(Band plays opening to "I Got Your Money" by Old Dirty Bastard)

Good evening you beautiful people out there. How's it going? Amazing, yes?

That's what I figured. Mmhmm. I want to welcome you back for the long-overdue, overwhelmingly-anticipated, undoubtedly useful and universally-applicable second edition of Professor ChrisAlexander's Guide to Eating Out, better know as...

(audience joins in)

(cheers)

(with fervor) Yes, yes!

If you haven't had the blessing of participating in the first episode, please refer back to it and enrich your life today.

Go ahead. Click HERE. I'll look the other way.

Today has turned out significantly better than anticipated. Had a great workout at the gym, thanks in part to a a potential workout buddy. We rode to the gym together, but worked out individually. This is quite fine, since the fact that I made it there is what's worth celebrating. Gotta get serious about working on my sessy. Shit.

After that, I stopped off by Iliad Bookstore in North Hollywood and raided the shelves. They're my favorite used book store here. I can find most older titles I seek, and there's always some type of sale. The walls are lined with boxes upon boxes of books. *quivers* I would love to one day have sex in a bookstore, but that's a different blog post altogether, right?

Anywho...this day, I wound up treating myself to ten books.

James Baldwin - Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin - Nobody Knows My Name
Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist
Richard Wright - Uncle Tom's Children (already owned, sending to a friend)
Richard Wright - Native Son (favorite book ever, also sending to a friend)
Richard Wright - Black Boy
Richard Wright - Lawd Today

and three anthologies: Black Voices, New Black Voices, and Three Negro Classics (all for $2.50 apiece).

Ten books. $28 spent. iWin.

Fueled by a motivating chat with the homie, Vaughn, I'm making my way through Uncle Jimmy Baldwin's entire collection. I mentioned that I feel like I should be able to quote Brother Baldwin, and make references to his masterpieces with ease. So, I am making it my business to read as many of his books this summer as I can. Just finished Baldwin's "One Day When I Was Lost", which is a screenplay based on Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X. A great read.

I've also began a new collective writing project/group, which I can already see will be insanely beneficial and inspiring.

Now, off to go flex my teachers' pet muscles in writing class. Also spoke with the instructor for the next writing course I hope to take this fall, The Personal Essay. YES. Quite geeked.

As for dance....I still can, yes. My passion is shifting as I anticipated. Writing is more rewarding for me, right now. It's something I've always brushed off as a hobby, and, seeing growth as of late, I'm running with it right now. Oh dance, I have not forsaken thee.

I believe one more round of essay revision is in order before class.

How's your week thus far??

all feedback is welcomed. yes, even those of you in the Bronx.|be notified of new posts: Subscribe

Hi there.

Yes, I am alive. I am not dead (word to P!nk), but have been a little busy as of late. This is a good thing. I've spent the past few weeks living, fasting, eating, writing, reading, sharing, re-writing, assessing, growing, dancing, planning, and loving.

 Life's been good. I've obtained some needed clarity on a handful of issues. I've grown even more comfortable with my introversion, accepted being single, found new perspectives on old relationships, and taken risks creatively. I truly have no significant complaints.

The writing course I'm taking at UCLA has been a blessing. To have an audience to comment and provide feedback on my writing from a technical standpoint, not just the subject matter, has been extremely helpful. While I may have been intimidated in the beginning, I've come to anticipate that meeting of the minds each week. I'm getting more from the class than I anticipated originally, which is also amazing.

I am usually the first volunteer to read our writing aloud. I crave the feedback of fellow writers, and I get it, overwhelmingly. I also may or may not have had the "strongest essay" last week. That's just an added bonus...a damn good one.

I'm currently toiling with a lengthy personal essay on a major life event. I love the development thus far, and passed on turning it in so I could complete it. Unfortunately, it's well over the 500-word requirement, so...some pruning is on the horizon for sure.

Working on a television project, which has been both interesting and eye-opening. More on this later.

This week, I have also been blessed to meet a promising, insanely dope individual. Artistic, intelligent, honest. The bomb thus far. I'm a fan of taking things slowly, but...when you know, you know. And even though he's thousands of miles away...he's already eclipsed anyone I've encountered romantically in this McWretched ass city, by far. And that's okay.

Again: no complaints. Just been busy living life. I haven't abandoned you. Hopefully you're still out there, reading...and living your life as well.

peace.

all feedback is welcomed. yes, even those of you in the Bronx.|be notified of new posts: Subscribe

all feedback is welcomed. yes, even those of you in the Bronx.|be notified of new posts: Subscribe