Stuff....

Almost hump day... Hooray! tonite was dooooope! Had like 20 folks in my class ~ sweet! The 40+ dope ass dancer came back too -- homie has major energy and precision =) "Switch" by Will Smith is the knock by the way! I think I may have a stalker in my class though-- an older lady no less! Somebody help me =( I played 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" the other week and she started doing some hoochie, squat, grind to it. *stomach feeling queasy again* I used to love that song so much -- now I feel icky when I hear it >(
On my way to teach, I had this bomb ass idea for my MPH portfolio, which will soon turn into a book. You'll get glimpses of it soon, but I don't wanna give out all my nuggets of dopeness -- someone mite steal-- hehe.
Supposed to be going clubbin' with my crew and fam on Saturday nite-- this ought to be interesting. I feel it in my bones -- blackmail ammo, I mean stories and pics to come soon. Haven't been able to act a fool with cool folks in a minute -- I think I need more clubbin' cronies -- I need a release.
Saturday morning, gonna check out a conference the American Cancer Society is hosting at Mills College -- I'm looking forward, this will definitely help with my summer internship and final project -- I'll share that soon. I'm soooo juiced about it!
Glad things are picking up a little bit, been going through the melancholy roller coaster -- feeling a bit excluded somehow. Eck, weirdness. Feeling better, but could still use a hug...
Last but not least, nuggets of wisdom my homie Shawn Paul shared with me through IM on the dating issue:
Me: what i don't get is why some guys dig those shallow girls -- the ones that treat them all wrong and shit
Shawn Paul: all guys love the bitch
Me: how come? i asked about the lovin a bitch question to another friend and never got a clear answer
Shawn Paul: guys just love the bitch...i think its about the challenge of it all
Me: the challenge of tryin to win her over?
Shawn Paul: i guess... figure her out
Me: eh, just doesn't make a lotta sense to me... especially when a guy can do better... or deserves better at least
Shawn Paul: true... it doesnt
Me: ay yi yi -- if all this shit could only be easier
Shawn Paul: it wouldnt be any fun!
Me: i knew that was comin... lol!
Leave it to Shawn Paul to always find some positivity in a bullshit situation =P

Little moments…

The other day I checked my e-mail from a friend of mine about what would have been his wife’s 27th b-day. *Sigh* my friend Amilca passed away after a tough battle with leukemia in December of last year. Aside from her legacy as an awesome artist (both in spoken word and artistically), she leaves be hind an awesome family – a devoted husband and beautiful nearly 2 year old son. In the e-mail, my friend asked us to celebrate Amilca’s b-day in our own special way. While walking last night, all these thoughts in my head began to swarm around – I figure one way to celebrate her b-day and legacy is by making sure to tell those you care about that you love them. Time is truly of the essence and by not letting those that you care about know you love them, it’s hard to do so when they are gone. I still surf back through my e-mails to read the ones that she sent me (please note: if you have ever sent me an e-mail, especially a really good one, I don’t erase them – gives me something to smile, laugh, and pick myself up with when I’m down). So happy b-day Amilca! We miss you, but we know that your spirit is definitely here “Woman Warrior”!

The things I learned this week…

Time is of the essence, so keep a damn schedule:
I looked at my calendar and it is a mess – literally! All these damn post-its, papers, and whatnot. All this stuff I need to do… ay yi yi! Thank goodness it’s stuff I actually LOVE!

I’m a mad woman on the road:
On Wednesday, I went from Oakland (from my nice comfy bed), to Berkeley (to pick up my boss and colleague for a conference), to Sacramento (where the conference was), to San Francisco (to get my education on), then finally home to Oakland (to go to bed). Thank goodness my E. Honda holds up and I had an ass load of good CDs to tie me over.

That I’m a driving masochist/Let others do the driving some times:
I nearly did the same the following day. On the way back, my boss offered to drive and said that I should just chill and fall asleep in the back – funny thing is that I can’t fall asleep in cars, especially when someone else is driving MY car. My boss is an awesome driver no doubt, but I still think we have that internal ownership mechanism that causes us to worry and panic when someone else takes control of what we create or own. I felt myself hitting the “imaginary brake” like my bro and mom have mastered ever so well. I guess having my boss was a trade off those since she let me joy ride, I mean barrow her wheels once… hehe.

Hanging around innovators definitely rubs off:
This conference in Sacto was put together by our funders and was a way for us to see all the amazing things people in our field are doing across Cali… which is some really cool, innovating, and life altering stuff! There was one youth team promoting health with spoken word, rap, and singing – so talented and impactful. It’s funny to finally meet those folks you constantly call for technical assistance (i.e. How did that shit work? How can we incorporate it here? – well, not like that, but you get my point) face to face. Again, good and powerful stuff.

Education is FUNdamental!:
At the conference, I was taking all these notes – not just for my work, but also jotting down things that will help me in my entire educational process – whether academic or experiential. Indeed, everything is a learning experience.

It’s hard to teach people the difference between schooling AND education:
This is too long to explain for here. I will some other day. To start, can you all venture to guess what the difference(s) are? They’re no right or wrong answers – except if you disagree with me, then yours are all wrong…muhahaha!

Dance is life:
My homies Mylene and JB joined me on Friday for the kick off of National Dance week in Downtown Oakland – in case you didn’t know there are free dance classes all around the Bay from now until May 1, so check some out if ya can! Mylene and I are on a team to do a training on how dance helps you cope with emotional aspect personal loss (i.e. death, divorce, a break up, etc.). It’s amazing how the best dancers or the people that are really amazing in whatever they do have gone through so much pain and hurt.

Capitol security guards can easily be pervs:
My boss and colleague and I went into the capitol building to snoop around and whatnot, and my damn boots set off the security check point bells and whistles. So I had to raise my pant legs to show I wasn’t concealing any weapons. I think he just wanted to see my sexy legs. I can imagine “Miss, I think your underwire set off the alarm. We have to investigate.” Such an opportunity to be an overt perv. How many have taken advantage… hmm…

Tell a story:
At the conference, we had a speaker talk about the importance of story telling in our field – how that aids in conveying what you need to the communities you seek to or are already serving. That it’s important to lead with a combination of head (logical information), heart (emotional), and hands (collaborative). If you are too heavy in one area, you may stand to lose many. He also talked about how stories frame our identity – he said to jot down the ten stories you often tell others about yourself, which he said will be therapeutic. Again, too long to start here, but some other day.

You never stop missing the people you love:
I miss my grandma. It’s ironic that three songs – “I Wish” by R. Kelly and “Missing You” by P-Diddy and Faith – had me nearly bawling in my car. *sigh* but she and her siblings are the catalyst for why I do what I do, so that makes my heart feel good.

At least you always have “family”:
Yesterday, we had a little get together in honor of my sister – for her 22nd b-day. A time to reminisce, have good food, dance, and just enjoy one another. I really missed those times, and I’m glad we are able to do them again.