Brandon's World

One whole year!

2012-02-18T01:40:00.000-06:00

Wow it has been a whole year since I last posted anything. Well things are going great up here in Denton. I love TWU and am very involved on campus. Lets see, I'm the Vice President of a student org., I'm a member of the TWU House of Reps., and I am a Senator in the Student Senate.

My grades are excellent, I had a 4.0 in my first semester and I feel pretty good about this spring semester. I am a little worried about my science class, as I have to write an 8 page paper on this microcosm project we are doing, and I can not for the life of me see how I will get 8 pages out of it, but I'll do the best I can. There are a couple of other big things happening soon, maybe I'll get back on here and start posting more as it is very cathartic.

Kindle

2012-01-03T16:40:00.001-06:00

OMG, I received a Kindle Touch for Christmas I was so excited and so blown away, I was not expecting that. Thank you to my bestest friend in the world J.R. Mendoza, you always catch me off guard. I have already purchased several books, so I'm going to have to update my list of recently read books.

Dallas Bar Association Home Project

2011-02-09T12:47:00.001-06:00

So I went to the Dallas Bar Associations Home Project "Kickoff Event" on Tuesday night. I was able to meet several local attorney's and members of Habitat for Humanity. I want to send an extra special thanks to the two co-chairs for this year's Home Project David Diaz and Brad Johnson for inviting me. I learned a lot about the project and was able to pick their brains for information on law school and the field of law.

If you are interested in volunteering the build days are scheduled for every Saturday beginning in March to the end of May from 8am - 4pm. More information can be found at the Dallas Bar Association's Home Project website www.dbahp.com.

Application Complete

2011-01-28T14:18:00.002-06:00

So I received all my official transcripts and I finished my application for Texas Woman's University today. I will be attending a TWU transfer day at one of the other north Texas community colleges in the next 7 days to get my application fee waived. Then I will be waiting for an answer.

I feel really good, and I am so excited. I haven't told anyone yet that I finished my application, wanted my blogspot family to be the first to know. I have also started applying for scholarships. Hey, extra money never hurt and seeing as I still have to apply for an extension from the VA to see if they will pay for the rest of my schooling I may need the extra money.

I am also considering applying for a summer program that Harvard Law and NYU School of Law is offering. It is a 5 week summer scholarship program specifically for minorities and people of "modest economic means". The fact that it is in the summer, I'm like heck yeah, because I'm not trying to fool with the Northeast in Winter.

Church Happenings

2011-01-24T19:09:00.005-06:00

So my pastor called me today and left me a message to call him, which I did. I was quite pleasantly surprised that he wanted to talk about the Health Fair idea that I ran by him last year. In September he said that the church (Bible Way Community Baptist Church) needed to do more work on the "Community" part of its name, and I recommended a community health fair.

Well looks like we are going to have one and he wants my input and help in getting it planned and going. This is in addition to my duties as the director of this year's Easter Play. So with 4 classes this semester, the easter play, trying to help my mom find a job, applying to TWU (yes that is a process), and now helping plan the Health Fair I have to say my plate is full. But the thing is, I don't feel overwhelmed. I have a sense of peace that everything will work out. So I'm just going to keep charging ahead. Lord give me strength.

Mama

2011-01-05T02:03:00.001-06:00

So my mom is now here living in DFW. I'm so happy and so excited to have her so close to me. I know my best friend Kenneth is also very happy. We have both needed so mama love, him probably more than myself.

Now we are on the job hunt. It won't be easy but we have go to get her working as soon as possible. Thankfully the Dallas area seems to have a good job market, its just a matter of choosing the right career field and building up her confidence to go on interviews. My mom isn't like my brother and I. We feel like if you are going to give us an interview then you might as well give us the job because we are going to sell ourselves quite confidently.

Can't wait for that 1st pot of gumbo, yummy, yummy, yummy!

2011

2011-01-02T01:51:00.004-06:00

So the New Year is here. I feel so blessed to have survived another year, lol. But seriously if you have read any of my posts I think it is pretty clear I am an eternal optimist, but I can still look back and see what could have been. 2010 wasn't perfect (what year ever is) but I can see where I have grown and become a better person.

All my decisions weren't perfect, I hurt someone that I care about and for that I am sorry. It was never my intent to make anyone feel pain or sorrow.

So now I have 2011 to look forward to. The spring semester starts midway through January and if all goes according to plan I will graduating with my Associates of Applied Science in May. Then this fall I will be attending Texas Woman's University to finish out my Bachelor's of Science degree, then to law school.

I am still amazed at how fast this has all happened. It was just in July of 2009 that I thought my world was crashing down on me. From there to now seems like a lifetime ago, okay not really, but it is still stunning how far I have come from then.

Happy New Year and may 2011 bring you all the blessings and success you could ever hope for.

Fall Semester Starts

2010-08-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

So today was the first day of Fall Semester. I'm taking 4 classes for a total of 12 hours. I'm so glad Summer 2 is over with that really, really kicked my butt.

The week off between was a much need respite to recharge my batteries and just allow me to relax.

If everything goes well and on schedule I should be graduating with my Associates of Applied Science from El Centro next may. Then I will be transferring to Texas Women's University (yes, its co-ed) to get my Bachelor of Science in Government. Then onto law school, God willing.

God has a plan for me, and I'm just doing as I'm told.

The Ground Zero Cultural Center/Mosque

2010-08-21T01:27:00.000-05:00

To quote President Andrew Sheppard,

"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

We should be taking this imam and the peaceful muslims who want to build this cultural center at their word that it will be a place of peace and acceptance, that it will be open to people of all faiths and all walks of life, not spewing hate and making knee-jerk reactions.

We must stand firm in our values as Americans and stand with our muslim brothers and sisters and say yes you can build your center and I will defend your right to do it at the top of my lungs.

This issue is about America and Americans and what we stand for and will defend.

Will we let fear and bigotry direct our path or will we follow the rule of law and say to the extremist that we are a land that is full of acceptance and tolerance and you can never take that from us.

Trying to upload a copy of Certificate of Live Birth.

2010-08-06T22:22:00.002-05:00

But I keep getting an error saying that .pdf format is not supported.

Saints Win, Saints Win

2010-02-07T23:30:00.003-06:00

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe that my New Orleans Saints have won the NFL Super Bowl. I mean I believed it would happen one day, and once they made it to this championship, I had complete confidence.

But, it is still shocking to say the words, New Orleans Saints World Champions.

Wow, wow, wow.

Decision Made

2009-03-18T20:06:00.001-06:00

Today I surprisingly made my decision. I’m not going anywhere. I’m making my stand, today.

Judge me if you wish, but I’m going to keep on smiling.

I will not waste another day, another hour, another minute being depressed or down or frustrated.

I have done nothing wrong and I have nothing to be ashamed.

Life is to precious, life is to special, and life is to amazing to be worrying about things.

I’m going to live for today because God has given me another today.

Who Am I?

2009-01-07T23:52:00.004-06:00

This is a serious writing and it is from me not something I copied. I am not lashing out and I am not trying to preach to anyone. Its just some things I need to get out and this is how I am feeling at this moment. I am a writer and so I write.

I was recently faced with the question of who am I.

Who am I?
Who am I?

I am Brandon Joval Vance. I am a child of God, I am an American, and I love people, and I love life. I am a friendly person, a happy person, and a giving person.

I was raised in family in which we believed that everyone is important and everyone has value. We took homeless people into our house when I was young, we gave to the needy and volunteered our time and money.

I was raised believing and being taught to "Judge Not", because I or you could easily be in someone else's shoes if not for the grace God.

This is the core of who I am, Judge Not. This is why I have such an eclectic group of friends. My friends are black, white, asian, hispanic, and middle eastern because I Judge Not. My friends are young, old, gay, straight, republican, democrat, and independent because I Judge Not. I have friends in China, England, France, Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico, Peru, and all across the United States because I Judge Not.

I could no more cut off my friends, the people who have helped mold me and make me the man that I am, than I could cut off my mom or my brother. My friends have taken me in when I needed shelter, fed me when I was hungry, and have given me guidance and advice when I needed it. And I in turn have done the same. It would be crazy almost unimaginable for me to say no to a friend. If I have, and they need, then I give.

I am in no way, no way, perfect, but I am who I am. Some people take being a happy person or being friendly and see what they want in it. I wake up everyday, everyday, and thank God to be alive. I get up and sing songs to God as I get dressed. When I go to bed at night, I thank God for letting me make it through another day.

Many people wonder "What is the meaning of Life".

From the secular point of view I believe it is to be the best human being you can. To find your happiness and live in it. To learn from your experiences and those of others to be the best human you can.

From the spiritual point of view I believe it is to be the best human being you can, and follow the example of Christ. To praise, trust, and have faith in God. To learn from the experiences of others to be the best human you can.

These are not different, they come from the same place, and should lead you on the same path.

I will continue to do all I can to show each of you that I value, respect, and appreciate you.

Happy New Year.

Obama Wins

2008-11-04T23:02:00.000-06:00

Watching & Waiting.......

2008-11-04T19:52:00.003-06:00

Waiting as the election results creep in is so frustrating. Right now Sen. Obama is ahead in the polls/electoral count, but it is so frustrating waiting and listening to the live coverage on many of the networks.

Some of the networks have debuted some new and cool technology. I like the MSNBC interactive polls, that the analyst can interact with. But, the CNN hologram technology blew everyone out of the water. That was pretty cool.

Well, I am going to watch a movie and see what the numbers look like once its done. I think I will watch "The American President", I love, love, love that movie.

I can't believe I missed the whole month of October without posting a blog. Then again my computer was down. I got a really bad virus on my computer that would not allow me to even open an Internet Explorer page. Also I was in the hospital for a bit, and the emergency room a few times. Been a crazy, crazy month and a half.

Its been a while

2008-09-11T11:14:00.002-05:00

Man a lot of things have happened since my last post. I have started all these new little crazy projects and things to keep my mind going and active. I will go into detail about them in the next few blogs, but I will give you some hints. The first has something to do with the moon. The second has something to do with providing low cost housing for people in Africa.

Also I have gotten really involved with the choir at my church, Bible Way Community Baptist Church. I had forgotten how much I love going to church and being a part of the choir. I can truly feel the presence of God in the building and it brings me such great peace and I am over flowing with praise. Though I have found a church home and renewed my commitment to God, the devil has been busy.

I was sick and admitted to the hospital for almost a week. I went with abdominal pain and they discovered I had a 102 degree fever, and admitted me. After all the checking and testing it was discovered I had some kind of bacterial infection. I had to stay in that dang hospital for 4 days. I was not a happy camper but I was still friendly and my nurses said I was the easiest patient they have had in a long time.

I have more to say, especially about drama at work, but I will update that in a day or two.

Later!

Why Obama and not McCain

2008-08-17T14:44:00.003-05:00

Its funny to me that someone on a sports forum website got me to realize why I support and will vote for Senator Barack Obama. Here are some of my reasons for voting for Senator Obama and why I can not support Senator McCain.

Mainly because I don't support John McCain. I'm going to tell you why I support Obama also, don't worry.

McCain instills fear in me and I do not trust him. He said it himself, with his own mouth, 'he will say what he has to for his political ambition'. This explains to me why McCain 08 would pander after the evangelical vote by hugging up to Falwell and Hagee after calling them out a few years ago.

He comes off as a warmonger, and is way way to anxious to jump out with military action. And me as a veteran, I do not appreciate his many votes against veterans issues. And yes this is something I follow very closely.

Obama inspires me to believe that our country can be better. Don't turn your nose up yet, because it is important that your leader inspire you. He wants people to stand up and take responsibility for themselves. He wants people, young and old, to volunteer to serve and better the country, kinda like the peace corps in the 60's-70's.

Obama has worked in the ghettos and on the streets to improve the lives of citizens. Our country is 150% headed in the wrong direction and every poll shows Americans overwhelmingly say they same thing. Our standing in the world has likely never been lower, and Obama brings an opportunity to show we can listen as well as lead. His votes and support amongst Republican congressmen and women shows he knows that congress is about compromising and doing whats best for the people. Not just what looks good for the people (i.e. gas tax holiday).

These are some reasons why I will easily vote for Senator Barack Obama! If I have reguritated something from the so called liberal media please point out what it is. These are my own thoughts after doing my own research. And I do watch all 3 news agencies, Fox (fixed), CNN (fair), MSNBC (liberal).

To you I say remember there is a serious difference between political opinion shows (i.e. O'Reiley, Countdown, Hannity & Colmes, Lou Dobbs) and reporting the news.

Obama/Clark '08

Donate to Senator Obama

2008-07-19T18:16:00.002-05:00

I have decided to add a fundraising campaign to my site for Senator Barack Obama. If you would like to contribute to the fundraising effort go to this link and do what you feel. This isn't about me, its about you my friends and family and the campaign.

Thats why the title is Brandon and Friends for Obama, so check it out.

Any amount will help.

Thanks,
Brandon

Who is the Flip Flopper

2008-07-12T19:39:00.001-05:00

So I found this article on an international website that lists the flip flops or possible flip flops by both McCain and Obama.

It lists 5 things that Senator McCain has shifted on, not that he might but he has shifted on; Immigration, The Christian Right, Interrogation Rules, Guantanamo, and Oil Drilling. Sometimes he changes his opinion in the same day on an issue.

Then it lists Senator Obama's shifts or possible shifts; Campaign Finance, FISA, Gun Control, Iraq, and Free Trade.

Campaign Finance - I wholeheartedly support him pulling out of the "public financing" system and letting the public continue to finance his campaign. An overwhelming number of his supporters agree with this also. Good Shift

FISA - I already stated my opinion on this earlier but I will list as. Bad Shift

Gun Control - I like the Senator support the 2nd Amendment, and like the Senator I think states and towns have the right to enact sound gun laws. I don't think a 15 year old should be able to buy a gun. I don't think an adult should be able to buy 15 guns in one day without a backgrond check. That is supporting the 2nd Amendment with states able to make sound gun laws. This is what he has always said and believes. NO Shift

Iraq - He hasn't changed anything on Iraq, he still said he is going to bring the troops home within 13-16 months. He will be refining his policy, which means getting more input from Generals to help him refine the policy. NO Shift

Free Trade - He hasn't changed his mind, and he hasn't made any major or even minor annocement that he has officially changed position. So what has he flipped on with Free trade? NO Shift

We know for a fact Senator McCain has truly flipped on issues. We know Senator Obama has flipped on FISA, and made a smart decision to decline the only 85 million of "public financing" because he can raise more. But hasn't flipped on anything else.

WAKE UP PEOPLE STOP BELIEVING THE SPIN.

Senator Obama votes for FISA

2008-07-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

I know many people are upset about this vote, it bothers me. But I realize no candidate is perfect, no candidate is going to agree with 100% or even 90% of what I want.

What amazes me on this issue is that Democrats never figured away to fight this battle in the public, knowing that a large majority of Americans don't support this new legislation.

Remember with the old FISA they could start wiretapping immediately & had to request a warrant within 72 hours. If I remember also, the secret court in its history only ever declined like 4 requests. Until the Bush gang decided they couldn't wait the possible 3 days to get their pretty much rubber stamped warrant, the old FISA was fine.

Here is the main reason why I can let this vote go and focus on everything else Senator Obama stands for. This would have likely been the death kneel for Senator Obama. The RNC and the 527's would have eaten him alive in the media.

Mainly because people listen to what they say, and it would not have been directed at we who already support the Senator but at people who might support him.

But even more because the Republican spin would have drowned out Democratic logic and branded him as not caring to protect America. They would have said he is trying to protect the terrorists, and people would have listened. If and when the Senator is elected POTUS he will have access to all of these requests. He will also be able to push new legislation with a larger Democratic controlled congress to overturn the legislation then.

Sometimes a flip flop is a flip flop at that moment, and sometimes it’s a setup to get what you want later. Patience, patience, patience.

We Democrats have got to be able to use the media better to get our message out.

Obama/Clark '08

Senator Obama VP choice

2008-06-28T00:04:00.003-05:00

Ok so I have been thinking about this for a good long while. I have looked at possible choices and have made my decision in who I think would be the best choice for Vice President to run with Sen. Obama.

I am going to go out on a limb and state that I think the choice should be and will be retired Army General Wesley Clark who will bring a tremendous amount of military experience to the ticket. This will counter and shut down many of the 'John McCain is a great war hero' conversations.

But on top of what he brings to the ticket is that he would be ready to be president if worse case happens. He has shown that he is not a fight first ask questions later type of leader. He has shown that he believes in diplomacy and has expressed views similar to or in line with Sen. Obama's views on the country. He believes in personal responsibility and shaping a path to a better America in the future.

So for me, my hope is that we as Americans on January 20, 2009 will be celebrating the inauguration of President Barack Obama and Vice President Wesley Clark.

Obama/Clark '08

Senator Obama is BOLD

2008-06-20T19:12:00.003-05:00

I haven't really really finalized my opinion on this but this is what I think so far. I like the look of the new logo, it is appealing to the eye and is very presidential. It is also very bold and almost a little cocky or presumptime. Overall though I guess I like it. Leave me a message and let me know what you think. This is one of the new Obama campaign logos. The latin over the logo literally translates to 'Yes We Can'.

Fox News is crazy

2008-06-12T19:08:00.003-05:00

Seriously, seriously, I don't even have to say what is going on in this clip. You don't have to even really listen to what the ladies are talking about, even though the host brings up rumors that 'she doesn't want to bring up' about Michelle Obama.

FOCUS ON THE INFO BOX AT THE BOTTOM!

Senator Obama is the Democratic Nominee

2008-06-03T21:02:00.003-05:00

Today in our nations long, tested, and tried history we have seen American history. For the first time an African American, Senator Barack Obama, has won the nomination of a major party for President of the United States. Again this is American history in the making and we are alive to witness it. With a multiracial family background, a father from Kenya and mother from Kansas, the junior senator from Illinois has stunned the world.

It is obvious that the country is ready for a serious change in the path that our nation is on. And we as Americans are not asking for a slight change as John McCain would bring, we are looking for a major change. This is the kind of change that Barack Obama has called for and has campaigned for. He has connected with a wide cross section of Americans to include white, black, latino, asian, and native American voters. He has connected with the poor, the rich, educated, uneducated, and the disenfranchised and is truly inspiring Americans to believe again. To believe in the future of our country, to believe in the hopes and dreams of our country. And to believe that anyone, anyone can reach out and become the President of the United States.

Through all the trials, debates and campaigning, through a hard fought campaign with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and in the face of Republican Senator John McCain lying to the American people, he has come out with the nomination.

Now is the time for the Democratic Party to come together and unify behind their nominee. There has been much anger and much frustration coming from Clinton supporters and from Obama supporters. There was the controversy over Florida and Michigan which led to even more animosity and strife. Yet now the focus and goal is to win the White House in November, and for the DNC to win more seats in congress this fall.

Rules Committee meeting background

2008-05-31T15:28:00.001-05:00

This is my take on the Democratic National Committee meeting of the Rules & Bylaws Committee this morning to determine what will happen with the delegates for Florida and for Michigan. To give the history, some of which I didn’t know until today, this is what got us here.

The DNC in 2006 decided on a schedule for states to hold their primaries and caucuses. The states democratic chairs and committees agreed to those dates and the penalty that if a state went earlier than allowed they would loss at least 50% of their delegates in deciding the nominee. These two states are completely different in what got them to this point.

Florida:
The state legislature is 2 to 1 Republican controlled, and they were working on legislation to update Florida election process and law. This had unanimous support. The Republican led legislature decided to add an amendment moving the primary up earlier than allowed by the DNC. The state Democrats tried to stop this but could not vote against this legislation. They even submitted an amendment to return the primary to a different day but it was defeated by the Republicans. Ultimately the democrats voted for the legislation to protect voter rights and have a paper trail, but included the earlier primary.

Michigan:
Michigan applied along with 11 other states to have their primary moved up to January as the DNC decided to add two more states to the early vote timeframe, joining Iowa and New Hampshire. The DNC decided on South Carolina and Nevada, and the rest of the schedule was set. After the Florida situation unfolded, the Democratic leadership decided that they were going to move up their date. There wasn’t any trickery or back room dealing; they just decided they were going to do it anyway.

Both of these states made their decisions early in 2007, and the DNC gave them ample time to try to schedule another primary later that would be counted. Neither state was able to make that happen.

In Florida I can see having sympathy for the voters and the Democratic leadership who tried all they could to protect their voters. In Michigan though, the Democratic leadership brought this on themselves and now they demand that all their delegates be counted and for it to be counted exactly as the ballot results show.

Video Blog to Senator Obama

2008-03-15T08:36:00.000-06:00

Well boy oh boy, do we have a controversy in the primary, and this one is a big one. After hearing the comments and cuts from sermons by Pastor Jeremiah Wright I could not keep quiet. This is my first video blog and I did it in one take. I actually tried 3 times to improve on it and none of those were as good as the original. So here it is my video blog to the senator, please let me know what you think.

Untitled from Brandon J. Vance on Vimeo.

Visit with my family

2008-03-06T20:34:00.000-06:00

Oh man, so I went back home to Louisiana recently to visit with my family. I went to Lafayette to see my niece Requila (Dez) and her mom Tammy, and Sean, and Zach, and Bryan. And of course to see little Morgan Elizabeth. It was such a great trip and I was just amazed to see how much they have all grown and changed. The last time I layed eyes on Dez she was little and Sean was just a little younger than her, and Zach was a toddler. They have all grown up into fine young adults and Tammy is to thank for that. She has been a great mother to her kids and they all love her without question, as kids should love their parents. Bryan is a great guy and though a tad bit quite he was really cool while I visited.

Thats the thing that to me was most awesome. I was a little worried it would be awkward visiting, but it wasn’t, I felt right at home and welcome. Zach and Bryan had me laughing the whole weekend and me and Tammy caught up on so many things. Dez and I talked and hugged and I was just blown away that my little niece is now a full grown woman. And she is in college and doing well. As a matter of fact right after she had Morgan she was right back in school, she didn’t want to miss to many days.

To Morgan Elizabeth, wow, wow, that little girl is amazing. So beautiful and so sweet and so precious. I just don’t really know how to express what it meant to me to be there to see her and hold her. Yep, I’m in love with her already, she is just the most precious thing ever.

If you haven’t yet, check out below and you will see some of the pics from the trip. Sean was off doing his own thing most of the weekend so I didn’t get any pics of him.

Love you guys,
Brandon

The Primary Aftermath

2008-03-05T09:39:00.001-06:00

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, wow yesterday was amazing, I mean utterly amazing. So here is the recap, so I left work early to go vote in the primary. I am in district 3004 and had to vote at Health Careers High School. While I was in line waiting to vote , I would say there were about 20-25 democrats to the 3-5 republicans I saw the whole time. I was surprised but I guess that is in line with what has been happening across the nation.

So I did my voting, I also voted on the local and state issues on the ballot. They gave me a little ticket to come back at 7:15 pm to participate in the caucus, it was like a coupon saying you voted earlier. It was about 5:30 pm when I finished there. So then I found out that Senator Obama was in San Antonio and would be holding a rally downtown at about 9 pm. After speaking to G'nita, who is also a big time Obama fan and supporter she was able to get me a ticket.

So, 7:15 pm I am back for the caucus and to say it was disorderly would be appropriate, they did do a good job of separating us into the right groups, but we were just waiting and waiting and waiting because people were still in line to vote. So I asked one of the leaders about the process, trying to see if I could just sign and leave. Why did he have to tell me that we would be voting people for district delegates to head to Austin later in March to select delegates to the DNC convention. So I had to stay now, and low and behold I was selected as a delegate. As a matter of fact I almost won the delegate chair person after being nominated by another delegate out of the blue. But alas I lost to a Hillary supporter who gave a good speech.

So it is now like 10 pm and I am flying downtown to get to the rally. Since the results were slow to come in Senator Obama waited to take the stage. Once I get to the pavilion where they are wanding people, I can here him speaking. My anticipation level was through the roof. Still waiting in line, he finished his speech, and they stopped letting people through. I was pretty disheartened at that moment. I just figured I would wait for G'nita and Toni to come out.

So I'm just standing around and this late asks if I mind being interviewed, I said of course not, but who are you, was my response. She said she was with Radio France, now I think I lit up like a Christmas tree and I gave the best radio interview I could and signed off in French. Having my blood pumping after that, I was then approached by Japan TV for an interview on camera. I again spoke with great calm and said what I had to say about the loss and about Senator Obama.

So all in all it was a rather good night in the end, I got to vote, I got to caucus, I was selected a district delegate, and was interviewed by Radio France, and Japan TV. Man I love this primary season.

Texas Primary Day

2008-03-04T09:27:00.000-06:00

So the day has come for Texas to have its say in this great primary season. Just to go on record, I am absolutely in love with this primary season. It is so refreshing to see every state have a say and make a difference, not just a handful of early states. I have been waiting to vote and my visit home this past weekend only makes it that much more exciting. I will be telling all about that visit in an upcoming blog.

So today I will be participating in the Texas two step. I can't really tell you why TX has both a primary and a caucus, I think just to be different, but I will be participating in both. Yep that means missing some work, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Ohio, Vermont, and Rhode Island also vote today so we shall see what happens.

Yes We Can

2008-02-16T19:22:00.001-06:00

If you haven't yet seen the video produced by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas here is the video. I know I am a little late in posting this but here you go. Just a reminder this is based on his concession speech from New Hampshire. This speech was by far the best of the primary season and dwarfed Senator Clinton's acceptance speech.

Barack wins Iowa

2008-01-04T20:37:00.000-06:00

Barack Obama has won the Iowa Democratic caucus which is the first major test on the road to the Democratic parties’ nomination. This is seen as a blow to the campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton, but it is only one states race. The next big test comes on Tuesday January 8, 2008 when New Hampshire holds the first in the nation primary. Sen. Clinton came in third place so it is considered crucial that she have a good showing in New Hampshire, but as of today she and Sen. Obama are tied in the polls. He has made up ground in several key elements including whether people think he is elect able.

On the other side of the political spectrum former Governor Mike Huckabee won the Republican caucuses with a rather strong showing. I actually like Huckabee and rooted for him. One thing that I am fascinated by is how much the media is playing up that evangelical Christians came out in droves to support Huckabee and capture this win. Why I am fascinated by it though is that it seems the media thinks that evangelicals only support republicans. From what I have read and seen of Sen. Obama he is a deeply religious man as well, it’s just not played up as much. I am not going to go on my usual rant about evangelicals; I don’t want to make the few people who do read my blog mad. I guess we will all wait to see what happens on next Tuesday.

Here is the victory speech, very, very inspirational.

(13 min long)

Family Christmas

2007-12-28T22:55:00.000-06:00

This Christmas turned out to be an extra special one. I got to go home and visit with my family. I haven’t gone home in a while. My brother and his family; Arleen my sister-in-law and nephew CJ, are all moving to Washington D.C. within the next month. I really wanted to see them and spend some time with them before they head to the east coast. My nephew is so big now, he is 6 years old and he is so freaking smart. They are doing a great job of raising him. I love that my nephew and I are close. Even though I am not back home in Louisiana he still knows who his uncle is and that I love him.

This brings me to my favorite part of my trip home. So as I stated in an earlier blog, I have a niece that I have not seen in many, many years. I love my niece and have wanted to find her, but of course life gets in the way of our wants many times. Well go figure that I found her mom, Tammy Charles on Myspace. I wasn’t sure if it was her, but I worked up the courage to send her a message and make contact and sure enough it was Tammy. I was beaming from ear to ear to have found them. So I sent Tammy my number via Myspace and she called. We talked for a good while that night and she brought me up to speed on the family. Both Tammy and Requila (Dez) are doing well, as are her brothers, Sean and Zack, they are all still in Lafayette. I wanted to try to drive out there to visit while I was home, but I didn’t drive to LA, so I couldn’t. I am going to go back out there in a couple weeks if they are cool with that to visit and bring gifts.

You can not imagine how much this means to me to be with in a phone calls distance of my niece, who is now a 19 year old woman. I can not believe that she is 19 already. There is no way to make up for time that has been lost, all we can do is try to go forward. There is a whole future out there waiting for all of us, so having more people who care about you to lend you strength and wish you well is crucial. I look forward to trying to be as good an uncle to my niece as I have tried to be to my nephew.

Until next time, keep smiling.

Trust part 1

2007-12-16T22:17:00.000-06:00

If someone says to you that they want your heart, that they want you to trust them and love them. Isn’t it only fair and right of you to put that to the test? Now I don’t mean go out of your way to screw with them or mess them up. But, in ways both subtle and demonstrative shouldn’t you test the commitment they say they are ready for, especially if that person has broken down that trust by their own actions in the past.

I know I have a tendency to ask crazy questions but most times I ask questions to gain insight or to gain knowledge. Many other times I ask questions to try to get the other persons mind to open up or to wander outside of a comfort zone.

At Disney we have a philosophy called “Being on Stage”. We believe that you are always on stage, thus always representing Disney, when someone can see that you are a part of Disney. To me this correlates with always being tested. Life is about tests and you are always being tested. Sometimes it’s easy to pass, just say what someone wants to hear or just saying the truth. Other times though, it is not so easy, many times you can’t even tell you are being tested.

This all is coming from the fact that I recently asked someone a rather subtle question. Now yeah it may have come off as nosey, but I stated I was just curious. I got no answer and the question was just evaded. Before I asked this question I thought to myself ‘if I ask this question will this person tell me the truth’, it turned out to be a test. I didn’t intend for it to be that but that is what happened. If you want to build trust you have to be willing to answer tough and easy questions even if it is not what the person wants to hear. I truly would have been fine with either a yes or a no answer but to be evaded lets me know that I should not put all my trust back into this person.

Everyone who knows me knows I am an easy going person. They know that though I may not like what someone says, I will let them say it and evaluate it after. I don’t fly off the handle or get mad and pout. That is why I am perturbed by the fact that I could not get a straight answer to my question.

I guess if someone wants to earn your trust again you have to be very careful.

Harry Turtledove Colonization Series

2007-12-11T16:17:00.000-06:00

So the next series by Harry Turtledove is called Colonization. It is twenty years later and most of our favorite characters are still alive and causing trouble still. The world is in essence at peace but things can only get crazy when the colonization fleet starts to approach.

In the twenty years since the initial invasion, humans have branched out to space and increased the knowledge of nuclear weapons. They are no longer huge 10 ton bombs that are impossible to move around. Now they are smaller and fit on the end of rockets that sit unmanned in space just waiting to be used. The aliens are still much stronger than the 3 independent nations and their allies in Britain, Japan, and Canada.

As the colonization fleet makes orbit an unthinkable act is committed. An orbiting platform that has been hidden from observation opens up and launches and attack on one of the defenseless ships and in a nuclear blast kills 12 million aliens who were still in frozen sleep. The aliens are beside themselves and declare there will be all out war once they find out who committed this heinous act. Knowing that only 3 nations posses the know how to do something they each are quick to say it was not them. But there must be retribution, so the aliens are allowed to attack some place in each country for symbolisms sake.

As the colonization fleet settles in new difficulties arise especially as it relates to ginger. To us humans it is just a spice, but to the aliens it is like PCP or LCD would be to a human for the first time. Except they get this high, this rush every time they take a taste of ginger. After one taste they are hooked. But no one, not even the aliens were prepared for what would happen when the females of the colonization fleet tasted ginger. Being that the aliens are like lizards, they mate for a season and any other time don’t engage in mating. In the conquest fleet there were no females so there was not a way to study what it would do to females. Once a female alien tastes ginger she instantly went into season and started producing pheromones that sent males into a mating rage. Thus males who were supposed to be on patrol would forget themselves and fight amongst each other over a female.

A lot of this second series focuses on the ginger trade and how humans use it to confound the aliens and make their lives difficult. But we would not be humans if we did not think of fighting and that is exactly what the Germans are doing. Himmler is now Fuhrer and he is power mad, he intends on fighting the aliens again. After his sudden death the world has hope that the war will not come, but Ernst Kaltenbrunner replaced him and decided to take on the aliens. As Germany launches an offensive war against the aliens the rest of the world braces. The aliens pound them flat and nearly destroy all of Germany. At the behest of Russia and the U.S. they pull back from utter and total destruction and occupy the rest of Germany, leaving a flimsy independence.

We finally find out who committed the attack on the colonization fleet. It was the United States by direct order of the president. The aliens want blood and give and ultimatum of vaporizing a U.S. city or the U.S. giving up its positions in space and return its spaceship to Earth. And face continued inspections by the race to reduce its arms. Left with no good options the president makes two monumental decisions, that leave a reader shocked to his/her core. Knowing that we one day want to visit their home planet you can guess one decision he made.

Thus we have the opportunity to be Homeward Bound.

Gnita

2007-11-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

There are a few women in my life who mean the world to me. They have taught me great values and showed me love and honesty. There are women in the world who standout to me and make me proud as a human being and as American for what they have accomplished and stood for.

Most of you have never met my mother, she is a great lady. My mom is Charlene Robinson, and she is one tough cookie, but while being tough she is also my rock. When I have needed to cry, she was there for me. When I needed to laugh, she found a way. She can tell from the first two or three words on the phone whether I have a smile on my face or am sad. She knows me through and through and has taught me about love and about kindness and about determination

My grandmother, my soul mate, the rock of rocks, was a formidable woman. This takes nothing from my mother, but my grandmother was my love and my heart. I am tearing up right now thinking about her, remembering her. She taught me about trusting people and giving people the benefit of the doubt. She taught me not to judge people. I love my grandmother so much and miss her so deeply.

(((Gnita)))

My San Antonio mom, my Chacho’s mom, and the mom to many of us here who don’t have our moms close. Let me tell you about Gnita, she is stern and loving at the same time. She will make us laugh and she will share a tear when we need it. She will snap at us when we are wrong, and congratulate us when we succeed. Gnita has 3 children, we call them the biologicals, but she has many kids. The thing I love most about her is that she doesn’t judge, and she loves all people. We recently got together at her house for her birthday, it was a surprise dinner, there were about 15-20 of us there. Before we ate we all stood holding hands to thank God for bringing her into our lives. I looked around and saw the most eclectic group of people. We had black and white, Hispanic and mixed folk. We had fat people, skinny people, gay people, straight people as well as young and old, and we were all there to celebrate this woman, this woman who could bring all these different people together. Tolerance, tolerance is the word. Love you mama.

Though I never got the opportunity to meet her, I have an abiding since of awe and wonder as it relates to Mother Theresa. I am not catholic and don’t know many of the practices or the saints, but I do know that she is a woman who should be canonized as soon as possible. Mother Theresa traveled the world in the name of God to minister to the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak. Even as she got older and unable to walk as easily, she did not stop. She loved all people and she gave of herself wholly to the human race. I hope I can match a tenth of her love of people.

Oprah Winfrey is just amazing, she is a force and the world knows it. She is a woman who started out with nothing and worked hard, hard, HARD, to accomplish goals she set for herself. She gives back continuously to all people, not just African Americans, but to everyone. What can you say about a woman that everyone knows and knows about her life? She is one of the women I give enormous respect and admiration to.

These are women who I use as guide and compass for my life and for my interactions with other people I meet. They all offer something special to me as a human being and as a man. That is why I am so glad to be able to add Gnita to the list of women who mean the world to me.

I give much love to all the women in the world how are standing tall and trying to find a way, keep hope alive, and keep trying hard.

Harry Turtledove World War Series

2007-11-15T22:17:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you about Harry Turtledove and the World War series. Mr. Turtledove is a really good author. The series that I just recently finished reading left my mind spinning and left my creative juices flowing. HT, as I shall call him, is a master of history and at writing alternate history. That is he takes a specific event or time frame and changes a few facts and continues it along the same path.

To the eight books I have just finished reading. The first series is called the World War series and it takes place in 1942 during World War II. At the height of the German Empire spreading and the Allies not truly coming together, aliens invade. Now your first reaction is probably to laugh or scoff but don’t. HT tells a very intricate story, and you get the points of view of nearly every party fighting. You get the point of view of the Americans, Russians, Germans, English, Chinese, Jews and lastly of the aliens themselves.

Their invasion is based upon faulty surveillance though, not faulty but outdated information. The probe they sent to earth arrived in about the 11th century and showed images of humans riding horse back and carrying spears. On their own planet and the other two worlds they conquered life moved extremely slowly so they expected that to be the case for humans. The aliens were rather shocked and horrified to discover in just about 900 years we had advanced so far having; tanks, rotor planes, submarines and fighting a global war. Having expected an inferior technology less race of beings the conquest fleet left with only so much weaponry. Yet even with their lack of quantity of weapons their tanks are far superior, their planes have jet engines, and ultimately they have nuclear weapons.

Once the aliens revealed themselves and entered the fighting we humans had to learn to put our fights aside and join forces or face enslavement of all of humanity. So we see many unions of groups we would not have seen in real history to fight the aliens. One of the most intriguing aspects is how when the aliens arrive they are so repulsed by what the Nazi’s are doing to Jews that the Jews actually aid the aliens. Many of them saw this as their way to survive and as a way to get back at the Germans who the aliens also now loathed. But later the Jews realizing that they intended to enslave all of humanity turned on the aliens as well.

As we humans are good at doing we fight back and eventually steal, borrow, and barter for the alien technology and use what we adapt to fight back. There is fighting literally on almost every continent of the planet. The aliens could nuke the whole planet and solve a lot of problems but there is a colonization fleet that is 20 years behind and they want to find planet Tosev 3 (earth) intact, habitable, and the people subjugated. But to show their power they do unleash nukes on some cities; Berlin and Washington D.C. to be exact. But once we discover this technology we stand toe to toe and fight with nukes as well. Eventually the U.S., Germany, and Russia win their independence but the aliens get over half the planet and uneasily a peace is reached.

But the colonization fleet is still on its way and bringing millions more aliens to colonize earth.

Genarlow Wilson Update

2007-11-15T14:45:00.000-06:00

I am so happy that Genarlow Wilson has finally been freed. Some people will say that it shows the justice system works if given a chance, I say that is bull. This boy who is now a man was used and abused by our legal system. This case showed that there are many flaws and problems in our court system. We so blindly let legislatures set mandatory minimums, as far as sentences go, and they tie judges’ hands when good common since should prevail. It is sad that Genarlow had to sit in jail and had to have is case heard by the Georgia Supreme Court to win his freedom. And though he is free, he is still guilty of the charges against him; his conviction was not over thrown. No, he was released because it was deemed his punishment was cruel and unusual.

This is one of those times where I truly believe a presidential pardon, would have been and still could be appropriate. Again here is a young man who now has to try to rebuild his life and move and hope that others will move on as well. It would tremendous for him to be able to apply to colleges and they know that he has the weight of the president to keep him from failing.

What I mean by that is that if George Bush pardoned him that would be a cause to action. This was not a dumb kid or a thug he was a star athlete and he was a very good student. He would understand that presidential pardons carry responsibility; that you had better succeed. And I believe that Genarlow would be up to that challenge.

Of course that is one mans humble opinion. We have seen repeatedly that that man serving in the White House is not prone to doing what is right, but what looks politically right.

As I said at the beginning, I am truly happy that he is free and hope he will find success and true happiness in the future.

Happy Birthday Requila

2007-11-10T09:42:00.000-06:00

I have a beautiful niece, named Requila Shavonne Dezmonique Robinson. I miss my niece very much, and today is her birthday, she is 19 now. About a year ago or more I got in touch with her and her mom, but lost touch with them after my email was highjacked. My stupid fault, I didn't write down all the information Tammy, her mom, gave me.

My niece is tall and beautiful, her family lives in the area of Lafayette, Louisiana. I want to just drive out there and head to the last place she worked and start searching for her, but that would be wrong. I don't want to intrude on her life but I just want to know her and let her know she is loved and missed.

Here she is:

Dez or Tammy if you read this blog please send me an email at my new email bjvance35@hotmail.com or message me here. Know that I love you both and miss you both very dearly.

Family always gets my unconditional love.

Michael Freakin Vick

2007-09-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

So now Michael Vick has pleaded guilty, to dog-fighting charges. He has lost his endorsement deals, he has been suspended by the NFL, and he is going to be sentenced to some jail time very soon.

I have been so sick and tired of hearing people call in to radio shows and writing articles trying to justify or stick up for Michael Vick.

Look, I am from the south, the dirty south to be exact. I know there are somethings that go on back home and all over the south that people want to sweep under the rug and pretend don't exist. This is one that has crept out and was leaked out because of the celebrity of the criminal.

Plain and simple people dog fighting is a FEDERAL CRIME. Please, please stop trying to hold onto that argument that we kill deer, and cows, and other wild animals. There is an enormous difference between taking a dog (a domestic animal), training it up to kill or be killed, training it to attack on command, and killing wild animals we use for food and clothing. Stop trying to justify what Michael Vick has done, it was and is wrong.

And as if that wasn't enough then we find out that he personally assisted in the killing of many dogs. Again, how vile do you have to be to hang a dog, and then once you realize it isn't dead, to drown it in a 5 gallon bucket of water. That is beyond in-human, that is sadistic. It makes me worry that if he could do that so easily and go on with his day, what else is he capable of.

No, Michael Vick doesn't need more people trying to apologize for him, he needs to man up and take his punishment. He needs to understand that there are many of us out here who will never ever look at him the same.

And part of his punishment, should be doing whatever the lowest level job is at the Atlanta Humane Society. Maybe then he will learn to show some compassion to animals.

What's Up

2007-09-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

Well just to let you know what is going on in my life. I have been reading a lot, I have been totally engrossed in my Turtledove books. Each is about 400-550 pages, it is a tedious read, but this World War series has so many story lines, you can't put it down. After I finished the 3rd book, I thought I would wait a week to get the last one. Nope, I lasted one day, and not really that. I went to Barnes & Nobles and started reading the 4th one. Yes as I have said I know I am a dork.

I have also been writing a fair amount also. I have an idea for a TV show and I think it is a really good one. I of course love the fact that it is scripted and have already started working out the plot details and the writing the first draft for a pilot. This may be easier to get me out into the public eye as a writer or script writer than my screenplay.

I am working for Disney Mobile, it is phone and I like it. It is a great cell phone service for families with kids that want to get them cell phones. Not going to go into the whole sales call thing, but just let folks know what's up with me.

Lastly I have decided to leave my wonderful San Antonio. There are many factors playing into this decision, some more than others, but I have made the call. No I just have to decide where to go. I have looked at a couple of cities and am narrowing down my list. Once I have made a decision I will let everyone know. Man I am going to miss my city, but I know new adventures await.

Until next time. From now on, if it is just an update, I will label it update, so they are easier to access, by searching for the label update on my page.

Roots

2007-08-14T03:11:00.000-05:00

I was recently watching one the Tyler Perry plays, I am not sure which one. It may have been “Madea Goes to Jail” or “Class Reunion”, but in it Madea gives some advice to one of her family members about people in you life. I am going to paraphrase it a little here to make a point.

She said think of yourself as a tree and the people you know, as the branches and leaves that make up your tree. She said some people come into your life for just a season. That they are like leaves, one minute they are there and the next they are gone. Which ever way the wind blows is the way the go. Good people in general, but they are not there to support you and strengthen you, just people you are meant to encounter. Maybe they teach you something, maybe they take from you something they need.

Then there are the branches; some give you strength and are strong, while some are weak and flimsy. Some will break if you apply to much pressure or pressure in just the wrong place. You may feel like they will support you and you may go out on a limb, but be careful for branches can let you down.

But your roots, she said your roots are there to hold you up, to build you up. Your roots are what gives you life and keeps you going. Madea said when you get yourself a good set of roots that you will always be alright.

Well I am here to tell you that roots can wither and die and let you down also. And when it happens it can be extremely shocking and upsetting. When roots wither and die it is like losing a piece of you and it is not easy to recover from.

I recently lost some of my roots, friends I knew I could count on, that I would do anything for. I considered them family and a part of me. These were not just friends or associates, but roots that stretched back over 10 years. Never in a million years could I imagine a future without us being a part of each others life, but yet here we are, and here I am.

I have gone through some tough times lately and have had to rely on my loved one to be there to be my strength. Do I feel weaker without these friends, yes I do. It is two less voices of reason for me to turn to, it is two less shoulders to cry on, and it is two less smiles to brighten my day.

My tree is weak and I can no longer let withered roots suck life from me, so I must put it to a stop. Like a lot of plants or trees with some bad roots you may have to repot them. Well that is what I have decided to do. I am cutting off those withered roots and holding fast to my true loved ones and repotting myself. I don’t know where yet and I don’t know when, but I do know I will be stronger for it. I have got to lift my head up again and see the sun shine on my face again.

Love You Guys – A&G

Brandon

What am I

2007-07-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

I like to listen to radio talk shows and NPR and of course sports talk radio. I hear the opinions of others and reflect on things they say and how it affects me. I hear people like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh berate and lam bast democrats and liberals, while speaking of nothing but the good of republicans and conservatives. I also hear regular Americans just repeating things that people like those two say, it shocks me that they don't have their own opinion. If you can't listen to a political radio show and use what they say to form your own opinion then you are a drone. A drone waiting to be filled with information to go back around the country and spill forth. I will never be a drone, not a political drone, not a religious drone, and not an activist drone.

So this made me wonder, what exactly am I? I am not going to answer because I don't know, but I will tell you what I believe in and stand for. I AM AN AMERICAN, I love this country and have served this country proudly. I stand by the principles and values of the Constitution of the United States of America, and will fight to protect them.

-I believe in small government. Yet I think the government should protect us and do everything possible to improve the lives of it citizens.

-I believe the separation of church and state must be upheld.

-I don't think we should pass laws based on christian values and beliefs, as I don't think we should pass laws based on Muslim, or Buddhist, or Protestant, or Wiccan values and beliefs.

-I believe the government of the United States has no reason not to recognize gay marriage, if churches or synagogues chose not to perform a ceremony they don't have to, but the government should recognize these unions.

-I BELIEVE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS MY BUSINESS, thus if I am gay or straight or whatever, I can live my life how I want.

-I believe that social programs can help people if they want to help themselves.

-I believe no one has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body, but I also don't think abortion should be used as birth control. Its a double edged sword.

-I believe the Attorney General should serve the will of the people and not the will of the President.

-I believe that there should be degrees of sex offenders from A-E and that should determine who has to register for the rest of their lives and who gets a second chance for something stupid like streaking at a football game.

-I believe the President should live by and be guided by and enforce the constitution, not make signing statements stating which laws he/she won't follow.

-I believe politicians should vote based upon whats best for their constituents and not based on back room deals with other politicians.

-I believe we as a people can not and will not kick 10-12 million people who are in this country, many of whom have never committed a crime, out of this country.

-I believe that global warming is taking place and that human beings are a major cause of that. I don't have a solution, but I can plainly see that objectively.

-I believe we should respect the sovereignty of other nations. Our leaders and we Americans must accept that the people of IRAN democratically chose their president.

-I believe the right to vote should be a protected right in the constitution.

So my question is what type of American am I?

If we are all Americans or are striving to be Americans and to reach the American dream, shouldn't we try to bring as many people as we can along with us.

I've been gone for a little bit

2007-07-11T12:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry to you who read my blog, I kind of stepped away for a little bit. Life has been challenging me very harshly lately, and I needed some Brandon time. I am back though. Sometimes you really need to leave everything else alone and focus inward on fixing what is broken. Having someone to lean on really helps, someone who shares your concern and you heartache and your joy. I am lucky that I found someone who wants me for me and wants to make me happy.

As Simon Webbe says 'the good times are coming around again', and I am ready to face them head on.

Now I am pissed

2007-07-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

I really and truly think the George W. Bush, who I no longer refer to as the President, is an ass. Believe it or not most times I don't have a problem with this mans actions it what he says to justify his actions that I have a problem with. As I have said in the past if he had given me a true valid excuse to invade Iraq I would have been all for it. But he never did he changed it 3 times, the reason for going to Iraq, and one of those was after we were in there.

So now George has commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby. Fine, I have no problem with that. I expected it, I actually expected him to pardon him full out. But his reason, at least the reason he said, is the "Holy Grail" of hypocrisy. He felt the sentence was excessive, excessive. Excuse my stupid, idiotic, uninformed, and simple minded nature for not realizing that 30 months for Obstruction of Justice and 2 counts of Perjury was excessive. I was all smiles and fine with the commutation until I heard that part. It freakin stinks, it turns my stomach, and it smacks the legal system in the face to say that 2 1/2 years would have been to much. Mr. Libby likely would not have even served all of that time, but no that was just to much.

Now had he manned up and said I commuted him because I wanted to and becuase I am the president, I would have been fine with that. But he didn't, he actually gave a reason why and the reason if a bunch of bull crap. The sentence was excessive, get the hell out of here. George there are people in jail for the same crimes who were and are less guilty than Scooter who aren't getting a break or a commutation. George you swore you would bring integrity and honesty back to Washington, but you have done nothing of the sort.

If you have read my older posts especially the one on Genarlow Wilson you know where this is coming from.

Well, the naked truth

2007-06-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

So, that appointment was the greatest thing to happen to me in my life. It really hit me hard the possibility that I could have cancer. Just one of those things that blows you away. I look at it two ways, my doctor gave me a couple weeks to get my mind around either possibility. You know me, I am an optomist so I expect the best and will prepare for the best. To clarify for those that don't know, I have in the last 6 months discovered a couple of lumps on the back of my skull and on and around my neck. Altogether it is a total of 4 lumps of varying size. One of them has been there for about 2 years now. But the other three kind of came about at the same time. So I had to go to general surgery to get them looked at and biopsied, now just a matter of waiting to see what will be. I freaked out yesterday and I was very very emotional, but I am better. I am in New Orleans with my family, I just needed to come home for a bit to get myself recharged and get a little family support.

I will be back in San Antonio soon, once I am ready to steam ahead. I won't be stopped and I am still reaching for my goals.

Talk to you later, love you all,

Brandon J. Vance

Make life what you want it to be!
http://brandonjvance.blogspot.com/

Nervous about tomorrow

2007-06-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

I completely forgot that on tomorrow 06/29/07 I am supposed to be going to surgery for the two lumps on the back of my skull. I have laughed them off as cancer lumps but now I am a little nervous. My appointment is at 10:30 in the morning and I probably will not sleep for nervous fear. Its funny the things your mind will ignore or put off completely. Well I guess that means no eating or drinking tonight at Chacho's. Of course you know me, I threw away the letter I got from the doctors office which probably has all the instructions. Oh well, I will show up and be a trooper.

Love you all.

I love San Antonio

2007-06-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

Man I love San Antonio, it is truly a great city. We have amazing people here who work hard day in and day out and will give you the shirt off their back. I know there are hard working people and nice people everywhere it is just they are nicer here. LOL, people tell me all the time how friendly people are in San Antonio, they will invite you into their homes for dinner or to their families wedding just for the experience. And of course as I always tell people we love, love, love to here. Whether it is our Annual Fiesta, or Folklife Festival, or Juneteenth, or Octoberfest we will find something to party for in San Antonio.

Now some people will find this corny, but remember I am a simple guy so that is why this is cool to me. In San Antonio we used to have 5 military bases so we had a very large transient community. So, we have a lot of apartment complexes here, and I mean a lot is an understatement. I was helping my friend Julian find an apartment today and I went to 13 places by myself in just a 5 square mile radius. Now on top of that is the fact that you can find whatever you want in an apartment in this city. You want vaulted ceilings, got that, you want a jacuzzi in the bath, got that, or on the patio, got that. It still blows me away all the things or amenities one can find in an apartment. If found several really good deals and great locations for Julian. I hope he choses one of those rather than living downtown as he seems set to doing.

Anyway to each their own, I did what a good friend should and gave the best advice I could. To the rest of the world come visit our great city and enjoy all that San Antonio has to offer.

Senator Obama in San Antonio part 1

2007-06-24T18:35:00.001-05:00

I guess this is what this whole blogging thing has been leading up to. Today Senator Barack Obama (www.barackobama.com) made his way to San Antonio to speak to his supporters and to people in general. He is a fascinating man and a very good orator. It was a warm, humid day in San Antonio, but we were all still excited about seeing the man himself. The pavilion at Sunset Station was packed and they had guest speakers and music to entertain us until the senator came out to speak.

And if it seems like I was right up front, well that is because I was. I was right behind the barricade separating us from the senator. I decided to put the last clip first to illustrate this, not to mention I just like this clip.
0:42 - Receiving Line

We were treated to an extra special surprise, after state representatives Juan M. Garcia and Ruth McClendon spoke to the crowd. They introduced the best perimeter defender in the NBA, Bruce Bowen. He came out in a nice grey suit and worked up the crowd and then Bruce introduced Senator Barack Obama. The crowd was yelling and going crazy it was great fun.
2:26 - Bruce

The senator let us know he was going to be speaking about unifing our country. He spoke about healthcare, education, energy and oil dependence, the economy, and the horrible, horrible war in Iraq.
2:27 - Overview

It’s going to be a great election and a great campaign.

Continue down for the second set of videos.

Senator Obama in San Antonio part 2

2007-06-24T18:08:00.001-05:00

The Democratic Party and event organization decided to call themselves “ALAMOBAMA”. It is a play on the Alamo (www.thealamo.org) our most famous landmark and Obama the senators last name.
2:17 – Alamobama

Senator Obama spoke about the state of our healthcare system, the fact that we spend double almost every nation, yet we have millions upon millions who go without basic care. He wants to lead us towards universal healthcare within his first term.

He spoke about our failing school system and the so called success of “No Child Left Behind”. I find it funny that we as Americans can be so easily fooled that our schools are doing great and that our children are getting the best education in the world.
3:00 – Healthcare & Education

The senator spoke about the war and the need for us to “BRING OUR TROOPS HOME”. And he did not say drop everything and get out now. We can’t do that, we can’t just leave and forget about the havoc that we have caused. But, it is time to start looking at a strategic, planned withdrawal of our troops. This is what the senator also called for.

I have another clip that I am going to upload in which he talks to us about his recent visit to Selma, Alabama. He spoke of the historical significance of Selma and what happened to the civil rites marchers back in 1965. How they were attacked and beaten as they tried to march to the state capital on March 7, 1965. Civil rights leaders went to the courts for protection and won. On March 21, 1965 nearly 3,200 marchers set out to the state capitol in Montgomery. Four days later they made it, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields. By the time they arrived their numbers had swelled to over 25,000 people. Less than five months after this march President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He spoke of how grateful he was to those that risked their lives in the past to bring equality and fairness to all people which allows him to stand before the world and run for President of the United States of America.
1:31 - Climax

Again it is going to be a great election and a great campaign.

Senator Obama in San Antonio part 3

2007-06-24T18:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some still shots from the San Antonio Obama kickoff. As I said before I was right up front and got to shake his hand in the receiving line.

Fans and Supporters

Senator Barack Obama

Get out and get active, vote, vote, vote.

My first WNBA Wednesday

2007-06-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

So interesting day today, I don't know why but there was just a weird day. I woke up really really late and well that says it all right there. As always I was on a clock and rushing up until 4 cause I had to go, but then I remembered something. What I remembered was that the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA (http://www.wnba.com/) were coming to town. Now yeah, most of you are probably like big freakin deal. But me, I like the WNBA, and I especially like Seimone Augustus. She played for the LSU Lady Tigers basketball team and took her team to the final four 3 straight times in '04, '05, and '06. As an LSU player between 2004-2006 Seimone won like 5-7 player of the year awards either national or conference.

Well, so I said forget about 4:00, I'm going to the game. Now it was weird, cause I was rooting for the Silver Stars, but I also was rooting for Seimone and Lindsey Harding. It was a good game and actually I had fun. The Silver Stars were never really challenged in this game it was over by half time. But the Lynx fought back and cut the 22 point defecit to a 7 point loss. I think everyone should get out and see a WNBA game.

Oh yeah, I got Seimone to autograph my LSU cap as she left the court. I was excited so I left after she did, but the girl behind really lucked out. Not only did she get an autograph from Seimone, she took off her shoes she just played in and gave them to the girl as well. She was so excited and happy, I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. But I do have some pictures, check them out.

Yeah Me IDIOT

2007-06-18T13:09:00.000-05:00

So remember the video I was supposed to put up from the river parade, well yeah it generally would help if you charge your camera's battery. STUPID STUPID STUPID

So needless to say that there are no videos coming from the parade or the Alamodome celebration on yesterday.

Well the parade was great it was extremely long this year I think they had like 25+ floats and everyone and their grandmother was on a float. Thousands upon thousands of fans crowded the riverwalk to celebrate our world champions. The Spurs players were having a blast and it was awesome. Oh yeah Placido Domingo the great tenor was on one of the floats as well and sang the National Anthem. Since I was stupid I and forgot to charge my camera, I have a slide of some great shots.

River Parade

Alamodome Celebration

Man oh man, I hope they can repeat next year. The city is still in a buzz on this.

Candelight and Friends

2007-06-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

So I took my new friends Lee, and Danny over to Candlelight Coffeehouse (www.candlelightsa.com). They are great with computers and design and maintain websites. They are really cool guys and I told them I would help them out by introducing them to some of the companies that I know and the owners if I know them. I hadn't been to Candlelight in a while so I was excited to go there. I love that place.

We hung out and chilled had some coffee and smoothies while taking in the place. Danny is a good salesman and we met the manager who spoke with Danny for a good while about what he does and what he can do on sites.

They also taught me something new. Now you know me, I am not a very proud person. If I am wrong I will admit I am wrong, if I don't know something obvious I don't have a problem saying thank you when someone shows me. So if you have read some of my other blogs you know I like to put the websites of things so you can use them to see if you find it interesting. But, I didn't know how to make them clickable for you. Well duh, its the simplest thing. You just highlight what you want and click the hyperlink button. Then you just type the address you want it to go to in the hyperlink box and there you go. Duhhhhh. I had to laugh that it was that easy.

Oh well the Spurs celebration and parade are this evening so I will be posting a seperate blog about that with videos and pics and stuff.

Later

Spus are Home

2007-06-15T13:49:00.000-05:00

The fans in San Antonio turned out to welcome home the 2007 NBA World Champion San Antonio Spurs. A few thousand fans took off from work and whatever responsibilites they had to take shuttles to the San Antonio International Airport(SAT). Why you might ask, well hello to welcome home our Champions. The fans beared the heat and the concrete to be on hand for a mini celebration. The Spurs Coyote got the crowd worked up by brining out the 3 previous championship tropies one at time. Placing them in front of cards with the years of the win ('99, '03, '05) leaving 2007 empty.

The players then came off the plane looking refreshed and still full of excitement from their clinching win last night before. Tim Duncan then followed his teammates to the stage carrying the new 2007 Championship Trophy. Bruce Bowen, ever the MC, took to the microphone and immediately led the fans in "GO SPURS GO" cheer. He then passed the mic to Finals MVP Tony Parker, who thanked the fans for their support and love. Michael Finely then got to the microphone and showed his deep appreciation for the fans and the team and for winning his 1st championship in his 12 year career. This was ultimately a resounding success and fans loved it and cheered "GO SPURS GO" as the team the stage to depart on buses.

The river parade is going to be on Sunday at 6 followed by the Alamodome celebration. I can't wait, I am going to upload videos from the party.

SPURS WIN-SPURS WIN-SPURS WIN

2007-06-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

Holy crap the San Antonio Spurs are the 2007 NBA World Champions, the Spurs are the champs. Wow, wow, it really happened, they really swept Cleveland. Wow, I am so excited right now, I am so happy for my team and my city.

Whew hoo, Spurs are 2007 NBA World Champions. And like I said Tony Parker won MVP. The guy has got it good right now, Championship, MVP, and a beautiful fiancee.

This actually was a descent game, both teams struggled and Tim again had a really tough night offensively, but as has been the case in this series Tony Parker more than picked up the slack. And, this time Manu showed up, thank God. It came down to every free throw and every point needed. The Spurs won this game 83-82, if not for a last second three pointer by Damon Jones it would have been 83-79, but it doesn't matter now because the Spurs won, Spurs won.

The parade is Sunday and the Alamodome celebration is after that. I will have videos from the parade, don't know if I'm going to the Alamodome yet.

GO SPURS GO - 2007 NBA World Champions

Spurs 3-0

2007-06-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

Yes indeed, man the Spurs are doing the dang thing. Lastnight was game 3 of the NBA finals. Now I will admit along with everyone else that that game was horrible, just horrible. I am pleases as punch with the outcome but oh my God, this series needs to end as soon as possible. Hopefully tomorrow night the Spurs will put the smackdown and get out of Cleveland.

Again as I have said before Lebron (not anyone's king) is looking like a fraud. He is supposed to be this saviour of the NBA, but he is getting it handed to him by Bruce Bowen and the stingy Spurs defense. Of course it doesn't help that he is literally playing 5 on 1 basketball. Man when they get him some more pieces to compliment him he will be unstoppable.

Tony Parker pretty much sealed his MVP with his performance tonight. Again he led the team in points, so far all three games. But he truly carried the team tonight. Tim Duncan was in foul trouble and on the bench a lot and Manu, oh Manu, he did score a basket the whole game. He didn't get his first points until he shot free throws at the end of the game finishing with 3 points. Tony though kept the team going while Tim was on the bench. And, if not for Tony's scoring the Spurs would have easily, easily lost this game.

Now my Spurs sit one game away from their fourth NBA Championship. I didn't think a sweep was possible but who knows we shall see.

GO SPURS GO

Genarlow Wilson

2007-06-12T15:21:00.000-05:00

Thinking about Paris made me reflect on Genarlow Wilson sitting in jail for 10 years for doing what teenagers have done sense time began. Teenagers have sex, it happens, they find ways to do it and it will happen until the end of time. It doesn't make them horrible or bad kids, its just part of human nature.

Well Genarlow received oral sex from a girl at a party when he was 17 and she was 15. They were at a New Year's party with a bunch of other kids drinking and partying. Someone was videotaping the party and they got that on tape as well as Genarlow having sex with another 17 y/o girl. The oral sex was consensual and yet he was charged with aggravated child molestation and found guilty of a felony, even though the girl refused to testify. The state actually brought the charges against him. Even worse than that 1) had they had sex it would have been a misdemeanor, 2) the legislature changed the law after he was convicted to make teen oral sex a misdemeanor.

Now he sits in jail, for two years now, while the girl, some of the jury, the defense attorney's, and another judge all try to fee him. On yesterday another Georgia judge, Judge Thomas H. Wilson, voided his sentence and handed him a 12-month misdemeanor sentence, plus credit for time served. But of course, Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker filed notice that he would appeal the decision before the Georgia Supreme Court. Baker said in a statement that the judge had overstepped his authority. Baker is not only black but he is a democrat as well, stupid ass.

Just so you know Genarlow isn't a thug or a troubled youth or drug kid or a bad kid. He was an honor student and a top athlete.

New Cut

2007-06-11T14:40:00.000-05:00

Whew hooo, I got me a haircut today. I feel like a new man, refreshed and reborn. I wrote a good bit on my novel today. Its coming along well, which is kind of surprising. The words are just flowing out of me. I think this blog is actually the thing that is really helping me. I always thought how in the world people come up with so many words to put in books, even though I read many many books. Now I have put a lot of words into these blogs and I guess that is helping order my words for the book. Also it is helping me keep my creativity and my imagination going.

Other than my working on the novel and my screenplay, not much else going on today.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to talk about the friday big news. Oh my God, freakin Paris Hilton, screaming and crying going back to jail. I am sorry but I have no sympathy for her. I understand she is someone's child, and I understand that she has a medical condition, but give me a break. The judge said from the get go, there would be no home confinement, no probation, no ankle braclets. So who the hell gave the Sheriff the authority to overrule what the judge said.

So what happens the go to her house, pick her up, hand-cuff her, and take her to court in the back of a squad car. Then the judge throws her back in jail. Now yeah, I am human, so I was like wow, but the more I thought about it I was like that is only right. People sit in jail with all kinds of ailments from Aids to cancer to HIV to the flu. If they are sick they go to the infirmary or to the county hospital. And I am sure if they asked they would have let her doctors visit her.

She is ultimately in jail for DUI which means she could have hurt or even killed someone. She failed her probation and now has to only serve 45 days and can't do that. Paris Hilton, I hope you learn a valuable valuable lesson fromt this.

GO SPURS GO

2007-06-10T14:25:00.000-05:00

Man oh man, gotta love them Spurs. Wow, tonight was game two of the NBA Finals (www.nba.com/finals2007) and again the Spurs beat the snot out of the Cavaliers. After game one, I thought maybe the Spurs just had a great game and played amazing defense. I thought the Cavs maybe just had a bad game, I mean they did make it to the finals, they can't be that bad. Oh my god, they are that bad. This is not even close this is a freakin mauling. The Spurs got to a 25 point lead and again by half time this game was over. The largest lead the Spurs had was 29. I don't even understand how the Cavs are this bad, its like they don't know what that round basket is for.

The Spurs big 3, Duncan, Tony, and Manu scored 78 points, 78 points alone. At the end of the 3rd quarter they, those 3 guys had more points than the whole Cavs team. That is freakin insane. Well, now I'm starting to think this might be over in 5 games. Game three is in Cleveland. I think this being the first finals there and all the energy the fans will have and the noise in Quicken Loans, I expect the fans will carry them to a game 3 win. I think it will be maybe a 5-10 point win. Then the Spurs comeback and win games 4 and 5.

Gotta love those Spurs. GO SPURS GO!!!!!

Texas Folk Life Festival part 1

2007-06-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

So its Saturday and the Texas Folk Life Festival is here in San Antonio. It is a celebration of all the different cultures and groups that make San Antonio such a diverse city. I believe our city is one of the most well integrated and culturally diverse cities in the country. This festival is about food and fun and laughter and dancing and the rich history of Texas and San Antonio. There are enough booths and activities set up to cover a 22 acre area. There are nine stages for performances and the festival runs between 10am and 11pm Friday to Sunday. I really enjoy the folk life festival because you get introduced to some of the organizations or societies you likely didn't know even existed in San Antonio. Also you get to sample great food from all over the world and listen to great music and dance.

These are my favorite videos from this weekend. I have started listing the length of the video above it so you can tell how long it is before hand. I also have tried to keep most of these to 1 min or a min and a half.

2:32 - Caribbean Folk Dancers

This by far my favorite video, they were having so much fun and just cutting it up. I loved watching this group, you can tell they had a lot of fun also. And the lead lady she was working it out. The group is KaZamba (www.kazamba.org).

2:03 - Lebanese Dancers

These ladies were awesome, actually it was a mixed group of men and women and boys and girls. All the groups were awesome, but this is by far my favorite performace of the Lebanese groups.

1:16 - Latin Flamenco Dancers

These ladies were also very good, I got there as with almost all of these videos with about a minute or so to go, but I really liked there performance as well.

I will have a couple more videos down below in part 2.

Texas Folk Life Festival part 2

2007-06-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Again I really enjoyed the Texas Folk Life Festival. Every year they do a great job and I have a great time. Some of the groups and cultures represented, Japanese American Society, Greeks, Belgians, Polish cuisine, Filipino's, Hawaiians, Latin cuisine and dance, and my favorite Cajun South including Zydeco and cajun music. Here are a couple more videos from the weekend at the festival.

0:45 - Friends

Mainly because I told them I was gonna put this up here are my buds I was hanging with Eric, Lorenzo, and Aleks.

0:53 - Texas Country Cloggers

1:30 - Texas Ukranian Dancers

If you can get here next year you have to come see this festival.

Gotta love those Spurs

2007-06-08T19:44:00.000-05:00

So last night the Spurs put on what I am calling a clinic in a 85-76 win that was not even that close. Now if you read my two previous blogs you realize that I am very excited that The Finals are here. Well did anyone tell the Cavaliers, because boy oh boy, they got a beat down lastnight. It got to the point where I felt sorry for them. The Spurs just would not let up.

Tony Parker ran through, around, and over them as though he was a madman. Tim did his usual thang, holding down the defense and scoring at will. There were a couple of times where the Cavs completely forgot to guard him. Tim Duncan, one of the greatest if not the greatest power forward of all time, how do you forget to guard him. The look on Tim's face when he turned and realized no one was there was like, oh my God, 2 points. And what can be said of Manu Ginobili? Manu slashes, he drives, he shoots, he flops, he takes charges, he does it all.

But the Spur of the night was Tony Parker. He made the Cavaliers look like statues as he scored almost at will. If he wanted to go in the paint he did. If he wanted to hit an outside jumper he did. It was Tony's world and the Cavs were just along for the ride.

The Spurs played an unbelieveable defense on Lebron James. They had one person guarding him, they had two people guarding him, and sometimes even three people guarding him. They made is night a living hell. Lebron went the entire first half without making a field goal, it wasn't until nearly half way through the 3rd quarter he got his first bucket. He ended the game with 14 points.

The city is happy and the Spurs look great, now we must wait three days before they play again on Sunday, stupid ABC!

GO SPURS GO

Here is the link to the official boxscore: Game 1 Boxscore

The Finals are Here part 1

2007-06-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Finals are here, the Finals are here. Hallelujah sound the trumpets and ring the church bells, becuase the Finals are finally here.

In what has to be one of the most excruciatingly long waits from the Conference Finals to the Finals, the wait his over. Now in case you don't know or haven't realized, I live in San Antonio, Texas. Great, great city we have to professional sports franchises, even though everyone likes to say one. We have the WNBA Silver Starzz, and we have the 3-Time NBA World Champion (soon to be 4-time) SAN ANTONIO SPURS. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! We love our Spurs here in San Antonio, I mean we love love love love love love love our Spurs. And they are now competing for their 4th Championship in 9 years. And to the winner of this award goes the Larry Obrien Trophy, here is a model:

The city is all abuzz with anticipation as our team faces off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, also known as the Spurs east. They play in the Eastern Conference, which they won, and several key members of their staff are former Spurs staffers, including their head coach and general manager.

So I went down to the AT&T Center (www.attcenter.com) to see if I could get up close and checkout the decorations and see what was going on. Now I went several hours before the game but it was still really cool and they were letting you go right up to the center. So of course you know what that means, oh yeah I was doing some video taping. Check it out:
1:46 - AT&T Center

GO SPURS GO

The Finals are Here part 2

2007-06-07T14:14:00.000-05:00

So as I said earlier, yeah, we as a city are all really excited, the anticipation level is pretty high and most are pretty confident we will win this 4th title. They did a really good job outside the AT&T Center. This is the NBA's premiere event, even though they let ABC jack them around with the scheduling, so they have to do it up big! I have some additional footage from my journey down to the center but this has better footage from when I first got there. Also down below I have a slide with the photos I took while down there.
2:17 - AT&T Center

If and when the Spurs when their next championship, they will have a river parade. In which the team and all their sponsors and staff will parade through downtown San Antonio on barges. If you saw the videos earlier when Nick visited you saw how nice our river is and how the city works to make it spectacular. Here are my photos from my visit to the center.

Slow week

2007-06-06T17:49:00.000-05:00

Holy crap it has been slow on the homefront here. Not much going on just doing my thang and doin the job thing. Well lets see. President Bush is still an idiot, and the Republicans had God mad at them during there debate. If you haven't heard, there was a massive thunderstorm blowing through Manchester. And boy did it blow through.

So here is another video from my trip to Europe, this is in Brussels. This is a really nice place, I liked Brussels a lot.
1:56 - Brussels

Rep William J. Jefferson you Disgust Me

2007-06-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

I am not one to say I told you so, but oh I freakin told you so. That liar, thief, cheater, charlitan is going down. A 16 count, 94 page long indictment was handed down by a Virgina grand jury yesterday against Rep. William J. Jefferson of LA, my hone state. The charges against him include racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy (that last one is my favorite).

This man has lied to the people of his state and he has lied to the American people. From the time his home was searched and they found the $90,000 in cash until now I have steadfastly proclaimed his guilt. To have the audacity to think he could get away with fraud, and accepting and soliciting bribes. I have no patience for corrupt politicians. I actually dislike him more than I do President Bush. I was appalled when the people of Lousisana re-elected him to office. There were no easy choices in that election but to re-elect a congressman who was under investigation by the FBI, and it was well known, is a gut check the people of LA failed to stop.

I strongly, very strongly aim my disgust at Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee (www.jpso.com/default.htm). He is a joke of an elected official and he actually told voters to stay home and not vote days before the run-off election. Unfortunately his words carry great weight with most citizens in that district, as much as he actually weighs, and people listened. Harry Lee has a personal vendetta against Karen Carter who ran against Jefferson, and of course as a law enforcement official he could not back a congressman under investigation. So he told people to stay home. It is recorded and well documented. I am utterly outraged that any, any elected official would ever tell a citizen not to vote, because of a personal issue.

Harry Lee your days as the overlord of Jefferson Parish are numbered, you will face an ugly defeat, and I will be there to dance at that parade. Hopefully William Jefferson will be easily convicted and rather quickly so that that can be even more fuel to throw on the fire that is starting to burn against you.

Both Harry Lee and William Jefferson have had their turn to serve the public, now it is about shining in the light that is their past successes. I say it is time both of them are shipped off and but out to pasture.

My Cousins Wedding

2007-06-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

So if you have never been to a down south black wedding you have truly missed something. The weddings are usually beautiful and the food and fun had at the reception are un matched. Thus was the case at my cousins recent wedding.

My cousin Keshawn married the man of her dreams Amir Shakir (www.keshawnandamir.com) at an amazing ceremony in New Orleans. It was a great ceremony and at this really nice place Southern Oaks Plantation (www.southernoaksplantation.com) here is a picture:

It is a very nice place and they did a great job with everything. The reception was were the most fun was had. Now in New Orleans we really really really, have a good time at wedding receptions especially one as nice as this one. So of course the DJ was playing great music and there was alcohol flowing. Then the DJ played a few of our jams and that was it, it got wild and crazy and a whole lot of fun. Check out the videos.

Now most of the people in this video are my immediate family, my mom, aunts, uncle, and cousins. My brother is standing to the side and drinkin his drink, he doesn't dance.
2:00 - Family

Now this video is at the very end, they are playing what should be the "National song of New Orleans" and everyone is going crazy. They are cheering my cousin Keddie on and then everyone starts cheering Amir. Then Amir's dad jumps in and wow is all I can say. I believe the lady at the end is Amir's mom.
2:10 - Wedding Party

Yes we had a blast.

Pics from NY

2007-06-02T17:01:00.001-05:00

So I got more pictures from NY online now. My mini cam takes really good video but I have not mastered taking pictures with it yet. So I don't have a whole lot of pics of my own, but my mom is emailing me some of her pictures. These are the ones that I do have though, the first three are freestanding the rest are on a slide show. Man that was a fun trip.

Tired

2007-06-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

So I finally got on the road back home. I love the Trailblazer that they gave me, it is awesome, very comfortable and has leather interior. It is really nice. So I get back to San Antonio and now I have to unload this thing. I had no problem with the parts to the bed, even though the footboard and the columns of the headboard were pretty heavy. But boy that dresser, now that was a whole different story. I was standing there for like 5 min trying to figure how I was going to get that dresser up those 4 steps. Not 4 flights of stairs, just 4 long steps. Then who came to my rescue none other than my mail man.

Lol, he just happened to pull up as I was trying to figure this out and without hesitation he was like 'you look like you could use some help'. I responded, yes sir, so we picked it and carried it into my apartment. He couldn't realize how grateful I was. I spent the next three hours putting everything back together and rearranging my room. It looks really nice and I am very thankful to my best friend Kenneth for giving me this nice set.

So after that I took a shower and slept for a little bit. Then I got up and got ready to do something. It is Friday night and in San Antonio the big thing to do is to go the Bonham Exchange nightclub. But, I wasn't really feeling that tonight. So I was just gonna watch a movie or call a friend. Then at the last minute I decided to go out. And I ended up having a really good time. Then night ended on a little surprise for me, but I'm not telling all my dirty laundry, lets just say I had a nice night.

Later,
Brandon

On the road again

2007-05-31T20:59:00.000-05:00

Lol, I travel more than someone with a job. So I am on the road again, this time heading to Dallas to go see my best friend. He just moved into his new apartment and has, as he says, spent a small fortune on new furniture and stuff for the apartment. Now he is giving me his old bedroom set, which is cool it is really really nice and well I could use it so I said why not. So I rented a Chevy Trailblazer, got a good deal on it, and headed to big D. So I get there and the new apartment is amazing, it is totally beautiful and of course Kenneth is gonna do it up right. He has this all glass table that is really nice and a new Vizio flat tv. All I will say about the new bedroom set is, jaw dropping. I was just like wow, and when all I can say is wow that means I can't say much else cause it is so amazing.

So we go to the other apartment to get the other set and take it apart and oh my freaking God. That was my workout for the week. It was like 11:00 at night and cool and we were sweating trying to work on the headboard. Everything else was so cooperative and came apart using the drill. But the damn headboard had to put up a fight. We used a knife, we used the drill, we used a mallet, and ultimately we had to go to Wal-Mart and get a cro-bar. Yep we had to take a freakin cro-bar to the headboard. Even then that damn thing still wanted to fight. When we finally got it apart and loaded up we were so freakin tired. I grabbed a sheet and fell asleep right in the middle of the living room.

Spurs Win/Migraine/Spurs Win/Migraine

2007-05-30T20:37:00.000-05:00

Ok so I haven't talked about this, but I have a medical issue. I suffer from massive migraines. Now if you don't know about migraines they are the worst, just horrible really really horrible. Many people suffer from them but mine are on the excruciating side. I usually have to go to the Emergency Room to get an injection that is how bad they are.

Well this great beautiful day I woke up with a full blown migraine. Oh my God, I wanted to die, it was that bad. I took my medications that I have at home but um let me think, it was a little late, because the dang thing was already full blown. So as usual I tried my best to make it to the ER, where I stayed for several hours while they tried to get this attack under control. That's what I call them sometimes, brain attacks, because it is as if my brain has gone to war with my body.

So finally I felt well enough to leave, and go home and rest. As you can imagine the rest of your day can be kinda shot after experiencing that kinda trauma. But, I have gotten used to recovering fast, even though this one lingered around for another day.

So I was supposed to go out and meet some friends to watch the Spurs game. The bastards all cancelled at the last minute or just didn't show up. Yes I said bastards because I was pissed, and if your reading this then next time you won't do it again.

Anyway so I went to TGIF to go hangout with Luis even though he was working. The game was great it was a complete and utter blowout. By the end of the first quarter the Spurs were up by 19 with the score 34-15. That is a royal butt kicking like I have never seen. The final score was 109-84, a 25 point smack down. Now the thing is that this was game 5 and the Jazz could have avoided elimination with a win. But I think the Spurs came out with the intent to put their collective foot on the throat of the Jazz and choke the life out of them. And that is what they did.

"THEY DESTROYED OUR WILL TO WANT TO PLAY" Jerry Sloan, Utah Coach. That is enough said!

Cleaning Up

2007-05-29T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well today was just a regular day, I didn't do to much just washed clothes and cleaned up. The place didn't need much cleaning or straightening. I also went and picked up my dog Georgie from Jake's. I was very happy to see him since I did miss him.

I went to the gym afterward and worked out for a couple of hours. I decided a several weeks back that it was time for me to get back in shape and start hitting the weights. Now I have yet to actually start lifting weights, but I am killing my legs. I run for about 20 min and do leg presses (I can lift about 300 lbs), and leg curls. I do several sets of pull-ups and then run some more. Well today was my first day of doing a little chest lifting. I used the machines, not ready for the free weights just yet. It was cool and I felt like I accomplished something. We shall see how I feel tomorrow.

Talk to you then.
Brandon

Early Morning

2007-05-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

Holy crap, well today we had to get up early to be able to make our flights on time.

First thing first, the trip was great. I loved the play and New York was so much better than I expected. And the hotel was great, great location, good price, and the people were friendly and helpful.

So this morning I of course had the earliest flight, go figure. My plane started boarding at 5:30 am. Now if you know me you know I don't like to wake up as it is so that was going to be a test. But, I made it! My mom and I were going to try to take the subway route to LaGuardia, while cousin Lee was flying out of JFK. She also was able to take the subway with just a couple of transfers.

I don't know how but someway I made it to my gate on time with a couple minutes to spare. No problems with that flight so I got to Chicago O'hare and had a 3 hour layover. So of course that means sleep. I went down a few gates to a more open area and set an alarm on my phone and went to sleep. So imagine my shock when I wake up and with about 20 min to go find out that my gate has changed. I was like WTF, so here I go again running through an airport, like I'm on the Amazing Race. Well I made it there in time, oh and it wasn't close to the other gate.

Finally, finally I made it home to San Antonio about 3:00. I threw a load of clothes in the wash and just crashed. I did not realize how tired I was until I woke up early this morning and then went back to sleep.

Man vacations will wipe you out!

Fantasia Fantasia Fantasia

2007-05-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

Holy crap talk about a busy day, oh man today was a busy busy day. We started out early and went to breakfast at this little shop right next to our hotel. By the way we got really really lucky with the hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Grand Union (www.hotelgrandunion.com) right down in Manhattan. It was a great value and it was clean and the location was prime. I am going to do a blog and give some advice about NY and booking travel in general later.

So after breakfast we got started. We walked and went to the Empire State building which was two blocks away. We decided not to go up since there was a long wait and we didn't want to be late for the play, but we did go inside and see the main hall.

Next we were going to take a train or bus down to ground zero. We walked down toward the New York Penn Station and like most women my mom and Lee got completely distracted by the purse salesmen. There were several of them all around and I had successfully bypassed them, but somehow, right as we were approaching Penn Station they got away from me. Next thing I know they got two purses each.

When we finally finished we headed to Penn Station, we walked around down there for a bit and just took in the sites. I decided not to cut it close on time and just head back to the hotel and have us get ready for the play, so we did.

Lastnight we walked all the way to the Broadway Theatre so we knew exactly where it was and how far. Now of course you know we were looking nice and didn't want to walk all that way so we took a cab. Now up until this point I had them thinking we were going to be sitting up in the mezzanine or the rear mezzanine. Even after we got the tickets I still didn't tell them, I kinda pretended like we were gonna go upstairs. In actuality I got us seats on the second row, which surprised my mom so much I thought she was gonna have a heart attack.

Now the play that we went to see of course was "The Color Purple the Musical" starring Fantasia Barrino.

For those of you who know her and have followed her even a little bit you know she has got a voice. Well Fantasia did not disappoint, nor did anyone in the cast. I was utterly amazing and completely engrossing. The performances were just perfect, just perfect. Fantasia, played Miss Cellie and one of the songs just about made everyone in the theatre cry. Yes, I will admit I did. But I have to admit I was blown away by Fantasia, having no formal acting background, she more than held her own, she made her presence felt. The writer of the play captured all the moments from the movie we love and remember and even went a little deeper into the novel. It was great, it was 100% worth the trip.

New York and Amsterdam

2007-05-26T23:23:00.000-05:00

So today Nick and I both were flying out of San Antonio! OMG, oh my freakin God, I nearly missed my flight. I mean I was in dead sprint in the airport to get to my gate. I was lucky, I was the second to last person to get on the plane. The day just started out rough and seemed to get worse, in actuality it didn't. Probably something to do with partying and drinikng so much the night before.

Well, I was flying to New York city to go with my mom and my cousin lee to visit the big apple and go see Fantasia on broadway in "The Color Purple". Nicholas on the other hand was flying back home to Amsterdam a few hours after my flight.

It was a long day, from the hang over, to the runnning in the airport, to long flight which was, San Antonio to Dallas, Dallas to New York.

We both made it safely to our desinations, I got to the hotel room at about 10 pm. I immediately dragged my mom and Lee out. I told them 'we only got a day and a half left so we got to see as much as possible'.

They both arrived much earlier in the day and had already experienced the subway, the bus, and taken a cab ride. From the stories they told me they were not thrilled about the subway anymore. Evidently my mom fell and Lee nearly lost her purse to the closing door. So we walked and laughed and stood in awe as we got to Times Square.

Movies and tv do not do it justice, Times Square is so much more alive and bright and vivid they I imagined. Here are the videos from our first night.

0:57 - Times Square

2:26 - Times Square

Bye Nicholas

2007-05-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

I really enjoyed having Nicholas visit and he really enjoyed San Antonio. I tried to do my city proud and represent it well. I sometimes think I could be the spokesperson for this city.

I had forgotten about another place Nick took me in the Netherlands to eat. This place is called LaPlace (www.laplace.nl/La+Place/Openingen.aspx) and has awesome food. Its like Luby's or any sit down cafateria type place you know of, but about 200% better. The food is delicious and fresh and the desserts were astonishing. They cooked everything fresh right in front of you and it was very very healthy. One time we went I had a steak and they grilled up right there and it had all the extras with it when he was done. The reason I bring up Laplace is because I compare how much I liked that to how much Nick liked IHOP, we went there again on Saturday before we left for the airport.

Afterward we had to go to the mall and Nick had to do his tax stuff to get his cashback for all his purchases. Duty free shopping, got a love it.

Even though I was rushing ultimately at the end we got to the airport and said our goodbyes. It was a really good week and I look forward to visiting Amsterdam and more of Europe in the future, and Nick will probably be visiting the States again in several months. I just have to figure out if I am going to be in San Antonio, Dallas, or Las Angeles.

Until then DOEI!

Candelight

2007-05-25T19:10:00.000-05:00

Well today the weather wasn't all that great. I thought about driving up to Austin, but Nick suggested we stay somewhere close in San Antonio and see some more of the city. So I obliged. I took him over to the area off of Highway 281 and then to the Quarry Mall. I also drove through Alamo Heights and all the way down Broadway. I showed him the shops and the parks and the museums that San Antonio have to offer. Afterward I took him to one of my favorite places to hangout. Or formely one I would frequent and hangout. Candlelight Coffee House (website coming) is a great place to relax and enjoy great company and conversation. It gives you all the feel of a place where someone will come up with the next great novel, hopefully me. We talked and talked and looked at the art work and enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee of course.

That night we went to one of the local dance clubs. Many of my friends were out that night and we partied and drank and danced and partied and drank and danced. We had a really good time and go so wasted. This probably contributed more than anything to me almost missing my flight on Saturday.

Until then.

IHOP or Chacho's

2007-05-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

So on yesterday, Thursday, I would not have thought on my own to take Nick to IHOP but he said he wanted something fresh and he also wanted a "Proper" breakfast. With Nicholas and I think many Europeans it is all about fresh foods and how often you eat them. I suggested that we go over and give Souper Salad (www.soupersalad.com) a great healthy place to eat or IHOP. He had never been to either so we went with IHOP for the breakfast. Well, remember earlier how much I told you how I liked the place in Amsterdam (Morlang), we that is about how much Nick liked IHOP. All I am going to say is that "Proper" breakfast doesn't always mean healthy breakfast.

So after breakfast we went downtown to see San Antonio. I drove around a bit and showed some of SA. Since Europe is very old and historic, Nick was curious about the history and the historical sites of San Antonio. Unfortunately living out in the NW side of town there are no real historic relics out here, it was all grass and forest. But downtown we have flair! We then went to Rivercenter mall and the Riverwalk! Whoo hooo, I love our riverwalk. We walked more of the freakin riverwalk than I have walked total since I have been in San Antonio. I showed him the Alamo, which I think he really liked and we walked the grounds a bit. Checkout a couple of videos from the afternoon:

We walked a lot and after leaving the mall area we walked over to Hemishpere park. That is when we really sat down and took a breather. We then headed back to the mall area where we parked by cutting through the Convention Center. That place is awesome and how the river flows through the open part is awesome. Then we just headed back, rather tired I might add.

You would think that would be enough for Thursday, oh but no, oh but no ba boo. We still had one more place to go to that evening and that was Chacho's. My usual Thursday night spot. We drank margaritas and I sang at Karaoke as well as some of my friends. My friends were there as well, Fabiola, Raquel, Will, Tall Chris (I know its Jones), Jason, Rey, Sean with his skinny ass, and Jake and Taryn were there as well. But mama Gnita and Toni were away playing in GA, just kidding they were out of town. I had a really really good time as I always do and so did Nick. He enjoyed meeting my friends and he and Fabiola hit it off well.

Finally after that long long day, we headed back to the apartment after 12 at night and crashed again.

San Marcos and A Scandal

2007-05-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

Wow, is all I can say. Yesterday Nick and I went to San Marcos to go to the Tanger Outlet. Ever since I told him we had one of those close he said we had to go so that is what we did. Again, wow, he told me was extremely excited about going to the Gap Outlet, but I was not prepared. He went crazy in that store, I should have taken some pictures or videos. It was like watching a kid in a candy store, he grabbed this and that and tried on this and those. He had a blast and bought a bunch of clothes. He got so worked up he even got me into it and I got a couple of things. We went from the Gap Outlet to Kenneth Cole, DKNY, American Eagle, Fossil, and I can't remember where else, but it was great seeing him so excited.

That by itself was a full day, but we actually came back to San Anton and went to Bestbuy as well to get an IPod. By the end of the day we were both exhausted, so we rented a movie "Notes on a Scandal" (good movie, good movie). After watching that we just crashed.

Nicholas is here!

2007-05-23T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well Nick made it in last night from Amsterdam via New York. Nick and his mom and brother all came and hungout in New York for a few days. Mom and Thomas flew back to Amsterdam on Tuesday and Nick got here lastnight. It was good to see him and I was glad that he had a safe trip. I drove him a little around the city to see some of SA, but not much he didn't get here until 10:10 pm. We then went to one of my favorite places to eat since he was hungry, Taco Cabana (www.tacocabana.com). We ate there and just chatted for a while and caught up on things.

I had spent all day cleaning and getting my place ready for company. Not that it is normally and sty or anything, cause it is not. I just needed to straighten and clean up a bit. So that was the end of a anxious day 1 of Nick's visit.

I say anxious cause I was just anxious for him to arrive, its been a long time since I had a friend fly in to visit and hang out.

Later!

I'm still here!

2007-05-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

I am still here, I am just saving up some things to type about. Also Nicholas is going to be arriving tonight so I will have a lot of things to type about his trip here. He sent me a text letting me know that the plane was running a little late from NY. So I will be picking him up from the airport later.

Until my next blog, probably on Thursday.

Bodies and Slaves

2007-05-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

So, Nicholas and I went to go see "Bodies the Exhibition" while I was in Amsterdam (www.bodiestheexhibition.com/intro.html). It was very very interesting. If you get a chance to see it somewhere go see it. You learn a lot about the human body, the way things are put together and how they flow.

Now if you do go see this exhibit, let me let you know right now. THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE, not mannequins, but real people whose bodies were donated for this exhibit.

While we were inside this lady was on here cellphone telling someone where she was. She said 'oh I'm over here with the fake bodies, I should have gone to Madame Tussauds (the wax museum) to see the stars'. I just about gagged, I was like you stupid idiot, these are real people, and you could do to show a little respect. I didn't say that of course but I wanted to.

Well, the place where the exhibit was was in this old, you can say, stock yard kinda place. Its not very well known in the states but The Netherlands were very very involved in the slave trade. As I was told they became one of the richest countries in the world back in the day by there involvement in the slave trade. So to the point, the place where the exhibit was held is one of the places where they used to take the slaves to show them, like at a market for sale.

(Disclaimer)
Now me myself, I am not offended or mad or hurt by what happened to my ancestors. I am not happy about it but I have accepted that it happened and I must move on toward the future. I know there are some people who are still angry and bitter, to you I say you might not want to watch this short clip. I am not making light of the past or that travesty in this clip.

The View

2007-05-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so out side of Nick's place there is this street market. Its pretty awesome they sell all kinds of stuff there. There was this guy directly downstairs from his window who has working his booth for years. I believe Nick said his father also used to work the booth. This guy sold soda's and Capri Sun and cheese and cheese and cheese. He sold a lot of cheese. Next to him to the right was a guy who made crepes right there for you as you waited, he also had many toppings to put on your crepes. The videos show the view from above and the view as we walked through. Ik hoop u van hen houdt.

European Shanequa

2007-05-17T16:25:00.000-05:00

Ok so this is from a few days into my trip. Nicholas has this fascination with some of the ghetto names and terms people use in the U.S. especially us black folk. Shanequa is his favorite, mine is Bonquisha, I swear my best friend Kenneth invented that one. I think I actually spit up my soda the first time he said Bonquisha. Well, we were at a little cafe right down from Nicholas' place. I don't remember the name of this place but it is on Kinkerstraat, that is the street name, straat is street. Nick lives down the street on a side street called Ten Katerstraat, pronounced (ten cot.er.strot). I just like saying that, but you have to say it fast. You know me just recording anything, I am going to get shot one day.

Europe Videos

2007-05-16T17:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, so now I am going to start uploading my videos from my Europe trip. I call it my Europe trip because I went to Amsterdam, Brussels, and Frankfurt. I had a lot of fun and my host was the best. I tried different foods, some willing, some I had to be just about forced to try. One of my favorite places though was this restaurant called Morlang in Amsterdam (www.morlang.nl). I fell in love with this panini sandwich they have there.

I also loved, yes you can make fun of me, Burger King. At the Burger King (www.burgerking.nl/main) in Amsterdam there was this sandwich that had jalapenos on it that was just delicious, and is not that Mexican Salsa sandwich on the menu now. That sounded so gay, just delicious. Anyway I also tried the famous Tuna Pizza. I was different not something I would think to put together but it is extremely popular over there, just like putting mayonnaise on fries. They think its weird that we put ketchup on our fries, go figure.

Well here is a video of the Atomium (www.atomium.be) it is located in Brussels. I think the website is correct it is astonishing. I just stood there looking at if for a few minutes almost in disbelief. We didn't get to go up inside it but I was more than pleased I go to see this beautiful creation.

Until my next blog, later. And yes there are more videos coming.

Darn Tickets

2007-05-15T18:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I was all set to drive to Luling, Texas today to go take care of my darn speeding ticket. Something told me to call and ask them some question, I don't know what. Well thank God I called, the lady was like you don't have to drive all the way out here. She said I still had another 30 days to take care of the fine, well smack my tush, I just about did a back flip. In light of my present situation I was very very happy that 1) I didn't have to waste all that gas and 2) I have more time to take care of this stupid ticket. I just have to keep on pushing forward. Man oh man life can really throw you some curve balls.

Amsterdam Trip (Finally)

2007-05-15T02:32:00.000-05:00

So everyone has been going on that I have yet to post any pics or videos from my 2007 trip to Europe. So here are some pics from the trip.

My Birthday

2007-05-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

My birthday this year was a blast it was just amazing. I was gonna just sit at home and do nothing, but my friends wouldn't let me just do that. First we went to Chacho's on Thursday, which was fun as usual. Then I went out clubbing on Friday night and you know how that is in San Antonio. Then on Saturday we had a dinner at this restaurant called Ajuua out on the patio, which was so much fun. Later that evening Will took me to the Spurs game and we got to sit courtside right next to the Spurs bench. We also got to go up to the Time Warner suite which was also very fun. Here are a couple of videos from my birthday get togethers.