TV Shows

TV isn't the same as it was in the 80's & 90's. In the 80's and 90's, you had shows like A-Team, Magnum PI, Cosby Show, 227, Martin, Fresh Prince and the list goes on. Nowadays, TV has gone downhill. Everybody and their mama has their own reality show. You can't watch any station without some reality show being on the line-up. I like reality shows just as much as the next person but some shows are just corny. Recently, there was a show that came on WeTV at 9pm Tuesday nights called Downsized. Downsized grew on me quickly because it was REAL. It was about a blended family called the Bruces: Todd was a contractor and Laura was a teacher, they had 7 or 8 children between them. Before the economy crashed, they were living large. As soon as the economy tanked, the Bruce family had to cut back and at one point, the wife considered selling her wedding ring in order to get extra money. The Bruce family suffered one setback after another and I felt for them because no matter what they did, life dealt them one blow after another. Arguments ensued and it looked like they were going to get a divorce but they stuck it out. That show painted a realistic picture of what most couples go through in their relationship when the economy tanks. WeTV didn't renew the show which was stupid because Downsized got very high ratings. Many of my favorite shows came on in the 80's and 90's and after those shows went off the air, I've been hardpressed to find good, quality programming. At least I can watch re-runs on channels 173-174. Another one of my shows was Good Times. I loved that show for the simple fact that it painted the black family in a positive light. No matter what hard times the Evans family faced (believe me, they've had more than their share of hard times), they stuck together. James Evans was that strong black father who kept the family together. He did whatever it took to provide for his family. At times he would get frustrated because for every step forward he took, life would knock him back 2 steps. Most families living in the inner-city could relate to the Evans family. There are very few contemporary shows that I watch; most of the time I watch throwback programming on channels 173-174.



Divorce

Once upon a time, people got married and stayed married for life. Come what may, they were determined not to get a divorce. A couple could be going through the hellish of times but they were determined to stick it out. For marriage vets, they saw hard times as a test to see what their marriage was made of. If they made it through the rough times, they can deal with anything. My hat goes off to all the marriage veterans who have been married for 40+, 50+ and 60+ years. You have marriage legends who have been married for 70 years and up. I read an article about this black couple who has been married 85 YEARS! 85 years of marriage is awesome, it really is. Only God can keep a marriage together that long. The man and woman are in their low 100's. I think what was different with old-school couples and contemporary marriages is that old-school couples understood that marriage is a committment to love each other for better or worse, rich or poor, sickness and health, til death do they part. In today's world, most people give up too quick on their marriages. The first argument they have, one or both parties are ready to sign those papers. Everyone has limits (rightfully so) of what they won't deal with but to split up over minor issues (mostly misunderstandings that can be fixed with clarification) is not that serious. Going further, divorce wouldn't be an issue if couples took their time in getting to know each other. I think a couple should wait at least 3-5 years before they get married. In this manner, they have ample time to get to know one another and if they find out they're not compatible, they call it quits and move on. It doesn't make sense to get married and come to the realization that you two weren't meant to be.

Family Reunions

Family reunions have been in existence for as long as I can remember. Family gets together once a year to find out the happenings and enjoy good food and fun. Some of the greatest memories are from family reunions because you never know when your time is up so it's important to make an effort to spend time with your loved ones. I've been going to family reunions for years; they were fun when I was little but now, I've outgrown them (yes I said it). I love my family but I see them at various points in the year. The best family reunion I went to was Daytona Beach when I was little. Went to the Boardwalk on the beach and had fun all night. My favorite family reunions are in Tyler Perry movies because all the characters look like they have fun being together. Good food & fun, old school music playing...you can't beat that.



The Company You Keep

The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting ...people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don't help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you. Consider this: Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don't follow anyone who's not going anywhere. With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights. "A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."   The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate - for the good and the bad.   Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends. Yes...do love, appreciate and be thankful for your family, for they will always be your family no matter what. Just know that they are human first and though they are family to you, they may be a friend to someone else and will fit somewhere in the criteria above.   "In Prosperity Our Friends Know Us. In Adversity We Know Our friends." "Never make someone a priority when you are only an option for them." "If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude..

Movies

I'm a movie buff like nobody's business. I've been going to movies for as long as I can remember and I'm not stopping anytime soon. When a movie comes out, I run to the theater to check it out and usually I'm not disappointed. Of the rare occasion(s) that I see a horrible flick, I make a point not to run out to every movie that drops in theaters. If it's a movie I HAVE to see, I see it immediately. If it's a mediocre movie that has the potential to be good, I'll wait a week after it's released. This weekend I went to see Contraband with Mark Wahlberg and it's a must-see. It's good to see Wahlberg back on the screen because I've been wondering where he's been hiding out lately. I have hundreds of DVDs and that list will only continue to grow. When I don't want to see a movie in theaters, I'll sit home and pop in a DVD; have my own movie night with some popcorn. The first movie theater I started going to was this discount theater in Tallahassee called Movies 8. Back then, movies were $.50 Tuesdays and $1.00 during the week. I still go to Movies 8 from time to time but when megatheaters started popping up in my city, they offered specials so I shifted my business there. There's nothing like going to a movie on Friday night, after you've put in a full day at work and got something to eat. I will return to Friday night movies very shortly but now...I catch flicks during the week because of the weekly discount specials that my two favorite mega theaters offer.

Debt Freedom

I don't know about anybody else but I am happy for everyone who is debt-free. There's nothing like not owing ANYBODY, being able to spend as you wish because after all, you are debt-free. Most people had to make sacrifices to be debt free such as get a 2nd job, budget and cut back on frivolous expenses. If you have a 15-year mortgage on your home and you're paying $650 a month at 4% interest, you can pay off your home in one of two ways: You can pay lump-sum payments. This way, you save on interest and you repay the balance faster (What I mean is you budget $650 each month until the bill is due and you make one big payment). Or, you can pay twice the amount each month and you'll pay the mortgage faster & save on interest. Either way, you'll be debt free before you know it. This strategy has helped me big-time and I'm thankful. Think about it, when you're debt free and you get paid...YOU get paid, not the collectors. You're able to allocate your money towards your 401K and/or mutual fund, Roth IRA or any other choice portfolio you have. You can travel, put money aside for your children's college education, etc. Being debt free allows you to do so much more with your money. Nobody should want to owe anybody for life; I don't. That's why it's important to keep your finances in order so you won't have any worries. Finances are one of the top, if not the top reason most couples get divorced. One person is a saver, the other is a spender. If the federal government used sound financial judgment, the national debt wouldn't be in the 10 trillion range. America would be debt free so we can truly do what needs to be done to get this economy back in order. It's a wonderful feeling to make good money AND be debt free. Most debt-free people are paying for life insurance, putting money into their 401K/Roth IRA/mutual fund, eating out and going shopping everyday. They're living life to the fullest and by right they should, because they're debt-free.

Garbage Music

Today's music has no substance. All you have to do is listen to some of these artists in order to come to that conclusion. Today's music artists are all saying the same thing: The stuff I'm smoking, the stuff I'm drinking, my house, my car, I ball out in the club, drop $50K in the mall, etc. That's not life! Many old-school rappers talked about real life; they spoke on the condition of their neighborhoods, what they've seen and experienced. Many people could relate to what they were saying because they also went through hard times. Because I got sick of the constant thuggery and materialistic nature of some artists, I've found myself reverting back to old-school soul and R&B. What happened to good music? Back in the day, you had artists like Bobby Womack, Curtis Mayfield, Teddy Pendergrass, Four Tops, Temptations, Smokey Robinson, etc. who put out GOOD music. You felt the passion in their music. Old school funk with a church groove, you can't beat that. Why do you think many of today's artists are sampling old-school joints? They know that without the legends, they wouldn't have gotten into the music business. Today's artists will tell you that they were influenced by those who came before them. Old-school music has a way of taking you back to what life was like growing up in the 50's to early to mid/late 70's. The best musical decade was from the 50's to 70's because people were sporting afros, bell bottoms, men were looking fresh with their suits and hats. The elders have a point when they say "today's young people don't know nothing about good music" And from what I can see, they are absolutely right. You have to go back 40-50 years to capture the essence of what good music is/was. How many of us are going to remember most of these artists 20-50 years from now? This song is for grown folks, y'all don't know about this old-school funk jam.