i am khayyam

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Social Mediaocrity

And is everyone out there practicing safe teen sex? Not so much. And if you are engaging in unprotected and authentically transparent social spaced relationships with your friends, then you are bound to succumb to a Socially Transmitted Dis-Ease, STD for short.

When I first started hanging around social media types I found them to be very negative. They'd take a product, service or concept and upon hearing it, rip it to shreds. Thought to myself, "Dang, self, that's such a negative approach to someone sharing something with you, isn't it?". Then I realized that it wasn't done with any intention to harm or judge, just the way of the (self appointed) social media expert. This is just one of the many symptoms of an STD.

When it comes to choosing a 'social media' partner, you want one that has experience and confidence to tackle the task at hand. There is no need in seeking out the fumbling fools that fold under pressure or the one's that talk up a big game and when it comes to performance, often fall flat of the mark. Finding that balance within the tumultuous Social Space takes experience, hard work and a dedication to honing one's talents.

It's easy to spread the Dis-Ease amongst your twitter rendez vous, that retweeting function creates a viral spread quite easily and don't get me started with the abusive #hashtagging that these kids do these days. From one to the other and on to the next, the Dis-Ease spreads none being the wiser. It's often the mediocrity of the collective experiences that leave successful victories of galant social media endevours leaving smiles on people's faces. It shines in the sea of mediaocrity. That's why Old Spice rings true and one can easily respond to all of it's glory with simply, "They Get It".

You do know that Social Media is just a made up word, right? How is it not social to begin with and where is the media part?! It should be aptly renamed Social Toolology, the practice of Sociological theories mixed with the tools that help copulate and reproduce content with a side of marketing. Wait, that would be Social Tooliomarketology wouldn't it?! Wait, what?!

How big do you spread your feathers and stomp around and squawk? Thought so ;)

Regardless, everyone is doing it now, the best plan for action is to educate those that are sick or have contracted an STD already. Regular self examination should take place for unsightly url's and improper grammer usage in one's tweets. Those are the first warning signs to get tested and make sure you're STD free.

Think smart, don't retweet a tweet that you're involved with, you're spreading the wrong message.

Retweet safe and have fun.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

That Empire State of Mind

Upon my arrival in New York, well, technically Newark, I was comforted and greeted with the smell of poo. Yes, poo, baby poo to be precise. I was riding the AirTrain into the city and no one was any where near me to have made such a stink. It was just the frequent fragrance of a city and funny enough, it was comforting and welcoming. I had returned.

Within minutes of being infused with Penn Station's energetic vortex, musical instruments vibrating off the rafters and Bob Marley renditions accompanying those musical notes, it was the warmth and electricity I had missed. Which opened up my insights into an observation between my time in New York and Los Angeles.

"If Los Angeles is phony and pretentious,

New York is real and raw."

This was based from another saying that that girl shared with me, which probably suits it better:

"Los Angeles is like a teflon frying pan,
while New York is a cast iron one."

There is something authentic and true that rings out in New York. Not saying that all people in LA are shallow and surface orientated, but I'm not saying that many are not :)

At first opportunity, made a B-line to Central Park. Often I find solutions in nature-like settings, something about bodies of water and greenery. The leaves of the trees sway back and forth communicating decades of wisdom through the oldest telephone lines in existence. There aren't enough times that one can visit this magical place.

My mission today was to walk up to Harlem and get my olive oil based leave in hair solution that one can only acquire in the beauty shops in Harlem :) As I exited the park and walked Across 110th Street, lo and behold, a certain individual decided he was starring in a Spike Lee movie as Samuel Jackson, clip is below:

Biggest lesson learned today, "Keep Calm, Walk On and Plan Three Moves Ahead"

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

The Wondered Years

Something happened in me and I stopped writing. I'd jot down a few things here and there, but nothing that was substantial or that I deemed shareable. Shutting down my creative exports can be paralleled to me shutting down how much insight someone gets into my world. So why would I do such a thing? What did I have to hide? Answers to those questions I have not had till recently.

I'm a sensitive kind of guy. My daily intercourse with the internets puts me out there for all to see, so I would wear a hat and sunglasses and felt like that little kid from that movie "Big Daddy" with Adam Sandler. He'd stay quiet until he got his sunglasses on, his invisible sunglasses, which enabled him to talk. I needed sunglasses, it was my safety blanket.

So what's so bad about the sensitive me? The kind and vulnerable me? Nothing. I had to start believing that.

So to answer my own questions, the reason I did such a thing, I was scared. Scared of taking risks that may or may not pan out. Afraid to admit my failures in front of anyone else. I love to fail, it's the best learning lesson you can have so why is it so hard to share it? The lessons learned from a failure are nothing short of a success.

And what did I have to hide? A sensitive, kind and vulnerable person. If I showed that side, people would think I'm a push over, they'd use my vulnerabilities against me and take advantage of my good nature. Regardless of me willing to show these things or not, they still were used against me and taken advantage of. Lesson, be yourself and not what you think people need you to be.

The last time I wrote here was to give thanks. Not in the usual way of giving thanks, but thanks nonetheless. People asked me if the woman I wrote about in that post was my mother. Although my mother did bring me up to mind my P's and Q's and some of my father's worldly charm was handed down to me, that woman was exactly that... that woman.

I've been more than lucky to be in that woman's life many times in this lifetime and her in mine. She's in my life now, deeply. We're older, wiser and at the point in our lives where spending our lives together raising up little afro bearing brown babies is no longer a thought.

Which leads me to share a recurring dream I've had for years:

The sun is shining down on me and this comfortable warmth washes over me. The setting is a beach, not overly populated, with the sun closing it's angle on the horizon and spreading light off of the water. In the near foreground I can see my daughter walking, or should I say, waddling along the beach. Images of the Coppertone ad with the dog pulling on a little girl come flowing through.

My daughter's holding a hand, her mama's hand. For years I've tried to place that hand. Each time I experience the dream I try and make note of some other clue or detail that gives me the identity to the mother of my children. Her lithe wrists, fingers nimble, agile like a concert pianist and holding that child's hand with a direct flow of love. I'm blessed. Two of the most important women in my life just standing in front of me surrounded in love. Cassiopeia.

That woman, is this woman.

She's always been and it's taken me half of my life to recognize this. No other man has ever been given this many opportunities with this woman. And now, my life is beginning to shift. The freedoms of flying by the seat of my pants is losing it's lustre, the exciting and risky seems foolish and silly. I'm not getting old, I'm getting wiser and ready for sharing my life with someone and let them bear witness.

She's been a constant inspiration and writing this on the new moon and setting intentions is just another way she inspires me. Now, all I have to do is lose the shades and the hat, well, maybe not the hat :)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

#Tweetsgiving this...

What am I thankful for?! For starters, just glad I woke up this morning. A few days in the year people take the time to give thanks?! This pains me to no extent. Valentine's day is one of just a few examples where most people make up for the lack of love they exhibit to their significant others and try to buy it back in one night, sad. Well, I'm going to tell you right now... I'm thankful for things that not many are thankful for.

Sure, I could give you a blanket statement that I'm thankful for all that is, that I'm thankful for so and so, or whatchamacallit, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to speak truth, my truth. Now I have to muster up the courage to dive into the most difficult parts of human emotion. Some wise ones say that fear is only the absence of courage. If you possess the courage, then the fear dwindles. You see, I have a firm belief that all the misery and travesty that is presented to you in your day is only done so because you have the strength and courage to get through it. No need to endure it, just move through it.

I welcome and am so thankful for all the death in my life. I am thankful for all the failure that I have to witness. I am thankful for blowing it with the greatest girl in the world. I'm thankful for the accidents I have been in and the pain I had to suffer through. And I'm thankful for all the ill thoughts, racism, anger, hatred and emotional daggers that have been thrown at me or that I have chosen to stand in front of. Right now you're probably scratching your head and wondering what kind of masochist would say these things. All these things we consider bad or horrible things are just moments in time when we are pushed to exist in a way that challenges our entire beings.

The duality of this little snow globe we live on is inseparable. Khalil Gibran says it best:

“... joy and sorrow are inseparable. . . together they come and when one sits alone with you . . . remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”

It is often when we are in the darkest realms within our lives do we see the brightest lights. That glimmer of hope that pulls us out from oblivion to exist and breathe life into another day. These are all blessings in disguise. The angels are amongst us, how dare anyone think that they always come in forms of white cloth laden cherubs. They are standing right beside you in the subway, they are sitting on the sidewalk with the courage to ask for help, they are the person serving you coffee in the morning. It's definitely time you woke up to smell the coffee...

With the smallest of awareness, you can be thankful for those angels being in your life. They teach us every day that there is a message waiting for us, if we only choose to wake up. Wake up from the "poor me" or the "life's not fair" and my favorite, "it's not my fault". Yes, poor you for living with blinders up. Yes, life's not fair when you make choices that put you in the predicament you're in. And oh boy, not my fault?! Blaming someone else?! No finger pointing need be done, if it has to be, then please point it at yourself when you have these thoughts. Ain't no one else but you creating your little story.

There was a woman in my life, still is just not to the extent that once was, yet she's with me everyday. Not one day goes by without her energy in my snow globe. She woke me up. She was my teacher, my student and my reflection. Sometimes I did not like what I saw, while other times I wouldn't believe what I saw. Every ounce of me resonates with this woman. Not because she was beautiful beyond all measure, not because she loved me more than any other human being on this planet, but because she helped shape me into who I am. That is what I'm most thankful for. The lens to view life with a fresh perspective.

The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

-Marcel Proust

Images: From a journey once upon a time

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

#18 -♥- Pulp Juice (Hot Buttered Soul)

Another installment of Hot Buttered Soul on CFCR 90.5FM, @iamkhayyam and I'll be the one dropping the beats for your pleasure dome.

I really dig movie soundtracks. They always come up with the most interesting ways to support the drama, action and mood of their guest appearances. There are some that I don't recognize, others that are favorites and the remainder becoming new loved tracks.

So today I thought to prepare a soundtrack that would support a little mix of 'my movie' soundtrack. I mixed in 3 tablespoons of Shaft, 1 part Pulp Fiction, 2 cups of Ocean's 11 with a side of Swingers. After that came to boil, strain in colander and start on the seasoning. Fry up some cumin in some oil, add a little Detroit pepper, some Harlem spice, Salinas sauce, and don't forget the two most important ingredients... soul & love.

The titles are in the flow somewhere and if you listen along then you can play along - the name of the game is Name That Tune! ;)

Pulp Juice

I asked the Universe

what can you bring me?

Smokin cheeba cheeba

ain't gonna do a damn thing.

Then the answer found me:

Hang up your hang ups.

Took one bold soul sister

to finish my crossword puzzle,

instead I played the runaway

Turned it into a sport,

called is Straussmania.

Don't it drive you crazy how many

times you gots to blow your whistle?

What can I say?!

Then she said, "Souls, sacred contracts,

and new moons. All filled with magic,

and all greater than we could know."

Joyous! The sun shines and

the band sings Mahna! Mahna!

@iamkhayyam and that was a movie soundtrack for your daily funkifiedness on Hot, Buttered Soul.

Some past excursions for your listening pleasure...

Thursday, April 09, 2009

It Took Me 25 Minutes To Design My Ultimate Business Card

I was battling what I should do for a personal card. I've always had two or three different cards to represent myself in different circles. And I think I've branded myself on Twitter quite well, so got me thinking...As of today, these bad boys are off to the printer!! And I have to say that I was fully fueled and pumped up to do so after watching this riveting delivery of whatever you want to call this?! Joel Bauer cooks up some awesome! He's on point on so many different levels.

It Took Joel Bauer 25 Years To Design His Ultimate Business Card

This took me less than 25 minutes from top to bottom. From making it, to finding an FSC certified printer that used soy inks to uploading the files. Boom badda bing. You can still make an impact and be memorable without having to go with the glam. Simple is sometimes better. And this card simply communicates what I need it to and connects me into my hub which reaches to all facets of me, very 3.o isn't it?! ;) I just saved myself 24 years and a lot of change left in my life to enjoy, think about something else, and move on.

Charities are always swell to think of.... how about this one? 12for12k.org

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Wednesday was a good day...

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Topify this!

A quick screencast on a lovely service offered by Topify. A more robust way of having your new followers fall into your mailbox. Makes for some easy pickins'. Injoy.

A simple click of reply and send - you're now following! Simple as pie.

Check it out here: Topify

Monday, April 06, 2009

#followFriday is dumb...

Yup, I said it. It's dumb. My prescription is to another means of 'helping' people get to know one another and that is by way of #imjustfollowing. What does that mean?!

Watch the video, listen to me whine and then learn a new way to truly connect and help people get linked up.
Recommendations go a long way...

If you're still wondering, the format that I follow is as follows:

#imjustfollowing @imjustcreative Why?! He's the reason this exists. Bloody brilliant chap over the pond who's spanks out lovely logos #solid

#imjustfollowing @mmcgovern Why?! Day one those windows spoke volumes of kindness. Amazing eye for photos & always there with a sweet tweet

And that is the way in which I name drop 'round these parts. Doesn't that make a big difference in helping you realize who it is you should actually be following?! If I saw descriptions like these, I'd gladly follow. Those are amazing people and a little blurb to let you know. So use the #followfriday tag to recommend if you want (I'm just partial to the meaning behing the one I use), and do it with the intention to recommend an individual with a reason to follow. Shows that you actually took the time to care, any monkey can cut and paste. For all I care, make up your own. The message under all of this is to genuinely recommend another for someone else's benefit. It's all about interacting and connecting, no? Let's do it with efficiency and detail ;)

Some delightful and insightful ways of finding people are as follows:

#imjustfollowing - no fancy site, just a search result in twitter of mostly my recommendations and a few others
#MrTweet - for a comprehensive recommendation with a reason :)

and if you're new to the game, you can vote for your prom king and queen at the following #followfriday dances:

And just remember: Twitter Is Not A Competition

What it can be used for is to give back to what you may or may not know you've taken from; it's ok, we all do it but we all don't recognize to give back. So for one moment, give thanks to everything that surrounds you. You've been blessed to receive all that you have and in order to receive one must learn to give. So remember to visit 12for12k.org (raising $12,000 for a different charity for each month) and give/donate/support to a better cause than popularity.

A cause for something that really affects change.