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.

It’s 11:37PM. I’m sitting in bed with my wife and 4 day old son. And I am crying. Why, pray tell, is the Meltron weeping? Well my friends, I just spent 1 hour and 54 minutes of my life watching Curse of the Golden Flower. These tears aren’t of joy, but of utter sadness; this was by far the the second worst movie I have ever seen. Sure there are worse with no budgets and horrible effects, but I haven’t watched them.

Where can I begin with this piece of crap?! I’m too tired and upset to find the words right now, but as gentle as I can be, this movie was piss!

Tomorrow more details.

My wife said that I should add that I too am black. So don’t assume I’m being racist or prejudice with this post.

If you ever want to hide something from Black people, put it in a book.

This was something I was always told growing up (and it is partially true…). My parents were adamant that their child would not succumb to the ignorance of “hood culture”. Being black isn’t being ghetto or speaking slang; it just so happens to be my racial make up. Furthermore, don’t call me African-American. I wasn’t, nor was my family, born in Africa. I’m a Californian with roots in Germany and Puerto Rico. My wife is Floridian and my children will be New York…ian. Feel free to call me black - brown or hazel are ideal as that is more my skin tone.

You may be seated now.

There is no denying that China is pumping out tons of interesting gadgets, toys, cars, food and every other product inbetween to the international market at very low-cost. China’s market is the epitome of mass production. For the small/medium/large business, this is great. Goods can be made and purchased at a fraction of the cost it would take to manufacture anywhere else. Businesses are seeing huge profits thanks to China; good for them.

There’s just one problem: quality control. Toys are being painted with lead paint, tires explode randomly, extremely unsafe Chinese branded cars and everyday items are showing up in our homes and lives that can have problematic and sometimes life-threatening consequences. But what can be done? Can we impose upon China to institute higher standards as it relates to overall testing and quality assurance of goods manufactured? Maybe, but the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t want to wait for China to get it’s act together.

The FDA recently stepped in and limited the food additives imported from China. The reason?

…after weeks of investigation, (the FDA) still does not know what regions of China are affected or what firms there are major manufacturers of vegetable proteins.

Food is being exported and no one knows exactly where it is coming from; all we know is that it’s bad, makes us sick and our pets die. That is disturbing news.

China is also slowly making strides of its own to repair its tainted image. It recently had 180 plants closed for using toxins in food such as formaldehyde, illegal wax and dyes in candy and recycling old food back into production. The article makes note that some of the foods were only intended for the Chinese market, but one can suspect those products would have ended up in a Chinese food store here in the states (if it hasn’t already).

While closing 180 plants seems like a giant leap forward, the reality is that these were very small shops compared to the hundreds of thousands that are operating, manufacturing and distributing tainted foods or flawed products to the globe. But a step forward is a step forward.

I hope the mounting international pressure is enough to push China to get its act together before we end up with a global incident.