Weed or Nah? The Rahman Experience Episode 4 Promo

Just God and Me and God

It was just God and Me and God.

I guess that’s the best way to describe what it was like for me in my first zip lining experience. I have seen the videos and heard people talk about it for years but it was never something that I thought about or even considered. I guess I had just put in the Steve Harvey “Wonderful Weekend” category. Steve said, only white folk would “tie a kite to they’re ass and jump off a cliff”, and zip lining was kinda like that.

Nevertheless, after celebrating a birthday and seeing things a bit differently, I wanted to check some things off of my bucket list. So at the last minute, I jumped in my truck and headed over to the Tallahassee Museum for Zip Lining!

After getting there, the cost was pretty nominal, so I paid the fee and I was ready to go. It took about 10 minutes to get trained in the group of about 15 new zip liners.

Hook this to that -- this way. Don’t step on this. Keep your eyes on that. The requisite safety talk 

Getting Started

gave us tips to stay safe but I could tell we were filled with part anticipation, part fear and part wonder. All ready for the journey.

Once certified – we headed for the first ladder.

Unlike other people in the group, I was there alone. I had asked 5 or 6 friends to join me and they had all chickened out. I wasn’t about to let that stop my progress. So to amplify the experience, I let other members of the group go on ahead and I was the last one up. Just me in the trees.

Being up there was exhilarating. I imagined what early man must have left like. Just being alone in nature. It was a rush that I think I had only experienced in being alone at the beach. There were no actual words said but the moments that I experienced spoke volumes. With my phone on airplane mode, functioning only as a camera, I started my way through the trees.

Although I was attached to a cable, I felt that I was there alone in the moment. In fact I was just 60 or so feet from the ground. Still, in that moment the air seemed crisper, the sky seemed bluer and the tress seemed greener. It was like experiencing them all for the first time.

As my journey continued, a young kid at the front of the group was a little scared to take the first jump. It held up the course for about 30 minutes but it gave me time to enjoy the moment. Everything happens for a reason. I wished him well as he found his way down via an escape ladder. Finally I made my way to the first of several zip lines. I will admit, there was a little trepidation at first but once I was sailing, I FELT FREEDOM!

As the course ended, if almost on cue, a gentle rain started to fall. It was like I was being baptized and cleansed as I made my journey back to Earth.

Later, I spoke to my mother and told her about the journey. She said, “what you just experienced is faith! If you have the faith that the wires would hold you up, then you have no choice but to have faith that GOD will get you through anything. Just have that kind of faith!” Prophetic.

That Sunday afternoon was an experience that I needed. Something that I won’t ever forget. I suppose for me, zip lining was my church in the trees. Just God and ME and God! 

The Robert Glasper Experiment

I LOVE Robert Glasper.

As a jazz aficionado, this brother has breathed new life into Jazz. Ala Miles Davis with BeBop! I can't wait to meet and interview him just to see what makes him tick!

I "accidentally" ran into him on satellite radio and was sprung! I wonder if he will collabo with other artists who have passed on. I'd love to see him do an arrangement with Erykah Badu, Nina Simone and John Coltrane. Well one can wish . . .

Check out this newest video from his new project Black Radio, available now on iTunes. It features Jill Scott.

Enjoy!

The FAA Finally Gets It

No longer the Federal Aggravation Administration

From the files of “I Told You So”, the FAA has finally gotten the message that phones and tablets don’t crash planes.

At one time in my career I was a VERY frequently flier taking 2 to 3 trips a week. So as you can imagine time was at a premium. From checking emails to reading newspapers and magazines, my time in the air was a solace away from the world. It allowed me to actually read books! Unfortunately, traveling so much meant that I couldn't lug around a library but I could have different books on my tablet. But then came my friendly neighborhood flight attendant. Of course they would always STOP me at the “good parts”.

Well during all that travel, sometimes I forgot to turn my phone off. Sometimes when times got a little stressful I would even play music (iPod/iPad) during take-off and landing and in all those times nothing happened. I wasn't trying to tempt fate, it just seemed like a rule that didn't make any sense and wasn't based in fact. I never really liked rules that didn't have a rationale, so this one was out of the window.

I’m glad the FAA has finally seen the light as well. It will work to calm those passengers that are a bit nervous about flying and it will work to improve the relationship with passengers and flight attendants.

Looking forward to getting back in the friendly skies, with the iPad in tow! 

James Webb is a Phenom

James Webb

Years ago James Webb decided that he would change the world through telling stories and he is living his dream everyday.

Webb is an Assistant Professor of theater at Florida A&M University and is using theater to “tell the story” through his latest work, Sibling Rivalry.
 

 “It was a chance for me to really talk about some of the issues that I have experienced in my own life”, he said.
 

 “Many of us have issues, we just don’t talk about them. Having the discussion through entertainment brings them to the forefront so we can have discussion”.
 

Growing up in Moss Point, MS, his days and nights were filled with family and church.“I was one of those six day a week church kids. My only day off was Friday and Sunday I was there all day”.
 

He says that those experiences are what created his destiny and define his path.Webb, started out with an undergraduate degree from FAMU. His path took him to the University of  Florida, where he earned an MFA in Theater. Then it was off to conquer the world. He spent a year in Hong Kong in Disney’s Festival of the Lion King and has scores of New York credits on his resume. He even starred in award winning playwright Ntozake Shange's seminal work Layla’s Dream.
 

Cast of Sibling Rivalry

Even with all of the success he enjoyed, there was still more that he had to accomplish and as an award winning playwright himself he is doing it and inspiring a new generation of performers.
“Being at FAMU, I write a new children’s play for our institute each summer and I am in the process of finishing my doctorate. Having this opportunity helps me to dig deeper and speak louder”.

Webb’s show “The Contract”, dealing with themes of sexuality, loyalty and relationships, won the Lorraine Hansberry National Playwriting Award.
 

He said that being vulnerable and authentic is where growth starts, a growth that he hopes to help germinate. 

Sibling Rivalry is currently running at the Southside Arts Complex 2525 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301. Show times are: Wednesday 10/30, Thursday 10/31; Friday 11/1 – All at 7pm; Saturday 11/2 at 2p & 7p; Sunday 11/3 Matinee 3:00pm

The Definition of a Spy is to Spy

I am a bit appalled at some of the allies of the United States. They act is if they are shocked that the US is spying.

Come on . . . the textbook definition of being a spy means that you covertly gather intel on EVERYONE not just your enemies. I am sure if you were privy to those records you would see that foreign countries spy on the United States as well. It's one of those pot calling the kettle black kind of things. You know?

Like NSA Director James Clapper says . . . it's par for the course.

What do you think?

Kendrick Johnson: Was It Murder

At 17 Kendrick Johnson was the pride and joy of his family but that life was cut short when he ended up dead.

Now the family wants answers and no one can tell them why.

After weeks of protesting for the findings to be released, Johnson's family decided to take it a step further. They blocked the doors of the local courthouse and were arrested.

The family says that they will keep protesting until they get some answers.

Here's an update.

Your Best Life: Elie Wiesel -- Hate is a Cancer

Harriett Tubman: One Hundred Years Ago Today She Was

March 10^th is a day that will forever be burned in my mind. Today is the day that one of the greatest American’s that ever lived passed away. Because of her, I am here right now.

Harriett Tubman, the Moses of her People, died 100 years ago today.

Yes, Black History Month is celebrated in February but truly, Black History IS American History. As I think about it we would not be in the place that we are today had it not been for her. She didn't allow herself to be defined on the way that she was born. Nor did she let physical disabilities hold her back.

Some may have forgotten that she was hit in the head with a weight as a young slave. After that she was pretty much relegated to what we would now call narcolepsy. She had sleeping spells that would come on her and put her to sleep for hours or sometimes days at a time.

Still she persevered.

Even with the fact that during her time women were considered second class citizens, with her Underground Railroad and efforts and Union Army exploits, she helped to free nearly a thousand slaves.

She is most widely known for staunch abolition efforts along with those of Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Yes, she changed history.

Tubman, also knew that women were much more than what the US Constitution was interpreted to mean. She stood with Susan B. Anthony and Emily Howland (yes, this black WOMAN and former slave) and challenged the status quo. Though she did not live to see the results of her work, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution is also a part of her tremendous legacy.

Today as we stand just months away from the Lilly Ledbetter Act and the resigning of the Violence Against Women Act, I am reminded of the tenacity and resolve of Harriett Tubman. Just one hundred short years ago, our world was so different.

I spoke to a young man a few days ago (he was only 20), who believed that things were finally equal. He truly believed that there was no need for minority rights or anything like Affirmative Action. I smiled and listened to him but explained why I had to disagree.

Without a doubt, I know that the vestiges of institutionalized racism and sexism still exist. Though I hope I am proven wrong, it will be generations more before we can really begin to imagine true equality.

Today I fondly remember one who paved the way for me. I am because she is. I can sit next to whom I choose and not have to serve or bow my head. I can choose and exercise true freedom and support women doing the same. Simply, because one woman chose not to be silent.

Thank you, Harriett Tubman. Today and always we are thankful and we remember. 

Recommended Reading to Open the Mind

There are great books that have really opened my man and help me to understand life even better. Here is a list of those books and authors. I hope that they will help you as much as they have helped me. Use this to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE!

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

By: Eckhart Tolle

Ever wonder about your purpose? Answer the Why Am I Here question and so much more. This is not a quick read book. Take your time and enjoy the journey

The Power of NOW

By: Eckhart Tolle

Experience the sheer JOY of Living in THIS moment! Here a primer to understand how.

The Fifth Agreement

By: Don Miguel and Jose Ruiz

These are five simple agreements that y

ou make with yourself to help you live your best life!

The Secret AND The Power

By: Rhonda Byrne

Learn The Secret then tap into the POWER of being you! Use the lessons and watch what happens!

The Alchemist

By: Paulo Coelho

This fable about a young man’s journey of self-discovery has inspired world leaders and the everyday man! Allow this simple tale to inspire you!

Happy Reading!

KNOW YOUR LANE

You know, Madame O (Oprah Winfrey) gave some great advice when she said, in an interview with Piers Morgan, “I know my lane”. Piers’ question was about running for President but what she said can easily be applied to life.

A rule of thumb for the way I live my life, has been embracing who you are right NOW and experiencing this moment to its fullest. One thing I know for sure is that when you try to deviate from the present moment awareness is when we experience “dis-ease”. It’s like trying to put the square peg in the round hole. It just won’t work and even if you can get it in, it never fits quite right and it hurts like hell going through the process.what she said can easily be applied to life.

I guess one of the recent things that I have discovered is that if someone knows what lane they occupy and they function well there – quite often it’s not for us to try and move them to the lane that we are in or where we think that they should be.

The epiphany came when I was recently traveling in Miami on I-95. While I was driving, it was

my decision to get into the HOV lane, pay an additional toll and move a bit faster than the other traffic. It hit me! 1) Not everybody is equipped to drive in the HOV lane and 2) some people are content going with the flow of traffic around them! Who would have thought that a drive would give me that much insight into life?

As I drove further, I thought about the exit that I would take. I was headed to Miami Beach en route to a Villa. On the way, I stopped at a store in Liberty City.

Now for those that know the Miami area ---Liberty City is the hood. I love my people and the hood will always be a part of me and my experience but I had a knowing that I would go farther. There are still some people that will get off of the expressway [of life] and be content staying right there [in Liberty City]. Even though, they know full well that only 10 miles or so away are some of the best beaches, most amazing restaurants and luxurious pads in the world. What’s even more important is that you can’t fault folk for knowing their lane and maximizing what’s there.

When you truly know your lane, you can make great decisions about where you are going and where you need to be.

I will always keep in my mind the directions to MY Liberty City because I know that the food is good, the people are real and there is always a lesson in the trip. Nevertheless, I know that my radar points toward Buckingham Palace and the United Nations and even the White House!

Yes, I know my direction and I have no problem switching lanes. How about you?

Random

So I am having a moment today and I think that I just realized that I don’t know “how” to be in a relationship! Can you believe that it took me 35 years to figure that out? I suppose there is not specific rhyme or reason as to how it works. Indeed that is the beauty of being with someone. Though, I am never one to say that things are fineto, I recently told a friend that I’m taking a break. Let’s see how that goes!

SPRING CLEANING

Lesson: My External Circumstances, Reflect My Internal Condition

 

Last night during a period of meditation, it struck me why things weren't going as I thought that they should. It was less about my circumstances and more about my condition.

You see over the winter months, I had allowed my office and bedroom to develop clutter. I thought because I had organized the "stuff" into piles that things were fine. In the end, it was the stuff that was the cause of problems. There were clothes that I hadn't worn in years, files I hadn't used in months and cords that went to who knows what electronic device of the day. And that was just the physical stuff, mentally there were remnants of past relationships that were in the "bin" waiting to be discarded but never went anywhere.

Regardless if I held on to these things or not, none of the things (or people) that were destined to come into my life could because there was too much other "stuff" in the way! Indeed I was blocking my blessings.

I spent the day mentally clearing out all of those places that were dark and cluttered with stuff. I re-gathered all of the hurts, heart aches and disappointments for one final trip. As I went through the sorting process, I made sure that I didn't look at those experiences as bad or negative but tried to learn a lesson from each one! As I cleaned mentally, I cleaned physically as well. I discarded all of the clothes, old cell phones, magazines, papers and anything that took up space and had no value. I even reassessed some things that I thought valuable and learned there was really no value there at all.

After that exercise, I feel lighter, better and more in-tune with my environment. I can truly say that I am ready mentally and physically for the things and people that the universe has in store for me. What a difference just a day and a little cleaning can make in your life.

Indeed I Am Crying . . . .

Just for a moment there was a tear on my cheek and I had no idea why. . . .

Indeed I was crying.

Crying for unintended consequence and the time to recompense.

Indeed I was crying. . . .

Iyanlya said a good cry with a purpose was all I needed but instead of an agenda – I just needed my space.

I just needed to release the pain of pleasure and feel the lack of knowledge that made me into the man that I was.

Searching and never finding.

Feeling and never knowing.

Being and never embracing. Indeed at this moment I was crying.

In the depth of my thought, I could see the place to heal my soul and dry the well that gushed.

Yet seeing and obtaining are two different things.

I cry because you hurt.

I cry because I love.

I cry because we are destined to try . . .

Just for a moment there was a tear on my cheek and I had no idea why . . .

Indeed I was crying.

Trapped in Love (Seat 6B)

I travel quite often and my two favorite airlines know my penchant for having aisle seats. Maybe it’s because I try to drink a gallon of water a day and want quick access to the facilities. Or maybe it’s because I just don’t want to disturb anyone if I feel like getting up. At the end of the day, the main reason is that I just don’t want to feel trapped.

I guess the same holds true with relationships.

Why do comfortable relationships with attachments make us run? I suppose that it is the feeling of being trapped. Maybe that’s why it seems like there are more open relationships and less firm commitments these days. People want to be able to exit quickly. I guess, I am under the perception that if we are in this together then we are in this together. Meaning quite simply – I’ve you got your back and you’ve got mine.

I guess as I sit in 6B and travel home, I too have an exit strategy for getting to the restroom and as it would appear for getting out of relationships. You know as I think about it – when I have had to take a window seat there is a really great view and someplace to rest my head! Relationships too offer hidden comforts but most of us choose to look at the drawbacks.

As the journey continues so do the lessons. Perhaps as time progresses, I will take a window seat without being forced. Then, just maybe the journey will be the start of an event stronger foundation.

Text-ed: Is That Really A Word?

So I am sitting on a plane the other day and I hear someone in conversation with a friend.

“Girl, I texted him and he didn’t even text me back”, she said.

As she spoke my hair stood on end. Did she really mean that? Of course not, I thought. I dismissed it.

A few days later a popular show came on TV and the character said that he “texted” someone. Again, I am thinking – “how did this get though network censors”?

Again, in conversation someone said, “I texted you that number the other day”. By this time I was out done. I knew that I had taught English before and from everything that I had learned as a teacher ‘texted’ was not a word. Of course I did the requisite research on-line and there in the Urban Dictionary the word ‘texted’ what right in front of me. Then again this was the Urban Dictionary so did that really make it a reliable source?

It’s just in all that had learned over the years – I was really over hearing the words ‘texted’ or ‘texting’. But what could I do? Truthfully, nothing! I am a purist on most things so in my estimation the proper thing would have been to say, “ I sent you a text message” or “I was sending a text message to you”. Then again who really does things the proper way?

So I will have to suck it up and hear people conjugate words in all types of weird ways. I guess at the end of the day we just make it up as we go along – that is the American way!

Now I'm Back Again

Hey Blog world! (*To the tune of Slick Rick’s Hey Young World) I’m baaaaaaaack! With my blogging addiction, I am not sure how I stayed away so long. But I am happy to be back on the block, letting the world know my thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Well since I’ve been gone, here’s a quick Dave Letterman list of what you missed.

10. George Bush almost got hit in the head with a shoe.
9. George Bush left office!
8. I got a job!!
7. Uncle Simmie died.
6. No4Real moved to DC!
5. I met someone special!
4. I realize that I kinda miss Philly.
3. I live in the NOW more often than not.
2. I am composing my own Presidential Poem.
1. Barack Obama is the President of the United States.

On a different note, my heart goes out the families of those that were involved in the Buffalo New York Plane Crash. I cannot imagine how the families must be feeling but I have to take solace in the fact that – this too shall pass. There are all things that we have to go through in life and we have to take solace in the fact that life will ebb and flow but the most important part is that we live it!

It’s been seven months and there is so much to talk about so check back often. Until then . . .

Do The Signs Really Work? Well Zodiac That Is . . .

Granted I am not a relationship expert and being as though I am not in one I shouldn’t have any comment. But in some stroke of luck I always manage to give relationship advice that works. Go figure!

The other day a friend and I were talking about Zodiac Signs and how that if people spend time looking at their signs, maybe they could come up with some type of indicator of compatibility in relationships. Now I am not a zodiac fiend but I do take a look at the scopes from time to time and in dating have taken a look at how compatible I’d be with this one or that one.

So I took a glance at his book and I was taken aback. He was telling me about looking at a specific page about the relationship with his current girlfriend. I almost dropped the book! The passage described their relationship in great detail. I was confused and slightly intrigued.

Recently, I met someone who happens to be a Scorpio. I am a Gemini. Of course based on the fact that we are (from what I thought) diametrically opposed. I said to myself let me enjoy the moment and get to moving. Then I thought, “I am not in consciousness. I have already ended this thing and moved along before it even got started”. So I choose to do just that to deal with what was in front of me for the moment.

What I had not understood in the past was that there will be some good and some bad. There will be some great loves and dramatic hurts but until you are fully committed then it is impossible to learn the lessons that the universe is here to teach. We spend so much time worrying about what will happen in the future and what could come that we don’t do what we can to take advantage of what is in front of us right now.

I let preconception go. Instead of following zodiac signs, I followed THE SIGNS. I enjoyed the opportunity and I can’t say anything particularly spectacular happened but because I was there in the moment what was supposed to happen did. As in life, I am available to learn the lessons.

Ever notice that sometimes when you are dating or in a relationship that you end up again in the same type of situation that you swore you’d never be in again? You think, “how in the hell did I get HERE again”? The answer is simple. Because you didn’t fully commit and learn that lesson, you have to repeat the level again. Often it’s more painful each time you take the journey no matter how different the skirt or pair of pants.

Here and now, I choose to be open and available. I will experience the hurt and the joy and though it all I know, “this too shall pass”. Does this mean that I won’t look at the horoscopes and see what may come from that new opportunity? Nope. I will always sneak a peek. I know what happens is more a result of my reactions. More firmly, history (or the stars) cannot control my destiny.

Contact vs. Connection: A Lesson Learned

I am not really sure that I knew the difference from a contact versus a connection but life finds the most interesting ways and places to teach you things. In true respect for this life, I listen.

In a recent conversation with a great friend he said something to me that was very key and it rang true for our friendship. He said, “you know when you meet people, there are contacts and connections. Through all of the people that were there when we met, WE connected”.

Let me explain our friendship. I met him at what was truly the start of my blogging career. I had just been introduced to blogging by my fraternity brother No4Real4Real before attending the American Black Film Festival held in Miami. I went to the festival to get some great blogging material and to participate in Bill Duke’s Actors Boot Camp with actors from all over the globe. I was there not to make friends but just to learn.

In the room during the workshop they were calling students to perform monologues so that Mr. Duke could critique them and we could all learn. Some future stars were there that day – Lamman Rucker, Lance Gross and even Wendell Pierce. They were calling the participants from a lottery and with so many ladies in the class there were no brothers that had been called to perform. Finally, after seeing several great performances by some stellar ladies – they called me. Of course the few guys around me whispered as I went to the stage, “come on man, for the fellas”! As if I needed more weight on my shoulders.

I stepped up, did my thing and when I came back to myself, I noticed that everyone was standing and clapping. “I” however was lost in the character. On the next break I met several other brothers and sisters (we were really close after that class) who congratulated me and talked about working together. In fact my friend from Chicago and I only spoke once, right then and it was for all of five minutes.

Then we went home. Back to our lives and trying to make it in the business.

One day the phone rang and it was my Chicago friend. He started out saying, “I’m not sure if you remembered me or not” but I of course I let him know that the workshop was a life changing moment that I could never forget. Our conversation started and when I looked up we had been on the phone for more than two hours.

Since then we have talked consistently. Not just about acting or the business but about life. Of course there are the requisite talks about upcoming auditions or new headshots but family, relationships and the evolution of our lives dominate the landscape of what we talk about. Now here is what is even stranger, since we met we have not seen each other physically. Either we are not in the city when we are near or something prevents it but we only have our phone conversations and the occasional email.

At the end of the day, we are friends. We are bound by nothing in particular yet bound nonetheless.

That day, even though it took us time to realize it, we connected. We connected on an ethereal level. Not wanting anything from one another. Not expecting anything in return. We were just two conscious beings greeting each other in consciousness. Truthfully in pure LOVE!

Lesson learned! I can see the difference between a contact and a connection. I am happy to have learned the way I did.
Now in the words of the infamous MaDea, “Peoples are in yo life for a reason a season or a lifetime. YOU gotta figure out which one. Don’t go trying to keep them seasonal people ‘round ALL your life or you’ll mess up everytime”.

Ain’t that the wisdom of the ages! Now that’s one I’d like to learn without all the hard homework!

The Strangers - Passing Love

Yesterday, I went to the movies and I finally saw The Strangers. Although it was good and suspenseful, I really didn’t get it. I thought it was supposed to be really scary so of course I decided to go during the day.

WHY?

It definitely wasn’t as terrifying as I thought that it would be. I suppose if maybe I knew why there was so much killing going on, it would help. But I guess that’s what added to the mystique of the movie.

Anyway, I am so grateful to A New Earth and the things that I have learned they have really kept me afloat and understanding the purpose of NOW. However, the thoughts that are in my head never disappear. That’s cool. It’s just that now I can identify them as just that, THOUGHTS. They don’t control me they don’t sustain me but they are truly interesting. So I still see the thoughts and will write about the thoughts as they are. I will even experience the emotions connected to the thoughts. However, I can always hold to the truth that regardless of what happens good or bad, this too shall pass!

I know that one of the topics that most people write about are relationships and how and the lack of understanding about their evolution. Truly at the center of many of those issues is SEX. You know one of my girls started me watching Sex in the City and the premise of it became so very interesting. I almost though of starting another blog simply called SEX: A Man’s Code Word for Relationship! HA HA! Wonder who would have read that one.

Anyway, right now I am dealing with somewhat of a relationship/intimacy issue. I am “there” (meaning in the moment) and I know that this will pass but part of me doesn’t want it to. I think I really realize that the ego more and more just wants to have and needs attention. It may inflate or deflate itself on a regular basis just so that it can be in the center of what is going on. It’s my job no matter how painful to experience this expression of the universe and know that it is only temporary. Damn, you know it’s hard when it hurts but I’m a trooper.

Maybe I’ll take time and hash out this issue. Maybe in my gratitude journal. Or just maybe just for a moment I can just BE! Humm now there’s a novel thought.

Have you ever thought that you weren’t destined for love? I have often said that there were those like Dr. King and Malcolm X who’s life did not belong to them or their families but to the world. Maybe in that even though they had families they were supposed to focused on their purpose for being here. Just a thought. You know I still feel that I have a lot to give to the world and to love. It just will happen when it does!