Friday, November 7, 2008

Favorites of the Week

Jazmine Sullivan Fearless, I really love Jazmine's sounds, I say sounds because each song has a different style to it, from the Jamaican-Lauren-Hill-style of her hit, "Need You Bad", to the up-tempo swing style of "Switch". Each one sounds great!

The Host I saw this movie on G4 last weekend and loved it! If you love those Japanese monster movies, you'll love this, think Godzilla with water! Classic!

Current TV When there's nothing on TV, this is a great channel to put on to see different, great stories. Current TV is viewer-friendly channel that has podcasts about different things, world affairs to fun things around town.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Laker Thoughts, part I

I knew my Lakers would be good this season, but after watching a few preseason games and the first two regular season games, they look so much better than I thought. This team is much better than last years team that went all the way to the NBA Finals. The bench is deeper, and that is saying a lot since last years bench was one of the league's best AND when you find that Luke Walton is the ninth or tenth man. We have also added Lamar Odom to the bench. With the energy provided by Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, the up and down fast-breaking of the second team can stomp any other team's bench and can keep up with their starters. And our defense is just down right awesome! It seems like Kobe's great trip to China and his role as 'The Redeem Team's' defensive stopper has been infused into this Laker team. They held the Blazers and Clippers to 34.5 and 38.5 percent shooting, respectively. I know it very early in the season, but seeing their high energy on defense is very refreshing.

I feel that this is the time that we Laker fans have been waiting for. Considering the start to last year, with Kobe wanting to be traded (which I feel was blown out of proportion once the season started), waiting for Lamar Odom to step up to the plate, and the uncertainty of Andrew Bynum, we certainly didn't have to wait long to be a championship contender and, for now, the best team in the league. Of course, with the help of the acquisition of Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies after Bynum's knee injury has allowed that to happen. And with the pairing of Bynum and Gasol in the front court, and moving Odom to the bench has made this Laker team even more dangerous.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Family Tree

Last week my mom was organizing some of her papers in her guest room and found a folder of the family tree notes that she had been working on. She gave it to me to look through and I became really interested in my own family history. It was interesting to see the names  of my grandfather's mother and father and their mothers and fathers. My mom's research went out to at least six generations of our family. As I looked through the different trees and lists, I thought it would be great to see how far I could expand it. It would be fun to not only find out about my great-great-grandparents but also their family, their brothers and sisters and cousins. This family tree project has definitely been added to the long list of other projects that I'll be working on. 

Family is definitely important to me. About a year and a half ago, my grandfather, my mom's father, died. I was really close to him. I have a box full of his little writings, his journals and notes. I haven't looked at any of them since I put them in the box. I'm not sure, but I have the feeling that finding more about my family and its pasts, I can delve back into my grandfather's words and find more about him.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

What To Watch For: 10/26-11/1

• Game 5 of the World Series - 10/27
Tampa Bay Rays v. Philadelphia Phillies

NBA Opening Night - 10/28
Cleveland Cavaliers v. Boston Celtics - 8:00pm ET on TNT
Milwaukee Bucks v. Chicago Bulls - 8:30pm ET
Portland Trailblazers v. Los Angeles Lakers - 10:30pm ET on TNT

• New album releases - 10/28
Pink - Funhouse
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
John Legend - Evolver

Friday, October 24, 2008

Internet-less Days

For two and a half days, I didn't have any internet access. That's the end of the world, isn't it? Not being able to communicate with the outside world, oh the horror! I was thinking the same thing, but believe it or not, I got a few more things done than I normally do. I even got this blog on its way to getting started. I got more writing done, some reading too. I doodled some ideas in my notebooks. I organized part of my magazine clippings. It was good to get some things done, or at least started.

So, now I've beening thinking that I should do this a little more often. Maybe start an 'analog day' once a week or every two weeks (every two weeks sounds better, it's always good to start things slow...). Having no internet, no cellphone, no emails for a whole day. Just get things done around the house or enjoy the day and take in the festivities of the city. In these days and times, we should all have some time away from our dependence on technology.

About That Humble Swagger

I've always been intrigued by blogs and blogging, and some bloggers. Seeing other people's interests, passions and just seeing what they have to say about anything. I, too, wanted to share my voice. So, I present to you, That Humble Swagger. It's everything about anything. Or better yet, everything about MY anything. It's about my interests, my passions and my thoughts and blurbs. From music to fitness, religion to sports, especially my beloved Lakers, anything can be covered. I've watched TV, surfed the internet, browsed magazines and I always had thoughts in my head about different things I saw or read about. It'll be fun to write things down and share.

That Humble Swagger...

The phrase 'that humble swagger' is how I like to describe my style, my demeanor, my personality, whatever you want to call it. I first heard the phrase on a sports story on ESPN about the University of Miami Hurricane football players and their abundance and legacies in the NFL. Players like Michael Irvin, Ray Lewis and young stars like Frank Gore and Willis McGahee have left their mark. At first glance, you would first notice their brashness and arrogance, but if you look closer, their confidence is through the roof because they can surely back it up. And if you look even closer, those NFL'ers from 'The U' are such a close-knit family that they can keep each other in check and humble. I found that concept so appealing. The idea of being confident in who you are and what you do but also being humble and know your place in the world. I've had that phrase around me for some time, on my message board signatures, my Myspace headlines, doodled in my notebooks, but I've never really sat down and thought about it. I think I first realized that I needed to sit down and think about my favorite phrase when I had a conversation with this girl I met. She had asked me how I would describe my style, fashion-wise, and that really got me to thinking. I told her I had that hip-hop/R&B style, that Justin Timberlake/Ne-yo type of thing. That made her giggle. I told her that my style had a humble swagger to it. I believe that having that humble swagger is good for today's world. To go around town with that confidence about yourself and being able to do your own thing. But also having that down-to-earth personality with that humbleness to know where you stand. That humble swagger is what I am about and what I strive to be.