blackpro’s Neighborhood

It's good to be back. I've been through a lot of changes the last couple of months (i.e. moving, new job, etc.), so in honor of my new set of circumstances I present a little bit of audio joy. A mashup of the music from the Legend of Zelda and legendary hip hop artists (some legendary in their own mind) from Team Teamwork called The Ocarina of Rhyme. It brings back back lot of memories of exploring the world of Hyrule but now with more favor. My favorites are Lost Woods and Great Fairy Mountain. Enjoy! (Warning: Explicit Lyrics! Not for the kiddies)

 An weapons enthusiast on the AR-15 forum has modified his rifle with a chainsaw bayonet. If ever the zombies should come this would be my weapon of choice. My inner zombie slayer is pleased. Check the footage below for a nice demo. Note: The laughter in the background is just a tad unsettling ;-).

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It's funny. As a child I've always enjoyed helping my mother cook and bake, yet when I became older that love was hidden by the demands of daily life. It became easier to warm up TV dinner, microwave a MRE (meal ready to eat), or make a PB& J sandwich. However, this past holiday I have rediscovered my love for cooking and baking.

It's weird. The love has been here the entire time. But in the necessity of the hour (helping my family prepare for Thanksgiving) the love resurfaced and slowly enveloped me. Now I won't let it go. The power of creating a meal, experimenting with ingredients, and filling it with love is too intoxicating to let go. I zone out...but in a good way :-).
There's a nice article called The Zen of Cooking that explains it better than me.

Don't get it twisted, though. I'm no gourmet chef. I dabble. I equate myself with a causal jogger while the real chefs run the marathons. TriniGourmet.com is an excellent site for both dabbler and chef alike. It helped me get back to that hidden love. I just enjoy the process and the feeling of accomplishment. The enthusiasm I feel for cooking is addicting, so I hope I can keep the fire of enthusiasm burning.

I realize that I chase after "enthusiasm" in my life. It gives me a reason to get up in the morning. According to Wikipedia, Enthusiasm comes from the Ancient Greek originally meant inspiration or possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of God.

After reading that definition, it explained why I chase after the Goddess of Enthusiasm. It brings me closer to the divine.

I shared my new "project". What gives you that natural "high"? What brings enthusiasm to your life?

It's 5:00pm. I'm winding down at the couch after working out and that's when I hear it...

The sugary sweet electronic piped song from a loud speaker. The song is familiar but ultimately irrelevant. It sounds like the Ice Cream Man!

I run over to the window to take a look. I can't see the truck. The leaves from the trees have thickened out, blocking my view. However, I still hear that sweet music, playing in a loop. There's no doubt. It is the Ice Cream Man!

Mentally, I'm checking to see if I have any change. Nope. Only 45 cents. Not enough. Ice cream is expensive nowadays. Is there any change in the couch?

Then, I stop myself. Wait a minute. Why am I sweating this? I'm reacting like I did when I was eight, when I was rushing to get money to buy a Bigfoot Popsicle. I feel I little foolish and a little nostalgic at the same time.

"I can buy a whole box of Popsicles or Push-Ups for the price the Ice Cream man would charge for two", I whimper to myself (still wishing I had enough pocket change).

Is the magnetic pull of the Ice Cream man song that powerful? Or is it just the memories of a simpler time?

To be free of fear would be a wonderful thing.

Getting sick and tired of being "sick & tired"? Fear is at the center of that feeling.

I've noticed how much fear follows me and surrounds me daily. I've also noticed how much I allow fear to control me and how it makes me weak.

There's a nice short article by Dr. Lisa Love about fearlessness and the need for true courage. Link
In essence, its a nice reminder about how much we allow fear in our lives.

Its not gonna be easy to shake the habit of fear but I feel the reward of freedom will be worth it.

Have you noticed the stench of  "fear" in your life?

As I lay on the floor of the living room, assembling my daughter's 4th birthday present from her Grandpa (it's a bike). I'm filled with anticipation and excitement.

"She's gonna love this", I say to myself.

Flashes of my childhood skip across my mind. So I start to reflect on my childhood birthday memories.

As a young boy of 8, living rent free in my parents home, I remember the joy and excitement I felt of my upcoming birthday party. I had plenty of "friends" then..all eager to come celebrate the anniversary of my birth.

Cake, ice cream and presents filled the side table in the dinner room as well-wishers sang "Happy Birthday". Thinking of a wish before blowing out the candles and everything was right with the world. Times were a lot simpler then.

What happened! As an adult, my last birthday had no pomp and definitely no circumstance.

Maybe its because I'm paying my own way..no more freebies.

As a husband and father of three, my presents now are loving embraces from my family and the
 "Happy Birthday, Dad" spoken from my children (after being reminded by their mother, of course).

So are birthday parties relevant any more? Do people even care about birthdays once they turn 21?

Update: My daughter loved her birthday gifts. She wanted to tell everyone thank you. Mom and Dad did good :-).

Say What?! I love me some anime. I love me some games and I love me some black folks. Three great things that taste great together. Combine all three together into a video game?

I am so there!

When Afro-Samurai initially aired on SPIKE TV I missed it. Once I heard about it later and about Samuel L. Jackson's involvement I was intrigued. When I found out that it was an animated film with manga roots plus a leading character of African descent, I was sold.

I bought the series as soon as it was released on DVD.. Verdict: Not bad. It was a solid flick.

If the developers at Namco don't screw this up, either in concept or execution, this might turn out to be a great game.

Please Lawd, let it be a good game.

Gamespot UK has a nice preview here. Link.

I recently rewatched the film, Unbreakable, on Blu-ray this past weekend.

It was written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and features Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Get a nice synopsis of the film here.

I've always loved this movie. It was a quiet and intense film with some nice superhero overtones. But what always intrigued me about the movie was the character of David Dunn and the choices he made in his life and the "cloak of sadness" that enveloped him.

I saw a lot of me in the character of David Dunn. He was searching for meaning in his life. So am I. David finds his "reason for being" before the movie ends.

I'm still searching for mine.

Is this "sadness" the pain of separation from ones true path or vocation? I don't know.

This movie has reawaken my quest for purpose and fulfillment in my career. Won't stop...can't stop.

How about you?

I was never a fan of weight training. I wasn't really a fan of exercise (period!). I realize that after I left the military, it might be a good idea to stay in shape if I wanted to stay healthy.

Over the years, I've incorporated jogging into my daily routine. As a result, I lost weight. I added Tae-Bo AMPED! to the program. I lost a lot more! It was great. However, I was still missing solid muscle tone and definition.

Until.... I discovered the Get RIPPED!™series by Jari Love. Jari Love is a certified personal trainer and she created this "no-nonsense fully body workout system designed to help people of any fitness level shed unwanted pounds in just weeks." I used the Get Ripped! to the Core, the Get Ripped! 1000, and the Get Ripped! Slim & Lean for a year, and it changed my body for the better.

Now I'm stronger than I have ever been!  I would looked even better if I didn't have this layer of fat over my ripped abs! I recently added Get Ripped! and Chiseled to my routine last month and it has kick my tail up and down the house (but in a good way!).

I highly recommend her DVDs (for both men and women). Amazon has the best prices, so go check it out. I recommend reading the user reviews on the site as well to see how others have fared with her system.

Note: Please watch your diet. I slipped on my dietary program so my results could have been even more dramatic. Avoid sugary foods, bread and dairy products to see that six-pack. I had to learn the hard way.

I back in Voxtown and I'm ready to start posting again. It's been several months since my last post and I finally have the spark back to start posting again. I'm an avid reader of personal and tech blogs and it seemed like anything worth blogging about had already been done. So, now I've decided to screw all that nonsense and just post what I like for my own interest and entertainment. Stay tuned.