Nobody's Fault But Mine

Nina Simone

Ah, nobody's fault but mine
Nobody's fault but mine
If I die and my soul be lost
Nobody's fault but mine

I had a mother who could pray
I said I had a mother who could pray
Nobody's fault but mine

Hey now

I had a mother who could sing
I had a mother who could sing
If I die and my sould be lost
It's nobody's fault but mine

Nobody's fault but mine.
Nobody's
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost now
If I die and my soul be lost
Nobody's fault but mine

Listening to Nina Simone is a religious experience.

I think that I need to look at power differently. There are many different forms of power....and everyone possesses it. We all need to realize our power.

I am so absolutely blessed. Let me never forget that.

Oh for the castration of power.

Sometimes I get in my Nancy Wilson mode and sing every one of her songs that I know from the two albums I previously owned and some that I just found on the internet.

The Way

Jill Scott

Woke up this morning with a smile on my face
Jumped outta bed, took a shower, dressed, cleaned up my place
Made me some breakfast, toast, 2 scrambled eggs, grits
Grabbed my keys, grabbed my purse, grabbed my jacket
Off to work, beaming all the way down 3rd

Is it the way you love me baby
Is it the way you love me baby (Yeah)

4:30, can't wait to get home (I know u commin out tonight)
Nah, girl I got somethang else to do (Damn Jill, don't be frontin' on your girls, for real)
Go 'head, really get your groove on cuz tonight my man's coming through
We gonna have to connect some other time
As much as I like to shake my thang on the dance floor
I got another nasty, freaky just right way in mind
Tonight I'm gonna beat the high score

Is it the way you love me baby (Yeah)
Is it the way you love me baby (Baby)
Is it the way you love me baby (Is it, is it the way)
Is it the way you love me baby

James Blunt is a beautiful man. I believe he was crying on Oprah while he was singing.

I woke up this morning with June Jordan's "Poem About My Rights" floating through my brain. It is my favorite poem. It is my mantra. I revel in the legacy of June Jordan, her passion and her anger.

They say Michael Knight is straight....I definitely would like to convert him....They should make me a saint....so many souls.

More Project Runway

Laura is like an Oracle. Truths just pour out of her.

Project Runway

About last episode, I really hate those Kulaks that Kayne put Michael's mother in. Also, Robert's outfit for Vincent's sister will now be sold in Walmart for $10....So, Angela is finally gone. That outfit she made to "jet-set" looked like something my friend Shannon would wear. Not good. I adored Michael's outfit. He is gorgeous. Bye Kayne, you're next.

I do so very much appreciate Cornel West. He is definitely a part of my beloved community.

Sixth Radical Progressive Carnival

It has been a while since the last carnival was posted. Here is the latest edition. Our first offering is my belated essay,Autobiography of an Activist which is a personal narrative of the development of my consciousness and my involvement in activism. The second offering is a great analysis of Thoreau's essay, Civil Disobedience and how it relates to the present over at GT. Thirdly,Jewbuquest offers a stark, very frank, and surreal analysis of the state of alzheimer's care in assisted living facilities. It is a powerful polemic on the lack of attention given to this growing problem. These are the very few offerings for this edition of the radical progressive carnival. I hope that others will submit and that the carnival will grow. Enjoy.

It's The Little Things-India Arie

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh

Been around the whole world, still ain't seen
Nothin' like my neighborhood
And of all the fancy satin and silk
My white cotton feels so good

Searched high and low for a place
Where I can lay my burdens down
Ain't nothin' in the whole wide world
Like the piece that I have found

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring
(The little things) It's the little things
And joy they bring

As simple as a phone call just to make it known
That you're gonna be a little late
Pure as a kiss on a cheek in a word
That everything will be okay

Call in the mornin' from my little sister
Singin' to me, "Happy Birthday"
In the quest for fortune and fame
Don't forget about the simple things

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring, yeah
(The little things) It's the little things
And joy

Give me some roomful, give me seclusion
Give me some peace of mind
Bring me some sunshine, bring me some blue sky

Runnin' 'round in circles, lost my focus
Lost sight of my goal
I do this for the love of music
Not for the glitter and gold

Got everything that I pray for
Even a little more
When I ask to learn humility
This is what I was told

(It's the little things) It's the little things
And the joy they bring, it's the little things
(The little things) It's the little things
Oh...hee...

Give me my guitar, bring me a bright star
Give me new clothes, give me some cute shoes
Give me a ladder, give me some matter
Bring me my peace of mind

Give me some Stevie, give me some Donny
Give me my daddy, give me my mommy
Pour me some sweet tea, spoonful of honey
I don't need no Hollywood

This Is One Of Those Moments--From Yentl

by Barbra


There are moments you remember all your life.
There are moments you wait for ans1 dream,
Of all your life.
This is one of those moments.
I will always remember this chair,
that window, the way the light streams in.
The clothes I'm wearing,
The words I'm heating,
The face I'm seeing,
The feeling I'm feeling,
The smell, the sounds, will be written
On my mind, will be written in my heart
As long as I live!
I can, travel the past and take what I need
To see me through the years
What my father learned and his
Father before him will be there
For my eyes and ears.
I can walk through the forests
Of the trees of knowledge
And listen to the lessons of the leaves.
I can enter rooms
Were there are rooms within rooms
Wrapped in the shawl that learning weaves.
I remember, Papa-everything you taught me
What you gave me, Papa-
Look at what it’s brought me
There are certain things that once you have
No man can take away-
No wave can wash away-
No wind can blow away-
And now they’re about to be mine!
No tide can turn away-
No fire can burn away-
No time can wear away...
I can open doors and take from the shelves
All the books I’ve longed to hold
I can ask all the questions,
The whys and the wheres
As the mysteries of life unfold
Like a link in a chain
From the past to the future
That joins me with the children yet to be,
I can now be a part
Of the ongoing stream,
That has always been a part of me!
There are certain things that once you have
No man can rake away-
No wave can wash away-
No wind can blow away-
No tide can turn away-
No fire can burn away-
No time can wear away-
And now they’re about to be mine!
There are moments you remember all your life.
There are moments you wait for
And dream, of all your life.
This is one of those moments!

I love those lyrics to the Fugees "Ready or Not." I am going to have to find that song. Nina Simone...reincarnated....

Its all about the values we hold. I see that more and more everyday. "All night, all day angels watching over me my lord. All night, all day angels watching over me."

I have been meaning to blog this for a long time now. Sandrika had a beautiful wedding this summer. Her colors were Florentine Orange and white. Lovely choices. Everything went well except for the rain which hastened the pace of everything. Great time. Sandrika is also a trip! Ha!

What I Truly Believe

That Right will out and Evil will find its way to hell...in all things.

Race Decoded

Black=illegitimate, White=legitimate. Period.

Interview with Ilyasah Shabazz

This is a link to a very short, but great interview with one of Malcolm X's daughters.

The Black community is in a mess. They are stuck in between assimilation,assuming a conciliatory posture and Louis Farakhan and no one has listened to Malcolm. We need dignity, self-respect and integrity in this community.

Ready or Not

By the Fugees/ Lauren Hill

Chorus: Lauryn Hill

Ready or not, Here I come, You can't hide
Gonna find you, and take it slowly
Ready or not, Here I come, You can't hide
Gonna find you, and make you want me

Verse One: Wyclef

Now that I escape sleep walk away
those who convolate knows the world they hate
Jails bars ain't golden gates
those who fake they brake when they meet they four hundred pound mate if i could rule the world, everyone who have a gun and together of course we'd get the up in our their horse I kick a rhyme drinking moon shine
I poor sip on the concrete, for the deceased
but no don't weep, Wyclef in a state of sleep
thinking about the robbe-RY that I did last WEEK
Money in the bag, bank a look like a drag
I wanna play with pelicans from here to Bagdad
Gun blast, think fast I think I'm hit
My girl pinch's my hips to see if I still exist
I think not, I send a letter to my friends
A born again, hooligan only to be king again

Chorus

Verse Two: Lauryn Hill

yo, I play my enemies like a game of chess
where I rest no stress if you don't smoke cess, less
i must confess my destany's manifest
to some gortex and sweats I make tracks like i'm homeless Rap orgies with Porgie and Bess
capture your bounty like Eliot Ness YES!
Bless you if you represent the FU
but I hex you, with some witches vu if you do-do
Voodo, I could what you do, EASY!
Believe me, frontin' niggaz
gives me heebe-geebes
so why you imitatin' Al Capone
I be Nina Symone and defacating on your microphone

chorus

Interlude: Lauryn Hill

You can't run away from these styles I got
Oh baby, hey baby cause I got a lot oh yeah...
Anywhere you go, my whole crew gonna know
Oh baby, hey baby you can't hide from the black gold no...

Verse Three: Pras

Ready or not, refugees taking over
The buffalo soldier, dread like rasta
On the twelve hour flyby in my bomber
crews went for cover now they under pushin' up flowers
Superfly, true lies do or dies
toss me high only profile with my crew from Lacaille
I refugee from Guatanamo Bay,
dance around the border like I'm Cassius Clay
Chorus



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There is definitely something about music...and I am trying to put my finger on it... Dubois was definitely obssessed with music...I just started thinking about this the other day....but there is definitely something there.

Buddhism

I think I finally understand what Buddhist philosophy has to say(this after a conversation with Rebecca). You may try to do whatever you want to me, but I know what I can do." Perhaps that is the sum of it.

Idlewild

Yesterday, while in Chicago, Rebecca and I saw Idlewild. I spent a while after watching the film trying to formulate my thoughts about it, which were very much mixed. The sentiments that I hold I find very much expressed in this Village Voice review of the film. Too much like the bad part of hip-hop today, the film cared nothing about misogyny and gave no voice whatsoever to the queer or that which is not heteronormative. The filmmakers had absolutely no problem showing dozens of shots of women's breast and them scantily clothed or in lude sexual positions. However, Andre Benjamin only bared his nipples. It definitely left something to be desired.

A Turtle's Dream

R and I got back from Chicago last night. It was a great time. All morning today, Abbey Lincoln's "A Turtle's Dream" played in my mind. I did a search for the lyrics and it is incredible that they are not to be found on the internet. However, I have transcribed them and here they are.

Often I think
When I'm all alone
and no one can see me but me
I think and I wonder just who I am
and how I came to be
I can swim the ocean and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide.

Maybe one day I'll fly like and eagle
fly like a bird and go and gooo
soar like an eagle
walk like a lion
although I won't be I know
but I can swim the ocean
and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide

I guess the time has come for me to go and look
for something thats moving in my house
you know moving slowly
is not really bad
you see the wonders of the deep
just waiting there for me
and I can swim the ocean and it's deep and wide
and in the house above me abide
and in the house above me abide