shihan82's Xanga

New Year, New Mind Set

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 08:05:41 GMT

What's going on, y'all? It's 2007, The Year Of The Poet and it's going to be a good one. Not only did I end the eyar with a bang wiht the birth of my son, Sy Van Clief, but, I'm thick wiht shows for the 1st quarter of the year. My company DPL Producitons is launching full on this year so, expect more from me. The new CD is avaiable for pre-order on my site which is almost completed. New site? Yes, and it'll be completely done by the weekend. A couple of new videos and weekly updates on my journal which will be on the site instead of on a separate site(sorry, Xanga) My Videos will lead up to the release to the long overdue DVD project Full Time and the DPL DVD. So be sure to keep up on that.

I'm also putting in a bid to host the 2nd Annual Ladies National Poetry Slam. I want to put together events worth something.

What can I say? My son is amazing I have some pictures on my site: www.shihansback.com He's really gassy which sounds funny at first but when your'e tryingt o go to bed and he's all fussy it's not cool at all. He was born December 1st at 1:05pm my wife had a 5 hour labor and he weighed in at 8lbs 7.6 oz and was 21 3/4 inches long. Lani's been great with him, every once in a while we catch her trying to pick him up and that's a definite no,no. He pee'd all over Els about a week ago. I wish I would've taped it cause it was fantastic. He also crapped all over the place. The squirty kind like Shamoo was hiding in his ass. I don't get how he can go that often with that much force. I'd be in the hospital if that happened to me.

My tour is getting ready to kick off on January 12th. I'm excited and I plan on filming a lot of what goes on. I'm also having people from each shwo write a journal entry to detial what the show was like and what they think of poetry in general. So if you're at one of my shows and want to do it let me know. The calendar of shows is up and there will be more shows added including a trip to the UK and Europe over the summer. 2007 The year of The Poet.

It's pretty late and I know the clicking of the keys is going to wake Els so I'm going to get off but I'll be back tomorrow cause I want to tell yuo some of the other stuff going on.

Be safe. And go pre-order The Balance now on www.shihansback.com Create or Vacate. Shihan

Due Today and Still No Baby

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:08:35 GMT

Well, today was supposed to be the day and to no avail Sy never came. Yes, I think we've settled on Sy being the baby's name. The only thing now is the debate on how to spell it. I think SY Els thinks CY...what do you think? Either way he'll be loved immensely.

So I went to see Deja Vu with Els and we both thought it was good a little on the far fetched side but entertaining. He dies in the end but, the alternate dimension Denzel lives and all ends with happy smiles.

What's up with Kramer being retarded? I saw Paul Mooney say it looked like he was having a nervous breakdown. To me it looked like one hit wonder depressed career never went past one great show. Even though I didn't watch Seifeld when I did it was funny.

I'm on track to break my 1st quarter show number. I'm at 30 confirmed shows and I'm looking to push that number to at least 40 before January. So make sure January 1st you check my site out for all the info on the shows for my Balance Tour. And the new CD to kick off then too. I'll probalby release the CD before the tour starts on line and on iTunes and all the other sites including mine and the new website too debuts January 1st to coincide with all the new going on in my life and the new year.

3 more days before my mother in law move out here...more to come.

Anyone who lives near me who's ever been to Jack In the Box on Sunset and Cahuenga has to wonder what the hell crazy vortex of crazy it was built on. I've never gone into that JITB and saw regular people and that's why I stopped going. There's all sorts of homeless cross dressing mechanical midget punk rockers in their...did I mention the guy who blows his nose right next to you. Blows it so hard the tissue lifts up like in the cartoons and then regardless of the tissue they're holding they wipe their nose with their sleeve. No more JITB for me.

Exactly 30 days before I cut my hair.

Doesn't Will Smith's Pursuit f Happyness look good or is it because I have kids and can imagine having to deal wiht something that horrible?

I need to lay down for a bit just in case the baby decides to come in the next couple of hours I want to make sure I have enough rest.

I'll talk to you soon. Be safe and never let your pen dry. Countdown to the Get Down. The Balance is coming soon. Shihan www.shihansback.com

Countdown to Baby Number 2

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 19:50:40 GMT

Well, aside from the fact it's been a long time since I've written in my journal my CD is delayed yet again. I was supposed to begin recording a while ago but everything got pushed due to last minutes shows and other work that came up. Right now, I'm in the process of finishing up some work for Dert's new project and also writing and recording my 1st 4 songs for my New Zealand Project. I'm working on a project that will be released in New Zealand and Australia next Spring. It will feature all new material with artists I meet over my last 3 trips there. It's going to be dope. And for those of y'all thrown off by the title of this journal and just in case you didn't know. Now you do...we're expecting a baby in the next few days. The official due date is November 27th but we think he'll be coming soon. And yes, I wrote he because we're having a boy. And I think we've settled on the name...I know you might want to know but it's a surprise. I'll tell you after he's born. This leads me to some okey doke news which is that my New Zeland trip in December is going to be pushed to March to help promote the new CD and also to give me time to be home with my expanding family.

My in-laws are moving out to Cali. About 45 minutes from us so I'm safe. Last time my in-laws cam eout here I wrestled my father-in law for 35 minutes, crazy I know but we have this competition thing we're it started with thumbwrestling then it went to arm wrestling then full on WWF wrestling next is sword fighting and who knows after that.

For those who were curious...DEF POETRY will be back on TV in February with new episodes. I'll keep you posted. Yes, I'm on again.

Marky Mark killed Leonardo DiCaprio at the end of The Departed. Sorry if you didn't know. Still see the movie it was good. But, I knew that was going to happen.

Do you ever eat Canadian Mints? I've been eating them like crazy recently. They sell them at CVS aka Sav-On.

Stop Hammer Time

I'll going to be posting my current Spring Calendar soon. I have about 30 shows through March so make sur eyou come out I'm making a comeback.

My daughter is the most amazing person in the world. I'm going to let her type something in my journal right now. Here goes: bhyu888888889rt678jhgthkhggty by AOLANI That wasn't a joke she really just came over here and typed that mumbo jumbo. But, I love her and her teachers think she's gifted.

Elsie's belly is getting pretty big. I think the baby should weigh at least 40 pounds. It looks like she swallowed a giant bee hive. A 35 pound bee hive filled with lots of bee's wax.

The Family Guy last week was not good.

Game's CD is whatever. Jay-Z's is growing on me. Snoop kills the intro of his CD then the CD gets weak.

Someone told me you can cure a ignorant person by punching them really hard in the face with their parent's fist.

I'm giving up soda. I owe my mom $350 for her sleeping bag I lost. They should get rid of the taxes on gas it would easily drop below $2. Even though $2 isn't cheap.

May is UK Invasion Month for me I'm going to work on a series of shows thorughout the UK and Europe.

Not much else, but Lani did tell me Scissors are cutting cheese. Be safe. Shihan. www.shihansback.com

Work

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:27:50 GMT

What's going on y'all? I'm sitting here at Current TV waiting to do my work. Current TV for those who don't know is a TV station Al Gore started and it's geared towards the 18-34 corwd with stories runnning no longer than 7 minutes for a constant story shuffle. When I can I do hosting for the various shows they have. I've been here since 815am and I'm supposed to leave at 1pm then head to the airport for a 450pm flight ot Portland where I'm shooting a spot for Adidas. I'll give you moe details as they coome and I'll definitely try and post it once it's done.
Well, not much has happened recently. I did a short feature at Miyagi's Sunday night for Poetri. It was me and Taalam Acey. It was a good show and a great turn out. I sold a good amount of CD's and got a couple more people to sign up for my workshop. Anyone interested should send me an email shihan@shihansback.com so I could get you all the info. I'm super tired I went o sleep pretty early but I slept horribly. Tossing and turning all night.
I have not much to update you with. But, I am happy with how things are going. And I should have a couple of dates posting in the next couple of days. Looks liek I have to go now so I'll catch you in a bit. Be safe.

Shihan
Create or Vacate
www.shihansback.com

It's been a real long time

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:27:38 GMT

Every so often I take a look at my site in disbelief. I read one of my journals from 4 months ago and can’t believe it’s been that long since I wrote in it. My first idea was to get an easier blog site to update my journal in cause Xanga is not that compatible with my AOL but then I thought I’ve been using it for so long why switch then I looked at it again and realized how I don’t write in it because of that minor hassle. It’s been four months and so much has happened. Then that begins to bother me to the point I think how long it would take to write a journal entry updating you all on what’s been going on and decide against it. But, I need to step up to the plate and handle my business I’ve been supported by so many and sometimes all I’m asked to do is keep up to date on my journal entries so form this day forward I’m going to write at least 3 journals a week. Short or long whatever is going on will be written out. And with that will be my 2-week long present to you as well. Beginning August 25th I will be posting Music Is The New Cotton for free download. So make sure if you haven’t purchased it you get it now while it’s free. That’s right free. You can never really beat free. And at the conclusion of the 2 weeks I will be putting my new CD ‘The Balance’ up for pre-orders. Yes, a new CD I know it’s a little overdue but it’s almost completed and I must say I’m kind of excited about it. The CD will be released October 3rd on my wife’s birthday and pre-orders will be shipped September 25th. Which reminds me…I’m hosting a Performance Poetry and Writing Workshop beginning September 13th for 4 weeks. It will be held at Da’ Poetry Lounge in Hollywood. If you’re interested in taking it or have any questions send me an email shihan@shihansback.com and I’ll get you all the info you need. I’ve been putting off the workshop for the longest to head out of town but with my wife pregnant and me trying to cut back on going out of town the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Also, over the next few weeks I’ll be releasing a few dates for upcoming shows. So stay tuned also expect an email form me with updates on everything going on and everything that’s gone on over the past 4 months. Damn, just typing 4 months make sit sound so bad but don’t worry I’m back with a vengeance. It’s looking like I’m going to do a NY/NJ run in October and most likely heading out to Hawaii and don’t forget my return trip to New Zealand in December and the final show of the trip is also looking to be the date I cut my hair. I have a song that is on my new CD coming soon that I’ll perform as my hair gets cut on stage. It also will mean the official retirement of Love Like a piece I will no longer recite. I figure I’m getting older and the poem isn’t getting any younger. My mind set is different than it was and my love has grown so I want my work to reflect the emotion behind it. Stay tuned I’ll be back in a bit to let you know how Nationals went. Yes, I went even though I couldn’t compete. And yes, the trip made me get the bug so it looks like I’m going out for the team in 2007 for the Last Hurrah Slam Tour. Be safe and I’m glad I got to say hey everybody. Let’s talk more. Shihan. www.shihansback.com

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 20:20:54 GMT

What's up y'all? It's been a minute, I been doing a lot of work, dong shows, writing, winding down my US portion of the Ink and Think Tour and gearing up for my return trip to New Zealand with Brutha Gimel April 30th. It's going to be lovely. 8 shows/3 weeks. We'll be doing their MTV, a bunch of radio stuff and a mini trip to Australia to get a break the middle of the trip. Life is wonderful. I have a new baby brother named Kai and Elsie is pregnant with our 2nd child. Yes, she's pregnant. We found out yesterday but I've been feeling that for a bit. There something about being pregnant that makes women especially my wife more amazing than she is already. For the past couple of weeks I've noticed how she just looks extra amazing to me and that's what made me think she was pregnant cause the last time it happened she was pregnant. So I guess that means I'll be working a lot more in the fall than I was planning cause we have to get our house before the year ends.

Where did I leave off last journal? Oh yes, HEAT with Taalam in LA. It was a good show. Gina Loring(yes, I know our project is way over due), Jaha Zainabu(in her last LA show before moving to ATL), L.I.F.E.(from Jacksonville, FL) and Taaalmd Acey. dope show, good turnout and no complaints. It was the 1st time I read my new pieces in front of people and they went over well so I was satisfied. After the show it was how for an early trip to Oakland for the 1st time in 5 years. It's crazy thinking I haven't been to the Bay Area in 5 years. But, it was a dope show put on by Scorpio and NerCity Blues. I got to the airport late but my flight was delayed so I got lucky and was still able to make it. I saw Taalam at the airport and his flight was also delayed but who knew he wouldn't arrive in Oakland til after the show started I felt bad cause his flight was supposed to leave before mine and he winded up having to spend the day in the airport. The show was fresh a packed audience and a good line-up featuring Andrew Tyree, Taalam, Mike McGee, Scorpio Blue and singer Lina(who sad to say was not good at all) And during her second set people started leaving which never is a good sign.

I then headed to Richmond,for Univeristy of Richmond(ig ups to Ashlei for hooking everything up and making me enjoy my time) University of Richmond is broken up into 2 campuses a boys one and a girls one. They combined forces to create what is now the University of Richmond. I enjoyed everything on my trip except...my sleep I slept an hour and a half before I had to get on the plane to head back home. A few poets read before I went up and the turnout was cool. Hopefully I'll be able to come back down there and hit up the other Universities in the area. Everytime I go to VA I'm shown a lot of love so I always look forward to going back.

Next stop, LA for Lani's 4th birthday at Gymboree. She had a blast and my mother in law was in town so she was also happy to see her. About 15 kids from Lani's school showed up for the party and boy do kids wear you out. I was so tired after the 1st 30 minutes that I gave myself timeout and just watched the rest of the time. I was kicked in the balls, got a couple of hard dodgeballs thrown at my head unexpectedly, then was chioked by this little kid(which was extremely funny cause he was yelling as he did it) A bunch of friends showed up with their kids so we talked while the kids ran themselves tired. After the hour and a half Gymboree kicks you out...no lie. They're like "happy birhtday, now you can grab your gift bags on the way out, it was nice to have you, dod you have fun, alright goodbye." So mind you after the couple of hundred dollars you pay to have the party you still feel a little shortchanged. In the end it didn't really matter Lani was happy her friends came and Els and I got to chill after cause my cousin took Lani for the night.

Next stop, Valparaiso University, Indiana. Home of Orville Redinbacker( Popcorn man) This is my 1st time back to Valpo since '03 and it was nice to be back. The school is Lutheran with about 4000 students. My host for the event was Ryan(thanks for showing me around again) we ate somer Wendy's before the show and then I bought a couple of new books(both by Stephen King). The show lasted a little over an hour then I went back to the hotel and ordered pizza that I have to admit was the best delivery pizza I think I've had ever. The crust was Garlic and butter flavored and it went well with my Fanta Orange and candy. I had a good night's rest then headed home for nothing but more rest and my family. Oh the life, I so lucky to live. I can't imagine going back to a 9 to 5 and I appreciate my freedom even more.

Next stop, Jacksonville University. I'll let you know how it goes. Be safe until then and never let your pen dry. Ink and Think World Tour....you've been warned. Shihan. Music Is The New Cotton. What Are You Picking? www.shihanthepoet.com

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:08:51 GMT

Let’s see…it’s been another long while since I’ve written a journal but a massive amount of things have happened. My last journal ended off at Oregon State which was a real cool show. I was brought up by the Black Cultural Center and Black Poets Society (which had 1 black person, which was kind of interesting.) I really enjoyed my trip. I was picked up by Uzo and Ryan(member of the Black Poets Society), let me start of by saying Uzo though extremely nice was a terrible driver. And scared the s*** out of me. She was driving about 4000 miles per hour and 2 minutes from the hotel winded up getting pulled over by the cops and given a ticket for speeding. And for any of you who know about tickets when you go a certain number of miles over the limit the ticket is worse and imagine going 39356 miles over the limit I imagine her ticket was about a million dollars. So we get to the hotel and I go with Ryan to eat at the local Carl’s Jr(which I tear up without prejudice…a double western cheeseburger, no bacon but extra barbeque sauce and ranch dressing for my crosscut fries….amazing!!!) I get back to the hotel and lay down for about an hour before walking over to the venue which was up and around underneath the greenhouse and just passé dthe goblin who takes a toll from you to cross his path and finally I was there and mind you I was very worried at this point that no one would be there being it was so difficult to find. Anyways, by the time the show started the seats were completely filled. It was a great setting to do a show in very intimate in the way the space was organized. There were about 80 people and all except 4 stayed til the end. I did a few new pieces which went over well and I plan to read them soon at Da’ Lounge so stay up. After the show we wetn to eat at Shelly’s which is Oregonian for “Denny’s” I ate a good steak and had some pecan pie. A good day and a good night with pie, you couldn’t ask for anything else. Except maybe a shot on Deal or No Deal(which is surely becoming my second favorite TV show behind The Family Guy.) I think Elsie is going to go to the Open Call this weekend for the show. I need a shot at a million dollars. Have any of you watched this show? Sometimes I can’t believe the choices some people make. It’s hard to be greedy with money you don’t have and when the offer gets in the couple of hundred thousand dollars range unless the only thing on the board is $1,000,000 and $500,000 I’m taking it. I don’t want to be the asshole who tries to get the million and ends up with $5,000 when the previous offer was $280,000. Craziness.

Next Stop: Spelman College. Dope show another situation where I thought no one would show up. 5 minutes to show time there were 5 people in the venue. Big ups to Tjazha for hooking up the show I feel bad you got the CD before I was able to give you a copy so when ‘The Balance’ is done you are getting the 1^st copy. Back to the show. I walked out to use the phone and wouldn’t you know when I walked back in the seats were filled to capacity. I was happy. I also tried out some new pieces and I think my favorite part of the show was when I did ‘Love in 5 Parts’ and I got to the ‘Love Like’ section and I saw all these girls looking at their homegirls like “This is that shit I was telling you about.” It made me feel good. After the show, I took pictures and talked to some of the students and I’m going to post them today so check them out. Probably 100 people came and I think most enjoyed it. There was even a girl from Da’ Lounge that made my day even better. My plane ride the next morning was at 6am so the car service picked me up at 430am and 430am is already bad but even worse when you don’t get to rest. Also, thanks to Karen for taking me to lunch when I got in and being such a good host and all around normal person.

Next Stop: Whitworth College. A Christian College with 2000 students. And 7 ½ black students. I was looking forward to this show. This one came up out of a chance meeting at the NACA West Conference. I went ot NACA without showcasing and winded up booking 7 or 8 gigs. Now how smooth was that? Anyway, this is the one show of my last few that I was real worried about. When I got there Lara told me she really didn’t know how it was going to go. Whitworth hasn’t been very responsive to poets and there was a good chance 5 people might show up and that included her…I was starting to breathe heavy. We got to eat with her fiancé, Chad(I think)? And we eat some good Italian food. When we were done I had about an hour to worry about how the show would turn out while I watched Project Runway on Bravo. The girl won…surprise! It was whatever but it kept my mind off the show that was about to happen. Lara comes to pick me up around 855pm for the show and that worried me even more because starting shows late has never really worked in the past for me but I needed to keep the faith. Upon arrival I meet a couple of students(what’s up? Tiffany, Karla and Shenae(I think I’m spelling it wrong but people spell different all the time) who talk to me and build my confidence in the possibility of people showing up. They also surprised me in the sense that they were going to read before me which was a relaxer(cause if they read most likely they were going to invite their friends for the support so at least 11 people would be there) As the show grew closer, people began to trickle in and by the time the show started…all the seats were filled. They even had to bring in extra chairs. Woo-hoo!!! Once I started I was very relaxed even after hearing about a comedian who came and had people walk out because the tone of his set was considered by most a little risqué. I was just hoping no one walked out while I was up, plus, I was also concerned that the staff enjoyed what as going on because they had to be convinced into having me come in the first place. So extra special thanks to you-know-who for the extra push ;) I won’t mention who just in case it was supposed to be on the low. But the show went great about 100 people showed up and the crowd stayed until I finished my set. I even went for about an hour and a half and they still stayed. So after the show I felt great everyone was happy and I sold a good number of CD’s. Once I got back to my room, I continued to read my new book “The Truth…with Jokes” by Al Franken and went to bed. Al Franken is hilarious I loved “Lies and The Lying Liars Who Tell Them” and this one is funny as well. I was half way through the book 2 days in…what will I read next?

Next stop: Home…to see my wonderful wife, Elsie and my amazing daughter Lani who will be 4 in 2 weeks. I was just glad to be home and I’m here for another week before I head out of town again. And I got more updated info and my return trip to New Zealand with Brutha Gimel. Yes, I told you I was going worldwide and I’m working now on a Australia trip in the Fall along with a trip to the UK. Ink and Think World Tour in Full Swing. I’m even in talks to do a project for overseas only…how dope is that?

And my bestest, most amazingest new is I am the new big brother to Kai Van Clief who was born Monday morning to my father and his wife Simina. 26 inches long and 7lbs. 8 oz. That’s one big baby. Craziest part is being 30 years older than him. Even crazier is Lani’s has a new uncle she’s older than. That’s some s*** you hear about in the south never in cities unless your family moved from the south. Anyway, I’m glad I was able to write next journal which I’m going to start on later will fill you in on what’s going on here in LA. Until then, be safe, stay Belafonte and never let your pen dry. Music Is The New Cotton. What Are You Picking? Shihan. www.shihanthepoet.com

Friday, February 24, 2006

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 20:16:36 GMT

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…there are so many people who deserve thanks not just for supporting the documentary but coming out to my shows. I had so much fun and this journal will be dedicated to all those that supported. But, first, a little ramble.

Let me tell you ‘bout blackness, grits and cornbread how could you act this…

We are 3 weeks into Black History Month and I haven’t seen any new ‘Black’ facts on TV, I remember when I was younger they used to have these random ‘Black’ facts like we invented lotion or the postage stamp or Yahtze…now, all we get are sports facts. Completely retarded. Anyways, I’ve been away for a while trying to organize the future and sort the past in its place. I’ve been in and out of town doing shows and that’s where I think I’m going to go with this journal. But, before that I want to give you the heads up on what else went on in the time since we last spoke. The documentary ‘SP!T’ made it’s debut at the Pan African Film Festival February 11^th which was dope. It was a sold out showing and there response was overwhelming. Over 300 people showed up to see what we’ve been working on for the past few months and they seemed to be happy with it. And guess what? So was I. The night of course was a lot more hectic than thought. I got there around 730pm to make sure my friends and family got in, but I winded up having to play escort for a lot of people who showed up with no tickets looking for some and some who had pre-purchased tickets but when they arrived were told they weren’t there. Drama was the one thing I did not want to have to deal with, but, hey, this was an important night and whatever needed to be done to make it enjoyable for everybody I was willing to do. Around 800pm the pre-sale tickets finally arrived and all the people who RSVP’d were finally able to get there tickets. Yes, there was RSVP’s because we also had an Official After Party. (We trying to move into the big leagues so we gotta do it like the big wigs.) My mother showed up with Pat and I was glad they came. At the last minute it looked like they were going to pull out to watch Lani because we hadn’t gotten a babysitter yet, luckily everything worked it’s way out. The one person who wasn’t able to make it was one of my friends Staci, who every year around this time gets swamped with work (she’s a CPA) and I really wish she was able to come. Come to find out she was babysitting…go figure. She wasn’t able to make the 2^nd screening either but I know she wanted to be there. Hopefully at the private screening she can come. Around 820pm I walked into the theater which Els, my Mom and Pat were already sitting in. And since they’re older they sat in the back which was a little wack cause I wanted to sit with my friends( I felt like a little kid who was like “I want to sit with them.(Then I pouted)” It was sold out and the feeling to have that many people there was great especially knowing how important it was for to me. The film was….dope but a little too long. And there’s not enough of me(not in the ego sense but, they only show me do 1 poem in the entire film and it’s supposed to be a film about poets and every other poet has 3 or 4 pieces in it. But, whatever I got a producer credit. I will be putting my overall review for the film in my site just need to get that worked out.

Now, I need to back track one day…the Spoken Word Fest was the previous night and to my complete agreement it was the best one yet. It ended on time and left the crowd wanting more which is so important cause you don’t want people walking out while there are still poets left to read. The only change would have been ending with Ner City Blues who went 2^nd to last but killed it. Thanks to all the poets who came and did there thing and also to all the people in attendance it wasn’t sold out like the last couple of years but there weren’t many seats open either.

Now, to Cascadia Community College in Washington. I met Emily back in November at the NACA conference and she was extremely nice one of the few people who actually talked to me like I was a person not just an attraction. And over the course of 3 days the idea was tossed around about me coming to her school to perform and it just so happened things winded up happening and she brought me out to perform. I flew up Monday afternoon and took a short nap before the show. I got to the school and Emily told me she had my fruit plate(which I thought was a joke) come to find out the rider that was sent for me had an attachment that said I wanted a fruit basket…now those who know me know this sounds retarded but hey I was grateful to be there in the first place so I took it…then I gave it to Emily’s sister after the show. The show went well considering only 35 people showed up it was intimate and I got to do a few new pieces I’d been working on. When the show ended we went to Ruby Tuesday and I had the best chicken fingers and French onion soup in at least a year. Em’s sister did voices from ‘The Family Guy’ and we spoke about movies and work and what it’s like living as a poet. Hopefully I’ll get to go back there in the near future. Thanks to Emily and Mike for being such great hosts and even giving me a hug when I left. And thanks to all the people who came out and showed love at the show. Next stop…LA for Da’ Poetry Lounge for Valentine’s Day.

It was uneventful. I bought Els some flowers and told her how much I love her and how when our 10 year anniversary comes I’m going to trade her in for an upgrade. Just kidding but it was funny. But Da’ Lounge sucked. There was also an awkward moment before Manuel read. Now, Manuel is definitely an acquired taste but I never thought for a moment he meant any disrespect or harm with his comment. Here’s what happened: Before he read Lani was on stage sitting with Poetri and Manuel said “you want a lollipop to go across the street.” And the first thing I thought was he wanted her out the room because he curses like crazy and says some really vulgar things at times. Anyways, someone form the audience made some comment like it was some child molester talk which I thought was f***ed up. I took Lani out the room and when the piece was doen Manuel came over and spoke to me. Explaining what he meant but I already knew my feelings on it and I actually felt bad for him. No one ever should be given that kind of title because people go so far with things and it’s just mean. Not that I haven’t been rude or sometimes still am rude but come on. Next stop…Houston.

Originally, I wanted to fly Gimel out with me because he’s from Houston but after my trip was cut to just one day it wasn’t going to make much sense for me. But, what happened on the way there and while I was there is definitely something I wish someone else would’ve witnessed. I get to the airport and notice I’m flying Southwest which is like flying Soul Plane minus the purple plane. It’s ghetto. You pick your seats which I like but that means cuckoo’s can sit next to you if they choose. Now during the flight I’m noticing celebrities and regular people trying to play celebrity and wondering what’s going on. It was feeling more and more like Soul Plane. Then all of a sudden it pops into my head All Star Weekend is being held in Houston so things start to take shape. During the flight, there were people with their grills all done up, people wearing furs (if you can afford a real fur why not fly a normal airline?) and people talking…oh, the talking, and loud too. So right before we land in Houston the captain comes on the loudspeaker and says “The seatbelt sign has been illuminated so please return to your seat and fasten your seat belt. The air ahead looks a little bumpy.” And about a minute later there’s some minor turbulence. And next thing you know someone yells “Damn, n***a what the f*** was that?” Loud as hell from the back of the plane, like one of those knuckleheads on the bus who sits in the back and talk s sh**. I automatically feel embarrassed for the other non-n***as on the plane. We land 10 minutes later and the crazies rent their nice cars and stay in Motel 6’s and Super 8’s. I was picked up by the amazing duo of Charity and Sasha who are my hosts in the City that gave birth to Brutha Gimel. And while we’re in the car I notice a flier for the show, is that a picture of Melyssa Ford…I jokingly ask “what is SHE hosting?” and without skipping a beat Charity says “yeah, why?” I’m now confused as to why Melyssa Ford is hosting a poetry reading, anyway I let it slide and talk to the girls about the night and what they expect. We get to the hotel which is conveniently located on the campus right across the street from the venue we are to perform at. I take a nap for 10 minutes cause at 500pm the student staff and advisors are taking us to dinner. By us I mean Jason Carney and Amalia Ortiz(who I haven’t done shows with in a while.) Times goes by as Amalia and I sit in the lobby waiting for dinner and at 545pm our hosts show up. We’re told stories about the crazy advisor who gave Trey Songs a massage on his visit to the school and a bunch of other crazy stuff which I’ll omit from this journal cause I don’t want any of them to get in trouble. But it was funny. Now came the show which was supposed to start at 700pm but Melyssa Ford was running late…yes, she was still being paid the same rate to be late. And once she arrived on site she wouldn’t go on stage and we were all clueless to what was going on. I was tempted to host my damn self cause there are a few things I know how to do well and one of them is host, s*** you can give me her money. It didn’t happen. 730pm passed and she was still sitting in the back with her entourage which included a bodyguard (for what?), her manager (who was wearing one of those bad shirts that people buy when they used to be broke but now can afford something new so they buy the most tacky looking thing just because it cost a few extra $$...that was him,) an Omega pledge(I still don’t understand) and her make up artist/assistant (ok, it’s a poetry reading.) Finally someone lets us know that because her check wasn’t given to her when she arrived she wasn’t going on stage she needed to be paid upfront. Now, I’m from the school of you have to earn your keep but, I guess when you’re a “video vixen” you get to change those rules. Finally her check is given to her and she takes the stage. I have to tell this next story and I hope they don’t mind but anyway, we had to give Melyssa our bio so she could introduce us on stage and Jason didn’t know who she was, so after he finished writing up his bio he walks up to her and says “are you Michelle Ford?” and without skipping a beat her entourage turns and says in unison “It’s Melyssa Ford.” And take the paper from him. Back to the stage…she walks up with no personality and introduces Jason. When he finishes his pieces she wakls up on stage and makes some random comment about him being not one of us and how sometimes it’s difficult for “their” stuff to translate to us. Whatever. Next is Amalia and once she finishes her pieces Melyssa gets on stage and says “see, girls always go through these things even when we’re not attractive.” WTF…

I go up and she doesn’t say anything. But she does introduce me as the last poet of the night at 830pm. She came late then tried to leave late. I got on the mic and said “she’s bugging the show has just begun you sit back and enjoy the rest of the night. Give it up to her she has glitter on her feet and that takes time to do.” We do one more round of round robin then the show really does end. Kind of crazy but at the same time I was glad cause I was tired as hell. I went back to the hotel and slept for 2 ½ hours before I had to leave to go to Massachusetts. Thanks to all that came to the show I hope you enjoyed it all and extra special thanks to Charity and Sasha for being such great hosts. Next stop…Norhthampton, MA.

Nothing really to tell you about this trip except, it wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. It was supposed to be a Prep School Conference for talent booking and it winded up being a return trip to one of the schools that further pushed me into the direction of writing. I was accepted into Williston Northhampton’s Summer Writing Program was I was younger and that’s where this conference was held. It was cold and not a lot of schools showed up but there was a funny comedian and the mind readers were pretty good too. Next stop…Oregon State. I’ll get into that next journal. Til then, be safe. Stay Belafonte and remember Music Is The New Cotton. Shihan. www.shihanthepoet.com

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:54:58 GMT

I can not believe how many problems I'm having with my website. This Friday I should have a mock up of the new site which has taken so long to finally take form after going through so many different people with different prices and different looks and different s*** but now it looks like the beginning of February the site will be up with a lot easier everything for me so I can update easier fix all the different pages for different forums and it will be a much more consistent site. It will be totally self contained. An Official Shihan Site with all the perks including digital download tracks, a new guestbook/newsletter form, video and a couple of surprises. I'm so happy I finally got the right person to take care of it. And the new Da' Poetry Lounge site shoudl be up around the same time with poet profiles and everything. About 10 poets will be profiled with video and audio clips from each of them it's going to be dope.

Well, aside from a long needed break/holiday. My in-laws went hom early they couldn't take beign in the house but I guess everyone's like that and when you 1st plan it a month seems like it might be good but a couple of weeks in you realize you'd feel more comfortable around your own stuff. And that's precisely what happened. But, it was nice having them around even if it was to help watch Lani:)

This si a mock conjversation between me and my father in-law:

Me: Hey, what's going on?

FIL(father in law): Ahhh, nothing

Me(puzzled): Cool, how about them Red Sox getting rid of Johnny Damon? What do you think is gonna happen with that?

FIL: Ahhh...

Me: Cool, so....uhhh....what's your favorite....uhhh...soup?

FIL: Ahhh,...

Me(jokingly): That's my favorite too.

FIL: Ha...

The End...

So, I've also seen a lot of films over the past couple of weeks. The reviews will hopefully post today and you can see what I thought of everything...I mean everything. I'm even going to watch 'Carlito's Way 2 with Puffy in a little bit and that'll be up there too.

I'm eating some Jalapeno chips and they are fantastic!!! Especially with Lemon Iced Tea Snapple. I'm sweaty cause I just finished teaching. Iam a little cold cause it's chilly in here and I'm wearing a wet t-shirt.

Tonight at Da' Lounge we're having a slam, it should be good but I don't have all the people for it yet. And over the next couple of weeks we're having some good features. The Mighty Mike McGee and Da Boogie Man.

And I almost forgot the documentary I produced(yes, produced I know before I had a co-producer credit but that's has since been changed) has been accepted into the LA Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival so the Pan African Film Festival is first and it makes it's world premiere February 11th at 8:15pm so you need to get a ticket and support and then let me know what you think. There are also auditions being held for the Spoken Word Fest at the Pan African Film Festival this Sunday the 22nd and next Sunday the 29th from 12pm to 3pm. So if you're interested in performing at the Festival come down and show your stuff. Competition is going to be harded this year as there are only 7 slots available. So good luck and the address is 3775 Santa Rosalia Drive at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall. See you there.

I also now need to apologize to Seattle University for having to cancel a show on February 17th I'll be flying to Massachusetts for a conference so I promise the date will be made up soon.

Any schools looking for any last minute additions to your calendar give me a holler and we'll make it happen. I'm also working out giving 10% to the person who makes it happen. And with that ladies and gentleman I bid you adieu as I'm going to try and write my much delayed song with Elsie for her upcoming solo project. Be safe and remeber never let your pen dry. Shihan. www.shihanthepoet.com Music Is The New Cotton. Ink and Think World Tour Coming Soon To A City Near You...

Monday, December 19, 2005

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 23:41:08 GMT

What's going on? My site is crazy you y'all can see, all the pictures are blank and it's getting out of control. But, I can't complain. My In-Laws are in town and the holiday season has me a little extra chill. In fact, I just woke up from a nap 1 minute ago, it's 4:30pm...see what I mean. I am about to go pick up Lani form school but first I need to jump in the shower. How lazy can you be in one day? Pretty lazy. I spoke to Poetri yesterday and I have to send him some positive energy he's in Vegas shooting a commercial and for those curious about why I don't go otu for commercials check back in the new year. I'm looking to get an agent for stuff like that.

Random: Mary J. Blige has officially become a B celebrity. I thought the poster for her album was for a greatest hits collection. She has not been the same since she got happy and no one, I repeat no one wants to see Mary happy. The songs aren't as good.

King Kong is okay. My review should be on my site later today. Yes, I brought my reviews page back cause I got so many emails about it. So I hope you like.

I found $20 on the street. I'm experiementing with money to see how long I can go before spending it all. I'm pulling for 4 days.

Did I mention I've been taking the bus because of my car issues? We're in the process of getting a new car cause Els needs one for work and I need one to get a haircut.

Wasn't "The Goonies" a good movie?

Is Jim Carrey's career over?

Tomorrow is the last DPL of 2005, we have a dope feature Mahogany Browne who was supposed to come a while ago and a dope set slam. I can't say who the slammers are but I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself. So make sure you stop by and say peace before the holiday. I'll see you there.

I've been finally answering my Myspace emails, everybody in the world has a Myspace. To check it out www.myspace.com/shihanthepoet and www.myspace.com/shihantheprototype one is for music the other for poetry. I'll be posting different things on both and some of my Ink and Think Tour dates are up now. About 15 or 16 of them. More will be coming in '06. Expect to see me in about 20-25 states and about 50-55 cities. And I'm going to definitely head out to Hawaii which is one state I have never gone to. I've been to 46 of the 50 states and I'm on a mission to touchdown in them all before the year ends.

I'm about to leave to get Lani so be safe, stay belafonte and never let your pen dry. Be safe. Shihan. Don't forget Music Is The New Cotton. www.shihanthepoet.com