world!!

happy kena scolding day!

um, Karma

I'm not sure who started the inquiry, but several years ago there was a discussion around me regarding why it is that men have nipples. I'm being scientific here and this is not meant to be a perverse post. There is a book on the topic if you want to Google it, but the story goes that all men and women develop as women first, but then men continue developing in one direction and women in another. The nipple is a natural part of the body, and it is not uncommon for some men to have the ability to lactate. You can Google that, too.

Now, I've been engaged in this discussion on a number of occasions, but today in a professional meeting, a group of men started to hold this talk. Knowing what I know, I instantly jumped up and almost began my history with this particular discussion. I had insightful information. Yet, my colleagues gave me a look that said, "Don't go there, Bryan. Please don't go there," and I didn't. Having to censor myself, especially my wit, causes me to short circuit sometimes.

The karma is that I can try to move forward in my life without having conversations on why men have nipples, but the truth is that the conversation will follow me wherever I am. Karma likes to haunt my sense of humor and challenge any professional role I try to take on.

PS: Cynde, Pepperoni is a nickname. Males have chest pepperonis.

American-Born American

Over the weekend, I quickly read American Born Chinese, a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. Besides the illustrations, posed and poised dialogue, and international characterization, Yang does an exquisite job of blending home-country traditions, acculturation pressures, and poignant morality via wit, skilled drawings and a blended story line that meshes the pressures of being American-born and Chinese, especially as one crushes on the cute blonde but doesn't represent the MTV ideal of masculinity in America.

I always draw on Walt Whitman when I think about the ways I want America to sing and I channel his karma when reading a brilliant graphic novel like American Born Chinese. We live in a culture where multimodal communication: comics, story, plot and book awards arrive from the tensions of feeling out of place in a society where everyone else feels to be just fine.

I'm celebrate such work. Thanks to the Nottingham librarian for suggesting it.

now..logging in on fb.

chattin..

blablablah..

ok.

i finished my homework!

so happy for lyk no reason..

erm..

saturday i went suntec..

was heading to marina square but carpark full.

argh!

suntec city;alternativ

we buy pretzel..

for the millionth time.

hehas.

i bought caramel dis tym

damn damn niceeeeeee

den we go wlk2..

in 1 shop , they play "when i look at you"

(:

den i was lyk i <3 that dress!

i <3 those sneakers!

price: "woah."

omg! a shop selling nth but prom dresses!!

<3 dat purple dress!!

if thr's prom; dis is the first place i go.

strip it dwn with sneakers.

;dat.s me

den we go have dinner den go home.

was sooooooo tired.

after shower on some jb songs

den i drifted away to the dreamland i yearn for.

___

NorMal

My friend, Thea St. Omer, presented her documentary film, NorMal, yesterday at the Palace Theater -- a work in progress. Thea interviewed multiple people about their definitions of disability and also whether they thought they were a person who lived with a disability. The pastiche of perspectives from individuals who represented the true diversity of our American culture invited the viewer to process what they were hearing in their own ways and come to their individual conclusions.

For me, I left thinking that abnormal is normal, yet we all work desperately to hide this. Every individual interviewed was a testimony to the ways we construct ourselves to societal expectations that are ridiculous and plain stupid. Instead, we should be slowing ourselves down to appreciate the gifts provided by each and every one of us.

The thought-provoking documentary made me think deep and hard and I felt very fortunate to have been invited to this screening!

hey world!

did.n update for lyk ages.

now.

thursday was freaking 1.6

crap.

i wasn.t born for this.

______

wait. let me log in to twitter.

my acc shucks

okay.

ystdy smebodii texted.

we tlked crap.

i was on9 from lyk.. wad? 6pm mayb?

i.ll b on9-ing again dis aftnun..

i hope.

cuz nw; i gotta get dwn to business

ttyl

In my youth, there were summers I didn't believe there were any fish in Oneida Lake. We'd spend hours on a boat simply feeding our worms to the cold water, soaking them until they fell off the hook. Since I've returned to Syracuse, there seems to be more fish.

Experiencing an early summer day, my father and I took Dylan out on the boat to see what we could find. At first we found nothing, but then Dad and I hooked into a Sheepshead and a pickerel simultaneously. A little while later, Dylan pulled in a perch. Throughout our coasting, Dylan said to us often, "This is just real relaxing, men. Real relaxing," then he would find an object in the boat and use it as an Uzi to blow up incoming enemy ships. Many explosions occurred, including a nuclear submarine attack near Frenchman's Island.

Karma is about bringing him an experience on the lake like I was given as a young boy. It will be great to see the day he hooks into something really big - like JAWS.