, I shouted. A doctor calmly strolled over and addressed me very matter of factly about some type of procedure they were doing. Not moved, I started going bizerk in hopes to be released. At whits end, the doctor wheeled my bed over to a mirror and proclaimed we're in the process of taking these (holding up two orange sized metal clamps) out of you.

Astonished, I glanced in the mirror to see my entire back cut wide open in a T shape running across my shoulders and down my spine. Needless to say, I had not a word to say after this.

The dream wrapped up in some uneventful fashion. And when I woke this morning.... My neck feels almost perfect. Unbelievable. Who needs health care when you can have dream surgery!

Infinite Gratitude to the Spirit World for that one

New Video

2010-05-24T04:37:00.001-07:00

As many of you know I spent the good part of this past year assistant coaching at Santa Cruz High. The experience was unbelievable, to say the least. And as things wrapped up for us, we finally got around to having our banquet today. Much to my dismay, it went down at a time slot that only allowed me a good hour or so with the kids before having to depart for a game of my own.

However, as part of the affair, I put together a lil something for my yutes. And goes a lil suttin like This..hit it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM-THuW98sk

NHL?

2010-05-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

There's a lady that frequents our restaurant who recently departed for Mexico. From what I gathered, she was gone for good. Making a life changing move and not looking back. A bit of information that quietly pleased me at the time of it's delivery. Although she was one of our biggest spenders, her volume rubbed me the wrong way.

However, before she departed, she purchased 4 sets of dice for the restaurant. An attempt to reel us in to one of her favorite pastimes, "Liar's Dice." She and another one of our regulars played sparingly before she departed as I watched from afar writing off the entire affair as just downright corny.

After she left, I'd pluck 3 of the dice every now and then and play a lil Cee-lo when my man from NY would stop in. But other than that, they sat idle for a few months. That is, until one slow night we decided to blow the dust off em, and give this game "Liar's Dice" a shot. As is the case with any new game, be it cards or dice, it takes a little while to get a feel for the reads and decision making process. But after 2 rounds, I started to get the hang of it. And dare I say, even like it.

Sure enough, not long after, we got to playin every chance we could. This much to the delight of Mr. Lee, our #1 customer. Especially since, not only was he playing, but he was also assuming the role of mentor. Showing us the ropes. An opportunity he relished.

Well don't you know, just as we got the hang of it, lo and behold, along comes the original lady who started us off. Back from Mexico without warning. In her 1st night back I was a bit surprised at myself. I sensed no trace of that usual internal judgment that was ever present before. And the moment she requested the dice, things actually flipped to the other end of the spectrum. I was enjoying her company along with the energy surrounding her presence.

Little did I know, this shift occurred right on time because the next time she showed up in the restaurant she was celebrating the fact that a friend of hers just GAVE her 2 tickets to the San Jose Sharks Western Conference Finals Game 1 versus the Chicago Blackhawks. I congratulated her. Asked her who she was taking. And then surprised even myself as I blurted out..."Really! I've never been to an NHL game..Take me!!!"

She responded cordially and said, "I've got a few friends to ask 1st, but if it doesn't work out, I'll let you know."

Well it didn't work out..for them..and just like that I got to go to not only my 1st ever NHL game, but also my 1st ever playoff game for any professional sport. And let me tell you it was INCREDIBLE!!

I will say, I definitely took note at how few black people were in attendance. And even more noticeable was the choice of music during each intermission. At any NBA, NFL or MLB game I've been to, I've heard, at the very least, a handful of hip hop songs in the mix. However, in NHL land, you can fuggedaboudit! Classic rock all day erryday! "Pour some sugar" to "Bang Your Head!" Songs I embarrassingly recognized! ha haa! Simply put the NHL knows it market and is playing to them just the same as the other leagues. But I guess it'd been awhile since I was such a blatant minority...well, at least in America.

I'm not much of hockey fan, but as a basketball player there are so many similarities that I could appreciate the subtleties of the game. The Sharks went up 1-0 in the 1st period. And we all jumped, screamed, hooted and hollered like school children. But that was gradually numbed, as the Blackhawks equalized in the 2nd before taking a 2-1 lead in the 3rd period.

Despite having a 2 man advantage for the last minute of play, the Sharks couldn't manage to score again. And they ended up losing 2-1. As anti-climactic as the ending was, it was still an absolutely amazing experience. One I'd never foreseen, yet enjoyed with all my being.

Moments like this only attest to the magic that life is. And continue to teach me more about suspending judgments in hopes of making grander connections with those surrounding.

Blessings and Light

Unbelievable

2010-04-15T00:42:00.000-07:00

As cool as coaching is...there is still nothing that can equal the high of lacin' em up and going at it versus some fierce competition. A few months ago, my boy Dylan asked me to join his Santa Cruz City League team in attempt to accomplish just that.

As it turned out, competition was lacking, as we blew through the league undefeated. Only once playing a game with a 10 point differential.

This landed us the #1 seed in the playoffs. An honor which allowed us to play the 7PM game and rest one going into the 9PM championship.

In the semi's we rolled the team by nearly 40 points, clicking on all cylinders as we'd done all season long.

And as the finals tipped off, we jumped down the oppositions throats', taking a 20-4 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. At this point, the championship seemed to be unquestionably ours. But then it happened...

This wiry, light-skinned kid with an unkempt afro took over the game. Not only did he hit 3 straight 3-pointers, but he mixed in mid range jumpers and pick-and-roll assists to boot, sparking his team to just a 29-27 deficit at halftime.

In the 2nd half they came out overly aggressive, at one point slapping our leading scoring in the face, instantly ending his game with a bloody nose. Moments later they delivered another hard foul on our big man, all of which were called regular, NOT intentional fouls, much to our dismay.

With a little less than a minute left, we held a one point lead. That's when our big got his hands on a ball and tipped it forward, my man Karl got the steal and lofted the ball forward to me as I streaked up the court toward the basket. As I elevated for the lay-up, I was all but tackled by the trailing defender. A blow that drew a few choice words from me and was so blatant that it led one of our players to walk out of the gym as to avoid starting a fight. This too was whistled as a normal foul. Resulting in two shots.

Unable to put pressure on my right leg, I stepped to the line and missed the 1st free throw before sinking the 2nd. With 40 or so seconds left we were up 2. Their main man (who finished with 44 points) dribbled down the floor and waited at the top of the key, allowing the clock to tick inside of 10 seconds before he attacked. I stepped up to double team and he kicked the ball to one of his fellow teammates who had not made a shot all game. He pulled up for 3 and hit nothing but the bottom of the net! Unbelievable.

3 seconds left in the game, and we go down by 1. A position we had not been in the entire season. How could this be happening?

We called timeout. My man Ian drew up a play for me to go long and get the pass from him. As I sprinted up court two men saw to it that didn't happen. Leading Ian to toss the pass to our 6-4 power forward, Dylan. He caught the ball near half court, took one dribble and let it fly....

I watched from beneath the basket as the ball bounced off the glass and INTO THE HOOP!! It's good! It's good! Oooooh MY GOD! I can't believe it! We lost our minds!! Jumping around, hugging and screaming like 10 year olds! It was the greatest feeling I can remember in my adult life. Absolutely exhilarating!

And to add to the magic, not only had Dylan lost his brother Teddy late last year in November, but almost all of his family was in attendance to witness the shot that brought us the title! Truly a compelling story, and an absolutely breath-taking experience. Life is good.

Champions Baby!!

STS9 Gettin their Due!

2010-03-29T16:14:00.001-07:00

There's a band based here in Santa Cruz that goes by the name of Sound Tribe Sector 9. (STS9)
I happened to meet these guys the 1st week I moved out here years ago. Just so happened their rehearsal space was located on the property I was staying on back then.

As time has passed I've been fortunate to witness the drive, diligence and focus they've poured into their art/careers. The results of which has earned them respect all over the globe. So much so, that when Jay-Z was struggling to sell out a bill in Denver, they were asked to join the show in hopes of them throwing 'their weight' on ticket sales.
They're 1st wave of 900 tickets sold in 45 minutes. How ridiculous is that? I couldn't sell 900 tickets in 45 days!! :) They'd eventually proceed to sell out the show. And do so in a fashion that raised the eyebrows of the man himself Jay-Z.

That being said, he stopped by and shared a moment with the fellas. Accompanied by the goddess herself, Beyonce I can only imagine how star struck they must have been.

One of the few quotes that's stuck with me throughout time is, "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." That could never be truer in this case. Congrats to STS9 for putting in the endless hours and putting out the endless energy that you do.

Buddha Bless

Storybook Career

2010-03-29T16:04:00.001-07:00

The aforementioned Austin Swift continued his dream ride all the way to the top. The Santa Cruz High School alum who brought home a state championship as a senior, has duplicated those efforts yet on a much grander stage.

In a nationally televised event, Austin dropped 12 points and added 6 rebounds to help Cal Poly Pomona seize it's 1st ever D-II National Championship. This just one year removed from a heart-breaking loss in this same game last year. You couldn't ask for a better ending...to a season.. to a career. Not only did he help bring home the title, but he was also named MVP of the entire Elite Eight.

Congrats to him and his family, and hopefully this will open the floodgates to bigger and better things in the world of basketball.

"Earth is getting warm but I swear she'll leave us frozen~I'm knockin on the cockpit cuz I swear the pilots dozin"

2010-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just came across this by way of a friend's band's (STS9) website. An interesting watch.

This is James Balog's Time lapse photography of the Glacier activity around the globe.

Living the Dream

2010-03-19T00:56:00.000-07:00

Former Santa Cruz High star Austin Swift is bringing his college career to a close in a dreamlike fashion. Not only was he named conference player of the year, but he also made some key baskets down the stretch to help his squad, Cal Poly Pomona, advance to the Div. II Elite Eight in Springfield, Mass.

In the regional semifinals he had a lay-up with .6 seconds left to send the game to overtime, before they eventually pulled off the victory 76-75. He finished with a game high 22 points.

This was just a precursor to his late game heroics as he scored on a reverse lay-up, followed by a three in the last minute and a half of the West Regional finals versus BYU Hawaii. The Broncos would eventually go on to win 78-75. He finished with 19 points and was named the Region's Most Outstanding Player. Quite impressive for a Santa Cruz native. (Quite impressive for anyone on Earth!)

But what's more impressive is the route he's taken to reach such heights. As a senior in High School he was a critical piece of the State Championship team that only lost one game the entire season. This garnered attention from numerous mid-major Div. I programs.

After weighing his options, he settled on the University of Montana. After playing sparingly in his 1st two seasons he took a leap of faith. It's a move that many D-I athletes contemplate but rarely follow through on. I can recall from my playing days, numerous players talking about it, but none of us doing it. However, in Austin's case, he chose to transfer to Caly Poly Pomona which receives not nearly the notoriety of any D-I programs, but as you can see plays at a very high level.

This decision is admirable on so many levels. Although I can only speculate as to what his motives were, it takes a great deal of strength to self evaluate honestly and then shape your future accordingly. Not to say he lacked the talent to play at the Div. I level but rather he found surroundings that resonated with him. And look at the results.

This is not only a testament to him, but his family as well. Their support for him is unwavering which certainly factors in when facing such a life changing crossroad.

Ultimately, Austin's story is such a 'success' story because of what it isn't. It isn't Sportscenter's lead, it isn't on the cover of Sports Illustrated. And these are all the ingredients high school athletes yearn for. Yet lost in these aspirations is the true goal: Becoming the best athlete you can, and truly maximizing your talent. So many kids get so wrapped up in going D-I (myself included) that they overlook many promising opportunities at other levels. That being said, it's truly heart-warming to see a young man step up, make a tough decision and then rise to great heights at journey's end.

But his journey is far from over. Good luck in Springfield Austin, and in whatever life brings you next.

Blessings.

Young Murph...big tings a gwon!

2010-03-04T02:39:00.000-08:00

Yo....many of you from the Santa Cruz area have to remember the brother Young Murph. He did numerous shows out here that left folks abuzz, often times moreso than the headliner. Well, he's made his way down to L.A. and linked up with all the right people to bring his sound and vision to life.

More than anything, it's power-full to see a brother take his talents to this height. For those of you that do know him, make sure you reach out via his blog or whatever means, and show the man Love. That's what the great communities do.

His album "Nightime Sunshine" is now available for free at...

http://www.l7dummy.blogspot.com/

"Dare me" is my cut. Enjoy ya'll.

Blessings and Light!

I am

2010-03-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

The quote, "You are who you think you are," has never been truer at any time than now. Amidst all these various endevours, from Bartending, to teaching, to coaching, to M.C'in, I notice a very powerful trend emerging. Whatever I'm putting my energy into, rises to the surface. And all the pending connections start to make their way through the rubble.

For the last week or so, I've been listening to hip hop in a different way than I was for the last year or so. I could feel the momentum starting to build. It's a sensation I've felt twice now. Another album is beginning to call itself forth from the cosmos. I hesitate to speak so boldly at such a premature state. But events surrounding are certainly aligning to remind me of one very powerful truth. I AM A MUSICIAN! I AM HIP HOP! (Ok that's 2, but they're kinda one!)

Stay tuned and may the Most High bring forth purpose and direction to all of us!

Bless

Shutter Island

2010-02-26T02:20:00.001-08:00

This isn't quite a movie review, cause I'd hate to ruin the flick for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
But I will say, I just came from Shutter Island, and it's got me dying to talk to someone about it. There were so many aspects of the movie that I've been playing back, saying, "Well, wait...what was that part then?"

I enjoy a movie that forces me to analyze the possibilities early and often throughout the plot development. And this one did not disappoint. It kept me guessing and guessing and guessin! It was great.

However, the conclusion gave rise to all types of questions. Many I'd love to voice, but I don't wanna ruin the flick. Soooo, feel free to holler at me, and share your insights on it. And ask YOUR questions about it, cause I'm so very much in need of dialoguing about this movie!

Peace and Love

Goodbye to a Legend

2010-02-24T02:32:00.000-08:00

My stomach dropped when I saw the news. The Eagles have done the unthinkable. After 8 seasons of highlight after highlight. Marred only by recent injuries (concussions) the Philadelphia Eagles have let go of our all time leading yards gainer, Brian Westbrook.

It all makes sense from the business stand point. Aging back, questionable health, lots of money tied up in him. But DAMN, that's Brian Westbrook. He's delivered so many magical moments for this franchise. It's downright frustrating to see him shown the door on any terms other than his. Call me a fanatic, but this is where the business of sport rubs me the wrong way. After all the beatings this man has taken for this team. All the health issues that will surely plague the rest of his days, this team kicks him to the curb with no remorse whatsoever. I hate it.

Who knows, maybe we'll miraculously re-sign him for less in the future. But for the time being, we Eagles fans are being forced to say goodbye to another beloved pillar of our franchise. Thank You Brian for all the years of excitement, dedication, and playing the game the right way!

And for the record... if Mc Nabb goes, I go!! :)

Til then...Go Eagles

From Purpose to Worthless and everything in between

2010-02-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite all time movie scenes takes place in the Matrix Reloaded. It's when Neo first comes across the new and improved Agent Smith, who is now capable of multiplying himself.
He introduces himselves by spurting off a spiel about PURPOSE.

"There's no escaping reason, no evading purpose, because we both know, that without purpose there is no reason to exist. It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us, that defines, it is purpose that binds us."

I've had numerous conversations recently that have revolved around this theme. And it never ceases to amaze me how each of those in my circle continue to strive to redefine their own sense of purpose through their works, whether that be within the community or by way of their careers.

I recall awakening many a morning (or afternoon) with a very tangible feeling of emptiness in my gut. Often times it came spontaneously, but the most notable occurrence came just days after my college graduation.

At this time when the 'real' world seemed to be beckoning from below as I stood on cliff's edge, I remember feeling sick as a dog. Overwhelmed with not only the inherent responsibilities to come, but also the lack of clarity as to where I was heading.

Numerous times I blamed this sensation on my whereabouts. At 1st it was Horseheads, NY. "If I could only get out of this town, maybe I can do something with my life." Then it was Maine, "I swear I have so much potential, but I'm trapped up here in the corner of the country with a bunch of moose!" It wasn't until I graduated and ventured off to Egypt that a chilling realization set in.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was living in Aswan at the time, when I awoke to be revisited by that oh so familiar feeling of hopelessness. Every time I'd experienced that sensation prior to this, I had rationalized it as being a result of my surroundings. But it took me traveling to the other side of the planet, and being surrounded by all things exotic, to awaken to the root of the problem. ME.

As time has progressed, I've accumulated enough experiences to grasp that surroundings do still play a part, but it's purpose that truly fuels the days activities. And as I contrast the opportunities I've engaged in versus those I've declined, the underlying question remains is this difference making work? Whether that be in music, career or even social interactions, it's a beautiful standard to remind self of from time to time.

And I must say, that is a large part of why Santa Cruz resonates with me. The majority of the people in my circle are living lives full of purpose. They've chosen work that is a reflection in some degree of their highest good. And it's evident in their self esteem and overall sense of joy.

Although our reasons for living may vary from time to time. And our motivations will certainly change throughout life's phases. I think one of the true keys to a joyous life is cultivating a path that calls forth purpose. From the simplest of action, to the most calculated, I can only hope that each of you is so lucky as to continuously rediscover yours within your daily interactions.

One Love

League Championship

2010-02-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I've been assistant coaching at Santa Cruz High School. The experience has been undoubtedly one of the most profound of my life, especially in terms of dealing with kids and having the opportunity to build based on a common love.

As great as many of my classroom experiences have been, I'd have to say they pale in comparison to what we've shared throughout this season. Overseeing the growth and development of a team from November to now has offered a very unique set of dynamics that's ranged from exhilaration to borderline insanity.

Yet through it all, the one constant has remained coach. Simply put, Bill Domhoff is the man. I couldn't have asked for a better person to assist. His approach to the game and his demeanor with the guys is extraordinary. What's impressed me most has been his ability to read the guys and modify his interactions with them based on what they need most in that moment.

Of course some of the guys didn't see the bigger picture when it all began, but that's what's been equally impressive. After a few initial conflicts, everyone has bought into the team concept and the foundation laid by coach. We had one kid quit, which was an absolute blessing because he lacked the character to be a piece of the team that was steadily finding it's identity. And more than anything learning to trust each other.

As ideal as coach's vibe is, ultimately it boils down to the guys. And these kids put the C in Coachable. From day one they've been receptive and willing to work on whatever we put before them. The results of which led to a 15-9 regular season record with a 10-2 mark in league. Both losses coming at the hands of St. Francis. A senior heavy team that finished the season at 22-0.

As fate would have it, we met them in the league championship last night. In a jam packed gym, the guys laced em up and went to work with a very clear purpose. Be Champions.

After great preparation, our guys came out and played the perfect game. Defensively they communicated like veterans, boxed out with discipline and maintained an intensity that deflated any hopes our opponent had of continuing the magical ride. We held them to 11 points in the 1st half, including just 3 in the 2nd quarter. It was a clinic.

On the offensive side of the ball, we executed with patience and diligence. Not really having an impressive shooting night, we still managed to come up big when needed. This was highlighted by one of our Junior's Zen Maki, stepping up big. Sinking clutch bucket after clutch bucket as he knifed through their defense seemingly at will. He finished with 19 and almost all of them left us pumping our fists and nodding our heads as if to say Hell YEAH!

When the final buzzer rang it was 40-31 Santa Cruz. And for the 1st time all year it all made sense. Every practice, every coaching point, every frustration, every celebration, it all culminated and took shape right there before our eyes. The end result...Champions!

I couldn't be happier for these guys and their families. Cause it was definitely a magical night.

That being said...time to get back to work cause we've got sectionals to come.

Not your ordinary DMV experience

2010-02-05T01:33:00.000-08:00

Who said a trip to the DMV has to be boring?!?
A friend of mine just reluctantly made his way back to Japan. After a 5 year stint here in the States, his visa was on the brink of expiring and despite his love affair for this country of ours, he was 'forced' to return to his homeland.

This is not a sad story, however. Before departing, he decided to pass on his whip at a very reasonable cost. One that made me smile. And aligned a trip to L.A. which proved to be monumental. (I shot my 1st 'official' music video)

Upon return, I had to take care of all the logistics. Registration, Insurance...all that good stuff. The registration bit, landed me at the DMV for a brief stint initially. Coincidentally, the lady who took care of me (whom sighed heavily as I approached as if life could be no worse,) had a picture of her grandson pasted to her wall. Her grandson who just happened to be one of the stars on our JV squad. The connection enlightened her exponentially and made for a quite the pleasant experience.

HOWEVER, the result of our exchange led to a return trip. After getting my vehicle smogged, I had to come back with the proof. THIS time, the line was damn near out the door. I looked, turned around and began walking out. Two steps toward the parking lot, a GREAT friend of mine, Krystal, comes prancing in my direction. NOOO WAAAAAY! Alright. Ok..I can do this.

So we ventured in, waited. Got our numbers and then debated on whether or not to stay. Well, she debated, I pretty much said 'fuck this, I'm out!' Don't ya know, as I headed toward the door, I ran into another friend, Donda, who happens to sing for a Brazilian band out here Sambada. We chatted about their upcoming album release and ensuing tour, before she turned the mic over to me. I mentioned just filming the video down in L.A. this past weekend and her eyes lit up!

"You have to meet my husband. He makes videos, documentaries...all that." I just smiled and he appeared moments later. Upon mentioning the video business he proceeded to mention the forthcoming Santa Cruz Film Festival competition which is for 'Best music video.' And get this, the prize for the winner is a new MacBook Pro. What so big about that? I just talked to the producer who shot the video, and he dropped his computer about an hour before I sent him the message about the contest. Rendering it, all but useless. Go Figure.

Anyhow, my friend, Krystal and I decided to stroll over to Verizon to kill some time. The convo enroute was hilarious. We peaked into DMV upon return and we were still a good 20 #'s down. "I'm feeling like Ice Cream!" she proclaimed. Music to me ears. We ventured across the street and copped some haagen daz. Sat outside and enjoyed the Cali sun. Eventually, we casually strolled back to the DMV, and the second we walked in the door....my number was being called!!

How amazing is that!

We both handled our business, and left with our hands full of papers, but our souls rejuvenated from undoubtedly the most adventurous trip to the DMV I've ever experienced!!

LIFE!

Divine Alignment

2010-01-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

After finishing up a trying project in LA, I managed to make my way back to the most comfortable place I know on Earth (community wise at least) Santa Cruz. "The Plan" was to sublet a friend's place while he returned back to The Motherland to spend the next 5 months with his family. An ideal scenario for me on account of my lone mission at this time of year: STAY WARM! Not to mention I was chomping at the bit to get back in the gym with my boys. (I'm pretty sure I've spoken on being an assistant basketball coach at Santa Cruz High School these days)

As fate would have it, I arrived in Santa Cruz, jumped through a few hoops to get in touch with my future roommate and reached out. He reluctantly disclosed that he'd actually spoken to the, now African bound, friend of mine and they'd come the conclusion that I wasn't staying there. A minor detail he'd neglected to mention when I spoke to him just 5 days before his departure.

Needless to say, I was a tad bit pissed, as all my plans were centered around this very critical piece of the puzzle. However, amidst the fury and extreme disappointment, there remained a calm, almost anticipation of the adventure to unfold. If I were any other place on the planet, perhaps I'd been a little more on edge. But for those of you that know the Cruz, you are certainly well aware of the magic that underlies all things. And for those of you that know me, this seems to be the time when Divinity gets to illuminating that golden path. And this undoubtedly had the feel of one of those situations that initially looks like drama but eventually pans out to be just what the doctor ordered.

The Very Next Day, my friend Summer returned from her holiday adventures and revealed a room in her place was opening up in early February. That was the breath of freshness I needed right there. At the very least it solidified some sort of living space if even down the road a bit.

Later that night I stopped by Cafe Mare to holler at a few of the folks I used to work with. While there, my man Dylan informed me that his brother's vehicle had been sitting around and was in need of some driving since his passing. An offer that was both beautiful and tragic. Teddy passed on November 20th, sending a shockwave through the community for all who knew him. To say it felt awkward would be an understatement when I thought of me benefitting in some way from his death. But the giving didn't stop there.

The next day, Dylan called me to give me the OK on the whip, and then proceeded to extend his brother's room to me for the time leading up to Summer's place opening up. Absolutely Divine. I've always called his family my Santa Cruz fam, but I had no idea it would grow to this extent. Not only was I honored that they'd open their home to me in general, but when factoring in the sensitivity of the time, it was an extremely humbling extension. One I did and do not take lightly. My prayer immediately became "Spirit, please use me to bring whatever light possible to this family." So I've been buying the liquor and getting em drunk every night since! :)

Nah, but on a serious note, it's been a rare opportunity (for lack of a better word) to witness the dynamics of the days that follow. Although I do not have the wealth of memories that the family shares from time to time, I certainly feel like I'm getting greater insight as to who he is/was as their anecdotes offer greater depth.

What is absolutely beautiful about this family is despite the tragedy, they truly honor his life everyday. There is rarely a conversation that doesn't venture the direction of "when Teddy was here...." almost all of which end in hysterical laughter. Whether it's Grandma telling me how she used to leave the things she needed done in the upper reaches of her home for him to do. Or Mom reflecting on some of the misconceptions his friends had about him. There's something very soulful about how they continue to keep him present.

I feel that is not only a testament to his life, but also the genuine beauty of this family. Without question, they are one of the healthiest families I've encountered. They make it a point to sit down and eat together at least once a week. But usually do so more often than that. And it's not the type of thing where one of them is rolling their eyes at the obligation of having to do so either.

Grandma lives right next door and at 83 she's just as sharp and entertaining as any of them. She watches more Sportscenter than I do, and if you have anything negative to say about USC football, you better be out of throwing range when doing so!

Today was one of those days where I connected with each of them in very unique ways. All of which left me with that uncontrollable extra beamy glow/grin thing happening. And it's the kind of day where I can't help but reflect and acknowledge just how perfect the alignment of events has worked out, shedding even more light on this thing called life.

Much Appreciation

Merry Creemos

2009-12-26T00:08:00.000-08:00

Due to a series of unfortunate events. I couldn't make it home this year for Christmas. That makes two in a row. And Mom let it be known...she's counting!

A few of my friends here in the L.A. area offered to bring me along to their respective gatherings. Each of which sounded intriguing in their own special way. However, I settled on spending the holiday with one of my bestest friends...Summer, who resides out in Ojai. The decision proved to be just what the doctor ordered.

I trained out to Ventura where she picked me up and escorted me to this quaint little area. It was night time when I arrived, but she let it be known that the surroundings were absolutely gorgeous. "Wait til you see this place in the morning," was a recurring theme.

As for Christmas Eve, it was so familiar that it felt like I was back in New York with my very own family. Mom wrapping last minute gifts. Egg Nog with your choice of liquor to choose from. Pumpkin bread was an added bonus. One I wouldn't have minded scooping up the recipe for and making a part of the Gary family tradition. But best of all was the conversations unfolding between all those present. More than anything our chit chats set the tone and confirmed the already obvious, that I was amidst good people.

And the good people only multiplied the next day. Not long after I rose, did the family start pouring in. Uncle's, Aunt's, cousins, Grandma! It was a scene I'd witnessed many a times before yet had it's own unique flavor to it on account of those in attendance.

As promised, the natural surroundings attested to beauty beyond words. Summer is an avid gardener. One who is constantly grabbing a flower, or random leaf and saying, "Smell this." Each time leaving me shaking my head in disbelief... 'How did you know that?" Strolling around the premises shed light on just where all of that natural appreciation and gardening ability came from. Her mom had the place decked out. Whether it be the actual plant life (cactus/cacti) or even the unprecedented placement of bowling balls throughout the garden, the whole place had a very zen feel to it.

And that was just the immediate surroundings. As my gaze zoomed outward, I took in the sights of nice sized mountain across the way, which inherently gave birth to the valley which lied between us. More than anything, it was the peace here that struck a chord.

I searched my memory in attempt to recall the last time I'd felt/experienced peace and quiet on this level and I was hard pressed to do so. It was so quiet I could hear the dog barking from across the valley. This alone shed layers of mental chatter and concrete jungle-isms that I was previously unaware of. And as my mind attempted to clear itself of the typical rants that had plagued it, I surrendered and simply basked in the presence of it all. Hurrying not, to speak, move or distract myself.

Eventually more humans arrived, and so began the dance that is Christmas. The gift exchange was not as pronounced as it is in our household, but it was really awesome to not only have a card to open from my "family" in Tokyo. But even have a gift complements of Summer's mom.

By early afternoon there were upwards of 30 people in the house, each weaving our way in and out of conversations, food and Spirits (of each kind.) It was a beautiful collection of souls. One in which seemed void of judgment or any of the family dramas that plague many a gatherings.

Prior to the guests arrival, there were at least 10 guitars in random locations throughout the house. A sight that seemed a bit excessive at 1st, yet sparked a degree of curiosity as I wondered, what in the world could someone do with ALL these guitars? The answer soon presented itself as the jam session of a lifetime commenced right before my eyes.

There were some truly talented musicians amongst us. Each of which graced us with a few tunes from within their arsenal. What amazed me was not only their musicianship, but also how well they fed off of each other. Although I 'dibble dabble' in the realm, I was a bit intimidated by the where-with-all they exemplified.

The most recent addition and pleasant surprise for all involved was the arrival of a couple of English girls who have their own band Athena. This was their 1st time being in the States for the holidays, and they lucked up and found this haven for musicians in which they fit right in. Their songs were moving and I had to make an extra effort to not appear too interested :) Cool may be the death of me!

As it turned out, they just happened to be staying in Hollywood, not far from my hotel. As fate would have it, I ended up riding back with them which gave us the perfect opportunity to reflect on the magic of the night. The people, the food, the feelings, it was all indicative of a great holiday experience. One that could never be duplicated.

So...I apologize Mom for not making it home. But please believe your boy was in good hands when it was all said and done.

Divinity continues to align with perfect timing and placement. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Bless

The (B)east Coast

2009-12-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

After almost a year to the day, I find myself back in DC. And more importantly, back at my brother's place. Which for the 1st time in a long time gives me the sense of being HOME. It's been so long since I knew where the dishes were, where the snacks were, and how to work the remote control!! All these subtle simplicities create a momentum of appreciation for not only the surroundings, but above all, FAMILY.

To my surprise, upon arrival, my brother informed me he wouldn't be needing his car, so I could take it and do what I need to do. Oh what a difference a year makes. The last time I was around, he was protecting that ride with his every breath. You would too if you were pushing a BMW 645 Ci.

Needless to say, I was delighted to receive such an offer. Which led me to snatch up those keys and get out the door before he got a chance to reconsider!

DC on a whole really didn't feel so magical.(not that I expected it to) It was nice to stop by my old job and see a lot of the people and spirits I've missed. But the overall vibe wasn't one of "I've missed this so much." But rather a sense of, "Hey, what's up? Nice to see you again"..and that's about it.

The lone highlight came in the form of one Mia Jael Flemming. Born just 5 days before my arrival, it seemed rather fateful that I just happened to return in time to say a few silent prayers and extend Divine Light around My God Daughter! A title that was often given and taken away by her mother in the months prior to her arrival, whenever I got to acting a fool!! :) However, now that she's here, there's no turning back!

And she's a cutie for sure! And I say that reluctantly, because I'm not one to shower newborns with too much affection. When friends send those fresh outta the hospital pictures to everyone they know proclaiming, Malcolm Paul Little, 6 lbs, 8 ounces. And at least 10 of those people who have yet to discover the difference between reply to sender and reply to all write back.."Ooohhh..he's so cuuuuuute!" I'm like "Nah. Not really!" In my opinion, it usually takes a good month or so before that cuteness factor arrives. But perhaps I was a bit biased in her case. Regardless, she was great. Let me hold her with no crying. And that's about all a brute like me can ask for...ha haaaa!!!

From DC to upstate NY, my brother and I drove. Well..he drove.. I relaxed. The trip was a cool one. We dove into the depths of being bi-racial. And how distinctly different our set of challenges are from those of black or white people. My bro made the point that it is an injustice to attach the label of Black to President Obama because that is discrediting the uniqueness of his/our plight. He has learned a certain skill set as a result of being both black and white. And to simply group him into the sweeping generalization of being a black man is not only a mistake, but also an indication of how ignorant Americans' remain in terms of race relations.

This is an element I witnessed 1st hand, as numerous people asked me "Why do they keep calling him 'Black?" when I was in Japan. "Isn't he mixed?"

I'd roll my eyes and say..."Yeah, but in America (and seemingly only America) we're considered black."

It was almost comical to me at 1st but eventually educational to see outside of the American framework and realize many cultures on Earth recognize the distinction quite clearly. There was actually a time in Jamaica, where an elder (Black Woman) hollered out to my friend, from her porch "Who da white bwoy wit ya?"

I got offended as hell! And pleaded to my man..."Who's she calling white boy? Can't she see I'm black?" He gave me that nod like, Yeah..yeah..shut up for a minute, I'll explain later. :) Big deal at the time...hilarious now!

As for our family the spectrum could never be more evident. Although born unto the same parents. And brought up under as similar a conditions as one could conjure. You'd be surprised to see how distinctly different our personalities and tendencies are.

I'd be the 1st to tell you there is no such thing as acting Black or acting White. But I think we can all identify with certain qualities and modes of being which we'd usually attach to one race or the other. (gotta throw that disclaimer out there so folks know I "ain't ignorant!")

My brother admitted that he leans more toward the white side, while I seem to have more of a black disposition. An idea which was reiterated by a friend of mine here in L.A. who proclaimed despite his vast number of fully black acquaintances, "You the blackest friend I have!"

But ultimately, as a child I was never fully embraced by either. WE were always different. And often reminded of our difference from both sides. And that makes for a pretty lonely upbringing in terms of having a point of reference or role models.

But you better believe I studied my older brother's every move in hopes of gaining any insight on the path that lied ahead. A move that was often times beneficial.

Although I thought I may be ranting a bit, I just realized that all of these thoughts were a part of our conversation. Which was a doozy I promise you that.

Just to paint a picture for you non-New Yorkers who continue to hold the illusion that New York STATE is the same as New York CITY. It was a great surprise for me to see the Welcome to New York sign while still on the highway on this trip. See Route 15 has been a country road that takes you through small town after small town, offering litte more than gas and Dunkin Donuts at each stop. Yet somehow, someway, they managed to circumvent the villages and navigate the farmland without pissing off the cows in a fashion that kept us aboard the highway. A beautiful yet tragic accomplishment.

Beautiful for the obvious reasons of convenience. Yet tragic on account of remembering when they said, that was gonna be a 15 year project. Yikes. These days are mounting!

Not long after, we pulled up to Mom's place. A welcomed sight. But even greater... a welcomed FEELING! As these days turn to years and many of my priorities shift (drastically.) There is one that remains atop. And that's Mommy!! So good to be home!

The Magnet that is Santa Cruz

2009-11-23T22:47:00.000-08:00

Alas, I am in the same time zone as my family. It's been quite a journey since I've last found myself here in the DC area. Yet the stories that seem to fall from my tongue after the usual question "How was Japan?" seem to do it no justice.

As for my time in Santa Cruz, California, it was ideal. The home I stayed in was impeccable. My bathroom alone was bigger than my entire place in Tokyo. Not to mention it was located just 2 blocks from the beach. And if that wasn't enough, only 2 days into my stay, a good friend of mine offered his jeep to me so I could have transpo throughout the duration of my stay. Truly a blessing.

As much as I'd like to say I returned to the area and took the states by storm, it was quite to the contrary. More than anything I relaxed and basked in the familiarity that I'd missed in all those days spent outside the states. Basked in Burritos, Pizza and long drives with loud music. It was just what the doctor ordered.

My plans changed 37 times in the month that I was there, as opportunity after opportunity continued to present themselves. Each of which looked to be just right for the next step. At first it was a month long stay in Jamaica. Then it was a few weeks in the Dominican Republic. But ultimately, I settled on a month in Los Angeles. A move that has the potential to impact my path in a myriad of ways. Both financially and musically. Needless to say, I'm intrigued to see exactly what lies ahead in the days to come.

A few weeks back, I was invited to play (basketball) at an open gym at Santa Cruz High School by a friend of mine. The experience was refreshing, so much so, that I returned again the following week. When that run was completed, the coach thanked us for coming out and informed us that the gym would no longer be open on account of their Varsity Boys season starting.

It took me a moment to size up the feasibility of such a choice, before I approached the coach and extended an offer. Although I've never coached a day in my life, "I'd love to come help out., contribute to the program in any way you see fit." He accepted the offer, and so began the birth of my love affair with the Santa Cruz Varsity Boys Basketball Team.

It's a shame that in the realm of sports, being nice is often times a fault. The kids I've been working with all have hearts of gold. A characteristic that holds little to no value when it comes to competition. And in many instances may prove to be detrimental to the team. Hence, the mission laid before me was to light a fire in a few of the less fire-full. A challenge I gladly accepted.

Lamb or Lion? has been our motto. And it's been absolutely delightful to see the transformation many of the kids have made in only a matter of weeks. Not only in terms of heart, but also skill-wise. Working with them has been a blessing because almost all of them are very coachable kids who are open to criticism and diligent in practice. This entire experience has filled me with a greater sense of purpose and my influence is becoming visible through time. And I say that in no selfish way at all. As the head coach is truly guiding the ship and doing so with a sense of confidence and clarity that amazes me from time to time.

Working with him is an inspiration in itself. Often times I catch myself daydreaming about how much more enjoyable my high school basketball experience would have been had I been lucky enough to have a coach like him.

Needless to say, this opportunity to fulfill yet another life long dream seemed to present itself almost effortlessly. My proclamation prior to this experience was, "I will not move back to Santa Cruz, no matter what!" But it just so happened that a friend of mine decided to return to Africa for a 6 month stretch. This opened up his place for that entire period.

When I stepped back and looked at the grand scheme of things, and attempted to make sense of the opportunities being presented, I wavered a bit, before surrendering to the obvious momentum that was/is guiding me to accompany this squad throughout their season.

That being said, I'll be returning to SC for at least the duration of the season, if not longer. As usual, many possibilities lie ahead. But that's a step that feels just right.

Looking Back on the Transition

2009-11-19T00:33:00.000-08:00

I swore up and down I'd do my best to document as much of my transition back here to the States as possible. However, life has it's way of moving...and shaking and I can't say that I've regretted even a moment since I've returned.

Ready for take-off:
So after the nightmare that was my departure from Japan, I settled myself into my ROW of seats quite comfortably. Only minutes into the affair, the stewardess approached, and the two of us had a brief but charming exchange.

It was then that a very warm feeling set in...I'm going HOME. Home as is, the place where people speaka my language. Home, where I can read the signs. Home where spontaneous conversations are not only acceptable, but in some places even encouraged. Immediately a veil of pressure/frustration was lifted.

As a good friend of mine, Colin, pointed out. People like us feed off of interactions and sharing positive experiences with those in our surroundings. This was a dynamic that I could only brush the surface of in Tokyo. Although the overall personality of Japanese people was not as outgoing as Americans, it still boiled down to the language barrier presenting the predominant roadblock.

People ask me what I thought of Japanese people. And I struggle to answer this question. Most notably because I did not learn their language. How can I possible assess the intricacies of one's culture without first grasping their native tongue. Especially in a place like Japan where subtleties abound. So, eventhough I spent close to a year there, I always remained an outsider looking in.

As for the plane ride itself, it was ideal. I watched a movie, then took some time to reflect on the adventure that was Japan. I must say, more than anything, I was extremely sad. There are a good number of places I've ventured to thus far, most of which I've left with a positive feeling. However, in this case, it really felt like goodbye. If not to the country, certainly to a good deal of wonderful people I've come to endear.

The strange thing with traveling is you meet so many good souls. Yet most of us are in transit. As adventurous as it is to look ahead to reunions in other destinations, there is still the very real possibility that we will never meet again. And for some reason, that dynamic was much more present this go round than in trips past.

One element I very purposefully preserved was presence. Or at the very least a lack of looking ahead. Although many seemingly beautiful connections and landscapes awaited me in California, I was careful to cherish the moments I had between the two worlds. What is/was to come in Cali, will have its' time. However, for the time being there were so many powerful experiences and friendships to reflect on and put in proper perspective.

Symbolically, there was quite a force corresponding to my travels. As we departed from Tokyo, the pilot mentioned the possibility of us being delayed on account of a 'typhoon' hitting the bay area. At the time, I'd assumed he used the word simply because there were Japanese passengers aboard. But I soon discovered there was much more to it than that.

As it turned out, there was a typhoon that hit Japan just a few days before my departure. It was reportedly the strongest to hit in over 20 years. It only grazed Tokyo, hitting us with a good amount of rain, and some strong winds but it didn't quite equal the hype. At least in my neighborhood. However, once it was finished with Japan...it headed East. As in toward California.

When we touched down, the sun was shining and the air felt just as magical as ever in San Francisco. Laced with the chill that defines bay area weather, all seemed to be at peace in my surroundings. That is, until we headed south.

By the time I arrived in Santa Cruz, I was amazed at just how much damage had been done. There were fallen trees on highway 17, and all types of blown over vegetation along the way. It was clear that whatever I'd missed came through with some serious force behind it. And this was confirmed as tales began to abound from one friend to the next whom were welcoming me back.

This only added to the magic of my arrival as person after person said, "Wow, you are so Lucky! It's been raining like crazy here for the last few days."

Lucky indeed. But somehow humbled by the correlation between my departure and this bodacious storm. If only I could have taken this country by storm upon my arrival!!!

But there's still time :)....

In a Blink

2009-10-24T01:09:00.000-07:00

So there I was, back in familiar surroundings. Serving at Cafe Mare. (everyone's favorite Italian Restaurant in Santa Cruz,) When a table of 12 showed up in my section.

All flowed naturally, they ordered drinks, appetizers, then their main courses. After dropping off their apps, and choppin it up with them momentarily, I skated off to another table. On my way back, I looked over and one of the ladies at the table was convulsing. At first, I thought she was telling a story and demonstrating to everyone what happened. But upon further examination, I discovered that she was actually having a full blown seizure.

Talk about traumatic. I'd never seen such a thing in all my days. She twitched back and forth violently, as her friends came to her side doing all they could to prevent further damage. Someone wrapped a knife in a napkin and put it in her mouth to keep her from biting her tongue. And after about a minute, she emerged. Well, kinda.

For me, the moments to follow were even more frightening than the actual seizure. She simply gazed off in no particular direction. With no awareness whatsoever of her surroundings or her friends. From where I stood, she looked dead. I kept thinking to myself, please Lord don't let this woman die right now. It was right about then, that her friend declared, "She's breathing."

After a few minutes of blank staring, she slowly returned to her senses. Her friends did a great job of consoling her and guiding her back calmly. The ambulance soon arrived. And she made her way to the hospital where she was in stable condition in no time. Thank God.

But I must say, seeing something like this firsthand was a mind blower. And more than anything it brought to the tip of consciousness that life is by no means a guarantee. And any of us can cross over (to the afterlife) in the blink of an eye.

One Final Adventure

2009-10-21T11:06:00.001-07:00

Perhaps Japan wanted me to stay a little longer than expected. Or so it seemed, as the moments leading up to departure transpired.

It all began with the typical, "Bags too heavy" juggle that I had to do at the check in counter. Actually, that's a lie.

It began as I stepped foot outside of my place, with two humongous bags. One of which had my garment bag attached. Big, heavy, but still pretty impressive when considering THIS IS MY LIFE. Nothing more, nothing less (well Mom's garage may beg to differ.)

Prior to that moment, I failed to remember that on my way into Japan, I had my bags shipped to my place from the airport. Meaning, this was actually the 1st time I had to carry everything solo. As it turned out, about halfway to the station, I ran into my best friend in the neighborhood, Katsu.

Katsu, worked at a Yakitori stand in the neighborhood. I used to stop by his spot everyday and chop it up with him.

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie "Ghostdog," but there are a few scenes in it, when Forrest Whitaker would stop by the ice-cream man's truck and the two of them would converse. Forrest in English, the ice-cream man in French. The two of them never 'understood' one another, but the subtitles revealed in fact they did.

Well, it wasn't until I had a Japanese friend accompany me to Katsu spot, that I discovered the same was true for us. It was quite an amazing revelation because we were walking away from the place and my friend said to me, "Oh, he speaks English?" And I was like, "Nah, not at all, why?" Apparently his answers to my questions were right on point. It was beautiful, cause he used to always say, we don't speak from our mouths, (Katsu and I) we speak from our hearts.

Anyhow, he dropped everything he was doing, and immediately grabbed one of my bags to escort me to the train. To my surprise, he even got aboard the train and rode with me for a stop just to say a relaxed goodbye. It was yet another sign of the beauty of Japanese culture. And of course, true friendship.

The only obstacle remaining, was the transfer from trains that awaited at Motoyawata station. This would be crucial because there is no elevator and at one point, no escalator either. Or so I thought.

I ended up discovering the lift, and took it up to street level. Once there, I was a bit shell-shocked, because I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be going from this unfamiliar exit. Long story short, I ended up walking a good mile+ with these bags as I got directions to the wrong station the 1st go round. At this point, I was grinning and bearing it!!

Once there I actually lifted my bags up onto the platform from street level, before even going through the station, as to avoid the lack of elevatorness. A move that garnered more than a few glances from the rule abiding Japanese folks in the area.

If that wasn't enough, I ended up getting off the train one stop too soon, hence leading to another delay.

But this was no stress, by the time I got to the check-in counter, time was not of the essence whatsoever. That is, until I sliced my thumb open, on a metal record, while attempting to lighten up my bag.

Blood was dripping off my finger, as I asked one of the Airline ladies, if she could help me out. She looked at my thumb, shrugged and said, "I'm sorry, we don't have anything over here that can help take care of that." PERIOD. I was in disbelief. There I was, bags wide open, belongings scattered around the counter and this lady showed not the slightest bit of empathy.

I proceeded to shuffle with one hand, and get everything squared away, before she appeared, this time with one solitary band-aid. I don't know how many Mommy's are out there, but I'm sure you know, you can't just throw a band-aid on a bleeding wound. But I tried!! That tided me over for a few.

At the money exchange, there was a problem with some of my Yen. It had oil spilled on it, so the marker-check failed, hence they refused to change it for me. That took a good 15 minutes to sort out.

Finally I got to security and when I did, the thumb started acting up again. This time, however, the lady working there had a hint of compassion. (She was actually a Sweetheart.) By the time I passed through security, I had tissues for days and enough band-aids to supply an elementary school nurse for a year!!

Alas, my problems were over...that is..until I got to...Immigration? Who has immigration when you're LEAVING the country? As I was waiting in line, one woman asks, "Is there anyone on UA flight 852 to San Francisco here?" I raised my hand, expecting some kind of assistance. She glanced, said something into her walky talky...and that was it. No, express lane treatment. But I was cool with that....until I got to the checker-upper and he decided that because I was not returning to Japan I had to fill out some paperwork. I couldn't believe it.

Meanwhile, they are calling my name on the loud speaker.

At this point, I'm frazzled to say the least. But I eventually pass through. And then the lady, who was absolutely useless, proceeded to walk 10 steps in front of me the entire way to the gate. Glancing back every 8 seconds and waving me along as if I couldn't read the signs above that were blatantly pointing out where I was going. I am mentally chastising this woman, something to the tune of "I know BITCH!" as she continues to chip away at what little resilience I had remaining.

Then alas, I made it to the gate. I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, handed my ticket to the guy and set out for the plane. All was finally moving in a positive direction...that was..until.. a voice from behind called out.. "Security check. Sir I need to look through your bags."

UNBELIEVABLE!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The saddest part of this whole saga was I didn't get the chance to answer any of the thoughtful calls and texts that friends were making/sending. Each of whom knew exactly when I was departing. So sad. But I luff You's!

Lost between Hello and Goodbye

2009-10-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

As I dip my Oreo's in milk. A tradition that has kept me rooted in my Americanism nearly every night since arriving. I can't help but reflect on the days that have defined my trip/stay here in Japan.

It all happened in a flash. Many of intentions remain unfulfilled, while many were exceeded greatly. Although music did not add up to my previous projections, I must say, I feel as if I was on the brink of breaking through some of the barriers which stood between me and destiny. (Or something like that.) The same could be said for the realm of basketball. Although my moments attested to experiences far beyond anything I'd previously done, I still felt as if I'd only brushed the surface here in Tokyo.

Yet, as is usually the case with any extensive stay in a country, what stands out most in my soul is the connections with people, friends and community out here that have sprung up in such a short time. The disappointment lies in not being able to remain here to nurture some of these connections to full fruition. However, the moments we've had have been quite venturous.

It's interesting, as the time wound down, and the end drew nearer, many of the surface interests fell by the wayside as the important things (God bless the teacher who told me to never write the word 'thing,' "there is always a better word"...but pardon me) took center stage.

What could possibly be more important than FAMILY? Although I made a great number of friends here in my time, there are 4 friends which really proved to be soul mates through and through. We all came here at the same time. And we each guided one another in our own respective ways while we continued to socialize, yet keep tabs on each other.

It's extremely ironic to speak in such depth about my Tokyo family because when I look through the pictures there seems to far more indulgence than introspection. Yet we seemed to find time for that too. Even if we forgot the next day!

Goodbyes are such a double edged sword. There's the pain of detachment. while entertaining the idea that we may never see each other again. A principal which becomes even more probable as the trips start to mount and more friends slip through the sieve of time. All this juxtapose to the extremely eloquent summaries of times shared that friends offer one another when their moments together are coming to an end.

I've been humbled by many of the expressions friends have shared this past week+. And even moreso, honored by the revelation that I've played a significant role in their recent developments. While many of them have certainly impacted me on a great scale, perhaps it's human nature to downplay one's role in another's life.

Regardless, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions this past 2 weeks. Yet as the departure neared, all I really wanted to do was kick it with family. And that speaks volumes of our connection because this city is full of potential distractions. But looking back, it's all been so majestic as the days have played themselves out.

Zooming out a bit, Tokyo has been quite an exciting chapter on the path. From the music connections, to the Rising Suns experience in Paris, to the discovery of Kyoto. This place has provided the full spectrum of experiences from triumphs to heartbreak and disappointments.

Although my overall perspective on Japanese people remains in limbo, I will say this country, and the opportunities provided within it, have left a lasting impression on my being. And even greater than that. The friends I have found here, will undoubtedly be my peoples for life!!

This is my last post from Japan. I hope to express much more in these ever-so-crucial days of transition ahead.

Blessings and Light..
And Infinite Gratitude to the Spirits of Japan which not only guided my here, but also took good care of me while navigating It's soil.
One Love

Beginner's Mind

2009-10-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in my studies, I came across a book entitled, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind." The premise of the book, amongst other things, was that we should aim to keep a child-like mind in reference to perceiving the world around us. It is common practice for us to wake up and go through our daily routines without acknowledging the newness and changes around us. Hence, strive to be child-like, not in the sense of naivete, but rather in a state of wakefulness and appreciation in perspective, in which all things are viewed as brand new. Even if we've seen them a thousand times before. (As is always the case, this is much easier said than done.)

Living here in Tokyo, I've certainly been guilty of falling into that 'daily routine' mentality. However, with my departure now 9 days away, "Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory!"

There are a great number of cultural aspects which attest to the rich tradition and heritage that is Japanese life. Many of which, present a sharp contrast to America.

The most pronounced difference I've perceived is the well being and liveliness of the elders in this country. Simply put, old people are everywhere! I didn't realize how hidden our old folks are back in the States, til I arrived here.

Not only are they out, but they've got some spunk wit' em. I've seen 50+ year old ladies walking around with their hair dyed PURPLE! Folks who look to be in their 70's on bikes, cruising throughout the neighborhood. And I'm not talking about a handful of people. I'm talking..goop gobs of old folks! It's amazing. I always thought my Pops was a timeless being for still being able to give me the business on the basketball court at age 60. But these folks might give him a run for his money.

Aside from the activities, I simply see more elders here than at home. They spend a lot of time walking the streets and talking to one another. Riding the trains and still very much living. Not to mention, they are a mainstay on television here to put it mildly. This gave rise to an interesting question. "Why don't we see elders too often on television in the States?"

Is it that we value youth so much in a capitalist society, that we downplay the significance of the aging? Or are we so preoccupied with the next NEW thing that we forget to step backwards every now and then to remember the way things were?? Perhaps it's a result of being brought up in a rootless (ruthless) culture, in which the actual Native's are purposefully repressed in attempt to silence the ugly history that lies at the foundation of our 'Great Nation.' We're raised in a culture where our history is so atrocious, that we scurry toward a bold future, in hopes of overshadowing the wrongs once done. Indeed, I'm getting a bit pessimistic here, but these are certainly factors worth entertaining.

From the elders to the youth. I swear Japanese babies are born warriors! You know that moment, when a fresh-stepper is still discovering the rhythm and balance required to accomplish this thing called walking?

How many times have you seen a child bouncing, ever so confidently, on his way, just to hit an unexpected bump in the road, and absolutely bite it! That's usually when, everyone in the child's circumference takes that collective gasp. And then rushes over to him, if not verbally than psychologically saying, "Are you ok?"

Well here in Japan, I don't know if it's just the parents who don't create that same psyche by staying cool when it happens, or if these kids just have harder heads! But I'll tell you what, I've seen at least 15 of em, take some serious L's (that's losses for the un-eboniced.) The kind where you wince when you see it. And they just pick themselves up...don't even run for Mom's leg or anything, and keep it moving!! Remarkable.

A cultural aspect that I will greatly miss here is that of bike riding. Back home, if you show up somewhere on a bicycle, people look at you like you must be broke. (Well, except for in Santa Cruz.) I remember feeling this internal judgment before I acquired my vehicle back in Cali. There was a sense of personal ineptitude that seemed to accompany my biking days. However, here, you will see the sexiest girl on the block on her 5 speed, WITH A GRANNY BASKET on the front of it!! Riding that bad boy with pride!! And every (bold) guy on the block, clocking her as she goes by. Simply put, bikes are everywhere out here. Every major store has bikc parking which is packed with no less than 50 bikes at a time. It's rather refreshing to have such an option, especially, sans judgment.

So yeah, I'd have to say, between bikes and trains, America is lacking on its' transportation skills. Hopefully Obama will put some of those train issues to rest in his term(s?)

In the meantime, I'm a strive to stay brand new for the last few days. And fully soak in the dynamics that shape Tokyo. I look forward to sharing them with you..

Blessings and Light!

I Had a Dream

2009-09-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

Quiet as kept, I was given notice by my employer that my services will no longer be needed as of contract's end September 30th. Their reasoning, I was late multiple (5) times. 4 of which had no effect on classes or scheduling. However, I owned up to my (lack of) responsibility with no ill will or hard feelings. That is, until I was notified by other employees, that they'd been late at least that many times, and have had little to no threats/consequences sent their way. Couple that with a scenario in which I witnessed a new employee make the exact same mistake at the exact same school that I made in my 1st week on the job, (mis-reading my schedule and being late on account of it.) and receive not nearly the degree of penalty or 'warnings' that had me fearing for my life(job) just 3 weeks into the country.

Regardless of the dynamics surrounding the decision, ultimately I am done as of tomorrow. This left me in an interesting situation. To stay or not to stay. What to do? I immediately blasted out resumes everywhere I could. In the teaching industry it is pretty easy to get a job. Or so I was told. I didn't hear back from anyone at first. Then gradually interviews started aligning, mostly for part time work. But that was much more liberating than my current situation which required working on Saturdays and Sundays.

Yet, all the while I was flirting with making a move back to the States.

Just when it seemed to be a toss up, I had a dream that very clearly told me where my next step shouldn't be!

I don't really remember how it began, but I do recall glancing over and locking eyes with my grandfather. This was a bit extraordinary as he passed away a good 10 years ago. And I haven't seen him in a dream for at least 3 years. However, it should be noted that he remains my primary ancestor, in terms of prayers and guidance. I always feel his presence is closest. At least amongst those I can name and recognize.

Astonished by the sight of him, I all but collapsed into my brother Guilian's lap as I balled from the soul. The tears were uncontrollable. Moments after I regained composure, he walked over to me and said very matter of factly, "You need to stop teaching."

And just like that, my decision was made. I'd be lying if I said I didn't wrestle with this. My ego has grown very comfortable here in Tokyo and I felt like I'd only brushed the surface of what is possible. Yet an omen is an omen. And I feel as if I'd be disobeying a direct order, so to speak, if I chose to stay here despite what's been revealed.

That being said...I put a plan in action. One of my bestest buddies from childhood is getting married Thanksgiving weekend in New York. Hence, I had to figure a way to get back there in time for that. However, I am no fan of the cold. I have a month to kill between my estimated departure from Tokyo and the wedding. I'm not usually a fan of taking steps backwards, but this was a remarkable exception. The spirits of Santa Cruz beckoned! And I joyously heeded the call.

Not only will I be side-stepping some cold, but I'll be beach bumming at the same time! A formula for empowerment I do believe! Only time will tell exactly what dynamics manifest there. But here and now I am VERY excited to be returning to the States and rekindling some good-hearted friendships!

If you're gonna be in the area... Holla at ya boy!!!
Bless

All Day Erryday!

2009-09-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Probably the biggest outdoor basketball tournament in Japan is the All-Day tourney, sponsored by Nike. The 1st one I played in back in March sometime. The scenario was less than optimal, as I was slated to play with a team that last it's 1st game, hence preventing me from joining them on day 2 (when I had the day off.) As it turned out, a youngin asked me to run with him and his boys the night before and I accepted. We faced an early exit, as we ran into the eventual champions "Underdog" in our 1st game.

As the days turned to weeks turned to months, I amassed a good number of basketball friends by way of 'gettin it in' at every open run I could get to. As the 2nd All-Day approached, I received a few different invitations to run. After some intense deliberation, I decided my 1st choice was to join "Underdog" the very team I'd lost to that went on to claim the title in the last tournament. I'd much rather beat em than join em, however, in this case, Underdog's roster consisted of all the fellas I'd gotten to know well by way of the Rising Suns experience.

The guys were gracious enough to offer me a spot, so we laced em up, and got it on! Our opening game was versus a squad called 1st step. Apparently they had 3 or 4 guys on their roster that play/ed pro ball out here. If that's the case, we all should've been offered contracts when it was said and done, cause they never really contested us. I think we bounced em by double digits.

Game two~ The Semis of the tournament (we had a 1st day bye on account of being the previous champs) matched us up with a team called 420. Which is absolutely hilarious because ganja is HIGHLY illegal out here. As in you can get 5 years for a spliff.

Anyhow, we went ahead by about 9 or so on em with about 5 minutes left in the game. But they mounted a comeback and got it down to a one point game with about 40 seconds left. We were at the line shooting 1 and 1. I snatched up the miss and threw it out to our point guard, who proceeded to throw a cross court pass that sailed a good 5 feet over our player's head. TURNOVER.

There was about 20 seconds left when they came down court, penetrated, shot a jumper. And that's when my biggest moment of the tournament came as I outjumped 4 others to come down with the rebound. They fouled, we converted, game over!

Honestly, I didn't really contribute much to our teams' success throughout the tournament, but like my daddy used to tell me, "Just be there when I need you!"

We ended up manhandling a team called Proline in the finals. Winning by about 15 or so. My man, ST was the MVP. And Each of us got a free pair of kicks for bringing home the title!

I've been in this country 9 months, and I've already got 2 new pairs of shoes from hooping. Why can't life always be like this!!

Pictures can be found at http://alldaymag.com/photo_gallery/19th-allday-photos-day2-part2.html

Legends 3 on 3 Grand Championship

2009-09-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Most of the guys I played with on the Rising Suns play in a professional 3 on 3 league here in Tokyo called "Legends." It's kind of like a Japanese version of And 1 without the above the rim aspect.

Fresh off our trip from Paris, I made it a point to get out to as many of their games as possible. Not only to check out my boys and Show Love, but also size up the competition!

The 1st event I attended was RIDICULOUS! Basketball aside, the setting alone was chilling. They were in the center of this ancient Greece looking like stone coliseum. The only thing missing was the chariots and lions! The gladiators, however, definitely showed up.

The way the league is organized is, they change teams at each event. The winner of each game gets...(something like) 3 points. Leaving each of them jockeying for position game in and game out, in hopes of qualifying for the Grand Championship.

When the regular season is finished, the top 4 scorers get to choose their respective teams. Those 4 teams compete in the finals which are held in, get this, a night club! With the captain of the winning team getting a grand prize of $10,000. Needless to say, these boys put it all on the line when it comes down to the finals.

It turns out, my man Mitsui is the 2 time defending champion. He qualified for the Grand Championship as a captain, as did Atsushi who was our point guard on the Rising Suns. Although they didn't qualify as captains, S.T. and Matsu also laced em up as members of qualifying teams.

Unfortunately, I ended up getting on the wrong train after work, (yes, I live in Japan!) This cost me a good hour of competition. So I basically missed the semi's. When I arrived Atsushi just happened to be outside and I could tell from his walk alone, he didn't fare so well in the earlier game.

As it turned out, the only one from the Suns to make it was none other than Mitsui (the reigning champ.)

When I walked into the club I was amazed! They did a great job of designing the venue according to their vision. There were 2 huge screens showing the game from above the action, while a few thousand people looked on from every angle possible.

Hosted by the street ball legend himself, Mamushi, who is a great host and hilarious M.C., the scene was set for a much anticipated championship game.

Mitsui (M21) was set to meet Chihiro in the finals. I've played with this dude Chihiro a few times, and the kids got one of the quickest 1st steps I've seen in awhile. Not to mention he plays with a passion that borders on fury.

After killing time with an off-key J-pop band and an entertaining ex-Legends vs present Legends game, they finally got down to business. All the hoopla ceased. And when that ball was in play, the Lion inside of Chihiro was finally cut loose.

The boy was everywhere. Grabbing rebounds, making steels, going to the cup at will. No one could hold him. M21's squad tried to stay in it, but all it took was one cold spell that put them down 10.

They could never recover. Partially on account of having to shoot 3's to make up any kind of ground. But mostly due to the unrelenting tenacity Chihiro's squad brought to the table. They weren't missing. And if they did, they rebounded. Simply put, the game was over midway through the 2nd (of 3) period.

When the final horn sounded, streamers and confetti rained down all over the court as Chihiro's squad ended up with a 25 point victory. I felt bad for my bredren, cause of course I was rooting for him to take home the title. But I must say, Chihiro's approach to the game won over everyone in the building that night.

What was even more powerful, was watching him cry like a baby when it was all said and done. To watch someone go from one extreme to the other in such a short period of time was truly compelling. But shiiiiit, bring me a check for $10,000 dollars and you better believe you're gonna see some tears from ya boy!

All in all, it was dope to see the pinnacle of the league. After getting to know the guys and feel out the scene here in Japan, it was nice to have a little insider's perspective on the entire event. With the way things have been going out here, who knows...perhaps next year I'll be writing this from inside the locker room.

Bless

~Retired Ninjas~

2009-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, this one was random.

We hoop at a school in an obscure neighborhood in Tokyo. There's an exercise room on the floor beneath us which has proven to be quite entertaining. The last time we played there, there was one of those 'big ball' exercise classes going on when we finished up. This in itself was not so comical. Although I'm sure most would have found ample reason to laugh if they'd watched the retired old ladies doing a little good for their bones. However, the instructor must have brought her daughter along, cause there was a 5 or 6 year old girl who was TOO CUTE!

She couldn't do any of the exercises the grown folks were doing. But believe you me she was trying with all her heart. And it was downright hilarious. (in a beautiful way) Wish you could've seen that one.

Anyhow, the following week. We staggered down the stairs on hollow legs. And lo and behold, there were some old-timers, (this time men) doing something I had never seen before. I guess you'd call it blow-darts. I was transfixed from the moment I saw them.

From what I gathered. They'd take out a dart. Hold the bamboo shoot looking....blower??? at their waste and pause for a moment. (I think this is when they're getting their mind right!) Then they'd raise the shoot to the sky in a very reverent fashion, as if praising it or perhpas exulting the entire process. Before loading the dart. Lifting the shoot, aaaand.. PEYUNT!!...Whap!! Smack dab on the target. Amazing!

The actual execution itself was astonishing, but what really took me by surprise was how accurate these guys were. None of 'em looked younger than 70. And I don't know what type of darts they were shooting, but they were hitting the target REAL hard. So you can imagine the look on my face as I watched one of them slowly stroll down his 'alley' to retrieve his darts. WHILE the man 4 feet next to him was shooting.

I thought, "Man! That's a lotta trust!" But I watched for a good while, and every single one of them was on target time and time again. And that's when it hit me....

This is what ninjas do when they retire!

All That Jazz

2009-08-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

August is a glorious month in Japan. For all of us English teacher's, we get 2 weeks off to recharge, relax and do whatever it is we please. Most of my friends made a mad dash for the airport and headed to a variety of countries. From Thailand to Peru my peoples were exploring the ends of the Earth.

I, however, took a different approach to the vacay. Instead of joining the exodus, I chose to stay at the crib and focus on a few areas of life I felt needed a little more attention. Most notably, my Japanese!!

A partial motivation to do so (stay home) was provided by a good friend of mine, Reuben Rogers. Reuben's a world class upright bass player who takes the art to places most could not imagine. It just so happened, he was bringing out a trio to play 5 nights here in Tokyo.

There's a legendary venue in Omotesando called Body and Soul that is celebrating it's 30th anniversary. As part of the celebration Reuben's crew was joined by a different Japanese artist 3 of the 5 nights. And all I can say is, I wish they stayed for 10!

Amidst all my hip-hop pursuits and club nights I've seemed to have lost the part of my self that took the time out to enjoy the frequency that is Jazz. Oddly enough, I listened to it more when I was 16 than I do now. Perhaps it's fear of aging! I can't call it. But I'll tell you this, the 4 nights I spent at Body and Soul were absolutely cathartic.

I've found that there are times that I don't even know something is wrong with me until I experience what is right. This was certainly the case here in Omotesando. Simply put, these brothas hold a space. You have no choice but to dismiss all the typcial trains of thought when in the presence of Masters.

Not only were they supremely present, but they also evoked an array of emotions from composition to composition that was absolutely chilling. There were times I wanted to cry, times I wanted to dance, and everything in between.

As moving as it all was, I must say, the pieces composed by Eric Harland, the drummer, held a special place for me. The only way I could describe them is he 'takes you to church.' The beauty with Jazz is, there are so many dynamics criss-crossing and weaving in and out of each other that a lot of times I didn't see it (the soul) coming til those chords dropped and "BLOW!" Smacked me in the bone marrow!

Involuntarily, my face got stuck on ugly. You know that face you make when a sound is so raw that it penetrates all self consciousness and consumes your very being. Yeah, THAT one. They took me there early and often. Combine that with the nostalgia factor that had me recounting my days in church pews where people caught the holy ghost at the mere tickling of ivory keys, and yes, my friends, you've got the making of musical magic.

Meanwhile, the musician in me was sponging their every move. Attempting to interpret their unspoken language. Catch a glance or a smile that had implications far beyond the obvious. Often times I felt spot on in my observations, others I was left guessing. "Why did he just say 'Uh!'?" "What are they laughing at?" "Did he know he was going to do that?" It was a wonderful game of "Mindreader!"

The icing for me was being able to kick it with the guys after the show. Occasionally I'd ask about something I thought was happening and get confirmation or humbled depending on the answer.

Aside from the music, the atmosphere was just right. It called forth a higher state of being. I can't describe how good it felt to be around grown folks, doing grown things!

And at a time when I was praying for some much needed focus and inspiration in my life, the Reuben Rogers Trio delivered...and then some.

Summer Summer Summertime!

2009-08-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing here in Tokyo. It seems like every neighborhood I pass through has some kind of festival or celebration going on. It's been quite an exciting shift in energy to see so many people out and about and interacting.

It all kicked off about 3 weeks ago when a friend of mine invited me over to his place to catch the fireworks. Unlike the usual fireworks displays in the states, (Santa Cruz not included) Japanese shows last for a good hour and a 1/2. People forewarned me, but I was still astonished to see just how long they keep em coming.

The fireworks, however, are only part of the entertainment. Male and females alike turn out in what they call Yukattas. (sp) Prior to attending the show I'd been mistaking these outfits for kimonos. But a friend of mine pointed out there are far fewer layers to these leisurely get ups.

I can't really describe the electricity in the air, but there was certainly a great deal of anticipation in the air as hoards of people were all flocking in the same direction. It reminded me a lot of the night of the free Rolling Stones concert we caught down in Rio De Janeiro. The whole city seemed to be walking in the same direction. Add to that the traditional attire, and you've got the setting of some authentic Japanese style celebrating!

Oh...did I forget to mention drinking?!? Please believe the one constant at any gathering out here is drankin! I don't know if there's any other place on the planet where you can buy "Chu-hi's" but if you happen to be in one, make a mad dash for the convenient pronto! They're sort of like a hard lemonade, but they also come in grapefruit. And they sneak up on you something serious! It only took me twice to find my bearings with them. They taste so good you don't even realize how potent they are. Til the next thing you know, you're feeling a little happier than you're supposed to be. CHU-HI's!! Remember the name...and don't say I didn't warn you!

But back to the fireworks, I made my way to the Sumida River where they had two launch sites. Just so happened my man lived in the neighborhood and he invited a whole crew of international folks out to check em from his roof. The show itself was...aiiiiight. I wouldn't say I had my breath taken away or anything. But I couldn't tell if that was because were on rooftop with a good amount of distance between us and the launch points, or if it was just the duration of the show that kind of dulled the senses. An Hour and a Half!

We got into at-length conversations about all types a meaningless topics, before being reminded by an "Oooooo" that we were supposed to be looking at the sky and not each other. It was cool though.. To say the least.

A few days later, I was riding my bike to Yoyogi park around 7:30-8 at night when I rounded a corner and BAM! Was smack dab in the middle of a quaint little neighborhood festival. There was about a block or so of people dressed up and doing a traditional dance to some seemingly ancient music. I smiled at the sheer randomness of the entire affair. It was one of those moments that really drove home the occasionally elusive truth that I LIVE IN JAPAN! Somehow I manage to forget this from time to time.

Needless to say, Summer is in full swing and this is just a pre-cursor for Oban! Details to follow.

Blessssss

Black is Beautiful

2009-08-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Please pardon any racist implications, but I cannot speak on behalf of the others. All I know is, it is absolutely beautiful to be a black man!

As I sat on the train today, half awake, half zombied out. I looked through the window at the opposite platform and caught a glimpse of a brother, awaiting his train. The angle prevented eye-contact, so I leaned over to see if he was on 'the frequency' and sure enough he was. Gave the nod, lifted his hand, and gave it that chest pump. I, instinctually, returned the nod.

Simple as it may seem, it changed my entire day. It really just lifted my spirits and put my mind in the right place for at least the next 18 seconds ;)

This made me think back to yesterday, when I was leaving Yoyogi Park. Fresh off of hoopin, I stopped and had a spontaneous chat with a guy from Senegal. There was really no Divine inspiration behind it. But it was more of an understood courtesy to acknowledge one another and share a moment, as opposed to rudely riding by and acting as if we don't see the connection.

And I'm not so ignorant to exclude people from this sort of connection. I have certainly had spontaneous convos with people from a variety of backgrounds. But there's just that thing. I can't quite put it into words (although I'm trying) That is really so cool, about being, if not Black, at the very least AWAKE! And taking the time to acknowledge that in those passing by.

Life is Good. And Tokyo continues to align just the right moments!

Bless

I'm Dat "Nigga!"

2009-07-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

So there I was, preparing myself to see my television debut, when it dawned on me. If this hasn't been the most stereotypical Black Man day of my life, I don't know what has.

It began with a scrumptious breakfast...WATERMELON. After running a few errands, I returned home to work on the latest HIP HOP song I've got in the works. Sometime around dinner I scarfed down some FRIED CHICKEN. And this or course to create a foundation so I could stomach the ensuing COURVOISIER! Need I say more?

Well it only got better as I sat down to watch myself be a DRUG DEALER for 30 seconds in a Japanese TV drama! It dawned on me later that night...the only thing I didn't do, was play BASKETBALL!! So I threw on a Michael Jordan highlight tape, just for spite!!!

I may have grown up in Horseheads, New York. But I am still...your stereotypical Nigggaaaaaa! Life is good!

Play Baaaallll!

2009-07-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well the last, and most important, event has arrived in my brother's stay. Being the die-hard NY Yankees fan that he is, the only shrine he had left to take in, was the old home of GODZILLA!!! And if you think I'm talking about the monster, you definitely need to start tuning into Sportscenter a lil more. Godzilla would be the one-and-only Hideki Matsui. The Yankees DH, (who just happened to hit a solo home run last night to win a game for them! Go Yanks!)

Anyhow, the beauty of this passion of his, is that it guided us to one of the most legendary sports complexes in Japan. The Tokyo Dome! And it did not disappoint, I promise you that.

Even better, the Yomiuri Giants just happened to be playing their arch rivals, The Hanshin Tigers. A team who's raucaus fans have a reputation for being the wildest in all of Japanese sport. Everyone we spoke to prior equated this to Red Sox vs. Yankees back home. Both my brother and I rolled our eyes at such a notion. "How little these people know about baseball to be making such a claim." Man, did we ever get our bubble's burst!

We arrived at the dome midway through the 1st inning. Both of us pretty amazed by the layout of the place. Bub's a bit deeper into his baseball, so hearing him say 'it was impressive' added a lil extra belief on my behalf. (Isn't that how it goes with little brother's?)

There were all types of cultural nuances, that presented themselves throughout the night. Some of which amused us, others which made us say, "Damn, they should do that back home." (Yes, 'home' is still America people!) Between innings, they had cheerleaders that would come out in foul territory and... do what cheerleaders do. (I don't know, How do you describe that?) The concession stands were rather intriguing. You could buy edimame, octopus, and I think squid, but don't quote me on that one. Aaand, the aisle vendors, get this! Every single one of them was a girl. And I'd say, maybe 4 out of the 57 were ugly! These people are not fools!

But what was cool about the aisle vending, was how easy it was to order from them. They walk by and raise their hands while scanning your section, you just raise your hand and they'd jog up to you. There's no need for the psychological game of "I will attract this man's attention," we play back home.

And surprisingly the prices of everything remained reasonable. Japanese are extremely kind in most cases, in terms of the usual inflated price scale that accompanies American "This is the only place you can get what you need" situations. From train station snacks to temple shops, the prices remain the same (for the most part) across the board.

Oooooh, how could I forget?!? The craziest part was, when we entered the stadium. My brother, had not finished his Vokka by the time we entered (Wuss!) But we figured, we'd ride that 'dumb tourist' role out as far as possible. You can imagine our amazement, as we entered THE STADIUM, with drink intact. All they asked, was that we step aside and pour it in a cup. We looked at each other and said..."DAAAAAAAMN!" As the realization set in that we could've came much better prepared had we known!

The game itself was a gem. Both pitchers, were having their way with batters throughout. But I'll come back to that.

What was more captivating, was the SPIRIT of these fans. I have never seen anything like this. Some of you may have read the piece I wrote after the Brazilian soccer game I attended between Butafogo and Flamengo a few years back. But even this, surpassed their passion and thoroughness of fanfare.(yes, I just said 'thoroughness of fanfare!') No Joke, there was not a single at-bat that passed without the fans STANDING and CHEERING.

The way it works is, all the Giants fans had seats from right field to center. And the Tigers fans from left to center. And they were evenly split. When your team gets up to bat, you stand and you cheer. And Cheer and Cheer. And they kept going from the 1st pitch to the last. What was crazy about it, was how polite the fans are. In true Japanese form, they were very orderly in their approach. When your team hits you go..HARD. When they field, you allow the other teams fan's the space to cheer. I just couldn't imagine such a thing in America. Especially seeing as how we allow about 9 fans in from the opposing team in some cases. But here, it worked, and worked to a T. We had a crew behind us that had 2 Giants fans' and 2 Tigers fans' in it. They taught us the songs/chants for both sides and we sang along when we could!

But back on the field, the score was 1-0 Giants off of an early home run. The Tigers were down to their last 2 outs in the 9th, when the passion of their fans seemed to carry over to the team and literally seize the energy in the Dome. Crack! Home Run, next batter, Crack! Homerun, a few later, Craaack!! HOME RUN!! It was unbelievable. 5-1 Tigers on 3 9th inning homeruns. That place went absolutely bananas!!

The Giants got up and were quickly retired to end the game. Or so it seemed... Although play was undoubtedly over, we lingered for at least a good 10 minutes before heading towards the exit. Both my brother and I were utterly amazed to see that EVERY SINGLE Tigers fan was still in their seats. Well, AT their seats. Still singing, still chanting, yet now moreso in a rejoiceful state as they had captured victory. I'd never seen anything like it. I'm telling you not a soul wearing (Tigers) yellow left. When I looked at the exits, there was no flow of people, no movement at all. Unbelievable. I don't know how long they stayed, but we agreed, we'd never seen fans like this in ANY situation.

Simply put, Baseball in Japan is Serious Business! It was a delight to see it 1st hand.

And don't you know, just for good measures, I ran into my man Takaku from the Rising Suns as we were leaving the stadium. Moments like that make me think of the odds. There were 55,ooo people in that stadium. What were the chances that we would cross paths?? Gotta love this life!

FOOTNOTE: This was the end of my brother's stay. I talked a lot of trash about "My liver will be glad when you're gone." But I'll tell ya, it was sad to see him go. We had an absolute blast. But hopefully, that won't be his last visit to Tokyo!

Bless

I Am Happy Documentary

2009-07-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

I just received word that a documentary film entitled "I Am Happy" featuring music from Yours Truly, will be making its' World Premeire at the NY
International Latino Film Festival.

It premeires on Wednesday, July 29th at 3:30pm at Clearview Cinemas

with an additional show on July 31st. at 4PM

From what the director shared with me, the film is about the struggle of Brazilian's within the favellas (ghettos.) However, it's cast in a light where struggle is present, but not central. The beauty and joy of their lives is what penetrates the storyline.

I have yet to see it, but I am very excited to do so!

You can catch the trailer and more at.

http://nylatino.bside.com/2009/films/iamhappy_nylatino2009
or here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBgBe7fzM2E

Bless

Lights, Camera...Action!

2009-07-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

In perhaps my 2nd month here in Japan, I registered with an agency in hopes of landing some extra work on the side. Not to mention, increasing visibility, which is never a bad thing when an artist. Or..so I thought.

After a few calls to "keep this date open" which never manifested into anything whatsoever, I finally landed a part in a TV drama. What my part is, is not nearly as awe-inspiring as the fact that I got A part. I guess when you're black and have lox, you're a prime candidate to be a DRUG DEALER on Japanese TV.

Yeah Mom, I know, you're so proud of your Baby!! I'm not gonna lie ya'll, when the girl called from the agency and said, "Uuuuummm, I think you got the part but, Uuuuuhhh, it's aaaaaa, DrugDealerIsThatOKwithYou?" I did not have the slightest of moral dilemma! Of course, I have pondered the implications of the opportunity. But I've also factored in, the financial gains. And in this case, the End justifies the Mean! NahMean!

The shooting was real mellow. All I had to do was walk up to this guy and get a stack a money, then give him a little paper bag outta my back pocket. There was a hilarious moment in the beginning when they discussed how it was going to go down. I initially started to voice my "idea" about what it should look like, (prolly got about 2 words out...Thank God noone really understood English) when the DIRECTOR continued to speak and set it up the way he'd envisioned. And in that moment, I cracked up inside as I said... "Oh..yeah...that's why you're a director!"
And that's why "I'm an Extra!!"

The whole thing probably took a couple of hours, but what I was vibing on most, was how they shot it. We probably took about 15-20 takes. This from about 3 or 4 different vantage points. I'm interested in seeing the final cut because the way they set it up was...well...professional, I guess you could say. 1 very close shot of just our hands exchanging. Another from an opposite viewpoint. It definitely got my wheels turning with respect to doing videos and such. (hold that thought)

All in all, it was a cool experience. TV is a lot like music in the sense of doing something over and over and coming back to it later to take the best of it. Hence, I was right at home with the dynamics.

The show is called "Menkyou Helpers," and it's airing this Thursday at 10PM on Channel 8 (Fuji TV.) Check it out if you're local. But don't tell my Mom alright!

The Saga Continues

2009-07-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

I Love my brother to death. But if he stays out here much longer, I just may see that day a little sooner than anticipated! We have been going hard every night. Endulging in Adult Beverageness and soaking in as much as possible.

The beauty of Tokyo is it just doesn't stop. There's always a place to hang and always some people ready to get wild for the night. Whether that entails only 4 people in a club and a DJ to ourselves, or wall to wall folks, there is no shortage of opportunity to be out til sunrise.

In contrast to life in America, when you catch the train here at 5am you don't find winos passed out drunk on the seats, but rather suited up salary men. It's truly a phenomenon. There are 2 waves of alcoholism which present themselves on the train. The 1st being "Last Train." This ranges from anywhere between 11:45-12:30 depending on one's destination. It is very common to see trains packed to the brim and many a salaryman in rare form. The 2nd wave is "1st Train" which usually starts off around 4:30-5:00. This one is guaranteed to be entertaining! Japanese, being as humble and mild mannered as they are, certainly come out of their shells at 5AM and this is always a sight to behold. For me it's quite refreshing, because it reminds a lot of New York in terms of volume and absurdity. A shy New York that is!

Interestingly enough, nightlife is catered to the train schedule. So there are places that are targetted toward last train, and other events for 1st train. Staff transport also plays a role, hence, many a restaurant does not hesitate to PUT YOU OUT in order for them to wrap up business and get all the employees a chance to get out in time to catch their trains'.

Being the die-hard baseball fan that my brother is, we headed out to Roppongi last night to catch the All-Star Game on tape delay. Afterward, we sat out on a staircase sipping Chu-hi's and overseeing the games of the street as they played themselves out right before our eyes. I tried to convince the hookers walking by that my brother was in dier need of a "Massaji!" But he just never seemed to cooperate.

Needless to say, by the time we awoke this morning, neither of us had much energy or ambition to do anything. However, with Bub's days slowly winding down, I tried to light a fire and get us up and out at around 5:30. The move was forced. And it flowed as such for the next 2 hours as we dragged our feet through Shibuya.

But just when the night had seemed it was all going to waste, a glimmer of hope presented itself. Some friends of mine mentioned a festival jumping off in Iidabashi. We maintained our groggy state until we knew were nearing the grounds. Magically, we both took that breath of cleansing, where everything within said, "Alright, we're gonna give this one last shot.... ALIVE!" And just like that, we pepped up. Convo got lively. And so did the environment surrounding us.

Both of us had "Wow!" on repeat for the next 10 minutes as we made our way toward Yasukuni Shrine. There were endless lanterns, and steam filled food stands wafting a myriad of aromas on both sides of the walkway. There were some of the typical American staples of a festival, i.e. Cotton Candy, and Candy Apples. However, their version of candy apples were miniature. But such is the way in Japan. As for the rest of the vendors, they were, shall I say, Exotic. Fish on a stick getting cooked by hot coals. Some waffle balls thing, that smelled delicious. You could catch your own goldfish with a flimsy net that you were only allowed to use until it broke. And an array of other entertaining sights that each captivated both my brother and I time and time again.

As we neared the center of the grounds, there was a pavilion of sorts. Round in shape, with a statue's foundation shooting up the middle of it. A group of Japanese people were dancing around the pavilion as music played. This was accompanied by some well adorned people who poured their hearts into a traditional drum. There was one drum and approximately 8 drummers. Each drummer rotated mid song without missing a beat. It was a thing of beauty. This was without question the most authentic Japanese feeling I've experienced since coming here. The majority of women wore kimonos and the dance was a seemingly simple combination of gestures, claps and steps which flowed ever so pleasantly. Bubba studied their movements and later confessed to be prepping himself to join the outer g of group of people who were circling aound the pavilion. It was such a culturally beautiful sight to see people of all ages swaying around and very light heartedly moving together to traditional sounds. Bubba and I simultaneously acknowledged how happy we were that we dragged ourselves outta the house.

Eventually, we made our way up to the actual shrine. It was an impressive sight for sure. But the magnitude of the festival and setting gained significance when 2 japanese girls stopped to explain the history behind the shrine. It is a WWII Memorial. The place where the top generals who perished in the war are either burried or at least commemorated. We also learned that the countless lanterns were in memory of each person who passed. It was powerful. Especially when I compare it with the anticlimactic exercises we have in America to commemorate our fallen heroes. Needless to say, this left quite an impression. One I'll savor for as long as I can.

And day by day, I continue to discover more about this majestic country. I must confess, having my brother here to share it with me has not only fueled the entire journey, but also ignited a passion to see and do more with my time here. "That's what friends are fooooooor!"

Love

Kyoto: Day 2

2009-07-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

After putting in some good mileage on foot yesterday, and getting my previous sleep on a bus, to say I was delighted to lay down in that bed may be the understatement of the year. It was crazy. As I laid down I heard a mysterious "Ahhhhh" resound through the room. I looked at my brother and asked him..."Did you say that?" He said, "Nah, Dogg..That was your back!" Indeed it was.
The hotel rang us at 11:00, "Leave now Negroes," was the loose translation of what they said. But, as you know, my Japanese is a work in progress. It's actually been pretty interesting for me to have my brother visitting. I had not realized just how much Japanese I'd picked up until I found myself translating the brief gestures and inuendo's I could make out. The greatest dynamic I've become aware of is how comfortable I've become in a situation where a person is rattling off high speed sentences which make absolutely no sense to me whatsoever, yet I'm still attempting to pull a word or two out of it to (at the very least,) give a good guess at what he's trying to convey. This as opposed to my initial mindstate, which was "What the hell is this guy saying to me?" On repeat, from beginning to end of sentences.

After breakfast, if you call it that at 11:30 AM. (Which I do) We headed off to c. This was the one that had the most hype surrounding it, so we were both real intrigued to see what it amounted to in actuality. Let it be known, it did not disappoint, by any means. Set in the middle of a pond, the entire temple is made of GOLD! It is stoic. And the setting was tranquil to boot, creating just the right setting and mindset to take in the majestic feel of the place.

Unfortunately, guests are not allowed inside, but from the brochures we could see there is a pool on the 3rd floor of the temple. The layout of which appeared to have a real Divine feel to it. Wish we could have gone in, but I certainly understand why they keep the parade of tourists out of such pristine territory.

From Kinka (Gold) to Ginkakuji, the Silver temple. As we entered, we were handed an apology that stated, the temple is currently under construction. Yet we still had to pay to get in, so I was like, "Yo, there better be something in here worth seeing!" And let me tell you, the temple wan afterthought at this place.

By now we'd seen so many temples and shrines, it was gonna take something extraordinary to make an impression. And initially, when we walked up on the construction site, it was very anti-climactic. No silver in sight. And just the shell of a temple really. HOWEVER, as we continued along the path, we were guided through some truly sanctified grounds. The 1st of which was the sand, zen garden. Bubba had been longing to see one and he'd said so just moments before we entered, so we both smiled when we caught a glimpse of that one.

As I close my eyes, I revisit this very distinct feeling that emanated from the land. It's extremely difficult to bring this to words. Primarily because the feeling itself was unprecedented. But also, even the greatest of superlatives seem to fall short in terms of describing this. Attention to detail seemed to illuminate the entire setting. Yet, somehow amidst the "Wow factor" I found a great sense of peace. It struck me on a chord that resonated just right.

As the path continued, that energy continued to rise, as we stepped into higher and higher elevations. Soon offering a view from above the temple, and even greater, the city. Bubba and I spent a nice little while up there and just sponged the view. No talking, just breathing and acknowledging that we were really living these moments. As movie-esque as it all felt, we were really standing right there breathing that air. It was special. To say the least.
And thank God/Buddha it was! Cause when we left there, we ran into some tough luck! The next move was to check out a village which was old school and real traditional. A friend of mine from Kyoto, who was meeting us there, called me and told me we would not be allowed to enter because village entry requires a reservation. "Jenkies!"

With a look of despair, I looked at Bubba and said.."That's alright! I didn't wanna see that anyway!!" And just like that we were off to see a castle. That's the beauty of Kyoto, there are over 1,500 temples and shrines there, so you don't have time to get caught up feeling sorry for yourself. You gotta keep it moving and get as much in as you can...(if you're in that mindset.) Well, I guess we should've shifted gears a little earlier, cause by the time we got to the castle, it was closed. UNBELIEVABLE.

And just like any troopers, who set out on a spiritual journey and got denied twice, we decided it was time to DRINK!! Bub had found a nice restaurant up on a hillside which had a view that was ridiculous. It was there that the Sake began to flow, and the spirits got to getting lively! As is always the case, when I'm in a place where the scenery is moving, I can't help but wish my mother is there to share it with me. This was no different. But based on the prices on that menu, it was probably best she didn't make it!!

All in all, Kyoto definitely lived up to the hype. It's a place I hope to visit again, early and often. From the good natured people, to the refreshing natural scenery, Kyoto provided a much needed shift in gears. That being said, there's so much to take in there, that it feels like our 2 day adventure was merely the tip of the iceburg. I am truly appreciative of having the opportunity to actually feel that place. And I will be doing my best to preserve that image and feeling that I connect with when I close my eyes...and return to Ginkakuji.

Bless

The Japan I've been longing to see..KYOTO!

2009-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

My brother just flew in from DC the other day. He arrived with 2 goals. See a Tokyo Giants game...and see Kyoto. 3 days into his stay...we've fought half the battle. (G.I. Joooooe) But doing so is much easier said than done.

We left from Shinjuku station on the "Night Bus" at midnight. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed for the first 20 minutes. Proclaiming, "I'm not the least bit tired." As I had taken a nice lil 20 minute nap on the train, just 2 hours prior. Those proved to be famous last words, as I passed out something serious. Not awakening until 7AM as we'd just entered Kyoto City Limits. I swore I slept lightly, until my brother informed me we stopped 4 times as opposed to the 2 I'd remembered.

As our bus neared Kyoto station, we got a glimpse of the incredible sights to come. There was a HUGE temple to our right, that stretched for at least 3 blocks. It was enormous. I had no idea temples could reach such size. This crushed all previous expectations as I prepared myself to be blown away by the rich history that is Kyoto.

Traveling with Bub (Greg,) is always a treat. He's the type to research the hell out of every nook and crany of the city, then map out a plan of action. For those of you that know me, you know that is quite a contrast to my approach to any and everything in life, let alone traveling. But to his credit, researchers discover things like the 2000 yen (that$20) unlimited 2-day subway and bus pass. Not to mention, the rankings of each temple and shrine according to tourists' revenue. I busted his chops about the latter, but by the 3rd temple, I was like..."What's this one ranked? What's this one ranked!?!"

After a Japanese portioned breakfast. (So small I had to order 2.) We headed straight for Higashi Honganji Temple the one we'd seen from the bus. Although under construction, it did not disappoint whatsoever. As I said, Massive. However, the amazing part was, the construction that was going on. It turns out, it was to build a retractable roof over the entire temple. I've heard of stadiums with this feature..but a Temple?!? Impressive.

From there we hopped on the subway and made our way to Jujo station where a little walk guided us to Fushimi Inari Shrine which was full of bright orange gates. They were any and everywhere. Most of which had divine looking kanji on them, which frustrated both of us, because we had no idea what they said. It's an interesting dichotomy to be simultaneously Wowwed by a relic, while acknowledging only half it's significance can be percieved on account of illiteracy. Still gorgeous, nonetheless.

As we were making our way out of the temple, we crossed paths with a Turtle (Go Terps!) This may have been an omen of sorts as Buddha was attempting to tell us to move slowly and don't rush. Unfortunately, only hindsight would provide such vision.

When we left the temple we strolled back down to the main drag with plans to catch the bus. Enroute, we came across some school kids who looked to be on their "School Trip."

In Japan, most Middle School aged kids take a 2-3 day trip where they go to Kyoto and or Nara and go see the Temples and Shrines and such. They stay in nice hotels, and from what my older students share with me, it's one of the more memorable trips of their lives.

This being my 1st trip outside of Tokyo since my arrival 8 months ago, I finally got a glimpse of the dynamics I'd expected upon departure from the States. I don't know if they were just small town kids, or if even in the rest of the metropolitan areas in Japan there's not really that many black people. But these kids were oooooing and aaaahhhing all day. Stopping taking pictures with me. Testing their English, asking all kinds of questions...it was too cute. Bub was cracking up the entire time.... and I just sponged it up, like "Hey...I'll be a Star for a day. Why Not?!?"

When we arrived at the bus stop, we actually saw the bus we wanted pull away just as it was in sight. This put us in a predicament, as we now had 30 minutes before the next bus would come. Our choices were, wait, or venture off on foot and soak in more sights along the way.

The map showed a couple more temples not too far away, so we opted for the latter. Remember the turtle? Yeah...well, we scurried off. But our map but a bit vague. Hence, we walked..and we walked...and we walked...right on by BOTH temples and didn't even know it. Well that is UNTIL, we both gave each other that look and said.."DAMN! I'm exhausted!" Of course, I'd been the beneficiary of all Bubba's hard work and preparation. But all that walking in the heat, gave me a serious case of amnesia as I had no choice but to question his abilities as a navigator! For the record, I was that guy....talking all types of trash, but not once considering taking the map and attempting to get our bearings!! But that's what little brother's are for. Bicker and Bitch. Be a downright nuisance. But not help!!

Eventually, we staggered into the next cluster of temples and shrines. Just when we appeared to be on our last legs, we entered Sanjusangendo Temple. Talk about a rebirth! From the outside, it looked like all the rest. Perhaps a little on the long side, but still nothing overly impressive. Unlike the others, when we entered, they requested that we remove our shoes immediately. As we began walking in Bub said, I think you're gonna like this, this is the one that has....just as I turned the corner he said 1,001 Kannan Statues.... A-MAZING! My entire state of being shifted immediately. This was the first time I felt as if I was in the presence of something greater. Each statue has it's own individual style. And some of the more formidable deities stood before them. All of this was tied together by one enormous (I believe it was) Buddha who sat in the middle. I wish I had photos to share, but pictures were not allowed. Even that was a blessing, because this place had such a strong feeling to it, that picture taking would have disrupted the energy entirely. I can tell you now, at the end of Day 1, that was my favorite so far.

From there, we went in and out of about 4 more temples. Taking it in and snapping away photo after photo. And eventually, we made our way to the #4 ranked temple in Kyoto, Kyomizu-dera Temple. The setting alone, separated this from the others. All the previous temples were pretty much in neighborhoods. But this one was atop a hill, overlooking the entire city. Not to mention a (dare I say) beautiful graveyard, which led Bub to ask..."Is it OK to take a picture of a Graveyard?"

"Yyyyeah, if not, I'm sure you'll figure it out by the time you wake up tomorrow morning!"

Not only were the structures ornate but their color schemes caught my eye more than any of the other temples had. There was also the LOVE STONES! This one lit up Bubba's life! Appartently, if you can walk from one stone to the other with your eyes closed, you will receive the blessings of Love from Buddha and good karma will surround that area of your life. He made it! Perhaps I offered a lil guidance, but isn't that often the case with Love. The cool part was, everyone in the vicinity was cheering for whoever was attempting to walk the walk. So when they touched all the school kids and even grown folks in the area shouted out, "Heeeeeyy!" It was fun.

We checked out a couple more spots before hunger kicked in. I'd received a tip, to try the udon in Kyoto cause it's apparently different than that of Tokyo. I don't really remember the Tokyo taste too tough, but the one I had today was Deee-licious. And Bub was happy with his eel, so the sometimes difficult task of finding a place to eat in a foreign city, worked out just right for us this round.

As we left the restaurant, we got an unexpected treat. 5 Geisha's walked by, captivating the attention of all in the vicinity. There was one main girl who was telling them what to do, when to stop and let people take pictures and such. She looked at me, smiled and winked, then asked me for my number. I said, "Sorry Love, I don't do the whole Geisha thing, I'm into girls with booties and breast! But my brother here's pretty hard up!!" No dice..and we kept it moving!! :)

The only disappointment of the day came as we took a rather extended bus ride across the city to get to Kinkakuji Temple. This, the only one I had starred on my list as all of my students proclaimed its' excellence. It is also #1 in Bub's rankings. As the anticipation rose with each nearing footstep, we got slain in our tracks by the security guard at the front gate. "Clos-ee." We're closed. Just wasn't meant to be. However, we now know exactly where tomorrow will begin!

Can't wait!

Also visited: Ryozen Museum of History, Kodaiji Temple, Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, and Gion Corner (Geisha Headquarters!)

The Last Hurrah

2009-07-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

With only one full day left in Paris, I rose with quite the dilemma on my plate. Go spend the day exploring around one of the most historic cities on Earth, or go watch the conclusion of the tournament. Being the diplomat that I am, I decided to stop by the tournament for a little bit before venturing off to soak in more of the sights.

By the time we arrived, the stands were filling up. There was a good sized line to get in as well. I walked over to where we were the previous day, and there was not a seat in sight. At the last second, one opened up, but we were a party of two. Ever so Magically, the 2nd seat became available, as a man offered his seat to us so we could stay together. (and who says the French are all assholes?)

It didn't take but 5 minutes to realize we lucked out! Every single seat was taken, and security was on their jobs, not letting anyone linger in any area not designated to do so. And from the looks of things, Quai 54's security had been in the gym much more than we had, preparing for this one. It was about this time that Emma and I looked at each other and gave that look of surrender as we both acknowledged, we were in this for the long haul. There would be no sightseeing today.That being said, this tournament better deliver some history of it's own.

And Quai 54 did not disappoint. The team we lost to ended up making it to the final 4 before being eliminated by the eventual champ. There was definitely some strong ball being played. What separated the successful teams from not was height. The best teams ran with shooting guards who were 6'6", 6'7". And had a full arsenal on the perimeter and post.

We, (Japan) got a lot of love throughout the day. Not only did the MC, "Mokobe" give us multiple shout outs throughout the day, but everyone affiliated with the tournament was genuinely intrigued about our squad and what's going on with the basketball scene out here in Japan. It felt like this was a mutually beneficial exchange, as Quai 54 was excited about reaching further into the global sphere. All the while we were pretty happy for obvious reasons.

The tournament itself is an incredibly entertaining event. Basketball often times taking a side to halftime shows and fan games that captured everyones' attention. My personal favorite was a kids dance-off, where they brought out youngins who looked to be ages 6-10, and had them request a song and then do their thing, right there at center court. You should have seen these kids... they'd sound all shy and bashful when they were on the mic. But when the music dropped!!! Oh My Goooodness! They got so serious wit it. You couldn't tell them they were not in a Beyonce video. Not only was it cute, but it was a nice touch that complemented the sometimes barbaric efforts on the basketball court with a sense of humanity and culture.

However, the highlight of the day had to be just before the last semifinal game. People who could see over the stands started go crazy. Creating a buzz that carried throughout the stadium. The music dropped, and outta nowhere came LUDACRIS!!! It was nuts! Everybody was leaping up and down off the top of the bleachers as he played "Stand Up...Stand Up!!" And just when we thought it could get no better, out stepped....USHER!! Everyone was in disbelief! The two of them lit it up.

It was crazy though, cause after the show, when there was still a buzz in the crowd, the MC started saying..."Yeah Japan! Yeah Japan!! Is Quai 54 for real? Or What!? What do you think of Quai 54 now?!!" All I could muster was, "Woooww!! This is the truth!"

The championship game ended up being NY (Sean Bell All-Stars) VS. France (La Fusion) under the lights at Porte du Choisy. In the 1st half, NY's point gaurd Kareem "Best Kept Secret" Reid (former Arkansas PG) single handedly kept his squad in contention. In the previous games he appeared to be lethargic and often times disinterested. But that all made perfect sense once he unleashed the lion on these boys from France. But the bigs from France kept finishing on their end. Leaving it at about a 5 point game at half.

The 2nd half was all France, as they found their touch from the outside, burrying 3 after 3 after 3. Kareim Reid hit a couple in the beginning, but they eventually wore him down. The final score was something like a 20 point game, maybe worse. But my French friend confirmed, their roster was so talented that no French Club could afford to have all of them on one team. Needless to say, they were the creme de la creme. But we'll be back next year, with a lil something extra wit us, this go round!!

That night finished off in the perfect fashion. A long-time friend of mine, Native, whom I met out in Egypt, came through and we made our way down to Chatelet to grab a bite and catch up on old times. It didn't take us but 30 minutes before we dove to the depths of humanity.

Native is without question the most talented artist I know personally. With a wide range of influences which he's accumulated as he's globetrotted, his work has always had a great deal of depth to it. It turns out, Paris has been real good to him, he'll be heading to the Motherland in a few months to complete a few murals for on a stadium being sponsored by France's famous footballer Thierry Henry. But from what I gather, that's just the tip of the iceburg on his path.

Anyhow, I've always known Native to be a true intellectual. The type of guy to dap you up and appear to be so hood on the street, but then you catch a glimpse of his library and you realize this dude is a Genius. That being said, I never miss an opportunity to pick at his brain.

We discussed a good deal of topics, ranging from the inevitability of death and how we've come to define this stage in life we're in right now. Coupled with the Artist's Mind and the importance of utilizing the time we have. I'm never one to recount specifics which is a shame cause the brotha dropped jewels all night long.

However, the grandest of topics we touched on was Existentialism. The question arose, which came 1st Existence or Essence. I'm a mystic, so I was heavily on the essence side, but when he got to breaking down his perspective I was like SHIIIIT! Don't even tell me these are all definitions humans created in attempt to give purpose to their lives. It seemed as if every attempt I made to justify my perspective, (that we are all-knowing and one with Creation/Creator before being incarnated) got slain quickly by the simple statement, "But you had to exist for that to happen." It was intriguing and scary to say the least. But that's why I love building with good people. And Native is certainly that.

And just like that, the 1st light of day made its' way to the sky. This the backdrop to Notre Dame. It was a quick trip, with a myriad of emotions, but Paris certainly left its' imprint on my soul. I can only hope to return again...SOON!
~Bless~

~Gameday~

2009-07-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

After all this travel and preparation, the last thing we needed was confusion surrounding our game. But please believe, that's exactly what we had, right up to the last second. The night before, the 1st word was we'd be playing at 4. There were all types of beautiful explanations offered and it seemed like we were being placed in a prime position, in terms of visibility, on account of our groundbreaking participation in the tournament.

That changed to a very alarming 11AM start as we left the meeting the night before. But this changed AGAIN to "You need to arrive at 11, but won't play til the 4th or 5th game."

As it turned out, we started to get loose at about halftime of the 4th game...that's when we discovered we were actually playing in the 6TH GAME! For all my athletes out there, you know what it's like getting into your zone, mentally preparing to go to battle and locking in that focus. Needless to say, it was quite frustrating to have to ease up on the throttle and return to a degree of normalcy for the next hour. This after sitting in the sun for the last 7.

But it was what it was, and none of that had any relevance when the jump ball went up (at 7:30). The team we were matched up against was from France. It was clear from the start that our lack of size was going to be a factor. Either a plus (if we could outrun them) or a minus if we could not defend the post. I told the guys, don't stress, your 1st shot will probably bounce of the top of the backboard somewhere because of nerves, but we'll settle in and find our rhythm eventually.

We'd spoken the night before about establishing ourselves in the first 3-5 minutes to wipe clear any doubts that may be there. True to form, we did set the tone for the game, unfortunately for us, it was BRICK-CITY. We were getting great looks. Penetrating and dishing. Finding the open man. Taking the same shots we'd been hitting for the last 2 months. But this go round, none of us could connect. 3 minutes in, we were down 9-0.

After Matsu hit our 1st jumper, ST heated up, burrying 3 3-pointers to bring us as close as 5 at one point. But in the 2nd half, a few defensive lapses and continued poor shooting did us in. I ended up 1-4 from the free-throw line. And in a classic case of self-fulfilling prophecy, my 1st free-throw hit the backboard so hard, I saw a few people duck behind the glass!!

Free-throw shooting also did us in as this (so-called) rough tournament was officiated a lot tighter than any of us had expected. We ended up losing by about 15. It sucked. After all the wworkouts and energy we put in to get there, to have it all come to a screeching halt was quite the disappointment. I think what made it most frustrating is we didn't play a good game. Had we had a good showing and still lost, then so be it. But to not play to our potential when the spotlight's on,really sucked. But Cest La Vie...

For all of us involved it was a great learning experience in both life and basketball. As a team we got solid confirmation of what we'd already suspected....we were short and it cost us. Again, we could have won games with that roster, but our margin for error was slim to none without the bigs to crash the boards and defend.

On a personal note, it was a great experience for me to go out and compete against a roster full of professionals and still hold my own. Someone mentioned I had the talent to play in the B league in Paris, which came as a pleasant surprise, but a move I don't forsee coming to fruition anytime soon. For the time being I've got my hands joyously full here in Tokyo!

AFter the game we were all starving, but Jason decided we needed to go the Eiffel Tower straight away because there was no telling where everyone would be tomorrow. A rationale I respected 100%. At 9:55 I discovered that the grocery store was closing at 10, thus giving rise to the windsprint of my life! I will make it!! And I did just that..jogging up at 9:59, where I received a not so warm welcome from security who forbid me from entering the store. I begged and pleaded with the man, but to no avail. I smiled and gave him one of the "Thank You's" That translated to "Fuck You very much!" and kept it moving.

As I headed toward the train station, I saw the fellas and put in my request with Jason to grab some food real quick. Access denied. He was dead set on getting there as soon as possible. I bit the bullet on this one...not the least bit happy about the situation, but still being understanding of his vision and commitment to us throughout the process.

Once inside the turnstalls, a light shone from heaven and a choir sang out..."Aaaaaaaaahhh" God himself manifested right before my eyes...in the form of...a vending machine! YESSS! Atsushi, Emma and I all stopped to get snacks to tide us over for the journey. When we walked down to the platform... the team was gone!

UNBELIEVABLE! What could this possibly accomplish? We all still need to meet at the tower, so what are they just gonna wait for us at the station? Why couldn't they just wait for us there so we could all go together? No big deal, we'll see em in a second.

We got to the station and there was no sign of them anywhere. Forever optimistic, I said, "Come on, we'll just walk to the Tower, I'm sure we'll find em over there."

To make a long story short, we got there, and looked at every single tourist in the face all to no avail, as they were nowhere in sight. And there we were, at the Eiffel Tower, the most anticipated moment of my whole trip and none of us could stop and appreciate it the way we wanted because there was an underlying sense of urgency/disbelief/frustration with the way things had unfolded. We snapped a few pictures, searched high and low before resigning to the fact that we were not going to find them.

By now we were so hungry, it didn't even matter anymore. So we ended up hunting down a restaurant where we could finally sit down and feast. I must say, it worked out pretty well because Atsushi used to live in LA, so his English is on point. And he's a hilarious dude, so we ended up laughing the night away over pizza and some drinks.

As we were eating, I glanced to the left...did a double take...and shouted.."NO WAY!...NO WAAAAAAAY!!" Standing there across the street from us, were friends Emma made at our hotel a couple days before who were from Oakland. A father who looked to be in his mid 50's accompanied by his 2 sons, both of them cuties. They joined us and we all shifted to a kiddieland frequency, which was just what the doctor ordered after such a grueling night.

We later caught up with the team as they were heading to the station, and they told us we were the lucky ones, cause they were all hungry and in no mood to be sightseeing!! God works in mysterious ways!!

True to life, we've got those good days and bad days. But it's better to have them in Paris than at home!!
Bless

Day 2: Soakin in the Sights

2009-07-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

After lots of Pain Au Chocolat, we were off to the gym to get our last run in before the tournament. We took the subway to an undisclosed destination where I started to do my typical, "I'm not sitting here on this corner looking stupid, waiting for a ride. I'm in Paris!" And without saying a word to anyone, I started walking towards a bridge off in the distance. Just as I started to creep up on it, I turned back, and everyone was waiving me back...our ride had arrived.

My instincts were solid though. As we drove across the bridge, my jaw dropped...there was a breathtaking biew of the Eiffel Tower just 20 paces away from where I'd stopped. I gave everyone that look like, "See!"

At the gym we got a nice lil prep for the tourney as 2 monsterous brothas were playing for the other squad. One was about 6'8" the other 6'"5 with hops like none other. We banged with em, sometimes successfully others, not so much. But all in all it created a nice momentum prior to the big day.

Turns out, Jason offered a roster spot to the 6'5" guy. This created a buzz amongst us as a very serious void was on the brink of being filled. We stayed after and talked strategy and such and really generated a good feeling about our mindset and preparation for the game.

Well, an hour later, that move was axed and we were back with our original 6.5, with Jason standing in as an emergency role player. No problem Mon!

From practice we headed off to Champs Elysees, Paris' most famous street. We stepped off the train, looked up the street and all of us reached for our cameras immediately!

This...was to the left----->

<----This was to the right And everything in between was gorgeous too. Holla at me if you'd like the link to all the pix.. I'll gladly pass em on. The fun part of this whole adventure was taking it all in with the fellas. Up til now, everyone had been pretty reserved...(well, except when we got the J's) But this time everyone was bright-eyed and child-like. Snapping pictures, Hootin, Hollerin and making every noise in between!! This with the Japanese versions to match! Once again, the Eiffel Tower managed to sneak up on us. In the matter of just one turn, there she was...in all her splendor. We set up shop and took it all in for a good while. Truly humbled by the moment.

Not long after, I ditched the fellas. I had a date with a hottie. A timeless Love of mine, that dates back centuries. It had been awhile since we'd connected, so I had to lose them in order to give her her due. When our eyes met, my heart dropped. and my adrenaline flowed as she worked her magic on me the same way she'd done to many men before me. Mona...You Sexy Bitch you! I see you watching me no matter where I go. I know what your eyes are saying. I remember. Meet me outside of Ancient Sculptures at 10 o'clock. We've got some lost time to make up for!

She didn't say anything. But she didn't have to. She was feeling me... I could feel it!

From her we strolled through the Louvre (which is an absolutely enormous museum for those who don't know) to find Venus de Milo. Hooker! See that's my I roll with Mona, she knows how to keep a brotha guessing. Venus on the other hand all her chestesses hanging out for the world to see. Beautiful though, I must say. It's a bit overwhelming to take in so much in such a short period of time.

Perhaps that is why Jason's phone rang. And 3 minutes later we were all scurrying out of the Louvre to make it to a last second meeting back at the Quai 54 park.

If there were any feelings of disappointment at having to leave tourism heaven, those were quickly erased as soon as we got our official Quai 54 jerseys. Jordan brand, with headbands and socks to boot. It was so refreshing to receive 1st class treatment. Quai 54 definitely does a great job of taking care of its' participants.

This was also the 1st time we got to size up the competition. Key word in that sentence SIZE. There was some Gorilla Monsoon lookin brotha out there. Chiseled like Vin Deisel, but 6'9' to go with it. No fear up in here, but just a recognition that we've got to come like some real warriors to pull off some victories.

Absolutely starving, we closed out the night at an all you can eat Chinese restaurant. That's when the question was posed. 3 seconds left, down by 1, who's taking the shot? Atsushi got 2 votes, ST 2, my vote was with Mitsui (the boy's got ice in his veins) and that was that. Back to the cozy confines of the Etap hotel.

Oh...it was there, that we had our final team meeting. Settled on our starting 5. And discussed areas of focus for Saturday's game. Everyone seemed to be on the same page and it was nice to sit down and discuss our approach. However, in hindsight, that was a meeting we should've had 3 weeks ago. One of many lessons learned in this, the 1st go round as The "Rising Suns."
Hopefully not our last!

Departure/Arrival

2009-06-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Alas, the time to leave had come! However, there were still some fireworks to enjoy before departure. I met with our point guard ST at Gallery 2, the lone basketball gear supplier here in Tokyo, and picked up our newly tailored Jersey's.
As you can see, the jersey's are hot! White joints, Jordan Brand, with the Rising Suns logo on the front. This created a nice little buzz as I commenced to packing my things. Big ups to Gallery 2 for the sponsorship!

A few hours later we all met up in Narita Airport. 1/2 excited about the destination 1/2 dreading the actual journey to come. In total we flew for 15 hours. 3 to Taiwan, and 12 to Paris. Factor in the train rides to and from the airports, and you've pretty much got yourself a full day on mass transit. But when it's a free trip to Paris on the line, somehow, ya just don't mind such trivial things. As a unit, we all remained pretty upbeat and excited. Crackin jokes and laughing throughout almost all of our waking hours. And I stress waking, because I timed my fatigue up just right. Staying awake for the 3 hour flight and then passing out from right after the 1st meal to just before the final meal on the the 2nd flight.

I've never been one to criticize plane food. 9 outta 10 times, it's delicious. I don't know if it's because I'm now traveling in Asia or if the airline was just too cheap to invest in such things as legitimate chefs, but 2 of the 3 meals we ate were tasteless. The worst of which was when I asked for the "Chicken."
I was utterly displeased when I pealed back the foil to see some ground beef looking like stuff atop my rice. I asked the stewardess..."Uhhh, Miss? Is this Chicken?"
She said "Yes.." (as if I was an idiot)
Well, "What's this brown stuff?"
"Gravy"
All of my cultural inhibitions and attempts to be considerate flew out the window as my Japanese teammate, Atsushi, looked at her and said "GRAVY??!"
I hollered, "THANK YOUU!! I was over here thinking maybe I'm some kinda ignorant American who doesn't know anything about Asian cuisine, but you confirmed...this is NOT Gravy!! Thank YOU!"
We laughed, I ate, and it certainly lived up to expectations..nasty.

We touched down in Paris at about 6:30 AM. We were all happy to be there, but you would never had known it had you looked at our faces. However, things started to shift when a Frenchman approached, accompanying Jason, (our organizer) shook my hand and said, "I'm Fred...You're Driver!" I said, "Wooord?!? I like the sounds of that?" And this was just the beginning, as we stepped out of the airport and saw the official Quai 54 van there to pick us up. And in an instant things went from what was previously a dream, to a very very pleasant reality.

Just our luck, as timing would have it, we got stuck in rush hour traffic on our way into the city. A trip that should take 20 minutes was shaping up to be and hour and a half. But this was destiny! (or something like that) Fred decided to take us through the city instead. What a blessing in disguise.

As soon as we exited the freeway, I could feel the shift in energy. The 1st wave to hit me was just how edgy Paris is as a city. The streets had character, but even greater, the people have got SOUL! And it was oozing from their walks, clothes and antics. 5 minutes in and I was suddenly aware of just how docile the city of Tokyo is. And that's not a bad thing whatsoever.

I was steadily trying to make every light post or tall structure into the Eiffel Tower as we drove, but to no avail. But all those ambitions withered quickly as we drove across the Seine River and got our 1st glimpse of NOTRE DAME. Absolutely Breathtaking. From near and far a truly magnificent piece of architecture.

This got the ball rolling for us, as we continued to pass relic after relic with seemingly every block. The Pantheon, where many of the "greatest" thinkers and artists are commemorated. And countless other monuments and statues which attested to the rich history that characterizes Paris.

The moment we got to our hotel, I set out to find a patisserie for my 1st of many rendezvous' with the true love of my life "Pain Au Chocolat." I must say, French people got it right...They eat Chocolate for Breakfast! All the pastries and desserts looked incredible too. It was around this time, that I realized I could be a very happy man if I lived here.

Soon after, we walked over to the park to get our 1st glimpse of where the tournament was being held. They were still in the process of painting the court and putting the finishing touches on it. Even still, it was an impressive sight.

But not nearly as impressive as it was to see the pair of Limited Edition Quai 54 Air Jordan's awaiting us when we returned to the hotel. That was a stunner for all of us. But we were all smiles when we saw those boxes. I've seen prettier J's, but somehow, when they're free, they just look and feel a lil nicer than they would have.

After a lil rest, we hopped on the train to go play ball at a park across town. 5 minutes into our train ride a real cool guy sat between Atsushi and I and delighted us with stories about the city and insider's information. Our conversation was perfectly timed because it immediately put to rest any preconceived notions that French people are ill-willed or mean-spirited. Most notably to Americans. It was clear, this guy had such a good heart, and we'd soon see, so do his fellow countrymen. (and women)

Our basketball adventure got cut short, as the rains dowsed us early and often. We shot around in the rain for a bit before eventually making our way to our French guide/coach's neighborhood to eat a nice greasy dinner at the local sandwich shop. That's one thing I didn't realize I missed until I had it. A nice greasy sammich! But this one prolly clogged the arteries up good enough to last me til my next trip abroad!

Unlike Japan, it doesn't start getting dark til about 10 o'clock out here. So we were all in disbelief when we had to rush to catch the train before 12:30 to get back to the hotel. As fate would have it, I stepped down off of a cement structure and rolled my ankle on the curb. Talk about scared, I was speechless for the next 10 minutes. All I could think of was, "Damn! What if I came all this way, to end up not playing at all?" But about an hour later everything was cool.

And just like that...our 1st day in Paris was in the books!

Countdown No More

2009-06-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

We`re leaving out tomorrow. And there was only one glimpse of exhileration.... as I clocked out from work for the last time this week!! Don`t get me wrong.. I Love My Job! But somehow, it just doesn`t size up to playing in one of the biggest basketball tournaments on Earth.

If you haven`t recently, you should check the Rising Suns website. There are some cool videos up, that will give you an idea of what we`re getting into. Of course I`m doing every last push-up, pull-up, and sit-up I can squeeze in before departure. But ultimately, it will boil down to that moment when the jump ball goes up and where everyone`s heart is.

It was dope, my `best friend` from the neighborhood is a guy named Katsu, who works at the Yakatori stand down the street. He speaks no English, and I no Japanese. But through our telepathic powers, (the website) I managed to convey to him what we`re getting into. As I left his stand today, he gave me that stern look, pumped his fist, and said Gambatte! Which translates to Good Luck and Fight Hard. (Or something along those lines) And the look in his eyes was one I will carry along with me to Paris. Cause I could see in him a great deal of Sincerity and Pride. As if he said, Represent!

Only time will tell what becomes of all of this...but one thing is for sure... We`re Ready!

Ignance is Bliss

2009-06-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Looking back on the days before my departure, there was one common question that repeated itself over and over. `You speak Japanese?`

NOPE!

And here I am 7 months later...still illiterate, and grasping all of 37 words in the Japanese vocabulary. Unlike Arabic, I have yet to learn how to curse. But that`s just because these people are far too polite to even need such words. However, I had a recent epiphany.

My neighbors in the house next door all speak English. And it is common to overhear their conversations from time to time. (Especially seeing as how their windows are about 3 feet from mine.) Obviously, what someone says in the privacy of their own home is their business. And that which gets overheard gets overheard. But what I learned from the proximity is, with English, when I hear something, I internalize it. Form opinions (on occassion.) Attach ideas and thoughts to whatever it is I hear.

Yet the beauty of Japanese is, I have no idea what these people are talking about. Their tone sounds light and playful, even sometimes amusing. For all I know they could be talking about me like a dog, but doing so with a smile on their faces. And honestly, I have no attachments. Whether they are naughty or nice is on them. I`m living..and Enjoying!

Of course there are times when the language barrier is frustrating. Especially when I feel the hearts of the people surrounding me i.e. my teammates, and I know they are good folks. The type I would be good friends with. Yet we`re rendered to the simplest of expressions. But they are some hilarious gestures, I must say!

It`s been fun, finding common ground with very little use of language. In terms of the team, we`ve been cracking up early and often as we tell stories with more gestures than words. Lately, after we finish a set on the weights, we step up... puff our chests... out and say `PARIS!` in a deep musclebound voice. That is...until one of those sets drains the life out of us...then it`s more of a girly soundin...`paris`

Although there are still times I feel a bit alienated, I`m definitely fortunate to be the type of person who is comfortable living in my own headspace. Whether that`s with the team, or on the train. It`s crazy, to be surrounded by tens of thousands of people and still feel lonely. But I`ll tell you what, if they were all speaking English, I would`ve probably left this country months ago!

2 days til our departure...then we`ll all be foreigners!

Media Smedia

2009-06-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

We had our "Media Day" yesterday, which was a grueling experience for all involved. 4 hours of pictures, videos and interviews. I know, I know, I should be thankful anyone is even interested in something I'm involved with to want to go through such a process, but that's the last thing on anyone's mind when you reach that 3rd hour or so.

It was actually a nice event there. There were a few Japanese media outlets that showed up and had genuine interest in what we've got going on. I can't say that we're the talk of the town or anything, but we are certainly raising some eyebrows around here. Now if we can go to Paris and make some noise... I think a whole heap of people will take interest in our efforts.

As for Paris, this just in... Mickael Pietrus, of the Orlando Magic, will be playing in this year's tourney. Poor Mickael, he's gotta go from guarding Kobe, to guarding Me?? No rest for the weary right??

If this training is any indication, we'll certainly be able to run with the best of em. Although the talent level here in Japan pales in comparison to what we'll be matching up with in Paris, the good thing is, everyone here runs and cuts and passes in a similar fashion to the European game. So at least in terms of style of play, we've got a solid foundation. Anyhow..only time will tell. 5 days til we leave!!

On a music note, a friend of mine is getting married next weekend. He asked me to write a song for he and his wife. And to make a lil video for it. Today we filmed the 1st few scenes of the video. I have no idea if it will turn out corny or cool, cause it's kind of a sappy song, as can be expected since it's for a wedding and all. Regardless, my 1st video will be done in the next week. Whether you get to see it or not remains to be seen!!! But I'm excited!!

Blessings and Light

Japanese Temperment

2009-06-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

In the few scrimmages we've played so far, I've got a chance to get a better understanding of the mindset and attitude of my fellow teammates. In general, I'd say Japanese people are polite to a fault. Apologizing for any and everything. Often times when they weren't even involved in the problem at hand. However, as I reflect on my days in other cities back home, I must say, I'll take an unnecessarily(cause that's a word)-apologetic person over an inconsiderate punk a$$ ANY DAY!

The crazy thing about Tokyo is, there are something like 30 million people living in this metropolitan area, yet when I walk through the EXTREMELY crowded train stations, rarely do I feel any sort of stress or frustrations. My friend Theresa was just out here from New Jersey and she commented on how orderly everyone is. They wait in lines to get on the train and are very polite about sandwiching into a train car that has at least 25 more people in it than any New Yorker would ever allow. I will confess, I wish someone would just push em out! Believe you me, I've tried to play that 'intimidating black man standing at the door' card, but they didn't bat an eyelash at sliding their hand inside the train, FOR LEVERAGE, and throwing a hip right in. I'll give em credit though, they're real slick with it. They put their backs to you, and just PUSH. No eye-contact, no acknowlegement whatsoever. Just a "I'm getting on this train whether you like it or not." Deal with it!! (defeated voice) "And I do."

Back to basketball, 4 of the 5 Japanese members of our team play for a streetball league called "Legends." This is something similar to the And 1 mixtape tour that we see back in the states. For those of you who've watched any of the And 1 shows, you know things can get real heated, both on the court and in the lockeroom. With this squad it's been exactly the opposite. The demeanor that each uses towards each other is surprisingly respectful. Although this is the cream of the crop, I was expecting a little more fire during time-0uts. However, what I really love, is everybody's got a little swagger with em. Unlike most ballplayers I've seen out here, they're not afraid to just holler, for the sake of hollering. Hit a shot, and let someone know about it. I'm hoping that edge continues, as we'll soon be matching up with talent far greater than what we've seen so far here in Japan. But regardless of how it goes down, I know my guys are gonna rise to the occasion without question....... right guys??

Fiesta Fiesta!!

2009-06-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know know how to say 'party' in japanese, but I'm pretty sure the whole world knows how to say it in Spanish!!

We had our Rising Suns blast off party last night. Team founder, Jason Hutson's vision could have never been more evident. He started his own non-profit, Ballers for Hope, (now Hope 81) just over a year ago. The premise of which is to foster community and break down cultural and social boundaries by way of using Basketball and Sports in general. When I looked at the array of faces and nations being represented last night it was a tribute to his foresight and drive. Cause that man has really poured all he has into US these past few months.

I performed for a bit and it was a cool experience. Rocking for a crowd where only half (at best) of the people, could understand my words. Yet I could see they could feel it. There was a real subtle moment, that spoke volumes to me of the growth we've had as a team. It was midway through my 2nd song, when my teammate Matsu walked over to another ballplayer Mitsi, smacked him in the back and gave him that look like, "Yo...this is Free man, Get Yo Ass Up!" And the both of them made their way to the front and got all the way live!

There was a whole crew of female Japanese ballplayers in the house too, which was real dope. It really gave that feeling that people are getting excited about our invitation and showing us all kinds of support. Thank God my Dad wasn't there. He's on an endless pursuit for grandchildren. He would've been sizing 'em up... "Oh, Geoffrey look... she's 6'4"!! " with that look in his eyes saying (whisper this) "Maybe she's THE ONE" Using his japanese-english dictionary to tell them his plans for the two of us to make him a whole starting 5 of grandbabies!! Miss ya Dad!

But all in all, it was a great night. Everyone that came through showed us all types of Love. All of which seemed to add more fuel to the fire, as we keep preparing to Represent Japan out in Paree! I can't wait.

2009-06-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot, our website went up today. Check it out!
www.risingsuns.jp

It's Friday...You ain't Got no Job..

2009-06-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Unlike most, Friday happens to be my day off. Despite all the hard work we've been putting in as a unit, I still manage to find time to kick back and enjoy the choas that is Tokyo. It just so happened that a friend of mine's exhibition was closing out today, so we stopped in to show love and sponge some of his work.

The exhibition featured the ceramic expertise of D.H. Rosen interwoven with the photography of Ryan Bruss. www.ryanbruss.com Ryan's an incredible guy, who's got a good handle on the ebb and flow of the arts out here in Tokyo. Check out his work, it's definitely on point. As for this exhibit, it was cool, nothing that will lead you to re-evaluate your place in the cosmos or anything like that. But definitely a light hearted enjoyable display. I always embrace any opportunity to speak with artists about their work. And this was no exception as both Ryan and Dan added perspective to the pieces with their anectdotes and such.

After the session at the gallery we were starving. One of my boys recommended this restaurant nearby in Ginza. So we set out on what turned out to be a hour and half long journey, ON FOOT before arriving at the restaurant. And don't you know as we walked up, my eyebrows dimmed in disbelief as he tugged on the door just to discover they were CLOSED! Unbelievable! We ended up finding a cool little Yakatori spot where they overpour your hot Sake on purpose! It's phenomenal. I told the waitress, you just made a customer for life. She didn't understand a word, but still...it needed to be said!! As is often the case here in Japan.

Epiphany for the day: As I was walking through the train station, soaking in every possible person I could get my eyes on, I realized this basketball experience was changing my impressions of Japan on a much subteler level as well. After getting to know the guys on the team and getting a feel for their personalities and such, I now find myself being able to relate to passers by much stronger than before. I can sense their characteristics and almost feel what type of people they are. Every now and then I cross paths with a Japanese person who reminds me of someone from back home. (that's always a trip) However, now that I've got family out here, it's cool to feel that shift to a sense of interconnectedness with people I was recently feeling extremely alienated amongst. One

Pain is Universal

2009-06-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

So of course the initial inhibition is, 'Damn, how is this going to work? How can I blend in with a group of guys who already know each other well, and speak very little English?'

Well...the answer came a little sooner than expected. And came in the form of 'Coach!' Jorge Ivan, currently the strength and conditioning coach at Cal Berkeley, was so gracious enough to offer some guidance to our preparation and training for Paris. Thankful as I am, I cursed the day he was born at least 9 times the 1st day he took us out on the track.

There were 6 of us there. And let me tell you, nothing can draw a group of guys together quite like suffering. Coach saw to it that no more than 20 minutes into the workout we were all feeling REAL unified in our struggle. I was probably the 1st to scream (in anguish.) But I certainly wasn't the last!!

He had us tappin our feet in and outta ropes. Doing defensive slides for what seemed like miles. And evilest of all, he finished us off with SUICIDES! I haven't done those since High School. But to make matters worse..he TIMED us (the nerve of this guy.) So our 2nd run had to be faster than the 1st. Only problem is, I thought I was about to toss my cookies after the 1st. I was thinking 'How the hell am I'm gonna conjure enough energy to do this again? Let alone FASTER!?!?' But then I looked to my left, and my boy ST looked at me and said.... 'SHIIIIIT!!' And just like that, the language barrier had been broken!!

The good thing with coaches approach is he put us in teams, so we were constantly competing to better our previous times. This made for some comraderie amongst us as we got to clapping and shouting, routing each other on... That is, when we had the breath to do so.

Looking back I think that was a monumental day for our squad. Prior to that we'd only had conversations about what we were setting out to do. This solidified a commitment from everyone. Bound by our pain, there was a heightened sense of respect. As each of us knew, not only what we'd just been through, but also what it was we were getting ourselves into...

The Gaijin Experience Vol. I

2009-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I've been selected to play for a Japanese basketball team, the 'Rising Suns.' We're currently in training to prepare for our forthcoming trip to Paris, France to play in the biggest (in every sense of the word) streetball tournment on the planet, Quai 54. www.lequai54.com

'Gaijin' pronounced (guy-jin) is Japanese for foreigner (or something like that.) As one of 2 Americans' on an all Japanese squad, this is my attempt to offer a unique perspective of what it's like to wrestle with the language barrier and still find universal ground on the court.

With the tournament just 16 days away, I'm a do my best to give you a sense of the build up and preparation that the team, and management is putting forth to not only make this dream come true, but also give us the best opportunity to shine when our moment comes in Paris! Buckle in my friends...cause the ride has just begin....