Archive for the Category »Relationships «

You Say Tomāto, I Say Tomăto

One Way SignWhen my fellow co-worker Sunil came in this morning, I reflexively greeted him with, “how’s it going?” This is something I ask without thinking, something that comes out of my mouth before my brain has a chance to determine if I prefer to ask that or perhaps “what’s going on?” or — what I picked up from my homeboy Desmond Woodard in Atlanta — “what it is?”

Sunil, from northern India, then asked me what would be the proper way to respond to such a question. Funny, I thought, there really isn’t a question in that question. It’s just another combination of words whose meaning can be translated to “good morning.” The proper response, if there is one, I said could be “I’m good” or “chillin’” or saying nothing at all.

This got me thinking about a concept in sales called “perception versus intention.” Steve Harvey during the Steve Harvey Morning Show [the lady subjects me to it] sometimes will respond during Strawberry Letters [I'm embarrassed to admit that I listen to it, regardless that it's against my own will] to people’s letters saying what was said and what was heard may not be the same thing. The words used are heard correctly, sure, but the meaning behind the words are interpreted differently.

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African Proverbs of Love and Marriage

Collection of African proverbs about love and marriage, dedicated to my ladies, Nduku and Najwa…

I love you

Love doesn’t rely on physical features.

— Lesotho Proverb

Where there is love there is no darkness.

— Burundian Proverb

It’s better to fall from a tree and a break your back than to fall in love and break your heart.

— African Proverb

Love has to be shown by deeds not words.

— Kenyan Proverb

When one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow.

— Ethiopian Proverb

He who doesn’t feel jealousy is not in love.

— African Proverb

A letter from the heart can be read on the face.

— Kenyan Proverb

Let your love be like the misty rain, coming softly, but flooding the river.

— Liberian & Madagascan Proverb

If love is a sickness, patience is the remedy.

— Cameroonian Proverb

He may say that he loves you, wait and see what he does for you.

— Senegalese Proverb

I love you

The best part of happiness lies is in the secret heart of a lover.

— Ugandan Proverb

Love is a despot who spares no one.

— Namibian Proverb

Many little things make a man love a woman in a big way.

— Ghanaian Proverb

A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it.

— Ghanaian Proverb

He who loves, loves you with your dirt.

— Ugandan Proverb

The buttocks are like a married couple though there is constant friction between them; they will still love and live together.

— African Proverb

An Ode To Nduku Malombe — The Video

One of my homeboys told me that posting all this “crap” about my girl was annoying. Wait until he sees this…


[The music is Charles Cameron's "I'll Never Stop Loving You" from Darius and Nina's first date in Love Jones]

I Love This Woman

Something about Nduku’s smile…

I love Nduku Malombe

I love Nduku Malombe

I love Nduku Malombe

Category: Upendo wangu  Tags:

Sunshine (Dedication to Najwa and Nduku)

Initially I was simply looking to capture this moment in time by piecing together some videos of Najwa. Then I had this idea that maybe I could figure out how to add some music to the video — considering Najwa doesn’t really say much anyway. Then what if I sprinkled in a few pictures here and there of Najwa between the video clips?

Figuring that out was the easy part. The hard part was which of the hundreds of hundreds of pictures of Najwa do I use? The video was turning into the story of Najwa from birth to just shy of 10 months old. And as I was putting on the finishing touches, how could I do a biography on Najwa without her mother Nduku!?

Now, I had thousands more pictures to choose from! I started to look for a much longer song, but L!ssen’s live version of “Sunshine” said exactly what I was saying with the photos. And of course the soundtrack had to be go go…


Najwa Gaines

 

So Much Said In So Few Words

Nduku Malombe and Maureen Ndoto
Nduku and her roommate Maureen

Three days had passed since I first met this stunning girl at the movies. Instantly she caught my attention, yet for whatever reason, she said nothing to me — so I said nothing to her.

But my curiosity was too intense for me to just let it be. The only issue was that I had no idea, whatsoever, of how I was going to get in touch with her again.

Other than simply asking her roommate about, well, her roommate, I was at a lost. Since we said virutally nothing at all to each other at the movies, I couldn’t even remember her name. She said it so fast, with her proper English/African accent, and her name isn’t common [not in this hemisphere anyway].

Seriously, I wasn’t even sure if she said her name at all!

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The Culmination of a Series of What Ifs

It’s intimidating how delicate life is. Every single choice we make yields a result. Every single decision we make, no matter how small the detail, serves a role in how life unfolds. Every single insignificant moment has consequences, but the bliss of ignorance spares us the devastating realization of what could’ve been.

U Street MetroThere I stood, in the rain, at the bus stop, at the 13th Street exit to the U Street Metro station; it’s dark, chilly, a bit windy; but the only thing I could focus on was the car pulling up. Behind the steering wheel was Nduku Malombe, and right then I knew, once I stepped into the car, we would be embarking on a journey that almost never happened.

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How Hard Is It To Be Taken Seriously?

Want to be taken more serious? Hand someone a heavy book. Or a bowling ball. Or maybe even a 48-inch TV. A study conducted by a bunch of smart people determined that there’s a relationship between “weight, texture and hardness” to how people behave and respond to situations no matter how unrelated…

The findings might help people learn how to influence the thoughts and behaviors of others. Giving a potential employer something heavy to hold, for example, could make her take you more seriously.

“It turns out these metaphors reflect a real connection between our physical and mental understanding of the world,” said Joshua Ackerman, a psychologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of the study, which appears today in the journal Science. “Everything we think is in some way tied to the physical experiences we have.”

I wouldn’t go as far as saying handing an interviewer a bag of rocks will improve your odds of getting the job, but it’s the concept of weight and its relationship to human behavior that I find interesting. Seriously. And if you don;t believe, reread this post while holding you computer over your head.

Category: Relationships

One More Reason Men Have No Remorse

Let me add a little something extra to the “Why Do We Men Handle The Breakup So Callously?” posting.

Often when talking to one of my homegirls who are in a bad relationship, she’ll ask why can’t a man give into a relationship as much as she does. A common example is how she would call when she’s going to be out late with the girls but he never calls when he’s going to stay out late with the fellas. Or she’ll cook dinner and he won’t clean up. And that’s if he even says thank you.

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Category: Relationships

Why Do We Men Breakup So Callously?

After reading Kim Miles’ posting about Men, Women, and the Ability to Move On, I started reflecting on some of the relationships that I walked out on. I don’t consider myself one of the good ones; I know I am. And yet, I know I’ve emotionlessly moved on without looking back, regardless if it hurt or not.

Why?

One of the first things to cross my mind is how men and women see the breakup from two completely different perspectives. Men, well, we live in a world where we face a series of letdowns over and over. I’m a Redskins fan so for the past decade or so [has it really been since 1996 that we won our last Super Bowl?] I’ve had to put on my game face to stand tall in front my Giants and Patriots and even Cowboy fan friends. We men are extremely competitive and evolve into creatures who can take a loss with grace. We lose at Madden; we lose at not making more money than the next man; we lose at the clubs and bars when women seem to always have to go to the bathroom when we roll up.

In the process of all this losing, we almost get used to two simple facts. The first being that it is inevitable that you win some and you lose some. The second being that you will continue to lose if you don’t put it out of your mind.

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Men See in B/W; Women See All That Gray

Whenever I’m telling Lisa [my homegirl at the agency] something about someone I know, I refer to that person as my homeboy or homegirl — and all together as my people. Everyone is my homeboy or homegirl. Because everyone is either a friend or we just haven’t met yet.

It could be someone who also went to Osterholz American High School [my high school in Germany where my dad was stationed] or Westover High School in Fayetteville, NC, even if we never met. Washington Redskins fans and North Carolina A&T Aggies automatically become my people. If you’re Half-Black and Korean, we’re people. My candidates at the agency are my people. If you’re reading this — you’re my people.

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Sagittarians and Taureans? Disaster

Sagittarius and TaurusZodiacs. Some people pawn them off as witchcraft; others swear by them. Most people I know are skeptical, but most people I know also agree that they fit their zodiac personality. I know as a Taurus I’m stubborn. My Libra friends can be quite indecisive, and my Leo friends don’t forgive or forget when you mess up.

Out of sheer boredom, as well as a bit of curiosity, I looked up how we Bulls gel with all the other zodiacs. See, I met someone quite intriguing who straight up told me because she’s a Sagittarius and I’m a Taurus, it won’t work. Sagittarians are very free spirited and don’t like to be fenced in while Taureans are controlling. Now you listen here…!

Independence is Sagittarius’ principle, they crave adventure and excitement and welcome change with open arms. Sagittarius is the sign of the philosopher and the explorer, they will go as far as road will go and explore every corner thoroughly in their ever eternal search for wisdom. Freedom is so important to Sagittarius that they will actually make decisions based on the amount of freedom that is given by the choice they have made, as a result, sometimes a good opportunity is turned down because of it’s high commitment need, but this is their choice so it is a good choice for them.

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Men Want Sex; Women Want Commitment

My lady friends are always asking, “Why are men always thinking about sex?” My homeboys [who aren't bunned up already] actually don’t ask but already know that women tend to focus more on seeking commitments. Why is that, though?

It’s not because we’re two different species, because we’re not. It’s not because we’re from two different planets, because we’re not. Essentially, taking a overwhelmingly complex concept and putting it into a simpler, easier-to-chew thought: it comes down to the number of opportunities to procreate.

Let’s take it back about a decade first.

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Category: Relationships

Smart Phones Eliminate Manners

Now that my BlackBerry has been revived [sans a couple of the buttons] from the dip in the toilet, I’m back in business. Phone calls, text messages, IM chatting, Facebooking, instant email, videomail, picturemail, pinging, poking, you name it. I recharge my battery at work; I recharge my battery at home. My customized Go Go ring tone ["Get Silly" performed live by the WHAT! Band] gets heads nodding on the Metro; I have an alarm clock again, so I can stay up late not worry about oversleeping; I can check my calendar when someone brings up an upcoming event to see if I already told someone I’d be at theirs.

All systems are a go, that is, until I’m out with someone. Unless it’s my homeboys, who understand, I prefer to quiet my phone out of courtesy, respecting what Jesus once told me about doing unto others. I may glance to see if I received any pressing text messages, but for the most part, I can give my undivided attention without feeling guilty of whoever is trying to reach me.

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Reference Checking Isn’t Just For Employers

Reference Checking

 

A couple of years ago I sent my homeboy Devin an email about George W. Bush and Condi Rice having an affair. His first question was what was the source [typical attorney mindset]. Odds are Condi has higher standards, but the point was made: the truth is only as strong as its source — not that Devin cared if Bush was bangin’ Condi every night.

When I’m interviewing candidates, I realize that their answers are always skewed to present them in the best possible light. Even the answers I hear about their greatest weakness are usually a strength disguised as a weakness as many interview books recommend. As if we recruiters haven’t heard every answer in every book already.

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Category: Relationships  Tags:

If I Was Ready To Get Married Right Now…

Eloping in Las VegasSeveral years ago my homeboy Chad broke the news to me. He and Davita were getting married. I was honored to be his best man, flew out to Denver and witnessed an elaborate wedding. My homegirl [more like my sister] Chevelle and Curtis were up next, but Jamaica was a bit far for me then. I was again honored to be [co-] best man at Devin’s wedding, and he and Afiya didn’t spare one penny on their VIP wedding. And as the fellas and I prepare for our homeboy Wayne’s wedding with Jen, Jen and the girls are probably maxing out his credit cards for the wedding.

At this stage in life, many of my people are getting married. And they’re not going to let a recession discourage them from having a wedding bigger than the Super Bowl halftime show. Open bars. Stretch limos from here to the altar. Ice sculptures and live bands.

I’ve thought about what I’d do if I was about to get married. Sure, why not? It’s ok to think about it at least once in a lifetime. Those who know me know marriage is still a word I have to look up the definition for. Isn’t it spelled L-O-C-K-D-O-W-N?

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No More Good Men? Maybe You’re Too Fast!

Steve HarveyA good friend of mine once mentioned there are no more good black men to date. Most of my other female friends say there aren’t any good men left to date. So, they date the losers fearing there won’t be any men in general to date. Some of my female friends rather date females than one of us conniving men!

No more good men is one of those topics that comes up at social settings often. And at the workplace. And at church. And, well, wherever you find a single or unhappy woman. Of course, we men, well the good ones, all disagree. There are plenty of available good men — including black men — only it seems women have forgotten what separates the good ones from the bad ones. Or as Steve Harvey puts it, women have lowered their standards too low.

As an auto plant worker, Harvey says he had to wait 90 days to receive benefits — and says the same probation period should apply to dating. “In 90 days they checked me out. They determined if I was easy to work with, if I got along well with others, if I showed up when I said I was going to show up, if I was worthy.”

Women, Harvey says, hold the greatest benefit of all — the cookie — so there’s no reason to give it away until you know your man deserves it. “Slow down, ladies,” Harvey says. “Look, you cannot run us off.”

So what if you don’t want to wait 90 days? Harvey says if you change the probation period, you do so at your own risk. “You all keep changing the rules. And men are aware of the fact that you are changing the rules. We’re aware of the fact that you act desperate. We’re aware of the fact that you think there’s a good shortage of good men out there,” he says.

“We play on all of that. … We created the term ‘gold digger’ so you won’t ask us for nothing. We created the term ‘nagging’ so you can quit badgering us. These are terms that we created so you can require less of us.”

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Category: Relationships  Tags:

How Do You Invest Your Happiness?

Aristotle and Plato“Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.”

        — Aristotle [shown in the picture with his homeboy Plato]

What better way to say you are my friend than to say part of my [or is it "our" soul?] soul is in you? That I can only exist because you exist? You gotta be good friends if someone has part of your soul!

Years ago I was on the phone with my friend Rukiyah’s mom, Mudiwa, and I was venting [more like acting like a b!tch] about getting dumped by this girl who I was really feelin’. I mean, I was a mess, because nothing else in life was going right back then.

And Mudiwa said the most amazing thing to me that I didn’t fully understand until I got older. She said that I had attempted to invest my happiness in this one girl and it was too much for her to be responsible for. I shouldn’t be sad about it; I should be thankful that I still have the rest of my life to find the one who can handle the responsibility.

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Death of a Hopeless Romantic

There I was sitting on her bed, waking from a quick nap, wondering where my girlfriend was. We had planned to go to the movies after my snooze, but something told me that wasn’t going to happen. The longer I waited, the more I felt we would never go to the movies together. Perhaps nowhere together ever again.

And then she enters into the room.

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Learning Hard Way What We Already Know

Sometimes, people have to learn the hard way what they already know.

I met this woman last summer, in the most intriguing way, not realizing I was about to have my heart ripped out my chest. Neither of us was the other’s type. She liked the nightlife, was always in the streets and had a gold diggin’ quality that eventually kept our paths from crossing.

She was used to talking to guys who were older, had bank, phat transportation, dressed preppy, a defined career, a clean vernacular, credit and a college degree. Only older than me by a year and some, I felt what she was looking for was young-minded. Her motivation I understand was her two children, but I know without a doubt I am the best thing for them even without the cash flow.

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Category: Relationships

What’s So Embarrassing?

Yeah, this is embarrassing, but you have to remember one thing about me…

There is no shame in my game. I am a man of indestructable pride.

I have to admit, though, I did feel a little embarrassed about my situation with this girl. All I talked about since I met her was her. All my friends felt I was crazy. And I’d respond “I am – for her.” She was the numero uno. Point blank. And there was nothing else that needed to be said other than, “Cool.”

But then I started to lose that, “Cool.”

We never intended to develop a relationship, until one day I just felt beyond disrespected. After only meeting two months, I posed a question upon her. There’s some kind of medication she takes for cramps that she calls the “truth serum” and if I had a question, she said that was the time to ask because she cannot tell a lie when she takes it. She just warned me not to ask anything I didn’t really want to know. So, wanting to know, I asked how many other guys had she slept with since meeting me two months ago. She replied, “Five.”

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Category: Relationships