COMS: 531 (Listening)

Me: I'm taking a listening course next semester.
I think I am hard of hearing
Janelle: #thingswecanallagreeon

Yes, I am truly taking a listening course as an elective for my last semester. I generally do what I want and disregard what anyone is saying because I assume they either don't know what they're talking about or they would do better if they knew better. This is very hazardous to my relationships (professional, friendships, platonic, etc.) I'm excited about this! So the course description is as follows:

Examines the styles of listening in communication and applies them in the different contexts of the communication process. Develops sensitivity and effective listening skills in human interaction.

"Develops sensitivity and effective listening skills in human interaction" sounds like I'm an alien life form that's never had human interaction! *sigh* lol wish me luck!

Peace...

Nina B.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

"Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving." -Kahlil Gibran

Cognitive Dissonance On the Horizon

He enjoyed her heartbeat, it’s bright light shining through all the muck. His or hers? Doesn’t matter... just know that there was muck. The rhythm sporadically called for him in the most soothing way; on one hand intriguingly definite, and on the other confusingly beautiful. Both very aware of the past, knowing one can not move forward without it, she lived for the present and he for the future.

Could they meet within the horizon’s loyal embrace? Earthy Non-conforming Traditionalist meets Windy Religious Innovator. Overall theme to reduce dissonance meant either giving up and justifying how one side was more important than the other or welcoming the idea that the earth and sky operate efficiently together. Shift in attitudes. Breakdown of beliefs used as security blankets. New actions that intertwine present and future. The solution? Yep, it lies jusssssttttt within the horizon. That apparent line that no one has ever been able to reach, but together, somehow, they could.

She lived for the present and he for the future, but both knew moving forward was impossible without the other. She adored his eyes, their bright light shining through all the muck. His or hers? Doesn’t matter... just know that there was muck. They danced joyfully in the midst of both trials and in happiness; on one hand intriguingly definite, and on the other confusingly beautiful.

*Expressions by Nina B.
SN
-Wasn't so sure if I should post this one, but what the hell... some things have to be released into the universe.
- The picture is from '08 in Tampa. I got chased by a flock of seagulls for my sammich (yes, i said sammich) and jet-skied alongside dolphins (I cried in horror initially thinking they were sharks)! ahahaha PERFECT DAY! iLIVE for days like that!

Be Gentle

Francis de Sales

Don't lose any opportunity, however small, of being gentle toward everyone. Don't rely on your own efforts to succeed in your various undertakings, but only God's help. Then rest in God's care of you, confident that God will do what is best for you, provided that you, for your part, work diligently but gently.

I say 'gently' because a tense diligence is harmful both to our heart and to our task and is not really diligence, but rather over eagerness and anxiety.... I recommend you to God's mercy. I beg God, through that same mercy, to fill you with God's love.

Source: Unknown but I pulled it from inward/outward.

**I have to work on being more gentle in my diligence. Being pushy often cancels out the sweetheart in me lol**

iLIVE

“Anything or anyone that doesn’t bring you alive is too small for you.” -David Whyte

I'm A Star

Gotta respect Ms. Chrisette Michele for doing what us natural hair folks call the BC (big chop). Takes a lot of courage, but speaking from experience it's refreshing and invigorating to love yourself without that mess society generally rules as a "mark of beauty" (long hair). I'm sad she didn't rock it more in the video, but I absolutely love the turban and her gray ant status sunglasses!

Anyway... her video for "I'm A Star" has been on repeat for me today and the lyrics are cute. I'm sure Ne-yo wrote it, sounds like his speed.

"I've seen it, done it, ran it, run it
Been to the bottom then i came back from it
That'll be the pain in the pit of my stomach
Dont regret a thing just keep it 100
I been the drama and the bad news
I been the struggle and the damn blues
Shed tears over silliness.
I seen a lot but know what
Its as real as it really gets..."



In the mean while, I'm LATE and checking out her mixtape with Lem Payne "Love Thy Brother" and so far so good, we shall see.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

Peace...

Nina B.

Nina Simone "Central Park Blues"

Rainy day in Chicago... "MELLOW" is my mood, and I can't say that I'm complaining about the pace change.

Kahlil Gibran "Jesus The Son of Man"

"Remember this: a thief is a man in need, a liar is a man in fear; the hunter who is hunted by the watchman of your night is also hunted by the watchman of his own darkness."

If you did not know, I will simply say, Lebanese-born, visionary artist and writer Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) is nothing short of amazing! I stumbled upon him my freshman year in college with "The Prophet", and have been in love ever since. I recall grabbing a highlighter, which I often highlight quotes or words in books, and realizing that I would end up with neon yellow pages through out. I quickly learned that Gibran's intention was to make you pause, think and embrace the moment of freedom you'd just read.

"Jesus The Son of Man", one of Gibran's last works, was an idea he pondered over for years but did not write until he was critically ill, take that how you want. I got it this summer (blame my slow reading on graduate school) and was immediately in awe. It's a compilation of passages dedicated to Jesus, but not in a "sing-songy" manner; it's written from the perspective of those that encountered Jesus, whether they loved or hated him. The passionate place from which Gibran wrote displayed grace in every aspect of the word, even in the text intended to convey hatred or disdain.

My favorite passage was from the perspective of A Man Outside of Jerusalem that encountered Judas after he gave up Jesus to the Romans. I know what you're thinking, "How could THAT be one of her favorites?" Well, you might have to pick it up to figure out why. This, just like all of Gibran's writings, should definitely be added to your collection. You want to see how politics, beauty, love, hate, regret, pain, humility, anger, confusion and more NEVER change with the times, then definitely grab this piece. HAPPY READING FOLKS! Peace...

Side notes:
-Not sure if you Illinois grads remember when the Black House had a bookstore in the basement. Man that was the best thing EVER!
-A personal wish I've had for years now is to visit the Telfair Museum in Savannah, GA where they exhibit a collection of his drawings, watercolors, and paintings. This will get done in the next year, I can promise that!

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

Elizabeth Bishop

Idiosyncrasy

He described her beauty while gazing blankly at the white clouds. “Round. Curvy. Delicious.” Delicious? “Yea... like ripe fruit. The transformations of her intellect-- dance in and out of consciousness at the perfect times just for entertainment and enjoyment. But her idiosyncrasy seemed so natural, as if she recited this short story time and time again. I don't know if I should love or hate her. Maybe love to her love her? Maybe hate to love her?”

He said...
He said...
He said...

“I love her. I’d love to. Cover her. Breath her. Dream her. Oh yea... I dreamt her ya’ll"
expressions from Nina B.

Brother Time

Denial sat patiently waiting for the sun to shine. Dripping water faucets. Ticking...Tocking...Clocks. TIME BOMBS! Evasive time, nothing promised except that it shall quickly pass; beating down on our very being. Waiting on no one but we seem to be waiting on it.

**he whispered in my ear** Oh I do love waiting.

Here we go again.

**he slid his fingers through my hair ever so gently** I am with you always, but not really for you. It just so happens that I’m everywhere. But don’t go nowhere, nahhhh love... just wait on meeeee. Be complacent. Grey hair, Alzheimer's, old bones and death.
expressions from Nina B.

Oak Tree vs. Ivy Vines

I really do not want this blog to be my gibberish, it's intended to display my inspirations and creative writing skills. There will occasionally be, however, discussions that inspire my outlook and I'll gladly post them. M.A.N. is a person that is always eager to show me myself (good, bad and ugly) any time I ask or even when I don't want to hear it; "mirror" is what we fondly call one another. I had a discussion with M.A.N. yesterday about growth and evolution spawned from a relationship with someone and it really made me think some things over about myself.

M.A.N.: So why do you think you liked that person so much?
Me: Because I thought he could help me grow.
M.A.N.: Why do you always want someone to help you grow and are not willing to help someone else grow?
Me: I think I help people grow! So in the two years you've known me I haven't helped you grow?
M.A.N.: You have helped me point out the flaws in my design through watching you and interacting with each other but learning something new, no.
Me: *shrug* Sorry (This is me being mad. Yes, at 26 I throw tantrums.)
Me: Well I think that's still a form of growth! Just because I didn't help you learn something new does not mean you did not grow. Just a different form of growth.
M.A.N.: I can agree with that.

Now, M.A.N. saying he agrees is probably more him not wanting to be bothered with arguing me up and down. lol I say Ivy Vines can be just as powerful as an Oak Tree in some regards. Today M.A.N. is trying to tell me that helping others become an Oak Tree "involves [me] putting [myself] second at times...and it seems to only work on [my] time without concern for what others have going on..." As intuitive as I am, I enjoy helping people tap into the energy they already have; what has yet to be discovered. There's beauty in that, beauty in recognizing the inner wealth and potential someone already has and lifting it out of them. This is probably a more humble assistance in growth, the growth that generally goes unnoticed. I'm sincerely OK with that, but maybe I need to learn a new way to pursue growth in any relationship to help people become an Oak Tree?

One of my favorite quotes is by Youssou N'dour "People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages and religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others." I think helping others reach a new level internally somehow helps me do the same. Maybe I should try a less selfish approach? And here I thought I was being helpful! Aw phooey!

Expiration date?

A friend of mine recently posted about Marriage having an expiration date. He asked, AFTER our gchat conversation on the topic, if he could include it in the post. Had I known that was an option, I would have said something more prolific! ha!

It's a great post, probably what most free-spirited, "CAN'T HOLD ME BACK", people in our age range are thinking...Right?!?!

ATTTTTanyRATE...My comment in response to his post was: "LOL!!!! I'm so half-hearted about agreeing with an expiration date! In my selfishness I'm like "HELL YEA!!"; but I'm like... if we know there's that date where we can part ways and never look back, we won't do all we can to make the other person happy. That's the point right? Marriage is somewhat of a human attempt at AGAPE (unconditional/never ending) love-- to express it and receive it on a human level with someone other than our mother. Cause we know Mom Duke ain't goin' no where."

But check it out yourself cause I know this is a topic WE ALL discuss! I give you... Evening Epiphanies

WanderLUST

This feeling she had since childhood
The rush she got when embarking upon something new always equated never finishing the old. There was a definite desire to roam the world with nothing but a nap sack-- saving those held under the thumb of oppression, with not much more than her bible. That life doesn't exist though, not without some enormous sacrifice.

"If I we're a man, I could totally do that and still end up with a big job and a beautiful family. I mean, the sign CLEARLY reads: most women not welcome"

Continuously parched to fulfill this desire, she roamed in and around things within reason: city to city, job to job. No fulfillment, you know... that feeling you get once you have accomplished something you worked so hard for. As addicted to wanderlust as she was, her desire to accomplish began to supersede.

This silly love affair has to end at some point...right?

expressions from Nina B.

My Axis

If the Earth turns on an axis-- imaginary... then I believe we all have an “Axis”. Not to be touched, only to be understood. Kinda like an invisible backbone; this undeniable thing that no one can break, some folks simply will not be able to see, and others will not believe. Regardless of others, it’s up to us to push forward and evolve whenever necessary to make sure we continue to revolve around it. This is my Evolution. This is my Revolution. This is my "Axis".

Expressions from Nina B.