Unpacking Peace of Mind: November 1, 2011

October 31, 2021 To read the original post from 2012, click here. Ten years ago, I left my friend Chase’s apartment in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. As he left for work, I began the final leg of my drive from Buffalo to my new home, Newport News, Virginia. I could have made the 10-hour trek in […]

A Critical Mind

Around 1am on a humid 4th of July, I waited outside of my friends’ hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter. I came to New Orleans for my college roommate’s wedding; and after the nuptials, shooting a music video at the reception, and a drink in hand for the past nine hours, it was time to […]

Basketball…In Memory of Mr. Payne

This was written April 28, 2020. With the recent passing of my former basketball coach, Mr. Payne, I felt compelled to share… I had a rough day. There was a lot on my mind, and it thwarted every attempt I made to work. The words did not flow from my fingertips to Microsoft Word at […]

The Death of Single Dadventures

For years I have been writing about a friendship with one person…I fell in love with my best friend. I celebrated the new year with my girlfriend in her hometown; it was quite an experience. I saw an America that only existed in my childhood memories in social studies books I used to read to […]

My Daughter’s Love of YouTube

My daughter would lose her mind if I got a job at YouTube… The statement above is nuanced with several connotations; multi-layered content. Cydney Milner is obsessed with YouTube. If I let her, she will sit and watch it for hours. She constantly asks for my phone so she can observe LOL Surprise Doll videos, […]

Making Christmas Memories, Magic, and Faith

There is lore to Christmas in New York. The real city of lights brightens up a few trillion megawatts, streets are even busier, and somehow, there’s a spirit buzzing around this place is infectious. Almost everything we’ve all seen in holiday movies such as Scrooged, Home Alone 2, Miracle on 34th Street, and many others […]

Hiatus

By mid-August, I was approximately halfway through a series on Instagram I’d dubbed #Summer97: several 200+ word essays I wrote once a day. As I concentrated on the music that inspired my current worldview, I’d hit a creative zone. I was approximately two weeks away from celebrating the five year anniversary of this very blog […]

The Eulogy I Couldn’t Give My Uncle

December 6, 2017. Today would have been my Uncle Jeffrey’s 55th birthday. Unfortunately, God called him home three months ago and my familial dynamic has been very different. I knew I was speaking at my uncle’s memorial service; I wasn’t quite sure what I’d say. He was a street guy, so there were many things […]

Letter To Timile Pt. 2

We’re Winny and Kevin from The Wonder Years…

Little Women’s Intuition

To be six years old, Cydney Milner’s ability to read people is nothing short of Godlike. Underneath all of her quirks, clamors for attention, and always something to say is a keenly observant little girl who pays attention to everything. My daughter is becoming a girl. I don’t mean in the sense she likes […]