#69 - Dance in the Rain

Oh, you thought I forgot about my 101 Tasks in 1001 Days?
Naw, I just had to regroup myself for  a second.
You know how things go.
And since I've been slacking these last few months,
I have major catching up to do.
So I got an easy one out of the way last night.

Now, I've never seen Dancing in the Rain....
[does a Google search]
That's because it's called Singin' in the Rain.
Wow, I'm terrible.
But in any case,
I obviously owe it to myself to watch it.
Without classic movies like those,
where would we be, right?

Luckily my challenge based of a movie wasn't a total bust, because if you're dancing why not sing too?

I got out of a meeting early yesterday evening.
However I still had to wait to be picked up.
Of course, being the guy I am, I always have my iPod and headphones on deck.
As soon as everyone else left,
I headed towards the empty parking lot.
I selected a playlist I knew most of the words to
and one I could easily bust a move to: Blaine and the Pips.
Yes, I pretended like I was Darren Criss on Glee
and moved around that parking lot like I had a whole crew of Warblers behind me.
Obviously, I'm not as good a singer as Mr. Criss,
but I like to think I'm damn good when I drop an octave. haha

In case you're wondering,
yes I did incorporate choreography from the show.
Shoot, I even kicked my foot across a few puddles
like I was Chris Brown in that one video [I think].
...I suddenly realize I could have performed
the Singing in the Rain/Umbrella mash up from Glee, too.
Oh well. Next time.

So what did I get out of doing this?
Well for one, I got my life.
It just... I excited myself.
When that light or steady drizzle hits your head
as you sweat through song after song,
you almost don't want to stop.
You could keep going like that rabbit that represents Energizer.
That is until the downpour comes.
Then you'll like, "Well it was fun while it lasted, but fuck this!"

But overall, it's just a freeing experience.
I highly recommended it,
even to those that can't sing or dance.
Go out and get your life!
Word.

Outside at the Restaurant

Whenever I visit New York City
I pass restaurants with patrons eating outside.
Usually I have to keep myself from staring.
It's not that I'm people watching,
I do that as part of my regular routine.
It's more of an admiration.

You see, I have this vision of a perfect life in my head.
As a writer, I see myself being part of the "in crowd" if you will.
I'll live in a small studio apartment
in some big city where there's always something to do.
I'll have friends and associates that provide great conversation.
And I'll eat at the small self-run restaurants that are recommended by newspapers.

To me, eating outside at a restaurant is a sign of class.
It says I'm good enough to dine here and be noticed by you.
I realize how pompous this sounds,
but dammit it's the life that's always allured me.

I feel as if some people, the middle-classer born to a well enough family,
naturally come into this kind of lifestyle.
It's their norm and always will be.

When I've visited NYC with friends in the past
[most recently with my best friend's friends],
we'll settle for eating at some fast food joint
or a popular restaurant in Times Square that has specials.
We tried to go to one of the restaurants where people dine outside once.
It was a beautiful white bricked building with a white awning.
Instantly I became excited and began checking my wallet
to make sure I had enough money to try something new and exotic.
But before I received a chance to count my duckets (ducats)
one of the guys in the group said, "Man, this place ain't for us. We don't belong here."

I had to agree.
Most of the people in our party were 16-19 year old black kids
wearing the latest in urban fashion trends.
The people I saw eating there,
and working there for that matter,
where all white, 25 and up dressed in sensible threads.
[There was one Asian waitress. Bad little number, too.]
My friend's friends were defeated before they even truly attempted to eat there.
A classic example of the black mentality:
a feeling of displacement without trying to integrate.

So I suppose I wish for a lifestyle of art exhibits, poetry readings, and outdoor dining
as a way of proving to myself that I don't have to fall victim to such a way of thinking.
It's a socioeconomic status I plan on achieving.
Besides, I heard this place called Benny's Burritos has great Mexican cuisine.
I can't let that go by.
Word.

The Facebook Music Club

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to share music on Facebook.
Not my own music, no.
I haven't even written a lyric yet.
But this isn't about my musical prowess, it's about my taste in music.

I'm sure I've mentioned something to the affect of college reshaping the kind of music I listen to.
To me, music is essential to development as well,
and the more you have,
the better of a person you might turn out to be.
That's why I have 8775 songs in my iTunes right now.
Now I'm not saying quantity over quality at all.
I'm simply saying the more songs you have,
and the more diverse those songs are,
the better chance you have of gain new outlooks and taste.

It is by no luck at all that my iPod is always sought after,
no matter who I'm around or where I am.
I like to think I've garnered a reputation as a person with good taste in music.
I've always been regarded as a hip-hop connoisseur at the very least.

So why have I taken to Facebook to share my music taste?
Well, because that's were I've been getting more and more of my music lately,
especially rock, soul, alternative,
and music I don't know how else to describe but as indie.
I happen to have friends with equally good taste.
Usually if I like the artist enough,
I'll start looking into some of their other stuff too.

So, I figured why not share the wealth as well.
It's always done tastefully through YouTube urls.
And if you're smart, you've figured out how to turn those videos into mp3s.
If not, that was your hint.

Always feel free to visit my Facebook page for music.
I post a song, or more, a day.
Hip-hop, R&B, Soul, Oldies, Alternative, Rock, Musicals.
Everything put Country and Heavy Metal.
Giving you the songs you might not have ever heard before.
It's there to be enjoyed.

I encourage you to join.
I'm sure there are websites devoted to sharing music like this,
but why not do it on Facebook?
It's already the Walmart of the internet.
Word.

For the few of you reading this who are strangers to me
and would not know me on Facebook,
here are some songs that have been previously featured:

Bell Biv Devoe - Poison vs The Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Bjork - Who Is It
Bone Thugs N Harmony - 1st of the Month
Childish Gambino - Not Going Back
A Chorus Line - Surprise
A Cool Stick - Hippie Girl
Cosmo Jarvis - Sure as Hell Not Jesus
Cowboy Bebop Theme - Tank
Estelle - In the Rain
Jay Electronica feat Jay-Z - Shiny Suit Theory
A Goofy Movie - Eye to Eye
Metronomy - The Look
Nuyorican Soul - Nautilus (Mawtilus)
OutKast - Humble Mumble
Pogo - Living Island (H.R. Pufnstuf Remix)
The Temptations - Papa Was a Rolling Stone