man its been super crazy for me. i am extremely happy that i got kianna's website finished. although it was a chore and it took me a few more days than i anticipated--mainly because of my day job. but shes happy and im happy and the feedback has been strong so far...so thats all good. its really just a temporary site to have in place until we get her enough content to get a members area together. sometime in the next few months i will redesign it and make it more robust. but thats way down the line for now.
so i have 2 more major projects to complete before i leave for vegas on 10 january. this week i am looking to put together a simple 2 - 3 page site for brina james. then i have to cut a trailer for the DVD i finished shooting last month. its going to be a busy time for me the next couple of weeks but im sure i will survive. im starting to get used to this "no sleep" thing.
my holiday was relatively mild. a couple of speed bumps here and there but nothing worth dwelling on. the important thing is that i got a chance to rest, relax and spend time with my kids and family. for me, that is what this time of year is all about--not the bullshit corporate sponsored consumer frenzy that it has become. each year i find myself more and more disturbed and turned off by the way people run around like programmed rats in a maze spending alll their money and getting stressed out about material bullshit.
when i was a kid, we rarely celebrated christmas. sure, it was recognized and we got gifts and all of that. but for a good many years, our main celebration in december was for kwanzaa which is a celebration symbolizing the harvesting of "first fruits". kwanzaaa was developed by scholar and educator ron karenga as a means for black people in america to have a celebration and holiday that was tied to our african roots. as opposed to a single day of celebration, kwanzaaa is observed for seven days starting on december 26 and ending on january 1. there are numerous ways that kwanzaa can be celebrated ranging from subdued to festive. it is supposed to be a family and community oriented, non-commercial observance that is a time for reflection and the giving of thanks.
kwanzaa is built around the nguzu saba (n-goo-zoo sah-bah) whcih is swahili for "seven principles". one principle is observed on each day. when i was younger, we would gather as a family each evening, light the latest of seven candles in the kinara (candle holder) and discuss the principle of that day--how we had exhibited it in the past and how we plan to exhibit it in the future.
so...todays principle is umoja (ohh-mo-ja) which means unity. i like to look at unity in a broader sense that extends beyond family and race. its hard to do as it seems like so much of this country and society is built around things designed to tear people apart as opposed to bring them together. i think its easier to foster unity when you have an understanding of and can explain to people the presence of a bigger picture. for me, unity is about getting people to see their connection to each other and the world around them and subsequnetly doing things to make that environment better for themselves and everyone else. it can be something as big as joining forces for a charitable cause to something as small as saying hello to a stranger. often this is exhibited in the things i DONT do just as much as in the things that i do. basically, if its something that is destructive in nature or outcome, i leave it alone. or at least i try my damnedest to do that. quite honestly, the one place i think i made the largest strides towards unity is online. through my various online communities i have worked to meet and interact with new people and somehow, make the world a bit more intimate.
how about you kiddies?
so i have 2 more major projects to complete before i leave for vegas on 10 january. this week i am looking to put together a simple 2 - 3 page site for brina james. then i have to cut a trailer for the DVD i finished shooting last month. its going to be a busy time for me the next couple of weeks but im sure i will survive. im starting to get used to this "no sleep" thing.
my holiday was relatively mild. a couple of speed bumps here and there but nothing worth dwelling on. the important thing is that i got a chance to rest, relax and spend time with my kids and family. for me, that is what this time of year is all about--not the bullshit corporate sponsored consumer frenzy that it has become. each year i find myself more and more disturbed and turned off by the way people run around like programmed rats in a maze spending alll their money and getting stressed out about material bullshit.
when i was a kid, we rarely celebrated christmas. sure, it was recognized and we got gifts and all of that. but for a good many years, our main celebration in december was for kwanzaa which is a celebration symbolizing the harvesting of "first fruits". kwanzaaa was developed by scholar and educator ron karenga as a means for black people in america to have a celebration and holiday that was tied to our african roots. as opposed to a single day of celebration, kwanzaaa is observed for seven days starting on december 26 and ending on january 1. there are numerous ways that kwanzaa can be celebrated ranging from subdued to festive. it is supposed to be a family and community oriented, non-commercial observance that is a time for reflection and the giving of thanks.
kwanzaa is built around the nguzu saba (n-goo-zoo sah-bah) whcih is swahili for "seven principles". one principle is observed on each day. when i was younger, we would gather as a family each evening, light the latest of seven candles in the kinara (candle holder) and discuss the principle of that day--how we had exhibited it in the past and how we plan to exhibit it in the future.
so...todays principle is umoja (ohh-mo-ja) which means unity. i like to look at unity in a broader sense that extends beyond family and race. its hard to do as it seems like so much of this country and society is built around things designed to tear people apart as opposed to bring them together. i think its easier to foster unity when you have an understanding of and can explain to people the presence of a bigger picture. for me, unity is about getting people to see their connection to each other and the world around them and subsequnetly doing things to make that environment better for themselves and everyone else. it can be something as big as joining forces for a charitable cause to something as small as saying hello to a stranger. often this is exhibited in the things i DONT do just as much as in the things that i do. basically, if its something that is destructive in nature or outcome, i leave it alone. or at least i try my damnedest to do that. quite honestly, the one place i think i made the largest strides towards unity is online. through my various online communities i have worked to meet and interact with new people and somehow, make the world a bit more intimate.
how about you kiddies?
I hope you and yours have a great New Year!