salience

I know, I keep coming back to this, but I see it everyday and I can't not think about it. Sean Carter said it best, "Without sayin a word, the ghetto's got a mental telepathy." I think that is what irks me most ya'll, how folks can't see past what their parents and family have done, and feel like they are boxed into a certain life just because it's all they've ever known. It's never, "I wanted to get an education," but "I was never told I should have an education." No action, just reaction and passing the responsibility for life onto someone else just because you don't want to stand up and acknowledge any potential you could be sitting on in your everyday routine. Sure there is a certain extent of ignorance of consciousness we all can say we struggle with, but I think maybe we lose our childhood curiousity too quickly.

My mom sent me a really nice down winter coat a la JLo with faux fur trim. If you're reading this, thanks mom. I had been thinking of buying one actually, and I now look like a natural New Yorker in the winter chill. :)

I made the decision to go to Las Vegas on my own at the end of the month. I had hoped to go with some of my girls, but it doesn't look like the timing is going to work out. Sadly I am missing the wonderful Dave Faleris who will be in town for his brother's bachelor's party (psst! Alex this means you NEED to hang out with him cause I'm pretty sure ya'lls visits overlap so get on that and pass my love onto him please!!), but I will get to spend time both with Alex and his crazy Alaska/Colorado cello friend, Chuck. Plus everyone's favorite and my fellow Moose, Alex's mom. Unfortunately I am missing Alex's dad and his cool color changing pants.

El papa and the cuatas will be up here for Easter. The girls are playing at Carnegie Hall for a high school festival. That should be fun. They'll be staying at a hotel one stop downtown from my office on the E line.

Shell and I will be seeing Cirque du Soleil in the city in April. I'm going to try and get tickets which coincide with the TriBeCa film festival, so that's exciting. My baby's all grown up and looking at her own apartments, I'm so proud.

Hustle & Flow's song won at the Oscars, huh? I loved Queen Latifah's reaction of complete disbelief when she opened that envelope, and Jamie Foxx's shoutout. Yay for Three Six Mafia. And my girl Reese won for Walk the Line. And Joaq, I love you too so don't get jealous, especially in your Folsom Prison scene. To be honest ya'll, I didn't like Crash when I first saw it. I felt like it was every possible stereotype I'd experienced in my life all in one place, but I guess that was part of the point, you know? I really do appreciate all of the different forms of racism it showed and just how complicated it can make any relationship, especially interracial ones and even those of the same race. And, I would like to point out, the latino locksmith was the only one with a true heart out of the whole bunch.

I'm planning for my move in June ya'll. It's pretty exciting, being able to do apartment hunting when I am actually in the same state and don't have to drive four hours to meet with brokers I've only spoken to on the phone. No real details yet and I don't really even know exactly what I want, except to live on the same island as I work and not to have to do the commute through Queens anymore. The apartment I'm in now is like training wheels on my first ever two wheeler, so I'm counting down the days until I can race on by this patchwork place.

For all of ya'll wondering how my piano playing is coming along, the answer is slowly. My keyboard set up is really nice for the little money I've spent. It is hard for me to explain just how cool it is for me to be learning Philip Glass' Solo Piano after listening to it obsessively for so many years. And just in case you were wondering, yes you should go buy Zoe Keating's work right now. If you are a fan of sampling or mimimalist harmonies, you'll love it.

In final news, Prince's album will be released soon. The new Tool album title was announced: 10,000 Days. The first single is rumored to hit radio waves on 17 April. If you aren't a Tool fan, you should be. They are one of the few groups today comprised of classically trained musicians who follow the symphonic form in their songs. True, not very radio friendly, but let's be real here. Life can't always be confined to 180 second increments.

And we start another week, a few more hours closer to warm weather and sun. Night everyone.