Things We Misunderstand as a Society
A short, random list of things I think we misunderstand as Americans today.
5 Things I Thought Were Gay as a Teenager in the Early 2000s
When I was a teenager, we were taught that a lot of random stuff was gay. You ain't hairy? Homo. You dress nice? Fruity. You talking to girls, trying to get to know them? That's gay, bruh. This short listacle is probably the most light-hearted gay culture piece I'll ever write.
Two Sides to Suicide
Suicide, the act of someone taking their own life, is always a heavy topic. Military communities have the "22 veterans a day commit suicide" statistic. The "suicide by cop" scenario is mentioned in some news reports. Christians say that suicide condemns you to Hell. Politicians claim that ArmaLite (AR)-style rifle bans will stop gun-related murders, while ignoring the fact that "self-deletion" is the leading cause of gun-related deaths. No matter what communities you represent, there are suicide rates, patterns indicating "why," and hopefully dedicated suicide prevention resources for those specific issues.
How to Manage Email
Electronic mail isn't going away anytime soon, no matter how many social media platforms and other businesses integrate private messaging systems. Below are a few tips to lessen the dread you might feel when looking at your inbox. No matter how long you wait to check, "you've got mail."
Why Create Content Targeting Black Americans, ADOS, FBA, Freedman Communities, etc.
I've lost a lot of interest in RallyPoint.com, "RP," since writing about professional conduct on the military site five years ago. After sharing links about Black culture like "Complex Layers of Racism" on site last year, I noticed more White people sharing not so subtle pro-integration comments against Blacks supporting our own.
I'm Tired
I'm tired.
I'm tired of phone calls with customer service representatives, or "customer loyalty specialists," talking over me while I'm in the middle of asking a question only to answer the wrong question. I'm tired of saying "I need you to let me finish asking my question" or "I need you to hear this," knowing they're likely to ignore it or catch an attitude. I'm tired of having this almost always happening with women. I used to think this was isolated to a particular Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility because maybe there was a lot of male veterans going off at reps fustrated about VA red tape BS. I talked about doing our part as veterans to improve the VA medical facilities in a blog and YouTube video. But I'm seeing it in other places too.
When You're Not a "Yes" Man
Shortly after sharing my ATTN: Private blog on RallyPoint in 2017, an Army Private said he wished he'd read it earlier. Because of that statement and a month-long break from blogging, I'd planned to prioritize uncommon topics for a short while. That didn't happen as my focus narrowed on my music production goals. But my ideas queue became filled with personal topics similar to lessons from near death experiences and stuff I'm surprised I enjoy.
This topic was at the top of that list for four, eventful years. But this is hefty one that is controversial in some ways. People I've worked with in the past will catch wind of this and wonder if I'm talking about them. Anyone working with me at the time of reading this will wonder if this is passive aggression, despite the fact that they likely already know how I feel about them. If I've worked under you at any point, you're likely in here somewhere. To be fair, I will one day write about my regrets as a leader, in and out of management roles. Accountability all around.
Four years later, in the midst of the Coronavirus era, I'm finally taking time to collect my thoughts on toxic leadership in the hopes that it will help others. Similar to that Army soldier, I hope to help veterans, professionals, artists, and children navigate toxic environments.
Wax By Abby-Brazilian Waxing For Men
I found Wax By Abby while looking for companies that offer Brazilian waxing for men around Hampton Roads. Check Wax By Abby on Yelp for reviews.
Brazilian waxing for men includes the bikini area, scrotum (testicles), penis shaft, perineum (space between the scrotum and anus), and/or anus.
Before Abby, I called many other nearby companies that stated they offered male waxing, but they didn't do Brazilian. The only exception was Waxing the City on Laskin Road but I wasn't curious enough to pay $120 for my first waxing session.
Wax by Abby Brazilian waxing for men is $80 and takes barely 20 minutes.
Story Time.
Podcast-Weekly-08292017
First published on September 18, 2017
My Plans for 2018
First published on January 30, 2018
Having unfinished New Years Resolutions on my mind everyday for the last few months reminded me why I abandoned the trend nearly 10 years ago for looser short-term goals that support broader long-term goals.
They’re usually too rigid to amend with new information, analytics on released content, trends or events, and feedback- all of which help direct creative flow when choosing what projects I work on next.
Assist the Aid of Homeless Women & Citizens of Kenya
First published on March 18, 2015
Everyone knows there are less fortunate people who seek shelter wherever possible daily. For some people, only the thought of homeless men come to mind. But what about the women? What about their feminine hygiene needs? The NPO (Non-Profit organization) Distributing Dignity works to address that. Spread the word. Donate some money. Don’t like the idea of a percentage of your donation going toward advertisement? Go to their Amazon wishlist to purchase and send them needed products to help the cause. I saved their Amazon wishlist and send them something when I make an Amazon purchase.
Future Me
First published on October 12, 2015
Would you ever want to send a message to yourself in the future? What about to others? FutureMe.org
Pleasure Wet Wipes
First published on November 23, 2015
Pleasure Wipes smell like fruits. It’s an unnecessary addition if you already have good flushable wet/baby wipes, but if you want to replace a foul or lack of scent in, err, specific areas, with an edible one, these may be worth a try. Just a thought.
AsianDating
First published on May 21, 2017
My $70 Platinum 3 month long subscription to AsianDating.com has finally expired. It wasn’t a complete waste of money, though. I met plenty of real women with real intent to get to know each other. Although the issues I had with DateInAsia were present in AsianDating, customer service was great about handling reported potential scammers. I found AsianDating while reading into Online Dating Safety Tips. They’re ran by the same organization, Cupid Media.
She Fought Alone Movie
First published on January 4, 2016
I won’t say much more than needed. Rape, and false accusations, is always serious. Do you want a movie to get that point across to someone?
It's titled "She fought alone full length movie" on YouTube. You may have to log into YouTube to see it. Here's the IMDB link link.
Black Unity Essay
First published on June 6, 2016
When I took a course on the relationship between music and politics last year, I got the opportunity to write a two thousand word essay on my choice of topic related to the course. I decided to write about the transition and differences between what Hip Hop/Rap was in the beginning and what it is today. I emphasized the use of racial slurs and others’ view on it, also. Admittedly, It’s not a very well written piece. However, If you’re interested, feel free to read on.
Podcast-20171220-Black Lives Matter (BLM), Religion, and More
First published on January 7, 2018
Being a Real American, Black Lives Matter (BLM), Religions, Body Mass Index (BMI), Lying to Tech Support, Making Music, and Transitioning into the Civilian Workforce
Why I Stopped Wearing Bandanas
First published on February 18, 2019
From the 42 second mark of my single "Unique":
"Hey cuz, you a blood?"
"Nah."
"Oh, aight."
*Walks Away*
What Does it Mean to You?
First published on March 27, 2017
After reading about why milk is racist I felt the need to get a few thoughts out of my mind about what something means to me – the American Flag. So I’m sharing my thoughts with WWW – because 2017. The “milk isn’t that healthy” argument has caught more attention since this white girl drank milk at the end of the movie “Get Out“. Now more people are talking about the effects of milk on people of different races and how much it truly helps strong bones.
This Is My Story
First published on July 29, 2019
One of the purposes of this blog is to tell my stories and leave a legacy. My experience and knowledge can help others and I want to ensure I do my part to improve the future for others. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will and you may not like how they manipulate it to suit their needs. It may drag your name in the mud to boost them on a pedestal while minimizing your contributions.
Releasing Music in 2017
First published on September 11, 2017
Before the two rough mixdowns in mid-2015 (Atmospheric1 and House26) I hadn’t released any music since my mother’s Ride ‘Em album. But the recording engineer, not I, mixed those beats. I’d hoped those tracks showed my versatility and potential, though I didn’t choose them all. Instrumental 613 is still my favorite on that album. I remixed Instrumental 413 because its popular on iTunes but I didn’t like the drums and overall feel of the beat. I’ll cover the story of the others in a later blog.
November 2017 SITREP-Performance
First published on December 4, 2017
November 2017 was an unexpected growth spurt in many areas of my life.
I’ve applied some skills learned from work including Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates and Cloudflare Content Delivery Network (CDN) configuration for higher security and speed. My GTmetrix score still sucks, though.
Introduction-Welcome to Go Live Lively
First published on March 9, 2015
Thanks for visiting Go Live Lively, a newly created blog primarily intended to be a hub able to provide valuable information and resources regarding two important realms of our daily lives:
Hello 2019
First published on December 31, 2018
I did so much in 2018 between enhancing JtSpratley.com and releasing music. I took a short trip down memory lane and even updated my wardrobe.
One thing I didn’t do:
Fitness-My Outlet
First published on August 28, 2017
Music is my therapy. It’s how I deal with life emotionally. resistance training is my outlet. It’s my favorite way to escape life mentally for 1 hour, grounds me daily, and boosts my mood.
Blacks and Hip Hop
First published on May 30, 2017
10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself More Often
First published on October 31, 2016
Hopefully, this short post sparks a path to personal development – 10 Questions, ~500 words, and a challenge of self-reflection.
6 Ways to Continue Improving Daily
First published on November 21, 2016
You should learn a few things every day. If you’re at a mental plateau, here are a few pointers to improve yourself daily.
6 Things I Wish I’d Done in High School
First published on March 25, 2019
I read and exercised plenty as a teen. However, there are many things I wish I’d done during high school. This is short list of reflection which I hope helps others.
5 Things I Never Thought I’d Consider Fun Before I Turned 30
First published on April 24, 2017
I enjoy some essential tasks now that I nearly despised over 10 years ago. I hope this short list provides a new perspective or at least some nostalgia.
5 Things Death Taught Me
First published on October 9, 2017
Seeing death and losing loved ones have caused me reflect on five things constantly.
5 Tasks to Start 2017 Fresh
Though you should be living life to its fullest everyday, a new year gives you an objective new start of some sort. Whether you have new years resolutions or not, here are five things that will help you start any new year off fresh.
