A funny for Sunday: Last weekend, we celebrated my grandfather’s 91st birthday (Benjamin Graham- the subject of the documentary). It was not lost on me that this is the second birthday he has celebrated without my grandmother. It is one of those things that go unsaid, but we all feel it. Even being in the space without her is still hard. Because of this, I thought it would be nice to add some levity to a celebration that remains bittersweet. Since I have had numerous one-on-o

PRE POST: CURRENT Source photo courtesy of Y. Alston, 2017 *As of this post, Aruba is officially over, and in the past. My timing was spot on, because as of next week, I will be out for the count. I do not anticipate that I will post during this time. Recovery time for my surgery is around 6 weeks, and my only true goal will be to focus on that only. After surgery, I have major plans, and getting back to 100% is paramount. This recovery time will not be only physical. It will

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 During this entire trip, this is the only morning, besides the day I return home, that I had to be serious about obeying the alarm clock. This is also the only morning thus far that there was not a bagel somewhere in my hand with a coffee. Because of the time, and the fact that I would be fed on the ship, trying to run out for a breakfast sandwich seemed like a waste. When I purchased the ticket for the cruise, I was told that I was to go to Pelica

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016 Song "Lost and Found," courtesy of Shafiq Husayn, feat. Bilal and Jimetta Rose, 2009 Most days, when I wake up,Monday through Friday, it is with a scowl. Scowl at the alarm clock for disrupting that final hour of the best sleep ever, scowl for reminding me that I have to get somewhere by a certain time, and lately a scowl for rebooting all the thoughts that I had finally managed to quiet. While I have been on my “life sabbatical,” when the alarm c

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2016 It was already Tuesday, and I was nervously recounting the days remaining for this trip. I didn’t feel like I had been there long, but I also felt that I had all the time in the world, and I knew that couldn’t be right. TUESDAY- WEDNESDAY- THURSDAY- leaving FRIDAY. Ok. 3 full days. I snoozed a few times, and then realized I was fooling myself. Eventually I got out of bed, looking forward to another day of blue skies, and even bluer, azure waters. An