American Black Man

It's so hard to be a Black Man in the United States of America.

My friends, you just don't know. You just don't know.

posted from Bloggeroid

Sunrise

I love a beautiful sunrise. One of the perks of having a long commute to and from work each day is that, for much of the year, I get to see some of the most beautiful sunrises (and occasional sunsets). There's nothing like the wakening of a new day to snap me to attention and fill me we awe and with gratitude. Life on Earth...it's a beautiful thing.

Sunrise 11/20/2014, as seen from the MARC train, West Baltimore Station.

Pants

Everyone knows that pants are amazing.

Pants are worn day in and day out. It takes a lot to make pants "dirty". How many times do you wear a pair of pants before you throw them in the wash?

As soon as I take off a shirt, it goes in the dirty laundry basket. Sometimes, even trying on a t-shirt, no matter how briefly, is enough to make it "dirty" for me.

But pants...they have staying power. Pants defy dirt. Pants are amazing.

And by pants, I mean slacks/trousers. Not underwear. Underwear are very dirty indeed.

Gouging

I remember a time when you checked into a hotel, and they advertised "Free Cable!" You could get coffee, an iron and board, a hair dryer, a microwave, a fridge, internet access, and more in your room. It was a part of your expected accommodations.

Now it seems there's an extra charge for everything! There's a bottle of water in my room right now that is marked "$5.00 - A fee will be added to your room bill if consumed". What?

Also, the remote control turns the TV on, to the internal "buy this movie for $6.99" channel...and does nothing else. I had to get up and manually change the channel. Yay.

First world problem, I guess.

Loki

Loki is my cat. He is 8 years old and thinks I'm his mama. He was such an ornery kitten, I'm glad he's grown up! He needs lots of attention...like me, I suppose.

Lessons from the Fast Lane

I always wonder why there are people who get in the fast lane and drive exactly the speed limit - or slower. What is the point of that? Are they trying to teach us speed demons a lesson? Isn't slower traffic supposed to stay to the right, so that the rest of us can pass on the left?

Or should I just take a deep breath and slow down? Hrm...

Why?

Of all the questions one can possibly ask, 'why' is probably the hardest. Even 'how' is easier to answer most of the time. I ask 'why', a lot.