Sand...

We are like sand on the beach. We... as in me and you. Once all of the garbage on the beach is sifted away, all that's left is the sand. Once we escape all that is going on in the world, all that's left is me and you. We are molded together so we can co-exist, and after a while we begin to bond. We become one. We work with each other to form a strong foundation for something with purpose, something bigger than ourselves. We are then smoothed out and touched up for all to see. We are beautiful. We started out as sand, but we have joined together to become a sandcastle. We started out as me and you, but we have come together to become us.

When sandcastles are done right, they look great. They look strong, stable, and secure. In reality though, it is all a facade. They are fragile. They are weak. It seems like no matter how much work you put into one, they will never last. At any given moment they can collapse, or the tide could rise and make our sandcastle fall.

So why do we take so much time, and put so much effort into making sandcastles... over and over and over again... if we know they aren't built to last? There is only one reason. We do it for her. We do it for the happy little girl at the beach, who is holding a bucket and some tools, ready to help build something great. She loves sandcastles, especially the one that she completes. After all of the hard work is done and it all comes together, she gets so happy. She shows it off, takes pictures with it, and just enjoys what we worked so hard to create.

Now without fail, the sand will eventually become dry, become weak, and the sandcastle will fall. So what do we do? We rebuild it. We have to. We don't want to let her down. The little girl is so young, so beautiful, and so optimistic. We will do anything to keep her happy. Even though we know it won't last, we help her anyway. It takes a lot of time and effort to keep us together, even for a short period of time. It breaks, we rebuild, it breaks, we rebuild. We get hot, we get dry, and we get tired, but we never let her see it. We have to do our best to appear strong... for her. The smile she has when we are together, makes the hard work and sacrifice really worth it.

This process has been going on long enough. It is time for a change. I'm tired of being sand. Not tired of just me being sand, but tired of us being sand. We have to start over. We have to really start over. We need to take our time and build one last castle that is not only beautiful, but one that will last. Not just for the little girl, but for us as well. The little girls will alone isn't going to keep us together forever. We have the blueprint, we just have to tweak it. Instead of being sand, we need to become concrete. We have to make sure our foundation is strong. We have to make sure we build something that can withstand any storm, as well as withstand the test of time. We have to build something that the little girl, as well as ourselves can always admire, and always count on.

If we don't become concrete and choose to remain sand, it is going to wear us down. It is going to wear us out. We will keep crumbling, and eventually we won't have the strength or the will to rebuild what we once had. The tide will come and take what was once so promising, so beautiful and so special... and wash it all away.

Ok that's all for now... thank you for visiting and stay tuned...

Stop...

Nigger-- originally a dialectal variant of Negro, the term is a derogatory and vulgar racial slur directed primarily toward black people.

I am no civil rights leader. I'm no black panther, NAACP member, or anything else for that matter. I'm just a regular man. I still feel as a regular man, it is necessary for me to try to remind everyone of the negative meaning of this word, in hopes of having it permanently erased from our vocabulary. I'm not even going to front and act like I don't say it, because I do. I am conscious of it though, and I am trying my best to stop. We all should stop.

.

It seems like our generation is so far out of touch with what happened during slavery, the civil rights movement, and almost every other event throughout history that has contributed to the oppression of black people. Black people were bought and sold. Black people were hung in public for looking at white women. Black people had to deal with segregation, police brutality, discrimination, and so many other obstacles, just for the right to be considered EQUAL. Previous generations of black people went through so many years of pain, struggle, and sacrifice... just so our generation would be able to benefit and prosper. And how do we repay them? Our generation took the main racial slur that was used to define the negative perception of black people, and flipped it into a term of endearment. How did we let this happen?

.

Things have gotten so bad, that even other races feel comfortable saying the word. Latino's, Asians, and even some white people, use the word freely and with out regard. It is not just adolescents and uneducated people either, but grown professionals--even religious people who are using the word just like it was any other. Some people attempt to justify the use of the word, by justifying the context it is used in. So why are no other racial slurs used in that manner? If I would use the word honky, spick, chink, or any other racial slur in any context, people would look at me like I was crazy. So why is that one ok?

.

We have to make a change. We have to. I had a recent conversation with a teacher about this issue. He told me the kids in school are too far gone, and that they use the word casually all of the time. He said it is ingrained in our youth and in their language. Now I know it may seem impossible to reverse this way of thinking, but we have to try. We owe it to past generations who dedicated their lives to granting us the freedoms and equality we have today. The same freedoms and same equality they could only dream of. We have to educate our kids, and at the same time keep reminding ourselves of the history that is behind that word. It won't be easy, but we have to make it stop. We have to.

.

Ok that's all for now... thank you for visiting and stay tuned...

Winner...

The Vaqueros De Bayamon(Bayamon Cowboys) are are the 2009 champions of Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional(BSN) men's professional basketball league. This is the first championship for the franchise since 1996. Coincidentally, this is the first year my friend, and Allentown's own Raymond Barbosa was a member of the team.

Ray is just a flat out winner. In college, he led his UMBC team to the 2008 America East championship(the first in school history), as well as a birth in the NCAA Tournament. In high school, he led his underdog Allen Canaries to the District 11 4A title. The championship game was a 3 overtime classic, in which Allen beat heavily favored Emaus High School, who was led by current NBA player Aaron Gray.

At the high school, collegiate, and professional levels, Ray has achieved nothing but success. Like most instances of success, none of this happened by accident. He has average height and athleticism by professional basketball players standards, but his work ethic and knowledge of the game is off the charts. Nobody and I mean NOBODY works as hard as Ray. On top of that, he is very humble and very soft spoken, characteristics not many athletes of his stature can say they possess.

I am 4 years older than Ray(we have the same birthday... October 26th). I remember Ray when he was still Ray-Ray, a little kid with goggles, shooting rainbow 3 pointers at the Boy's Club. As he got older, me and the people I played basketball with (Shannon, Tramell, Shahad, Keith,Toomey) took him under our wing, and put him on our summer league teams. We all would also take part in some very competitive 2 on 2 games. We were tough on him. He also got the opportunity to hear about the mistakes we made while in college, which would prepare him when it was his turn to go. It feels good to know that those experiences kind of had a hand in Ray's development.

I remember a conversation I had with Ray before he left to go play in Puerto Rico. We were in the Allen gym, and we just got done playing 2 on 2 with some of the kids. While looking at a basketball he was holding he said, "it's amazing where this thing can take you." A few months later while I was in PR, sitting in his beachfront condo over-looking the Atlantic Ocean, I thought back to that comment and laughed. Boy was he right.

I am very happy for him. He is the perfect example of where hard work, dedication, and humility can take a person. All of these great things couldn't have happened to a more deserving person. I just wanted to make sure I personally gave him some recognition.

Keep doing your thing Ray... keep winning.

Ok that's all for now... thank you for visiting and stay tuned...

Happy Birthday Koi...

We celebrated my son's birthday on August 1st. He turned 12. We got him an xBox 360, and took him to Old Country Buffet(That's where he wanted to go).

I was 16 years old when he was born. It was the summer of 12th grade. I had NO IDEA what I was getting into. It was a constant struggle, but with the help of a lot good people, we got through it. Me and his mother aren't together, but our relationship is civil, which is great for the situation.

Koi is so cool. He is a very good athlete, but more importantly he is a good kid. Last football season he did very well, but it was his off the field conduct that impressed me the most. He was very humble. He never gets too high or too low, no matter the situation. Nothing phases Koi and I love that about him. He can accomplish anything he puts his mind to, and I will always be there to make sure he stays on course. Koi is everything I ever wanted to be, and I am just so proud to be his father. Happy Birthday Koi.

Ok that's all for now... thank you for visiting and stay tuned...