All I see are fireworks.
Just a quick snapshot I was able to capture on my Blackberry of last nights fireworks.
About Kwame Belle
Email: bellek109@gmail.com
Posts by Kwame Belle
Live to Inspire.
From where do you draw inspiration. For me it’s everywhere. It’s my enviorment, it’s my friend who just got the really good job, it’s the blog or site I visit and go man they write so well!, it’s watching Kanye be passionate about art, it’s watching Jay-Z talk about progression, it’s sitting in Barnes and Nobles on a cold rainy day in the city reading magazines in the same corner for 2 hours in between classes, inspiration is knowing that one day my whole family is going to look down on me from the seats in the Campus Center Arena as I get my degree and pat me on the back. Inspiration is everywhere man. I truly do live off of my inspirations. I’m here to be inspired and to hopefully inspire someone else , like truly inspire them. So I don’t know…how are you inspired?
Too Hot to Handle
I don’t know where you are right now but chances are it’s hot as blazes. I happen to be home on a week long vacate in NYC and I feel as though I moved onto the sun. According to my roommates and friends back in Oz, it’s no better there. I’m actually writing this in front of a fan by the way. For whatever reason the AC isn’t running in my house and this has lead me to delirium to some crazy thoughts, such as wishing I was back at Oz to jump in the lake. My latest genius idea was just to soak my shirt in cold water and walk around outside like “its all good baby.”
Anyway. I was browsing the internet while I waited for my megavideo time limit to pass (trying to catch up on The Office) and I came across an article on yahoo.com about the top ten ways to stay cool. I cannot attest for all of them ( like “leave cabinets open as well, as they will store heat.”) but I do know from experience that putting you fan by the window does bring in the greatest natural cool air mankind has ever felt in his room. Of course you need to have somewhat of a breeze blowing outside for this to work and right now there is none -_- . However desperate hot times , call for desperate cool off measures so give the list a once over and see what may or may not work for you. In the meantime I’m going to go give # 4 on the list a try.
( source link)
Harry Potter Craze Hits Oswego
As Harry Potter fever swept the country , Oswego, NY, was no exception. Fans of the film series gathered shortly after 7 p.m nearly 5 hours before the special midnight release.
The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 , marks the end of a successful and fan adored series. Fans have anxiously awaited 9 months for the finale after the cliff hanger of Deathly Hollows Part 1 this past November.
The line trailed the entire length of Hogwarts the Oswego Cinema 7 block and even stretched around the corner at one point. The line contained a wide variety of fans from families , adult fans to small children obviously up past normal bedtime hours for the special occasion.Two lines were organized for movie goers. One for 2D and another for those wishing to witness the dramatic showdown in 3D( the first film of the franchise’s shown in 3D).
Lines started to move promptly at 11:05. Movie attendees were then ushered to various theater rooms, as it seemed that the entire movie house was temporarily transformed into a Harry Potter movie viewing complex. Many were ushered to theaters downstairs ,while others were shown additional seating upstairs. The movie started shortly after 12 a.m (12:08 a.m)
Video of the line for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2
Sunshine
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”– Walt Whitman
Summer Life: Kwame’s Summer Reads
As I said in a previous post , Ive been enjoying the summer life. Now as great as all the barbecuing may be , and as much as I’ve enjoyed my trips to Rudys & Bev’s. There comes a time when the fun must be taken indoors. This has less to do with exhaustion and more to do with those wretched mosquitoes! In any event. During those moments of quiet , I have been doing quite a bit of reading.These are the books that are on my list of reads( in no particular order) before summers out.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin( finished)
City of Thieves by David Beinoff
The Cross of Redemption by James Baldwin
Seat of the Soul by Gary Zuhkov
Nobody Knows My Name by James Baldwin
The Strawberry Statement by James Simon Kunen
The Celestine Prophecy By James Redfield
N***** An Autobiography by Dick Gregory
My ultimate goal was to finish this list before school starts back up , and I definitely intend to try! The only foreseeable issue is that with every book I read or day that passes , I add at least two more books to the list. Oh well. Maybe what I will do when I finish, is make a list of the books I liked in order of impact and relevance to my own life and what I gained from each read. Until then. I’m off to read and enjoy the day , as you should.
-Peace
Summer Life: BBQ Edition
This is DEF not a picture of MY bbq, mine was more charred and ugly
It may be a little bit presumptuous on my behalf to start looking back on the summer already but I must say this summer has been pretty good. In all honesty this is not what I had in mind months ago when I was looking forward to summer. I thought I would take a quick 3 week summer course, hop on the greyhound to NYC, grab myself a nice little internship and just make play dates underneath the city lights.
Instead, I find myself in Oswego, NY, in my second summer course, no internship and oh yeah I haven’t been home since April…April 17th to be exact. You won’t find many complaints from me though. I accomplished a lot so far this summer, not in the way I had in mind; but as you already know and I am learning life has it’s own plans for how things go sometimes, despite what you had in mind.
If you were to visit, Oswego anytime between the months of late October – June. Then you might ask as I frequently did , why anyone on earth would decide to live here. Not because the town or people are bad(they’re not), but because the weather and vibe can be downright miserable. At least for a city kid such as myself.
However summer in Oswego reveals it all. This place is beautiful. I have a newfound love of Oswego. So far this summer I have attended quite a few bbq’s, had a makeshift one of my own , sat by the lake countless times, watched the sunset at Breitbeck Park, missed the 30 minute (felt like 5 minute) July 4th fireworks, been to Rudy’s thrice, Bev’s twice, (btw both were nice) and simply enjoyed the hot weather that is mellowed by a constant breeze off the lake.
As far as accomplishments go there have been a few but…let’s talk about that later. For now , there is still some summer in Oz left for me to soak up.
Gemma’s Room
Directly across from the doorway, is a wall with space which I’ve designated for images, quotes, thoughts and a few articles to tack up. When I first unpacked I put these items, partially as reference points. However the items I choose were near to me. For example the one tiny article you see is my first published piece(ever) , a cut out that says ” enjoy the ride” because I often need the reminder to not be so tense, and a picture of my dog .I have become a big believer in the energy that you allow into your life and space as well as how it affects your mood. The other day I walked into my room , as I had done countless other times, but this time I stopped in the doorway. “Somethings missing” I muttered . Looking around, the incomplete feeling was palpable. Suddenly I saw it… “it” being what was missing. My favorite picture of Gemma my first and only niece. Just the thought of her alone, could bring me to a great place. She represented all that was important to me , love,family , “the joy”. So now front and center in my room , across the doorway sits the picture to my sanity, a brief mental escape and most of all the biggest reminder of the love near to me.Now my room is complete.
The 411
One summer class down and the swan song on math in undergrad. Not too shabby huh? What have I been doing in this past week since class ended absolutely nothing. This is the first true break for me since the spring semester began, yeah travel back that far.
Alright, I may not have been being a complete summer bum, I just took out three books on loan from Penifield. Two by James Baldwin and one by David Benioff writer of the 25th Hour famously turned into a Spike Lee directed Movie, he also wrote the screen play for The Kite Runner and Troy. I figure three books is a enough to keep me pleasantly busy while allowing my mind to recuperate for the way I repeatedly put it through the grinder over these last 5 months. I’ve also been trying to make my way down to the lake as often as I can while the weather is nice and at the risk of this sounding like a match.com profile , I’ve been doing some bike riding around town as well.
At this point I may be enjoying summer days more than my friends. Everyday feels like a gift. One part of Oswego that is so underrated is the summer . We always hear about the snow, the strong wind gust and of course the sunset but summer is the town’s best kept secret. I have made it a goal of mine to share all of the different things that can be done for fun during the summer but I need to be selfish just a while longer. Think of it as a finders fee.
Anyway I need to resume to this summer relaxation but don’t fret you’ll be seeing (hint hint) somethings from me pretty soon. Until then as Rob would say ” let that boy cook!”
Enjoy your summer day everyone,
Kwame
Remembering Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott Heron
I will not assume that many of my peers have an idea who Gil Scott-Heron is, or have any real knowledge of his impact. Most of his work until, recent was produced during the 1970s. By the time I was born in 1988, Gil Scott-Heron was rarely heard from unless to highlight the hard times he had fallen on.
However yesterday, at the announcing of his passing, people across the world responded. Many from various circles and backgrounds. Even Eminem tweeted ” RIP Gil Scott-Heron, He influenced all of hip-hop.” As word continues to spread and more people becomes aware of his passing, the praise and adulation will undoubtedly pour in. Although his impact was felt world wide, his spoken word often dealt with the social issues felt by those within the black community. He became a social activist through the lyrics and lines within his poems and spoken word. Over percussionist sounds his words would flow touching upon political issues , poverty and disparity within government programs.
Gil Scott-Heron’s most popular piece The Revolution Will Not Be Televised took aim at mass media,mocking through references of pop-culture items and the role they played in distracting Americans from real issues.
To truly understand the talent and amazing spirit in which Gil Scott-Heron connected with millions isn’t to read about it, but to experience it for oneself. That is how he impacted a culture and helped to influence generations after. Through his words, his prose , his unique approach to addressing social issues over those rhythmic drums. That is after all how he impacted mine.
So I leave you with the link to his spoken word and the explanation that would come years later to what is regarded as his best work. RIP Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011)
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
“The catchphrase, what that was all about “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” that was about the fact that the first change that takes place is in your mind. You have to change your mind before you change the way you’re living and the way you move. So when we said that The Revolution Will Not be Televised we were saying that the thing that is going to change people, is something that no one will ever be able to capture on film. It’ll just be something that you see and all of a sudden you realize “I’m on the wrong page or I’m on the right page but the wrong note and I’ve got to get in sync with everyone else to understand what going on in this country”
-Gil Scott-Heron