Home

So I am now about 4 days away from my return home to Columbus, OH. It kind of just hit me on this day off that in 4 days, I'll be back in Ohio, a state I've spent my entire life in and loved every second of it. From its crazy weather to die-hard Buckeye fans, its use of the word "pop" and not soda and terrible radio stations, I can't wait to get back to the 'ol Buckeye State.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not homesick. I have yet to spend a day here in Georgia crying about wanting to back home. I'm still thrilled with my decision to get away from the comforts of home and friends. It's been fun trying to "rough it" on my own". But of course, I still miss my family and friends. I've been fortunate to have my family and one of my best friends visit me. And I've been able to visit friends around here in the South, including the one that happened to move an hour away from me.

So I started thinking about this trip back. It's been a solid 5 months since I've even been in the state of Ohio, let alone my home in Columbus. It's also been 5 months since I've seen my sister and been 4 months since I've seen my parents. All of these are all-time records for me.

So for fun, I went on my ITunes and found 3 songs that have the word "Home" in it and see just how much they related to my experience.

First up was Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home". While the song talks more about someone who kind of ran away from home for a while and decides to come back, it still has some lines that relate to me. First off, "With every step I take, I know that I'm not alone. You take the home from the boy, not the boy from his home" is dead on. Yeah, I may not be in Ohio but trust me, home is still close to me. I've got OU and OSU near and dear and me and still read The Post and Columbus Dispatch everyday. Oh, and of course there's also "I went as far as I could trying to find a new face. There isn't one of these lines I would erase". Like I said, I'm glad I am away and don't doubt my decision. As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Next up was Kanye's "Homecoming", which has everything to do with Chicago but so what. Of course, the chorus of "Do you think about me now and then? Cause I'm coming home again" works. I would hope that being gone 5 months, someone has missed or thought about me. If not, then I got a lot of changing to do in my life. The other line that hit me was "Every interview I'm representing you, making you proud. Reach for the stars so if you fall, you land on a cloud." I hope that I'm representing Ohio well down here. Not just professionally but socially as well. I think the northern states, OSU and OU get a bad wrap down here. I'm trying to do my part to change that.

Finally, John Legend's "Coming Home". It's a great song that is really about someone in the armed forces coming back home from war. One line that related to me is "It may be long to get me there. It feels like I've been everywhere. But someday I'll be coming home". Yeah, it takes 10 hrs driving to get back to CBus and since I've been here, I've visited Columbia, Athens, Valdosta and Charlotte. But finally, I'm going back home. It's nice. Also, "I've learned from all of my mistakes. Learned from all I didn't say" just reminds how much I make sure I don't ever take my family and friends for granted during these four days.

It's just funny, as Kanye says in "Homecoming", 'I guess you never know what you've got till it's gone". Whether that be Court Street's amazing atmosphere or just the common sense system Ohio has for its high school football playoffs. Can't wait to get back on Buckeye/Bobcat soil. The countdown continues...

The LOST Chronicles: Season 2

Alright, I have finished Season 2 of LOST. Did it in about 3 weeks too so needless to say, my head hurts. While I have a better idea of what the heck is going on, I still have no idea of what the heck is going on. And while I am not a fan of not knowing what is going on around me, I kind of enjoy just being in the dark with this show. That way when something happens, it doesn't surprise or disappoint me. It just happens.

But anyways, how did I feel towards Season 2?

Well, it begins with the whole hatch thing. You know, Locke and Kate . Well, as much as I liked the first episode, especially the ending with the Jack-Desmond encounter, I hated the following two episodes. Why? Because it didn't advance past the same Jack-Desmond encounter. It was like the island was paused. Kinda annoyed me.

Anyways, once the show finally moved on from that and Desmond ran away, the show began to pick up a bit. The raft people found the tail section (which I saw coming since the beginning of the show) and the hatch's amenities were being revealed. I will say this. When they revealed that Bernard was still alive, again, it was obvious. To bring up this Bernard guy during 4-5 episodes of Season 1 and have him be dead would have just made no sense. So what he's white? It's the 21st century people.

Maybe one of the better episodes of the season was watching how the tail section got through their 48 days. It was fast paced and full of information that helped me understand what the front of the place has been going through and the island. But the next episode when Shannon gets shot may have been better just because, well, Shannon was shot. Amen.

In the middle of the season, things got a little slow for me. Going after Michael again seemed dumb. Why do these people continue to trek through this damn jungle? Just enjoy the hatch and the beach. No jobs, homework, or stress there. But no, let's all be "heroes". Wrong show.

Thankfully, the Michael/Walt storyline disappeared for a while during this season, making the show much more bearable. Plus, the addition of the Henry Gale story made for some fun times. Not being sure if this guy was for real or not was fun. Once I found out he was an "other", I was kinda mad. Again, I liked being in the dark about it. Meanwhile, the visit to where Claire almost gave away her baby was a great episode, answering more questions I kind of had as well as the "Lockdown" one, when more food arrived. Seriously, I need something like that to drop on my porch right now. With this economy and all, it's hard out here for a pimp. Moving on...

The WORST episode yet then came...Dave. What a pointless episode. Story didn't move. Made me even hate Hurley a little bit. I had just started to like him again after that "Numbers" episode but he lost my respect once again with that waste of 42 minutes they call an episode. Oh, and the Rose/Bernard flashback episode is almost just as slow and bad.

Thankfully, the last four episodes redeem the show for those setbacks. When Michael initially came back, I wasn't happy. But by the end of the episode, it was evident that having him back was gonna make for a wild end to the season.

Not gonna lie, I was on the edge of my seat from then to the end of the season. From their trek to the jungle (again, why?) to not pushing the button, the story was moving. Things were happening quick (as I like it) and there weren't many dull moments. Plus, Desmond came back, which is good cause some of these characters bore the heck outta me. He;s not one of them though. I will say, the end of the season made no sense to me. But that's quite fine. Season 3 is around the corner.

In terms of character analysis, Sayid is still my boy. The guy just knows his stuff. Sawyer is growing on me as well. His 'Sawyerisms" single-handedly carry some episodes and his character is more likable as well. Charlie is back to being jolly and not so dark after that dumb "stealing baby' episode. The Koreans are still boring me. I'm still hoping Jin becomes fluent in English before this show is over.

Jack still annoys the heck outta me. The guy must have his own "jump to conclusions" mat (a la Office Space) cause that's all he does. The only time he thinks logically is when he is diagnosing or treating someone. Kate is still being "Wonder Woman", though it was nice to see her miss out on a few adventures. Ana Lucia and Libby are dead, and I'm not crying over it.

Mr. Eko is great. Just too bad he is misunderstood by all. Locke is starting to go crazy, which is a shame cause when he isn't, he's as funny as Sawyer, cause he talks so matter-of-factly. Hopefully, now that he knows the button is important, he'll go back to his "island ways".

But all in all, not a bad season at all. The hatch discoveries have been intriguing and the new faces were a nice change of pace. I kinda have a love/hate opinion with the fact that everyone knows everyone outside of the island somehow. I mean, I believe in the "6 degrees of separation of Kevin Bacon" but this show is taking that to a whole new level.

Two seasons to go before the premiere of Season 5 in mid-January. Am I excited to move on? Of course. I'm not gonna go this far and quit now. But am I pee my pants excited? Well no. This is no Amazing Race or Survivor. But it is still a good show.

So like I said in the last post, I am not gonna over-think this show. I'm just go into each season each episode with an open mind. Just keep going feeling LOST...pun intended.

Season 2 Grade: A- (if you take out those 3-4 episodes), B (if you keep them in)

Things I Learned This Week (Nov. 3-9)

You know, a wise soul once told me "Knowledge for the sake of Knowledge". And while I still don't honestly know what it really means, I think it is relevant to how I seem to learn some amazing things about this world and myself every week. And as usual, I am going to share some of them with you.

So after another week, I learned that...

-the new Guitar Hero has a lot of songs...almost too many. I been playing for almost two weeks and still haven't finished the songs on medium
-Family Feud with celebrity look-alikes is not Family Feud
-doing a story about little kids playing football is a much better story with NFL Films music behind it
-Wolf Blitzer is a bumbling fool during election coverage
-beaming people into a TV studio is possible. Just ask CNN.-I really miss Dan Rather during a presidential election
-America is moving in the right direction
-Facebook status updates are a great way to learn about not only about people's political beliefs, but their personal beliefs as well
-not having a change machine at a laundromat is just ridiculous
-the Browns defense is not to be counted on with a lead
-Brady Quinn is the present and future of the quarterback position
-10 pizzas + a large marching band = chaos
-Michael Phelps with a beard looks a tall, lanky bum
-CBS has the best NFL pregame show, hands down
-I'm not sure what I'm gonna do without Entourage to come home to on Sunday nights

Campaign 2008: Facebook Status Edition

Well, Senator Barack Obama is now President-Elect after a resounding victory on Election Day. And as expected, Obama's victory brought about a slew of emotions from all Americans. Some were excited and some were saddened. Some were inspired and some were scared. Some were proud and some were getting ready to move north.

Again, I try to be an independent when it comes to politics but I will put it out there that I did vote for Obama and am proud and excited he won. And as a Black man, inspired as well.

But on to the point of this post. As exciting as watching states turn red and blue was on TV and listening to the commentary of the so-called "experts", maybe the most exciting thing to watch on Election night were Facebook Status Updates. I found myself refreshing Firefox every minute to see the latest update from my friends. And so, for your enjoyment, I have compiled a list of my favorites, in order of when they happened. I am omitting the names because I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings by letting people know they said some of this stuff.

I made a Top 10 list with no comments and after it, all the best comments.

The Top 10:
1) ...is dreaming out a plan.. moving? This just isn't going to work for me. CONGRATS YOU F**K UPS... go abort all of your babies now.
2) ...is now sarah palin is going to have to resort to doing sex tapes. what a shame.
3) ...has already found a "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain" bumper sticker...
4) ...is debating waking up for work in the morning...might as well sign up for the gov't support obama has been promising for all the bums.
5) ...is amazed by the amount of idiots that voted for osama just bc hes black... and disregard hes a socialist muslim.. congrats america... you just ruined are count.
6) ...would like to thank the media, the fraudulent voters, the 19 year old girls without a political clue, the economically ignorant, and George W.
7) ...is IRON YOUR TURBANS... we're f***ed.
8) ...is i give him 5 days....biden 08!
9) ...was promised John Stamos was on the ballot
10) ...is I voted for Bill Clinton..

ALL THE BEST ARE BELOW (with my comments)

8pm to when Obama Wins Ohio
...enough already with the Obama street signs! I about hit 2 of those retarded ppl standing on the street corner. (well, retarded isn't a nice word)
...has lost faith with the "intelligence" of the human race. Moving to Canada if enough Americans are really this stupid. (uh oh, might lose a friend to Canada)
..."He gets votes from the left, gets votes from the right. That boy Obama, makes McCain look SHITE" (uh....what?)
...was promised John Stamos was on the ballot (haha, someone lied to you)
...Go Obama! Pray for the Obama family's safety, hatred and racism is still alive today (think most at this time were just praying he win first)
...is drinking to DeAngelo Hall getting cut and the Presidential Election (amen to both)
...is puttin back a 12-pack of Heineken, praying for democrat domination (sorry Republicans) (see above comment)
...is like wow a black president, it bout to go down, im bout to go crazy
...would like to thank the media, the fraudulent voters, the 19 year old girls without a political clue, the economically ignorant, and George W. (well, as a member of the media, you're welcome, i think)
...is thinking this election is O-V-E-R...Bush is nothing but a LAME DUCK finally.
...is I rock wit obama but i aint no politician - jay z. (thank God)
...is young America is irresponsible (well duh. just look at OU's Halloween)

Obama wins Ohio
...is yeah... now we're f***ed. you uneducated a**holes. (wait, did we accidentally elect Paris Hilton? Cause then we are)
...is waiting for the country to prove how big of an moron john mccain is. (can't be worse than Dubya)
...is IRON YOUR TURBANS... we're f***ed. (what if I don't own one?)
...is glad he voted absentee in Ohio instead of voting in Connecticut. (yeah, no lines...though i think he means somethin else)
...is you are all going to regret this.
...is breathing a huge sigh of relief. It's about damn time. Maybe we can get back to being leaders again. (yeah, that would be nice, considering everyone expects us to be)
...is shopping for homes in Canada. They are expensive, but at least with my new tax dollars I can put it towards a house and not s***ty Americans with no jobs. (hey now, i have friends that don't have jobs and they aren't that word)
...is for those of you who are threatening to move to Canada, just remember they have socialism (fact check please)
...is what the heck's a barack obama? (yeah, not a "presidential" sounding name but does sounds like a good name for a cocktail drink)
...is ashamed that idiot liberals are taking over america. be careful what you wish for. (yeah, they said that in that Pussycat Dolls song too)
...is amazed by the amount of idiots that voted for osama just bc hes black... and disregard hes a socialist muslim.. congrats america... you just ruined are count. (WOW...first, it's Obama. second, "ruined are count"? third, he's not Muslim. and lastly, that's just racist)

Obama clinches Presidency
...is living history.
...is debating waking up for work in the morning...might as well sign up for the gov't support obama has been promising for all the bums. (so that makes YOU a bum as well...)
...is i give him 5 days....biden 08! (that's just terrible)
...cannot wait to read the status updates from every single bitter Republican! (fun isn't it?)
...is congratulating Barack Obama on becoming the new President of the United States of America. (hey, someone being civil. nice)
...is waiting for people to realize their mistake in a few months. (well, considering Obama doesn't get sworn in until January, i think he means the mistake of 8 years of Dubya)
...is so happy she doesn't need to leave the country! go obama! (whew. that's good news)
...is cheers America. You made the right choice. We can finally get back to getting to the America we were all once so proud of. (all i can say is Cheers was a great TV show)
...would like to congratulate the mainstream media for electing Obama. Thank you for nothing. (wait, so those millions of votes were just from the media? wow, lot more peopl working in the media than i thought)
...is proud to have Barack'd a vote... President Obama yall... (nice play on words)
...is really weirded out by people running and screaming around town over Obama like he is a messiah or something. (yeah, that would be a bit weird but pretty sure that was the same reaction from Browns fans when they heard about Brady Quinn)
...is I voted for Bill Clinton (you can't do that)
...is wondering how our terrorist will run America. (he's a terrorist? really? missed that memo)
...is proud to be an American in the U.S.S.A. (United Socialist States of America) Obama Loves Johnny Rebal. (We added an S! Instead of socialist, I would've gone with "super")
...has already found a "Don't blame me, I voted for McCain" bumper sticker... (haha, i wish)
...facebook statuses cant do justice. this is so great. (amen)
...wft...like how does this happen? (wft? like what does that mean?)
...My President is Black...and no, that's not everything...but it's something that makes me PROUD today. (amen)
...says the white house has officially went BLACK (yea, that would be weird)
...can't stress enough, the importance of ringing in our new President Elect properly, by ordering the 2008 AJB Holiday Collection CD! See "About Me" for details! (shameless self promotion)
...is wondering...who wants to move to canada with me!?! i heard university of toronto is pretty sweet... (i heard that too. but i'm cool)
...is starting to get nervous.... we just made the anti christ the leader of our country. (he's the anti-christ? really? crap, i want my ballot back)
...is getting ready to move to the Bahamas. (now there's a place I'd move to. smart man)
...is quitting school and never working...IM A DEMOCRAT NOW. (no, you're out of work)
...is going to have to accept change. If change f***s up our country I will be the first to say I TOLD YOU SO. (the first? i'm gonna hold you to that)
...just heard the Days of Thunder and Crimson Tide theme songs at the McCain rally. Outstanding. (so so true)
...is now sarah palin is going to have to resort to doing sex tapes. what a shame. (yeah, a shame for the people who watch it)
...is still proud to be a republican. (good for you)
...is the Skins decided it last night. Today was just tying up loose ends. Yes Obama. (true. we didnt need to vote)
...is happy its all over, just not happy with the out come, the great thing about America is that we can vote again in four years. (aint america great!)
...is dreaming out a plan.. moving? This just isn't going to work for me. CONGRATS YOU F**K UPS... go abort all of your babies now. (wow. that seems extreme)
...is no second chance..enjoy your attempt at change. (yeah, since not changing is what America needs right?)
...is why be disappointed, the next 4 years can be any worse than the last. GO OBAMA! (gotta agree)
...thinks McCain made an excellent speech ... bring on Obama! (absolutely)
...thinks its funny that everyone wants to move to canada since they're twice as liberal. (and have yet to see a day with a President Obama)
...knew the majority of America was dumb but never thought they would prove it... Change is coming and Oh how omnious that is. (omnious = ominous. so are you in the majority or minority?)
...is looking for her vineyard in Italy because there is not a point to work hard for what you have anymore. (i dunno. what about pride? i always enjoyed that one)

After Obama's Speech
...can't believe the big mistake America has made...This is a sad day for America...and don't people have better things to do than hang out in a park in Chicago? (actually, it's a great day for America. think beyond politics. and what's better to do than watch a newly-elected President make his first speech?)
...is proud to be an American for the first time in a long time. (OK Michelle Obama)
...is kinda shocked by his family's really ignorant & racist comments about tonight's outcome. (damn shame)
...is going to bake some cookies....and calling off her plans to rent a place in mexico :) YAY OBAMA ♥ . (cookies? yummy)
...is pretty excited for all these cry babies to get to Canada! (yeah, guess that's less traffic on the road)
...is just glad the election is over. 16 hours in a newsroom, never fun. (amen to that)
...is extremely inspired :) (as we all should be, despite our race/political affiliation)

Hope you enjoyed it. And if I hurt someone's feelings, well, you kind of set yourself up for it by putting it on your facebook status. But this is America and we are free to express our opinion. Hakuna Matata.