Well, that’s about to end. Life is no less hectic, but I want to commit to doing better this year. “Random thoughts about everything and nothing” will become less of a motto and more of a reality. While the posts may not be as lengthy as I’d like, I hope to share some quality thought-provoking topics with you.

Here’s to a new start.

 

On Father’s Day weekend, President Obama reflects on his experience as a parent and discusses the challenges and necessity of being a good father.

source

 

Today marks the ten year “anniversary” of my dad’s passing (interesting that it falls on Father’s Day). I was looking through some old photos and found this one of the two of us chillin’ in his favorite chair. I have a couple of photos like this with my boys and I hope when they look at them they’ll remember the love I have for them.

Before my dad had his first stroke, we spent a lot of time together. He’d take me to work with him during the summer, to choir rehearsals during the week and I’d always see him working in the church. I learned a lot about the value of hard work and eventually took on one of his favorite hobbies (photography). While I hated some of the sayings he used (“You got McDonald’s money”), I find myself using them with my boys. He had a definite influence on my life and I appreciate all the lessons he taught me.

I miss my dad and I wish he’d had a chance to meet his grandsons. I’m sure he’d love them as much as he loved me. It’s up to me to pass the torch and I’m going to make sure they learn some of the same lessons he taught me. That’s what it’s all about. Be it their dad or someone filling in the role, boys need a male role model. They need someone who understands the challenges they’ll face as men to prepare them for the future. My dad was tough on us and being a dad raising two boys in today’s society, the need for those life lessons that dad can teach are more important than ever.

I love my boys and it’s my job to make sure they get what they need to be successful in life. It starts with getting them a good education and understanding of who they are. It’s not an easy task, but I’m up to the challenge. I helped bring them into the world, so the least I can do is be their primary example of what a man should be.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads who know where I’m coming from.

 

But despite the lack of posts, I still get a decent amount of hits and readers are still leaving comments on some of my older posts. I’m not the most prolific writer and I don’t consider myself to be well-versed in a lot of the stuff I blog about. But there’s something about this blogging thing that keeps sucking me back into it. I’ve grown to love the black blogger community and it has allowed me to meet some amazing people. There are a lot of people out there with some strong opinions about society and the world as they see it. Those are the people who I like to showcase and support.

I’m making some changes to the blog and what I blog about. I love the current theme and focus of theotalks, but I want to remove the restraints and give myself the opportunity to be all over the place. The new theme of the site is “Random thoughts about everything and nothing”. While it may be a little vague, that’s how I want to run the site from now on.  My current theme of focusing on the black community is great, but there are so many other great bloggers out there consistently doing it. It takes time to put those posts together and right now, I’m at a different place in life.

So from here on out, expect the unexpected. As I feel moved, I’ll post about whatever is on my heart at the moment. I’ll also be showcasing some of my favorite bloggers and will work to get some of the guest writers back (you know who you are) to help a brotha out.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to start the podcast back up, but I might try my hand at video blogging. Only time will tell. Thanks to everyone who supports and reads this blog. It definitely keeps me motivated to stay at it.

God Bless.

Theo

 

It’s hard to believe 2011 is already here. Last year for the blog was definitely a slow one, but this year I hope to change that. Finding the time to write has been difficult and not much will change this year. But I do have some ideas and over the next couple of weeks, you’ll see them take form.

As for me personally, I try to do something new every year that improves who I am as a person. Something new that allows me to learn new things and hopefully meet new people in the process.

Last year I took up photography and the year before that, chess. Each year it’s something different. Sometimes I continue on with it when the year is over and sometimes I don’t. But it’s really the lessons that I’ve learned that interest me the most.

This year I will focus on reading. My wife bought me a NookColor for Christmas and I plan on using it as much as I can. I’ve decided that the books I’m going to read the most are those that have had an impact on society and black America.

The first book on the list is “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. I’ve always wondered why this book is so highly regarded and so far I can see why. I’ll blog about that later, but I can honestly say I’ve been sucked in to the story and it’s one that I’ll definitely recommend for others to read.

With that, I’d like to wish everyone a blessed and happy new year. Let’s make this a year to remember.

 

Earlier this week, my mom told me Fort Bend ISD is considering closing down the middle (Christa McCauliffe) AND high school (Willowridge High) I attended due to low enrollment. After hearing that, I hopped on to Facebook to see what my friends were posting and sure enough I found some articles discussing the issue.

Two of my schools could potentially be shut down and there’s nothing I can do about it. Now that I no longer live in Houston, I wouldn’t be able to participate in any of the meetings and initially I felt pretty bad about it. But I remembered that I do have this blog and in the past have seen some amazing things happen when bloggers come together to support a cause.

The closing of either of these schools will have a major impact on the community at large. I remember a time when you couldn’t keep students away from The Ridge. I remember the good times in the Mighty Eagle Band and the work we did in Student Council on Eagle Lane. There were so many lessons that taught me how to be a good leader and follower and I thank God for that period in my life. Neither of the schools were perfect, but they had a major impact on my life, which is why I’m writing this post today.

The Board has not made their final decision on the issue, so there’s still time to get involved. Here are some things you can do to spread the word to Save our schools:

1. Attend planning meeting on Monday, 12/13 at 5 p.m. Board Members are deciding on the best way to deal with low enrollment issues. The public is allowed to attend but cannot speak; however, being present can send a message.
2. Comment (intelligently, please) on the proposed recommendations. It will be updated after the 12/13 meeting with what was discussed.http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/about/zoning.cfm
3. Attend 1 of 2 public forums in 2011 to speak out about the impact that closing these schools will have on the community. Exact dates TBD (mostly like in January)
4. Contact members of the School Board to make sure they know your opinion. We need to flood them with communication!http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/board/meet.cfm
5. Invite other WHS and CMMS alumni to join this group!!

These schools provide a great service to the community.

 

Despite the recent lack of content on the site, I didn’t want to let this day pass without showing my support for World AIDS Day. I’ve participated in the past and I’ve tried to provide at least one link of interest to help others see the impact AIDS has on communities all over the world.

While medicine and vaccines have improved over the years, there are prevention measures that you take to reduce the risk of contracting it. On the aids.gov website they even have an AIDS 101 page that you can visit to learn the basics of HIV/AIDS. The information is out there, but it’s up to us get get it to the masses. We have to be knowledgeable about this information because it affects us all.

I thought I’d leave you with a quick video from President Obama and some additional links to visit and share with others.

AIDS.GOV INFORMATION

Website: www.AIDS.gov
Blog: blog.AIDS.gov
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AIDSgov
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AIDSgov
Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/facingaids2010
MySpace: www.myspace.com/AIDSgov

If you would like to locate your local HIV testing site you can text your ZIP code to “KNOWIT” (566948) or use the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Service Provider Locator to find maps, walking, driving, and biking directions.

 

It’s hard to believe it’s already 2010. But we’re here and there are still new things in store for this blog. When I started blogging, the main goal was to share information and hopefully open up dialogue on issues that affect the black community. I think I did that in some way this year, but it wasn’t to the extent that I’d done in previous years.

The goal for this year is to continue on the track of keeping the site informative. I plan on opening it up to others who are interested in sharing their point of view with the readers of this site. There are some talented, well-written people out there and I want to showcase them and get some real discussions going.

Late in the year, when I got swamped with projects for work, I fell off the blogging scene for a couple of weeks. Blogging can be a daunting task and coming up with things to write about can be time consuming (especially when it isn’t one of my strengths). So this year, I’m going to solicit your help. If you or someone you know are interested in blogging, but don’t want to manage their own site, email me at info @ theotalks.net. I’m always in need of someone to write and it usually turns out to be a win-win situation for both parties.

This year, I also want to focus more on minority small businesses. In these turbulent economic times, a lot of people are turning to owning their own business. I think that’s great, so I decided to start a list of some of my favorite small businesses. I’ll be highlighting small business owners throughout the year, so contact me if you’re interested in participating.

Finally, here are some websites that you need to keep an eye on for 2010. I’ll be blogging a lot about them and hope to be visible on most of them as time permits. Check them out when you get the chance:

• Liberate Magazine
• Tech Relations Firm
• Dallas South News
• Barter My Biz

Have a Happy New Year and God Bless!

 

These three words hung on the wall of “The Mighty Eagle Band” hall at Willowridge High School in Mo. City, TX. It was a constant reminder of what it would take to be a part of one of the greatest bands in the country. The band was under the direction of  Ronald B. Thornton, whom I had the pleasure of meeting during his time as band director for The Texas Southern University Ocean of Soul.

I learned a lot from Mr. Thornton. While at TSU, he was my first private lesson teacher and taught me how to be a disciplined musician. He gave me the opportunity to be a leader, even when I didn’t think I was quite ready. He placed me in situations that were real confidence builders for my growth as a musician and young man. While I didn’t realize it, the lessons and experiences I gained during my time in band, were helpful when I needed them later in life.

There were times when he’d get on us for not playing to our potential and he made sure we were diverse in our music selections and marching style. We played everything from orchestra to popular tunes on the radio. There was one time when he took a group of us to see B.B. King in concert. He knew the trumpet player and was  able to get us backstage passes and meet B.B. to get autographed pictures. He took the band all over the country and built a legacy that will live on forever.

I have a lot of good memories that I will always cherish, but I the one I’ll remember the most was seeing the Thorntons’ at my dad’s funeral. They’d read he’d passed in the paper and decided to come show their support. It’s tough when you lose a love one and for me the whole day was a blur. But I do remember seeing them there and it meant a lot to me to know they cared.

Today, I along with a church full of students, family and friends attended Mr. Thornton’s funeral. He impacted the lives of many people and his funeral was a testament to the life he lived.  While he may not physically be with us, he will certainly live on in our hearts. His work is done, but it’s up to us who he taught, mentored and counseled to continue the work left to do.

At the end of the ceremony Mr. Thornton’s son dismissed us with the question “Who’s got the greatest band in the country?”. Those who knew the answer responded. Mr. Thornton, Prof, Big T, Ronnie, Big Thunder, we will miss you. Thank you for teaching us what honor, pride & discipline is all about. And thank you to his family for sharing him with us.

R.I.P Ronald Thornton (Facebook)
Our love for Mr. Ronald B. Thornton (Facebook)

 

by Darrell Holmes

Michael Jackson was BAD!

Since Michael Jackson passed on June 25, 2009 the numerous memories of music and moments relating to Michael have flooded blogs, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.  In fact, the Twitter rush was so tremendous that Today on NBC reported that a server went down.  I can personally remember having a Jackson 5 Triumph Tour poster on my wall, the first time I heard Thriller, dressing up as Michael for one of my sister’s birthday party talent shows, and wishing my name was “Michael” as a child because it was such a “cool” name.  One young lady on Thursday’s evening news conveyed that she was going to be a dancer in his upcoming tour and how she moved to LA from her home country because Michael lives there.

Remembering Michael Jackson forces you to remember that his impact can’t truly be measured.  He was more than just a music icon; he caused a paradigm shift in our culture.  Even at a young age, Michael’s beaming demeanor and mature vocal style made non-R&B listeners to pay attention.  As he grew older he used his music to draw peoples together across racial lines with one particular highlight of that being his “Billie Jean” video premiere on MTV.  Prior to that premiere MTV had never played a video by a Black musician.  His aggressive and sometimes suggestive dance styling would be the predecessor of present-day Pop, Hip Hop, and R&B artists from Usher and Chris Brown to Britney Spears and Prince.  It can be seen in the dance sequence of the Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America.  His sound is echoed in the music of artists like Mariah Carey, R Kelly, Justin Timberlake, and his little sister Janet.  His epic mini-movie music videos were ground-breaking in their length, content, and budget.  He also used his medium for humanity as he donated millions of his own money and resources to benefit sick and ailing children, underprivileged people both foreign and domestic, and animals.

None of that includes his actual music.  Among his list of accomplishments are 13 Grammy Awards, 13 #1 singles, being twice inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame(solo and Jackson 5), seven Top 10 singles on one album (Thriller), the only artist with 5 #1 Singles on one album(Bad), and over 750 million albums sold worldwide.  Thriller alone spent 80 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 while Bad spent more 38 consecutive weeks Top 5 of the Billboard 200 which is also a record.  Thriller also remains as the best-selling album of all time.

Certainly Michael was not a saint and he lived a very challenging and sometimes disturbing life.  From an outsider’s view, it seemed as though every attempt to salvage some type of “normalcy” in his life was always mistaken, questionable, or ill-advised.  Over the years, his oddities seemed to become as consistent and inflated as his successes.  Not even his accomplishments, fame, and fortune could make him immune from the roller coaster we all experience in life.  Condolescences to his children, his family, friends, and fans.