Mirror mirror, on the wall...

This can't be love...

Don't take it that way, the feeling is incomparable because I knew they couldn't stand me. But it started off good, and ended better! It's a feeling I'll remember because words are realities, and I'm still a young man...this time, has indeed, been interesting!

I've been talking about AT a lot (which is my main focus anyway) but I don't think it would hurt to write about other things, too! I've been looking forward to getting involved at SFA, so I went to a TAASA (The African-American Student Assoc.) meeting recently, and was ecstatic when I found out there will be open-mic sessions! Oh, yes, that's my sh*t! The first open-mic was advertised as just that - Open Mic. Now, where I'm from, whenever you hear "Open Mic," you can expect to get some poets and a full dosage of spoken-word, maybe some lyricist. In addition, like at USF "Expressions," you'd get the intimate lounge setting with the candles as the rooms' only lighting, and a DJ spinning some Badu or Slum Village. There was no MC, just go up whenever you were ready. In between sets, the DJ would spin. It was a thing of beauty. I didn't know how much I'd miss that. Here, the Starbucks setting was aiight, but the seating arrangement was wack because not everyone could see. And occasionally you'd get the Barista yelling out..."okay, we got a venti double-machiatto triple-frap with no creme," and that just kinda killed the mood! But back to the performances, well, there weren't any -- poets, that is. There was one, and he was ok...he did something about love, your standard love poem. Ehh...but I'm glad there was a poet because the room was filled with guitarist. I kid you not! Of the 2 hours of performances, they were all guitarist/vocalist!!!! Um...I thought I was at Battle of the Bands.

I went with the intention to scout the competition. And I brought my rhyme-book if I felt the vibe, and decided to go up. Well, after the 7th or so guitar solo (and not even original music), I decided to sign up. But time ran out before I could go up, and that is only because people were doing 3-4 songs!!! Incredible! There needs to be some kinda limit, more like 1 song limit, or 7 minute session, because that is just uncalled-for. Good thing there were having another Open Mic the following week,, because I now, had priority for that one.

When the next week came around, I was ready to hit this crowd with something new. I really wanted to make a statement so I wrote something especially for this occasion. And with all the BS in politics going on right now, I wrote a anti-Bush piece, and I didn't know how it would be taken. But, I spoke to Sparxx before I went up, and he said "Don't get shot out there, man." Whatever, if they hate, then so what! One thing I will admit though, the crowds definitely come out in support. This event was an outdoor event, so there were more people than the Starbucks event. I did the poem "If You don't know, no ya know," which has some anti-Bush comments/lines metaphorically spoken as the "Dick and the Bush," and the crowd just LOVED it! I was getting all kinds of laughs in the right places on parts that were intended to be funny, and afterwards, several folks (including some cute freshmen girls -- too young, though) came up to me and showed their appreciation! It was great. And also, another group of guys who are musicians really liked it, and invited me to a jam session in the music building where they were rehearsing for next week's Battle of Bands competition. They didn't know I played piano for the last 11 years, so I was down. A great week indeed. A special one. I'm looking forward to more events.