1.Black Face 2. I forgot about myself

First things first. I have a message for white people. This message has nothing to do with the elections. It has to do with Halloween. White people...if you decide that you are going to be a black person for Halloween then make sure you have cleared the idea with your black friends. If you don't have any black friends then that right there is a great reason for you to reconsider your idea of being a black person for Halloween. It does not matter if this black person is Barack Obama or some random Jamaican with the "funny" dread wig. I can tell you right now that there are maybe 10 white people total, on the planet, that can get away with dressing up as a black person on Halloween. The question you have to ask yourself is do you really believe you are one of those white people? The odds are you aren't.

The problem with dressing us as a black person for white people is that you are not black. This means that you get it inside your heads that it will be funny or a good idea to put black make-up on your face. Trust me white people, this is never a good idea. Remember, ten of you can pull this off, the rest of you are risking a serious ass whip-n! What's worse about putting on "black face" for Halloween is putting on the black face and doing your impression of a black person. This would be like a deer in a forest covering itself in neon paint and making noise to draw attention to all the surrounding hunters. It's just not smart. I saw so many Barack Obamas on Halloween and a few Jamaican white folks.

Here's another clue that you have chosen the wrong Halloween outfit. If you are white and you can't look a black person in the face when you come across them because you are dressed up as a black person then you are NOT one of the chosen ten. Every white dude I came across realized they made a mistake when they saw me. I gave them a look and they went from laughing with their friends to staring at the cement. The reason I'm giving this advice, which is free, is because I saw a white dude dressed as a Jamaican get roughed up by some dudes the other night. My first reaction was to interject myself into the tussle but I didn't. Not because I was scared but because sometimes people need to learn lessons the hard way. This white dude didn't just make the mistake of putting on full black face but he made his lips really red and really big. He looked like a minstrel show (look it up if you don't know)and that shit does not fly with my generation. This guy was not beat down but I can guarantee you he will never put on a "black face" again. Of course he could have been taught this lesson in a less violent way but shit happens.

Now to all the white dudes who dressed up as Barack Obama and put on the light skinned black dude make up I have to say that you really lucked out. Because Barack is running for president I think this shielded you from an ass whip-n. There's not a single black dude who could bring himself to harm any image of Barack at this point. You got lucky bitches. But you still lose major points for thinking the idea was funny.

Basically my message is this, if you are white it is never funny to dress up in Black face, unless you are the chosen ten. One of my buddies at my work place asked my permission if he could go out as me. He happens to be one of the chosen ten. I explained to him that I would allow it but then I explained to him all it would involve. After hearing my explanation he decided not to. Here's what it would have involved if my friend went out as me for Halloween. I would have had final costume approval. He would have had to get the skin tone exactly right. He would not have been able to do anything with his lips. He would not have been able to do his impression of a black man. This means he would not be able to change his voice or his walk. But most importantly I told him that I would have had to remain by his side for the majority of the night to explain to people that he was "not" making fun of black people and had my permission. Basically I would have had to remain close to him to prevent people from yelling at him or beating his ass like the poor dude dressed as a Jamaican found out the hard way.

Ask yourself this, why don't you see black people dressed as white people for Halloween? Why don't you see black people in white face on Halloween? The answer is simple, black people don't need the excuse and cover of a holiday to make fun of white people. I make fun of white people on a daily basis. I don't need to pretend like I'm white to do this I just need to listen to current events and I get all the material I need for the day. Except for Alex, I'm pretty sure all of my white friends had enough common sense not to dawn the black make-up this past Friday.

Moving on. I forgot how much damn fun I am. I like to have fun. I like to dance. I like to impressions of people. My latest impression is Billy Cosby doing an impression of the Godfather. I'm not just saying this because I'm me, it's pretty freaking funny. I've been closed off for a really long time and I've got no one to blame but myself. I think I go through periods of my life where I just close myself off to the world but that shit really isn't fun and I hope to never do it again. There are too many things to do in this life time and on this planet to sink deep inside yourself. I forgot how much fun the simple act of dancing is.

I was listening to Cornell West (look him up) on the radio recently and he said that "music is what we need when language fails us but we cannot remain silent." I agree with this statement whole heartedly. I've been listening to all kinds of music lately and dancing when I get the chance. It's really therapeutic for me. This may sound strange but when I'm dancing and listening to really good music I can feel my body heal itself from wounds I didn't even realize were there.

I feel like I'm waking up. I feel like I'm more aware than I have been in a long time. I'm letting go and holding on at the same time. I have had some of the most amazing conversations with people lately. I'm inspired by what people are doing with their lives. I've got a lot a great friends (except Alex) out there. I'm making some really good new friends because I'm opening myself up to meeting people. It's difficult at times because I have a bubble around me that has been years in the making. But lately I'm just remembering how much damn fun I am. These are definitely serious times but I can't lose myself in them. I'm looking forward to hearing more from those of you I have been communicating with and from those of you I have not heard from in a while...except you Alex. You can go straight to hell!

Before I go I would encourage those of you who do not have skype to download it onto your computer. You can talk to or instant message anyone around the world for free. I'm sure it won't always be free but for now it is so take advantage of it. To those of you who I skype with my skype just got deleted somehow and I'm in the process of redownloading it so I'll probably have to ask for your information again when I'm back on.

Okay, I'm done. Take care of yourselves and remember to vote!