I had no idea how to approach this, mainly cuz I'm feeling pretty good right now and wanted to share.

I've been trying to make incremental improvements.

I decided to be healthier. I have been much better with my diet and I have been doing home work outs for 3 weeks straight. I'm starting to see improvements in myself and ability in the workout.

My wife and I have been working really hard to improve our home. We done home improvement projects almost every weekend for the past 3 months. Mainly the landscaping and gardening. Its almost too much in the FL heat now, but the outcome is always worth it.

Lastly, I baked chocolate chips cookies from scratch for the 1st time. I'm very excited how they turned out.

I'm feeling good. I hope you all are too.

I was indirectly quoted in Gucci Mane's NYT best-selling autobiography. It was surreal to learn about though since I'd have written those words at 22 or 23 years old, and they were quoted in the context of Gucci Mane becoming depressed and worried over the future of his career (I was very unkind to "Gucci Time" featuring Swizz Beatz).

It wasn't so much that he'd seen what I wrote, that's not new to me, so much as the factors of that specific quote, reaction to it and where that reaction was revealed that had me in a weird state of reflection when I was made aware of it late last year.

~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

what was more the context of his response. Was it a turning point to him?

>what was more the context of his response. Was it a turning
>point to him?


He liked the song, but didn't want it to be the single. When it got a huge negative response, he started ghosting appearances and media agreements, started hitting the lean harder than he ever had after nearly a year clean, broke up with his longtime girlfriend, began resenting Waka for becoming a star in his own right (and dropped Deb as his manager) and became combative and distrustful with nearly everyone around him.


The book is pretty authentically written in Gucci's voice, which is to say that it's pretty straightforward and really only gets close to 300 pages because of its choice of font size and spacing, but that portion gets pretty grim and only gets darker from there. The "Gucci Time" reviews are framed as a significant moment that led to one of the lowest points of his career and it was...something to see my words be picked out as an example of what started that period.


It was a real mix of, "wow, I'm in a best seller from an artist I've spent over a decade enjoying," and "oh, I don't feel so great about WHY I'm in there." I was slightly happy they decided to quote the publications rather than the bylines.


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

some times money isn't a cure all.

for what it's worth, I've always really enjoyed reading your stuff whenever you've chosen to share it.

my mother bought be architecture software when i was 8 years old
i have been a fan of architecture since then
dream come true

Ive seen some of those shows of people doing the same and it always impresses me of the thought behind the little things they want to make sure the house has, specifically for them.

do you have an example of something you are using to make your mark on the design?

The only thing I think I would want if I was building a new home is house wide stereo system set up. Every room would play what ever I was listening too.

power efficiency (solar panel, geothermal heat pump, tankless water heaters)

design efficiency (small lot footprint, adaptability for small children, minimalist design)

Tech efficiency (fully automated lights,sound and music, personal server, efficient lighting using natural angles of the sun, techie appliances)
cost efficiency is most important lol

some unique things i guess is the fact that i have two electric vehicle (pacifica hybrid, BMW I3) so designing a garage while also tying in the solar has been a challenge.

congrats!

.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

where is the laundry room?


lol

and she does our laundry

.

its still in the beginning stages so its mostly just the foundation as some exterior walls

working on throwing a 5K/10K race for the company. Running point on this project and designing all the racing medals, T-shirt’s, radio ads, banners, etc.

Have a few vinyl art projects I need to quote.

Going to design our deck for the backyard. Prolly get it to wrap around a tree and really extend our outdoor living space.

Bumping up my kids college funds since I got a nice pay raise. Also finally get my term life squared away.

Going to get back on these bikes.

.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

.

Term life, I really think its a great option, you never know when shit can happen.

I used to work for a financial adviser, one client, he passed away and left his wife 3 mil, which he bought after his dad passed away leaving him with close to a mil if I remember correctly. Now the wife set up a life policy for their daughter of 10 mil.

Crazy.

I thought it was bullshit just to scare you

but then 2 of my friends passed away in car wrecks in the same year and both had young kids.

Due to my age my rate is garbage but it’s still a nice thing to have in place just in case.

you never know.

I want to redo my entire front landscaping SO bad...I just don't have the stomach for it. Prolly pay a company to rip it all out and do it over.

for us since we are doing it slowly its been better to do it ourselves

Been practicing.

I play bass & keys already, and the drums come off the sampler. I've been adding in rhythm guitar tracks for a minute as background, but I want to take a step up with my playing.

Also, I like composing music on the guitar much more than on the keys.

I have no musical talent, how different is trying to do rhythm on guitar instead of a piano?

When I compose on the guitar or bass, I'm just jamming through chords/arpeggios until I get something I like. On the piano, I start thinking about key, progressions, relative minors, how much to extend a chord, what inversion, etc.

It's easier to jam on guitar for me.

after almost dying in December of 2017 and spending 2 weeks in the hospital. I thought in 1 month i would be back to normal and man was I wrong. I spent all of 2018 building my strength and endurance back up. When i say endurance I mean being able to go out and about with the family for the day with out needing to sit down every 30 minutes. Around this past christmas i felt so amazing I decided fuck this im gonna keep going on this working out train. So I started with the gym and going on long walks. the most important thing was i started to watch what i ate. I noticed even with all the working out it didnt mean shit when im not controlling my diet. I feel better than I have in a long long time.

Diet is definitely the most important things, but for me the most difficult. I love food too much to eat mushy ass brown rices with potatoes and chicken.

I have been cutting my portions and eating more vegetables, much more vegetables.

for me it was mostly laying off the fast food. With all the sports shit we got going. I was just hitting drive thrus quickly. So now that is done. If i do its rare and its something small just to hold me over. Also cut down how much red meat im eating and counting calories.

I miss certain things about beef, I was never much for a huge steak, but ropa vieja. I miss that.

Has the diet also brought on weight loss?

in his next business venture. i'll pretty much be the product designer for the start up which is a role i've been aspiring to obtain but thought it would be another year or two before i got there.

also landed a weekly retainer as a front-end dev for another start up a couple of weeks ago. pitched the highest rate i've ever done so far in my freelance career. so pretty proud that i got it. the addition of it to my portfolio should allow me to test that waters at pitching at an even higher rate for future retainers. as a freelancer it is really hard to figure out the value of your services in the marketplace. i know i've been under pricing my work for a long time and needed this boost of confidence to get where i am trying to go. my word for 2019 was LEVELUP and I am actually seeing it happen.

i've put in a lot of years of work to get here and am really stoked to see how it is finally coming together.

how long have you been in your field?

Are you at the point where you're solely freelance?

My wife is a graphic designer/artist and is terrified about trying to do freelance only. Unfortunately we aren't at point financially where it could be done with just my income. but I'm trying.

Her biggest fear is not having enough insurance coverage for us, plus we want to try for a kid soon.

>how long have you been in your field?

i started out as a self taught graphic designer and transitioned into web. been doing web for the past 3-4 years. been in the field for about 8 years.

>Are you at the point where you're solely freelance?

i've been freelance the entire time. i'm also single with no kids so can deal with the feast or famine cycle.

>My wife is a graphic designer/artist and is terrified about
>trying to do freelance only. Unfortunately we aren't at point
>financially where it could be done with just my income. but
>I'm trying.

yeah, freelancing definitely is hard. i've debated a lot about continuing this path or bouncing for some more stability. but i know for me the trade offs aren't worth it. i need the freedom to choose which projects i work on.

for your wife, i know a lot of folks who dipped their toes in first instead of jumping all in. instead picking up a few freelance gigs here and there and eventually getting to a point where the demand made sense to go full-time. doing that also helps in building out the systems and processes you need to run a freelance biz. everything from lead gen to the actual deliverables.


>Her biggest fear is not having enough insurance coverage for
>us, plus we want to try for a kid soon.

this is real. and definitely one of the downsides of freelancing.

we live in an expanding town in south florida, there has been a lot of construction and development. I tell her that we need to go out and offer her web and graphic design services.

A lot of small businesses with basic websites. I tell her, I can be her salesman. She's just nervous about taking on the added responsibilities.


Good for you though, making that move most have been nerve racking at first.

template:
https://webflow.com/templates/html/tower-construction-website-template

preview:
https://tower-template.webflow.io/

tell her to go get that money. she at least has to try so she won't have the whatifs. like i said start with a gig here and there and build.

webflow is a great tool for a designer to transition into web.

i see you are making moves too...congrats!!!

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Tour de Cure, Diabetes ride. I'm trying to do 3 centuries, this season. Saturday, a non-organized one with a group of cyclists I know and the Cancer ride later this year. Feel really good on the bike, right now. My gym work pays off in hills and sprinting. I don't have the typical cyclist's build, but I got my strengths.

Nice

100 miles...now, I’m going to be doing it 3 times over the next 4 months.

I chose one and I've been working like a Hebrew Slave. LOL
.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

I don't know what is involved with running a church, I assume a bit like a business, you need people in the door.

What parts of it have kept you the busiest? Are you mainly involved with paperwork?

>I don't know what is involved with running a church, I assume
>a bit like a business, you need people in the door.
>
>What parts of it have kept you the busiest? Are you mainly
>involved with paperwork?


THANK YOU!

At this moment the majority of my time has been spent planning and coordinating this large event that was dropped in my lap when I assumed the role. The timeline is short and there were no additional people working this particular ministry. Therefore, the challenge is building it while working the project event, but the blessing is that I get to shape ti the way I envision it to be, but all the direction comes from God. My vision is submitted to Him and he has the authority to change what I think it should be at any time. Still, I'm glad because I get to do what I love and impact the church in a positive manner.





.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

I hope it makes a meaningful impact.

.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

And significantly increased muscle mass and definition.

I also successfully survived and kicked four nights of daddy duty with no mommy in town's ass. We had a great time. I love my little dudes.

what did you do to help you achieve the results?

I'm on week 4 of working out, I am finally feeling like this is my default schedule, instead of forcing myself to do it.

As well as eating better and just being more mindful of what and how much I'm consuming. I was ~175 when I started, which was fat as fuck for me. I'm only 5'8". Blood pressure was high for the first time in my life and it scared the shit out of me. It was directly related to the weight I had gained. I've been super committed and now I don't think I could live without it in my life. It has also done amazing things for my mental and emotional health. Now I'm 40 years old and honestly in the best shape of my life. I've always been active and fairly fit being an athlete etc, but never this much definition and endurance.

Keep it up, brother. Once it's in your routine you won't be able to go without it.

175?? i cant really fathom being at that weight at that height lol

i feel like if i get to 200 i will be happy but know that around 180 is where i "should" be. to feel fat at 175??? i guess when i get somewhere near those numbers i will have a better perspective.

congrats though, i think being able to lose so much at that weight has to be even more difficult.

im trying to get myself from quitting working out. i was doing it 5/7 days a week for over a month then went to nothing...to two days a week. i want to get back to 5 regularly.

Just wasn't taking care of myself at all. Eating and drinking wayyy too much. It was a rough past year and I didn't handle it properly. Now I am.

But yeah, I'm not a big guy, never have been.

.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

Crazy cause a year ago I was afraid to even charge people what I thought it was worth

https://themonarchbrand.com

(BTW it's an all-natural handmade hair pomade)

Been working on it since 2016

Was just messing around and made one for my best friend. He told me it was so legit that he'd buy it if I were to sell it. He's never been one to bs me but I didn't believe it cause it came from ME if that makes sense ... so I did a small test market by putting it out on social media and gave a bottle to the first 12 people who responded, 12/12 cosigned my friend. Since then it's been a gradual build of getting the business side of things in order and getting over my own fear of putting myself out there. Officially "launched" last September

It great to hear a start up story. I definitely see why owning a small business is such a rewarding thing. Good luck with the business.

Which one is best for dry scalp.

>Which one is best for dry scalp.
>

Rosemary by far. I use the actual essential oil in that one, and it's especially good for dry scalp/stimulating hair growth

She goes to Rosemary farms and picks that shit and makes wands to
give out as gifts.

She's all crafty and shit.

Edit: imma hit you up for Christmas.

not even saying that cuz that’s my dude...it really is good shit. I use it mainly for my bears and my eyebrows. I’ve copped three varieties and I’m about to reup on the rosemary joint cuz my wife uses it on her scalp.

Glad the wife gets some use out of it too. Lemme know before you cop, I'll shoot you a promo code

i use the Crew brand forming cream. Was thinking of switching it up to a pomade.

(besides a bottle of Carol's Daughter pomade I used years ago)

But I would say it's on the light-medium side. Washes out super easy

>i use the Crew brand forming cream. Was thinking of switching
>it up to a pomade.

"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

Much respect

.
.

“It was the evidence from science and history that prompted me to abandon my atheism and become a Christian.” — Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

Been upping my BBQ game and trying to move into small scale catering as a side hustle. I've got my kamado smoker pretty dialed in, and I"m learning how to get the best out of my offset cooker my wife got me as an anniversary gift (nice capacity, but burns fuel like a 454 big block). Pork shoulder is easy enough, and I"m really good on chicken. Smoked turkey > fried turkey when you know what you're doing (and I do). But big beef cuts? Need patience and skill to keep from ruining a big cut of meat.

The brisket was great. Got a USDA Prime from the store, trimmed it, injected it, rubbed it, let it rest, then set the smoker up to roll 14 hours until it was done. And let me tell you, it was fantastic. 14lb packer didn't last 2 days in my small family.

The beef ribs were more daunting. My brother works for someone that has a farm and raises steer. So when it was time to slaughter the cow, they had fresh meat ready to go. Beef ribs are a bit harder to come by, so I asked for some of those. What I got was a 16" x 24" slab of rib that looked like what flipped Fred Flintstone's car. I had to buy a saw, sterilize the blade, cut the rib cage in half, cut the ribs into 2 and 3 bone sections, then cook them. Some of those I sold, and people can't wait for more. Those came out like brisket on a stick.

Bacon is awesome. Even vegans have to admit that. Got my hands on some fresh pork bellies, cured them for a week, soaked them to remove some extra salt, cold smoked them. Half a slab went to bacon, which was absolutely delicious. The other half I plan on making bacon burnt ends over the weekend

South Florida does not have great BBQ. The best I've found is food trucks that do them and they kill it.

How is the overhead on catering? I mean the ribs you bought, how much was it and how much could you charge for a plate?

Hows your sides game?

I actually peaked at a few a while back.

It sound so damn amazing to make your own smoked meat.

The keys I've found in BBQ are preparation, technique, and patience. HOw you prep your food and cooker is much more important than what you are seasoning the food with or what cooker you are using. Making sure you have a good cut of meat, trimming and seasoning properly, and cooking it to the right temp and feel are important. Managing your temperature in whatever you are cooking with is super important.

Patience is even bigger. The food will be done when it's done. SOmetimes the meat will cook faster, sometimes a little slower. You rush it, you'll have issues. Same with running the cooker. It takes some time to know what temps your cooker likes to run, and how much fuel or air it needs to get there; how to adjust the vents to keep the cooker from running away from you or dying out.

A lot of little things. Not huge secrets per se, and not super hard, but definitely need time to do it right

I don't remember where I saw, but it was a video about a guy from the south talking about smoking meats and that he wakes up crazy early to get things ready. He's been cooking for 30 years or something like that.


I saw that when I made the cookies, I thought it was more to it, but you do have to have all your stuff properly lines up. So important.

I also thought about brewing beer.

When I put cookout it’s usually on a whim. But I could see how this would be fun on the side as a hobby.

If it's burgers, brats and dogs, pretty simple. Most anything else is going to take a bit more prep, be it steak (season and rest), chicken or pork (brine, season and rest). Any big cut of meat you better start prepping and/or cooking the day before if you want the food ready by time people show up.

i needed some support from the software company so i sent them so they could help me set up the file so i could swap between them without issue. the icons arent anything super unique but i can definitely tell i made them. they indicate something in a unique way that i have not seen before and makes a lot of sense to me.

so last month i got to meet the dude that provides the remote support. he was showing me something he put together for another customer, he opens the file and its using my icons! lol i was a bit mad but also hey thats cool. john mayer looking dude has been mad helpful so i laughed it off.

on that same thread, i developed a template using their software that lets me automate so much stuff. i was a bit confused on how to do some things so i got him on support and showed him what i was tying to do. he was impressed with what i put together. more so he wasnt sure how what i wanted to do could be done if it could lol maybe i know where my next move is.

Thats cool, you never know when something will turn into a better opportunity.

a Girl I was with blindsided me out of nowhere and broke up with me to be with a guy she had a strictly online/long distance relationship with previously. I refocused my hurt and anger into working out at the gym. I was originally 196 and now down to 177 and looking much better. It feels good to know that I am better than I was when she last saw me both physically and mentally.

but, congrats on taking hold of it and using it positively. I've been there...pretty sure we all have at some point...and it's easy to go the other way.

Thanks I appreciate the kind words.

Like the above poster said, its a good thing you took this in a positive direction.

What kind of work out routine are you doing?

I’m doing weights 4X a week, alternating upper and lower body. I also run on the treadmill for 30 min before each time. Also eating a lot cleaner with smaller portions and very little unhealthy snacking.

I found it easier to start new routines and habits since my old life basically hit a wall. The key has been consistency, before I started I never thought I’d see these results.

This my 4th week of doing something 5 day a week and same as you I'm happy to be seeing results.

>It feels good to know
>that I am better than I was when she last saw me both
>physically and mentally.

Nicely done.

I'm an indie comic writer/creator. First book came out in 2014. Since I don't draw (anymore) or color, I have to depend on others for that and some people aren't dependable.Had an artist and a colorist I hired steal from me, which has contributed to the delays in release of my main title. But for the most part the people I've worked with have done great stuff even if some of them are slow as hell, lol.

Anyway, recently updated my previously released books (new colors, lettering and pin-ups) and finally got my website up. New book should be out in July. Been hitting up comic conventions since 2014, but not as frequently as I would like and not around the nation like I want to. Hope to change that in the near future.

Good luck with this. I hope it takes off for you.

Your post made me think of this. It came to town a couple of months ago. I don't know if it hit any other cities.

https://www.hcplc.org/afrocon

https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/black-superheroes-and-comic-creators-descend-tampa-afrocon

Hadn't heard of AfroCon before, thanks for the info. There are several other Black cons that happen throughout the year. ECBACC (East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention) was last month in Philly. There's one in Atlanta called Onyx Con that I've been to a couple times. Cons like that are definitely on my "to do" list.

MYTH SMITH is basically my flagship character/title. He's a "supernatural adventurer". My elevator pitch is Indiana Jones meets Hellboy meets Shaft (plus Xombi from Milestone comics but most people don't get that reference). Myth is a 200 plus year old guy (physically in his early 30s) who has been tasked with maintaining the balance between the "real world" and the extra-dimensional realm that magic comes from. Myth uses weapons and artifacts from all those different mythologies (plus some I just make up myself). The self contained issue 0 is out now and issue 1 (of 4) should be out in July.

My other book is called DOUBLE DOSE. The first issue features Myth Smith but every issue will feature a different character. Each issue has two complete stories about that character with art by two different illustrators. Issue two is currently in production and I hope to have it out this year but no guarantees (one of the artists is going through some stuff in his personal life right now).

advice at the office.

It's nice, get to meet a lot of people, be able to help people.

do you find yourself as a mediator or just a good ear?

Helping people with their resumes/cover letters

Giving them pointers for when they go on interviews and making themselves more visible overall

Also letting them know about opportunities within the company

Funny thing is that a post here sparked the idea. Somebody here made a post about all the shenanigans that happened when he went to a white friends wedding and that evolved for me into a comedy about a black couple attending a wedding on a plantation.

The best part is that I found a great writing partner. Dude has an acting background and is good at grounding me on the details.

We got an outline we like, now all I got to do is write it (sigh).

I am partly sharing the details here to put pressure on me to get it done by putting it out in the universe that I am working on it.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

>I am partly sharing the details here to put pressure on me to
>get it done by putting it out in the universe that I am
>working on it.

Good luck. You probably don't need advice but just for the purpose of saying more than "good luck" I'll add to privilege small, daily progress over giant leaps forward. It'll seem manageable and it'll keep you from subconsciously backburner'ing it. Please ignore if that's not how you work or if you, obviously, already knew that.

Cause my present strategy, trying to find big blocks of time to write, isn't working. Too much family, work and life going on.

I can find 30 - 60 minutes a day though.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

please include either the chicken dance or line dancing. I went to a cousin's wedding where she was marrying a white guy. They made got really hyped at the chicken dance.

There FL panhandle white.

incredible moment obviously... this was in the last months of his decades-long term.
sat courtside in LA and vegas as a credentialed nba photographer during the shaq-kobe years. had my nba photography published in italy's largest paper for pay. painted murals with other artists in havana, southern mexico, and in a rio favela. got a front row photo pass form a local high profile shooter to photograph crazy hot dancing goddesses at carnival in trinidad and tobago! being an art major paid off haha.

....for quite a few OKP artists:

Quest-
Kwe-
Mos-
Bilal-

Shit was beautiful each and erry time.
I 'member when Kwe brought Kanye punk-azz out...

We all knew, from the gate, that Conye was on some shit.

They were in town for a show and after it was over they needed some trees.

Had Tash in my little shitty apartment smoking and freestylin


Smoked weed and played Tekken with Jean Gray in my bedroom.

No. We weren’t alone.

Holla.

In college I discovered soap from soap dispensers added some coloring, sprayed some issey miyake, tossed in a little water, and sold it as body wash.

Does selling "found" furniture on ebay count?

This morning I finished up an "extra credit" project I took on and it came out really good.

Then at lunch I got a nail in my tire fixed for free, ate a delicious lunch at my girlfriends house and got some.

Now I'm working from my backyard eating gummy bears and enjoying 75 degree weather, a cool breeze, and the sound of my little waterfall.

i did on myspace lol

We made a page for our puppy way back then when MySpace was poppin and her name was Ladybug. "She" gave the real Ladybug Mecca a shout out or something like that, don't remember exactly how that went, and told the real one that's who she was named after and the real Ladybug commented back. My wife and I were very excited Haha.