TO WEAR A FLAG PIN OR NOT TO WEAR A FLAG PIN

May 20th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

So much has been made of BARACK O’BAMA not wearing the American Flag on his lapel. It’s not a major issue, but when placed with other peices of the puzzle, it starts to paint a ugly picture.

Most ad reps would tell you to push your product every chance you get. Never stop advertising and never stop trying to build your base. I know politicians do the same. They are fully aware of their surroundings and who’s watching.

BARACK O’BAMA should know the whole world in watching our PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. He should be jumping at the chance to promote our country. In every snap shot, campaign speech, and video, he should be trying to increase our supporters. I wouldn’t trust ROCAWEAR if JAY-Z never wore them.

If you think I’m making a big deal. Check this out.

If BARACK O’BAMA gets to appoint judges, what does this picture tell you? In our POLITICALLY CORRECT nation, where judges are making laws instead of ajudiating, soon we won’t be allowed to hear our national anthem. Especially if our president won’t salute the flag.

How is this helping us? We already blame the government for all the plights in our society. It took 9/11 to pull us together. We’ve forgotten that. I just think we all would remember a little better what our country means, if the most recognizable figures in our political culture can agree on one thing. AMERICA is the greatest country in the world and deserves a leader that respects that.

FINDING FAULT

May 20th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

No one is held in praise for pointing out someone’s faults. They use their senses to amplify the faults of others. They choose to ignore the positive and focus on the negative. The truth isn’t located in gossip or hating, but in open mindedness.

Look at the United States. We are a country in abundance. We have freedoms and privelages not known to most around the world. Will you find only the fault? Or while pointing out the things that need change, will you give credit for having the right to let your voice be heard?

“If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.” HERMAN HESSE(1877-1962)

CHANGING THE WORLD BEGINS WITH ME (2 Cents)

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

No one can get away without changing the world. Everything you do effects something else, either for the good or the bad. It is inevitable.

In a huge machine, things work better when the individual parts are taken care of. So if you do your part, the world can be a better place. For every nice deed done by you, good is pushed into the universe forcing a little bad out. So I’ll do my part, if you do yours.

“So divinely is the world organized that everyone of us, in our place and time, is in balance with everything else.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Beyonce “LISTEN”

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

When DREAMGIRLS was released Christmas Day 2006, I wasn’t in a rush to go and see it. I decided to wait for the DVD release. When that came out, I still didn’t rent it. It took a broken down train and hot bus to force me to watch it. A story for another day.

EDDIE MURPHY was brilliant as “Thunder Early”. Jimmy got soul, Jimmy got soul. How could you not love that? JENNIFER HUDSON, former AMERICAN IDOL winner, played the diva, Effie, and did a hell of a job at it. Her vocals gave heart and soul to the movie. JAMIE FOX played Curtis Taylor Jr., a strong willed producer with a by any mean neccessary philosphy.

My comments come on Deena, played by BEYONCE KNOWLES. I know the purpose of her character was to stand in the backround and she did a wonderful job of that. Her little concerts were cute, she was beautiful in her photo shoot, but she exploded in “Listen”.

Her awakening towards the ending was beautiful, and made me watch the movie over and over again. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and my opinion, she was the one not listening.

When he refused to let her have a child, she wasn’t listening. When she had to sneak to talk about her future, she wasn’t listening. It wasn’t until he got bold enough to say it out right she got the message.

Take lesson in this. If at night you lay in bed and think about all the shit pushed on you by those who claim to love you, listen. If your constantly repeating your feelings on the same subject, listen. If there is something empty inside you and that person had no desire to fill it, listen.

When your words fall on deaf ears, a million words should be flying towards you. Don’t wait until they get bold enough to say it. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” MAYA ANGELO. Refer to my blog “TWO HEARTS”.

More than listening to what the other person is saying, listen to what your tellling yourself. If you’re trying to keep someone when that person is hurting you, listen to yourself. Would you give that advice to your best friend? Keep someone that’s no good for you.

Instead of expecting someone else to listen, do a little listening yourself.

Science vs Faith

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

There are two main beliefs in the creation of the world.  Some believe the right gases mixed, we evolved, and this is what we became.  I believe God created the earth, and made us in his image.  I heard this story when I was young and it always stuck with me.

There was a woman.  She was burned really bad in a fire.  Her face bared the brunt of the scars.  She had a daughter that loved science, it was her passion.  Her mother worked hard to get her every advantage.

Her mother was so proud of her.  When she won an award for her brilliance, she was the first one there to see it.  She watched her daughter, strong and confident, take the stage and command attention.  She was so impressed.

Then came the speech.  Her mother sat there shocked, listening to her daughter credit science for the creation of man.  Before her speech was over, the mother got up and exited the building.

The daughter found her outside crying.  She wiped her tears and questioned their meaning.  The mother looked into her daughter’s eyes and wept.

Do you know how I got these scars?

The daughter had always wondered, but her mother had showed her so much love she hadn’t asked.  It just didn’t matter.

Well when you were a baby, our house caught on fire.  I had been working so hard, I didn’t wake up at the sound of the alarm.   Your cries finally woke me, but the flames were already in room with us.  I grabbed you, and I prayed.  God told me to move and I did.  I ran through the burning house with you in my arms and I didn’t stop til we were safe outside.  I never felt the flames on my face and body and not a single one touched you.

I thought your love of science would help the world, I never thought it would destroy your faith.

You should read my blog, Poetry: That feeling.   Then let me know what you think.

Two Hearts

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

When I was 17, I wanted a tattoo, but my mother refused.   She said I was to young to get something permanent on my body.  I was stubborn and didn’t listen, so I grabbed my friends I.D. and went to the tattoo parlor.

It was two weeks before my 18th birthday, and I was surrounded by walls and books full of pictures.

Lil backround.  I had graduated at 16.  I was working and had my own apartment.  I had been in love twice.  My first had taken my virginity and captured my intellect.  Plus my mom hated him.  More than that, he made me think, and I loved that.  He was older, more sexual, and so he cheated.  I broke it off.

Three years later, it happened again.  He made me furious.  He was constantly challenging my ability to deal with other people, which was hard for me.  He was toxic, but I loved him anyway.

I was still in love, but no longer with him when I was standing around all these pictures.  I saw it and I realized my mother was wrong.  I was old enough to realize something that would last my entire life.

Two major loves should be enough to know exactly what you want.  I’m not talking casual dating, I never did that.  I’m talking making yourself sick love.  You should know whick qualities you want and those that should send off red flags.  Even if those are attractive qualities to you, that’s what the arrows’ for.  Never forget the lessons learned in the first two.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Keep on a straight path to finding what you really want.  The blood dripping?  Let it go.  Don’t hold the next man accountable for your past.

In a nutshell, its my philosophy on love.  It can be summed up by Maya Angelo.  “When people show you who they are, believe them.”

Patiently Waiting

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Patiently waiting

For the changes inevitable to life

Those that surprise

Even when expected

Nothing more shocking

Though heavily anticipated

Maybe longed for, yet repressed

Boiling to the top

Latent but growing

Fingertips twitch

Shoulders tense

Lips pursed and ready to strike

Confused by the reaction

Never can be prepared

For Life

That Feeling

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Nothing

But a feeling

An Invisible something

willing you forward

Questioned by those who ignore

That Feeling

It’s not materialistic

It’s soul searching

Where X marks the spot

Unseen to those who don’t search it out

Unknown to those who block out pain

Instead of dealing

It’s overwhelmingly strong

But bendable to emotion

When invited in, it takes hold

And shapes

And fills

And recreates

That Feeling

An invisible something

willing you forward.

Don’t question, Just Feel

That Feeling

Idle Hands

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

A couple months ago, an old boyfriend of mine asked, “How much money did I spend on you when we were together?”  I quickly bought my eye roll.  “You didn’t spend any money on me, you were broke.”

He adjusted his stature and tone, the re-approached me.  “You have Idle Hands!  Let’s make some money together.”

I thought to myself, I don’t have idle hands.  I take care of my child, my husband, and my house.  At the end of the day, my hands don’t feel idle.   He saw me deep in thought and let me ponder.  Normally I would’ve snapped back, probably why he’s an ex.  Instead, I said  “I’m listening.”

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.  I’m starting a web page and I want your face and opinions.”  I held his productive hands in my idle hands and blew him off.

I got to much going on in my life to deal with this.  The next morning I awoke to the sound of my three year old pouring her own cereal.  I walked in the kitchen to find she had already dressed herself.  I told her I was proud of her.  I was glad she didn’t have idle hands. 

There were no dishes to wash, the floors had been vacuumed and I had nothing to do before I took her to school.  I tried to volunteer in her class for the day, but another parent had beat me to the punch.  I went home with nothing to do.

Usually I would play video games in my spare time.  (Don’t knock it, till you try it) Today I wasn’t in the mood.  I flipped through the channels and up pops a random church service.  Can you guess what the topic was?

So in a matter of twelve hours, I’d had a thought provoking exchange with a man who used to think being hard was more important than being smart, my daughter showed her independence, and god sent me a message via comcast.

I realized I had been idle, stuck, and unaware of my immobility.

So now I’m a blogger. 

Let’s eliminate defeatist thinking, unexisting boundaries, and lead filled boots to cure our communties of idle hands.

Pick up the Controller

May 18th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Since I first played Pac-man on the Atari, I’ve loved video games. I was never into shooter games though. I liked Platforming, the Mario’s and Sonics, and puzzles games, Tetris and Dr. Mario. I just recently got into the new wave of video games.

It started with Devils May Cry. I beat the game in a week and my dude was like what the fuck. He was really into Madden, so I learned how to play a little. The last game we played, I got two sacks on him in the endzone. Safety. Safety. He never played me again.

I began to notice as new games would come out, I would beat the game before him and he’d never play it again. Ladies, did you hear me? After he sees you beat the game, he won’t want to play it anymore. Pick up the controller.

If you think it’s hard, you’d be surprised. It would take you no more than two games under each genre to learn all the rest. There are minor button differences but the premise is all the same. You don’t want him playing video games all night, have the controller in your hand terminating the Locust on GEARS OF WAR, shit talking to someone as you storm their base in COMMAND AND CONQUER, or ripping the guitar in ROCK BAND.

More than stopping him from playing, you’ll be having fun. It’s quite relaxing to run up to some one in LIBERTY CITY (GTA IV), steal their car, and go on a five minute police chase. I would never do it in real life and I don’t let my young daughter watch as I play, but it is fun.

To all my sisters that already know, we run it. Isn’t it fun when you jump in a room with all females and take away the boys pride. I love it even more when they revert to name calling like they were 13, it just reminds me of old times.

I love video games and given half the chance I know that there is something out there that you would love to. On Xbox live you can play chess, checkers, solitaire and dozens of other little puzzle games. Get you a gamertag and lets play.

Do you know I once played with a 64 year old white woman who was given a Xbox 360 for her retirement present. Oh and if you get the camera, you can picture chat with anyone over Xbox live for as long as you want free.