Guy LeCharles Gonzalez (aka glecharles) (aka loudpoet)

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Random rambling for no particular reason other than to kill the last 15 minutes between Shrek finishing and the kids getting in bed. Isaac's in a trance in front of the TV; India's wandering back and forth between rooms, not particularly impressed; Salomé's cranky from what feels like a longer day than possible, and I'd be in the same place if not for having the latest Presidential debate to give me something else to be cranky about. John Kerry's the kind of candidate that makes voting inconvenient. He makes Howard Dean palatable. Dear Wisconsin: Please derail the bandwagon. I don't…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Barbershop 2: Reconciling desire & familiarity, ideals & expectations

There's only been a handful of "black" movies that have struck me as having that certain something at their core that expressed a sincere love for the people it presented, warts and all, and this is one of them. The first Barbershop, Waiting to Exhale, Boyz N the Hood and Rosewood are some of the others that come to mind. There's an emotional honesty to each of them that transcends the archetypes they employ to tell their stories. Of course, that's all debatable but, in this instance, it's not the point.

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Just to get it out there so it's not an issue when I run for President somewhere down the road, I admit to being AWOL from the New Jersey National Guard quite frequently during my enlistment from 1993-1999. Of the 5-1/2 years I served, only two of them were counted as "good years," and that was probably more generous than I deserved. It wasn't always hangovers or laziness that kept me away, either. In particular, the drills I missed in 1997-98 were all poetry-related - I was hosting the Open Room and usually wouldn't get home before 4am, making the…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

My Acentos Roundup

Of the "blogs of note" on the right, there's a group of them that I think of as my Acentos roundup, even if some of them aren't technically Acentos regulars or, in Nina's case, I haven't even officially met yet. It's more that Acentos is like my second home and these are the people I associate with it. Not coincidentally, all but two use Blogger and several of them - mine included - have Oscar Bermeo's fingerprints on them somewhere. Or should I call him, Oscar de la Palabra? During any given week a regular voyeur might notice thematic similarities…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Lift Every Voice

I'm just saying... 'Send Them a Message' Voting from The Nation, by John Nichols, 02/09/2004 Name the Democratic presidential candidates who scored unexpectedly strong showings in Democratic presidential caucuses over the weekend?A pair of candidates who are seldom accused of being serious competitors for the nomination, but whose candidacies offer primary and caucus goers opportunities to send real messages: Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton. Just in case you think I'm talking out of my ass sometimes. ;-)

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Pumpkin Seeds: 2/9/2004

1. Yesterday's Grammy show was the first one I can remember that I actually thoroughly enjoyed, despite some of the more obvious sympathy awards for Warren Zevon and Luther Vandross. Beyoncé is officially a diva, going toe-to-toe with Prince in the opening number and managing to outshine him on his own songs. (I am curious what the Jehovah's Witnesses in Minneapolis thought of his relatively tame performance, though.) Janet Jackson was smart to skip the show; she's apologized more than enough. Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake both made strong cases for successful transitions from teeny-bop pop fads to talented artists…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Exercising is like dating. If you haven't done it in a while, it can be a little awkward when you first jump back in. It's also like relationships. You really have to commit to it in order for it to be a good experience. I've always been more Jack Nicholson than Kurt Russell in that regard. After a six month fling with sluggishness, though, I've finally gone back. The last two weeks, in particular, have been ridiculous with the amount of crap I've been eating and drinking and it didn't help that my jeans were getting a bit snug again.…

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