He’s overcome established political icons;
Rewritten the rules for how to run a campaign;
Brought hope and joy to millions in America and around the world;
Now it’s your turn.

The world wants to love America again.
Americans want to love America again.

Vote today;
Vote, so you can tell your children;
Vote, so you can tell your grandchildren;
Vote…so you can change the world.

Obama + Biden ‘08

I’ve come to really cherish my weekends. Before I’ve taken them for granted as just any other day, but lately I’ve been working almost nonstop. During the week its meeting after meeting, deadline after deadline. Not to mention just living in the day-to-day hustle that is NYC; it kinda wears on you, ya know?

My joy everyday is my ride to and from work. I can’t begin to explain how much of a release it is. I spend about 25 minutes during my commute each day riding through Central Park. And then the weekends. YES! Three to four laps of Central Park early in the morning (7 - 9am if I’m lucky). I know, that’s not much but its something. The rest of my time is spent just being a dad…all day. I love it. LOVE IT! There are times I wish I had a less hectic career, but then I wonder if I would be as happy. Maybe…

Was talking to my cousin the other day and he’s working at Bank of America these days. Makes a modest living and invests here and there. He’s also an undefeated MMA fighter (6 - 0). It got me thinking, should we move?

Sure, the Mrs. and I have grown “comfortable” where we are but we aren’t enjoying life. Two children, a wife, baby sitter, diapers, food, laundry, subway, taxis, the occasional (and I stress very occasional) dinner out comes with a hefty price when you weigh in all the previous; it isn’t all that much fun with that in mind. Here in NYC we are just making it. But Mel, what does that mean? It means we’ve been thinking about next moves.

On one extreme, we’re entertaining the idea of moving back to the south. Cheaper, greener and family friendly. We especially like Atlanta for those reasons and one other: successful Black people. It may sound trivial to some, but for us it’s a big deal. Everyday on tv, radio, where we live here in Harlem and in the workplace, you very rarely see positive images of Blacks. I’m not saying Atlanta is the be all, end all of Black positivity. It just happens to have a much higher concentration/representation in that arena. The one thing that doesn’t help Atlanta: lack of cultural diversity. Black. White. That’s pretty much all you get down there.

Which leads into the two bonus’ of being here.
One.
I love my job. I mean, I really do. There hasn’t been a time where I worked somewhere and actually felt like I made a difference. It feels good to contribute ideas, help others, be challenged, have awesome coworkers, etc. Finding that at another gig would be tough.

Two.
Diversity is what NYC is all about. It feels good to be a part of this giant melting pot of cultural spices! So maybe it’s not moving away, but rather moving to a place that offers a little more than what we get here in Harlem. Brooklyn is the less drastic approach. Find a nice small apartment in a decent neighborhood and enjoy all that is about New York without the added cost. Plus, Rashida and I are somewhat displaced Brooklynites. I look at what we do, where I work, my wife’s crafts, how we live, things we’re into and I keep wondering how we ended up here…n da hood. Bleh! Really, I despise living in E. Harlem. Cheaper than most of Manhattan, yes. But there is a reason for that: safety concerns and lack of convenience. The amount of trouble lurking out on every street corner, every subway entrance throughout the day and night is a little unsettling.

Whatever, we’ll figure it out. Until then, we’re just tryin’ to make it. Kids are getting older, bills have to be paid, more challenges at work, dealing with Celecia, paying back taxes, paying student loans…it’s all a process and we’ll get through it.

My son loves Photobooth.

I’m really nervous. Today everything is about to change.
Someone send out a prayer for me and the family.

This is totally random, but this morning while watching NY1, they showed video highlights of Barack Obama giving his speech in Denver. Isabella leaned over to me and said, “Wow! Obama!”
“What’d you say ‘Bella?”
“Look daddy, BachObama.”
I mean, sure we’re following everything here at home, but I had no idea Isabella had caught on or was even aware of who Barack was! My kids surprise me everyday.