I love my natural hair.

Every day, when I get up, I look in the mirror and look at my hair. It's rugged, nappy and all over the place. And you know what?

I love it. It's me. It's who I am.

Six months and still going strong.

 I didn't have a say in what my hair or my genetic code was going to be.  I admit to having some envy over other people whose hair was straight or not as woolly. But this was when I was considerably younger and didn't know better and I've since gotten over that insecurity. My hair was always an issue with my mother, and I don't like it. And lo and behold, hair happens to be a problem in the black community. Now, I'm a man, and I can easily comb my faux afro into something neat, or just outright cut it. Women on the other hand, hooo boy.

When they ask about your hair, being real doesn't mean a thing if it isn't yours.

This is a subject that to this day is a cancer to our community. The amount of women who wear fake hair is grossly at an all-time high. And it's not appealing. It's not attractive, it's not natural, and in some cases, it's outright dangerous. My own mother is guilty of this. Now, I have no problems with someone growing out their own hair and styling it to their own tastes, but that of course takes time and effort, and we all know that's too much for people to do. But, it takes a hell of a lot of time to stitch artificial and 'natural' hair into your scalps.

But even then, not too many people do that. Look up any fight on the internet with black women present. You are guaranteed one shot of a wig on the ground. Madam C.J. Walker's efforts were in vain. I remember the old hot comb we had in our junk drawer. I never used it, nor did I see my mother use it. At least not before I was born. But even that has its drawbacks. Black hair for whatever reason is looked down upon. Ditch that - The ideology of beauty and the standard of beauty is to blame. White and straight hair is considered beautiful, and coarse, woolly 'nappy' hair is considered ugly. I noticed it as a child, and I see it moreso now. Remember when I said we can set the standard? Now is the time. But moving on. Here's some reasons as to why natural hair (IE the actual hair grown out of your own damn head) is superior and better in all ways.

-It's cost effective. 
Managing your own hair is virtually free. Be it short, long, etc., you can simply comb it, wash it and there you go. To use weaves and the like cost money, and for 'quality' hair, you'll be shelling out some money. One co-worker mentioned she paid $120 for someone's hair. to put in her own head. Now, of course everyone wants to have good looking hair, so there's a high demand for quality hair. The money you use for that hair could be used for paying bills.

-It's versatile.
Your natural hair is strong, and can withstand wind, air, water and earth. You can swim and not worry about the fake exterior on your head getting wet, runny and ruined. You can grab your hair when you're frustrated and pissed off and feel it sift through your fingers and it'll go back to its normal state. It's also its own living life form. You nurture it, it grows and stays healthy. You neglect and abuse it, this happens.

And just because THEY do it, doesn't mean YOU should.

And if that's not bad enough, prolonged usage of weaves can result in molded hair and infections. Your hair is you and is a part of your health. If you don't take care of your health, it will show. We've got enough problems with weight, diet and the like. Tommy Sotomayor is much more informed on this matter than I can care to research. Countess Vaughn suffered from this, too. Steroids and weaves are one in the same. How ironic.

-It looks better.

 -You look better.
I like seeing natural hair on women. It looks better, it looks better, it looks better. Short black hair looks better than long, beige hair that isn't yours. And some women can't pull long hair off. Their faces are either too fat or too greasy. Not surprising. The time you spend stitching and damaging your scalp can be time used to exercise and take better care of your body. Your hair is a part of your body, treat it as such. That said, I hate the Raggedy Ann hair most black women in commercials go with, it's been about eleven years now. There's more to it than that, white marketers.

-It shows we take pride in ourselves
Now I know that coloring your hair and shaping it all kinds of ways can be fun and stylish, and especially when you're at a party or a cosplay convention. But how many of you actually go to parties and conventions? And really, with some of the outrageous shit I've seen online and in real life, there's no shame to be had, and there's nothing to be proud of. We spend all of this money on synthetic hair and imported extensions from India and Brazil and yet not a single cent comes back to us. Half a fucking trillion dollars spent on our hair and we can't even fund our own schools, banks and grocery stores.

What the fuck is going on??? Why are you women so hellbent on spending so much damn money on something that isn't yours and has to be removed every two weeks or so or it becomes moldy and a threat to your health??? All of that money, and it doesn't come back to us. Why? Do you not see what you're doing? Chris Rock's documentary, Good Hair talks about this. I remember a clip where one idiot called out Chris for exposing 'secrets' about black hair with his film. It's not a secret that's not your actual hair, lady. We all know it's faker than Pam Anderson's tits. It says more about you, really. And I know I may strike a nerve with this post, but I don't care. If you spend $1000 on hair that isn't yours, you're an idiot. If you do not take the initiative to grow it out yourself, and style it, you are lazy and not worth anyone's time. If you think that your natural, nappy black hair is ugly and disgusting, as far as I'm concerned you're part of the problem. I love my nappy negroid hair, and I don't care about appealing to a group of people who already look down on me to begin with.

We all gotta start somewhere, and it's either now or never.

Random Ramblings, Vol. 3

If you're going to record a fight and put it on WorldStar, you may want to flip your camera horizontally. Why this is still an issue is beyond me, but it shows how stupid most of these kids are. Some of them get it right, but if you really want to take in the entire scene, you have to record things in a horizontal view.

Note how I said camera just now? Do people even use cameras anymore? Have phones really become that multi-functional that cameras and camcorders have become obsolete? I know pads and these other large flat rectangles can play TV shows, and then there's mobile gaming(which is shit), but overall, it's a bit jarring how a device that's supposed to used for contacting people can now film an inauguration or a State of the Union Address.

This picture explains itself.

I despised the radio station at my old job. The same songs over and over again. The same generic song by some 20-something year old who only had one hit in her entire life, the same two Barry White songs, my grandmother adored him, she'd blow a gasket, the usual songs you'd hear in movie trailers, being played over and over and over again, sometimes twice in one shift. And on the note of movies, I hate Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye. A simple love song run into the ground by Hollywood and every other corporation trying to push their products out. Even worse when a 3D movie uses that song and cuts to that silence where the joke is told...

Next point, 'cause now I'm getting pissed off. I hate when commercials for TV shows do that brief silence. It's annoying, it's overused and it's a subtle way tell you you're supposed to laugh at this scene due to the lack of music.

Back to that song, it's a shame Gaye couldn't be alive to collect the money his estate makes from the unimaginative swill that gets the rights to that song. He'd be a billionaire.

Today's toys don't seem like they're worth the price. They were grossly expensive back then, but those toys had some durability to them. Maybe I'm just an adult, but they don't seem exciting, and there seems to be a streamlined effect to what's actually out now compared to back in the 90's. Made more apparent with the constant amount of toys donated to the Goodwill I worked at. Granted, you had cheap toys back in my day, but the toys that were of quality at least were worth flaunting around. And I actually looked up something on today's toys and got a bunch of links relating to the San Bernardino attacks? What???

On that note, I hate this. If I look up something like say, an animal or a fruit, why I am getting movie results instead of the actual fruit or animal? If I type in Bumblebee, I don't want the damn Transformer. If I need some pictures of an animal, I don't want a superhero named after it. I shouldn't have to put in parenthesis to explicitly state I want the insect. Pop culture is a terrible trend and it's a shame you can't search for something you want without that idiotic suggestion tab showing some bullshit meme or YouTube celebrity or cartoon. I'm a simple man who isn't easily distracted by nonsensical swill.

I never watched Let's Plays. Only one or two if I really liked them.

So, how was your Valentine's Day? To the men, I mean? Did you buy your significant other something nice? I hope it wasn't expensive. Did SHE give YOU anything nice, and was it expensive? If no, you're an idiot if you got her a diamond ring or a new car. If she can't give you a nice present, but you're expected to give her something flashy and wallet-killing, that's wrong on all accounts. I've seen this on too many sitcoms, the husband/boyfriend gets a homemade gift, but he's expected to buy his wife/girlfriend a diamond necklace, or a fucking car and if he doesn't, he's scorned for it. Why?! What reason is there for the man to waste his funds on some stupid ring? A car at least has a lifetime warranty, but a ring? A necklace???

These women are crazy.

Eat your vegetables, adults.

Wanna know why America and Americans are so fat? Why we have so many that are obese and out of shape? Plain and simple: We don't acknowledge or appreciate vegetables. And I know I addressed this in an earlier post, but I'm doing it again. Vegetables are underused, underrated and overlooked so much, it's an absolute crime. As a kid, I loved vegetables. Granted, some weren't appealing to me, like squash and okra, though I can eat okra gumbo in spite of the okra. But I ate them with no problem. I didn't even need ranch or spices to make them more appealing. And that brings me into my next topic: Why the hell were there so many kids who hated vegetables on television?

They didn't represent me. I loved eating them for the most part. All of these shows were written by adults. Some kids may not have liked them, but never to the extremes that they made them out to be, and if they did, it's the parents' fault for not being more cordial with their child(ren) on proper nutrition. Even worse, the kid that DID eat his vegetables was treated like a criminal. Those same kids are now adults who are borderline obese and are having children with the same habits. But as of the last forty or so years, obesity has skyrocketed, and only those people are to blame for people like this:

Now, I understand television has to amp up the drama for the sake of the idiots who watch reality television in the first place, but I truly believe she thinks this way about all vegetables, and with what I've seen in my short twenty-something years of being on this rock, it's likely an accurate depiction. She's anything but traumatized. Case in point, when I was at my old job, I'd take a bundle of turnip greens or some kale and eat them as is. The looks I got from my co-workers said it all. And I simply told them: If I take care of myself now, when I reach your age, I'll have less chance of being sick or unable to rely on myself. And lo and behold: A good chunk of them have high blood pressure, diabetes or are overweight. Back in school, I had classmates (if you can call them that) wince at the thought of eating carrots without ranch, proving my point on poor parenting.

I've made it a life rule to eat as many vegetables as possible with a meal. I always try to have some fresh greens and a portion of radishes with my fish, chicken or steak. And that's usually the right thing to do with a meal. You cannot eat just fast food or frozen dinners. I've cut out soda since sometime in 2014 and I don't miss it. Next, I'm trying to cut out frozen pizzas and junk food. And with how expensive most of that stuff is now compared to when I was a kid, I won't miss any of it. Eggnog doesn't even taste right anymore.

But back to my original point: Adults need to eat more vegetables and encourage their children to eat more vegetables, and according to this little site, Georgia is a red state (HA!) And holy shit at Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi. But considering the states, it's to be expected. Cooking a vegetable with a bunch of salt and meat doesn't count, and it's one of the reasons I don't really eat collard greens anymore. Try as many of them as you can. Peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, radishes, onions, you name it. A lot of variety to be found. Fruits are a start, but vegetables are more detrimental for proper nutrition.

P.S: There's a flavor of Bolthouse Juices called Daily Greens. I didn't like it at first, but I've slowly come to love it, until I tried a bottle two weeks ago. They made it sweeter. I know they put banana and apples in that recipe, but one look at the ingredients and they added pineapple. Pineapple is so sickeningly sweet it can overpower anything else. I can't even drink it now because of it. Thanks for fucking up a flavor of vegetable juice, you fat slobs. Even worse are the vegetable juices that are fused with fruit juice and High Fructose Corn Syrup. I remember that commercial, too.

"Don't you wish vegetables weren't so vegetable-ly?"

No you dumb bitch, that's the whole point.

I don't celebrate Black History Month.

It's February. Know what that means? Next to my second most hated holiday(And I may write a piece on that one), it's also Black History Month. Let me just say for the record, I do not hate Black History, nor do I look down on those who celebrate or acknowledge it. It's just the fact that for a whole month, we suddenly have to stop and take a look at what accomplishments black Americans have made, when we can do that all year round. And I do just that.

Black History Month to me, is just a ploy to remind America that it was and still is an incredibly racist and shitty country to be in. Did you know that Marcus Garvey Carver made over 300 inventions from peanuts? He didn't make peanut butter, though. Shocker. Did you know that you always hear the same old tales of black triumph from commercials featuring hip-hop artists and celebrities whose videos, music and the like shit on the legacy of those who fought and got beaten so they could have the right to shower phat ass hoes with money and champagne? I already know I'm gonna see at least five of these commercials with a normal black personnel, if not an athlete or an artist talking about Rosa Parks for the umpteenth time. So, here's some lesser known stubs and trivia you'll never hear on these adverts.

-Did you know that Jesse Owens, when he received the gold medal in the Berlin Regime, was acknowledged by Adolf Hitler when he was alive? Some say he shook hands with the infamous dictator, others say he received a nice wooden cabinet. It is confirmed that Germany treated him far better than America. And the recent movie about Owens will likely make it so that Hitler snubs him completely. Can't have Mein Fuhrer in a good light, now can we?

Hey, it was more than FDR did.

-Richard Wright. He was an author who would write a number of books, one notable title being Black Boy. He loved to read, but had a grandmother who was pussywhipped by the belief in God who saw said pieces of literature he loved, and possibly the thought of reading above a kindergarten level to be the Devil's work. He pretty much had an adventure and a half during his youth, and became a well-known author, traveling to parts of Europe and Africa during his adult years. He also mentioned hunger as an analogy for wanting more out of life. And we got a lot of hungry people out there (Myself included). Basically he decided to be his own man, do his own thing, became successful and pissed off a bunch of his fellow Negro kin. He died in 1960.

-Jack Johnson. He would become a professional boxer, and the first black professional heavyweight boxer.  He was a big black man who could knock a white man into a coma and loved alcohol and white women. And no one could say or do a thing to him. Even more proof, when he defeated James J. Jeffries, white people all over America came rioted and attacked black folks for celebrating Jack's triumph, when they could have just captured and lynched him on the spot. You sure showed them, white America. He was also the reason the Mann Act came into effect, after marrying and having sex with his white wife when he beat the shit out of Jeffries that same night. Take notes, Mayweather.

-Greenwood, Tulsa. Prior to 1921, Greenwood was a utopia for black America. You could find grocers, hospitals, a fire department, a police force and just about everything else in a typical American town. And all of it was black-owned and operated! It even got the name "Black Wall Street". Basically, they got their shit together and worked for a good community, in the prime of lynchings and KKK mobs. What do we have now that can even compare to that? Empire? The NAACP? Nigga please. The damage in the Tulsa race riot was so immense, we never saw another like it. I'm serious. Three billion dollars in synthetic hair, yet none of it comes back to us.

-Another relation to blacks outside America, in WWII, most of the black soldiers were treated very well, and respected. Almost like humans. Who knew? One instance in Britain had English soldiers tell off the American soldiers for treating their own allies like dogs. Your shame is documented all over the world, America. Do something about it.

-Someone, somewhere, will say or do something racist in protest to Black History Month. If it's not a politician, a right-wing idiot or some random white person, it's usually all of the above. To me, they may as well be. Let's see who makes the front page this month.

-As someone who considers video games to be a detrimental part of his life, I've been playing Dynasty Warriors and similar games in its style. Did you know that the Civil Rights Movement has enough activists to make a roster bigger than the current Dynasty Warriors game? Koei-Tecmo, if you're looking to expand into other historical pieces for ideas, try American (Black) History. There's more drama, despair and honor (maybe not so much of that) to be found than in every soap opera and major motion picture ever released. You could even do a hypothetical route where MLK lives and pursues his attempted killer with a siege spear, have Emmett Till's (whoops) fictional brother avenge his death, or have the Bloods and Crips band together and make the Purple Bandana Rebellion. Maybe even have Cash Money Records be nothing more than a figment of one's imagination.

-Hip-Hop is forty years old! And it only stayed great for twenty.

But look at me go on. The point I'm making is, Black History Month doesn't decide when I celebrate black history. I do. I always remember Jack Johnson and Malcolm X, along with Rosa Parks and Sojourner Truth. And if I catch wind of anyone else who paved the way for me to make a tasteless joke relating a video game series to the struggles of Civil Rights Leaders and similar people (Give it a millennia, it'll be okay then), I'll look them up and acknowledge them there and then, instead of waiting until February to be told I'm allowed to acknowledge them. Happy New Year to you lot.

P.S: Robert Smalls was a bad motherfucker.