Touchy Subject: The Unhappy Ending of Otis Mathis…

♦ Apparently some people REALLY enjoy meetings…♦

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”

— Albert Einstein

DETROIT — There are situations in life where when you see them or read about them, you honestly think someone is playing games with you. There are people that you think have to be actors getting paid to screw with you because what they do cannot possibly be legit. That’s what living in this city is like these days. Just look at the elected officials and citizens alike. Their stupidity knows no bounds. Their tone deaf ignorance coincides with the collective apathy of the people around them. Toss in a culture of conspiracy theorists, paranoia, enabling and second/third/fifteenth chances and you get such champions as Kwame Kilpatrick, Monica Conyers, Martha Reeves, JoAnn Watson, and the list goes on. However, in March I was introduced to a man that makes the shenanigans and tomfoolery of those people seem well thought out.  It is not often in this day and age that I am literally stunned when I hear something about an elected official in this city. It is even more rare that I am amazed by the same person’s actions twice. Enter: Otis Mathis. Let’s Go.

Father Knows Best: Why Dad Deserves His Day…

♣ The Toughest Jobs are often the most Thankless…♣

“There’s so much negative imagery of black fatherhood. I’ve got tons of friends that are doing the right thing by their kids, and doing the right thing as a father — and how come that’s not as newsworthy?”

— Will Smith (No Relation…sadly)

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — It’s a warm and quiet early summer evening on the northwest side of Detroit. It’s the rare quiet and peaceful neighborhood in the city where people sit on their porches and in their backyards and can relax and just watch the day wind down. On a red bricked porch on the middle house on the block sits a man in his late 40s, his teenaged son, and a dog (a Cocker Spaniel, to be exact). As they sit side-by-side on the porch, each with a can of Faygo Orange in hand, nary a word is said until a rather disheveled looking gentleman, reeking of Jack Daniel’s and shame, walks down the street and asks to cut his grass for some money. The man quickly says “that’s what I’ve got him (points to the teen) for.” As the smelly gentleman heads up the street, the man calmly looks at the Teen and says: “Jason, remember this: Crackheads are like stray cats. You feed them and their ass is never gonna leave you alone.” Words of wisdom from my Dad. Let’s Go.

Growing Pains: Words of Wisdom from a Veteran Grown-Up

♦ 30 is NOT the “New 20″. It’s The “New 35″…♦

“Maturity is a High Price to pay for Growing Up”

— Sir Tom Stoppard, British Playwright.

Before I get rolling on this, I apologize for going nearly three full months w/out updating this thing. I have been bombarded with so many things that this blog somehow got lost in the shuffle, which is completely unacceptable. So for you, what few consistent readers of this blog that I actually have, I greatly apologize and Welcome back.

Well, now that I got that shit out of the way, let’s get down to business.

DETROIT — It is June 10th, which means college graduations have already gone down and high school graduates are springing up left and right. First and foremost, Congratulations to all the new High School and College grads, with a special shout going to all the new Alumni of Renaissance High School, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University (BTW: “Alumni” is plural. “Alumnus” is the singular form) . This means there are a lot of new people entering an entirely new world, especially if you are from Detroit because about 75% of you HS grads probably have never been outside of Detroit for more than 5 days at a time. As much as my family traveled during my childhood, including: New York, Miami (3 times), Orlando (twice), Tampa (Busch Gardens), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Atlanta (twice), Philly, and Nashville, I never really got to know any place other than Detroit. So when I hit Michigan State’s campus for the first time as a student on August 28, 1997, it was a legit culture shock to me. Bluntly stated: I wasn’t used to being around THAT many White people. That was just the start of my growth, and today, I am hear to impart my wisdom of 30+ years of living on you youngsters. Let’s Go.