Kenny's Camera, Cooking & Crazy Confessions

Welcome back for the 5th and final installment of "Africa To America".  You've been following my personal opinions, knowledge and experiences with regards to society, its beliefs and my position within, as an African American.  As much as I intended to open the eyes of my audience, this journey has found me  looking inward with realization, sadness and thankfully, pride and hope.  I have so many things that I'd like to share, but as a good friend advised, I need to bring it to an end at some point.  I would love to cover many more issues, but I don't want to risk stretching out and possibly watering down any impact made at this point and time.  Maybe next year, during Black History Month.  We'll see.  For now, let's get to the big finish, closing it all out by talking about "The Future". And as an added bonus (in honor of Black History Month), I will be featuring applicable artwork along the way by my favorite artist, the talented Kevin "W

Having my son tell me that he wished he was more like me was the highlight of an otherwise disastrous day.  I answered that I had my weaknesses, to which he countered, "But you never SHOW it, dad!" That small exchange made me smile as I sprawled across the couch on my side, waiting for the Aleve to kick in.  I was already frustrated by a nagging rotator cuff in my shoulder and a worn-out knee, one month shy of replacement.  I had also been receiving bad news, non-stop, for the better part of 6 months when another driver AND a police officer informed me while driving that my driver's side rear tire was low/flat.  I drove a quarter mile to the tire center to put air in to ascertain if it were truly flat or just losing air.  That's when my bad back went out on me, while filling the tire. I made it home, popped the pain relievers and awkardly limped my way to the couch like Dr. Frankenstein's assistant "Igor", which brings me to this moment.

It was my original intention to make the penultimate episode an expansive journey into family and the differences between then and now.   But in light of a very recent tragedy, I feel it necessary to share the importance of instilling certain beliefs while they're young (as my father did for me and my siblings).  Beliefs, to which, they will adhere and ultimately, hopefully keep them safe(r) in life.  I know that this can easily be its own story outside of the series, but I think you will get equal value, if not greater.  And again, this is not race- or culture-specific, even though it IS highly needed in the black community.  Hope you enjoy... [...and if you're just now joining the series, you might want to start here with "Africa To America (Part 1): More Than Just A Slave Journey" .] It's Sunday, 5:55 p.m.  I'm sitting in my rocker-recliner as I wait for the family to turn off the video games, televisions and all lights before meeting me in the living r

Hello once again and thank you to everyone who reads and continues to follow my "Wit, Wisdom and Wickedness".  I'm just shy of two months of blogging activity and I must admit that it's as informative for me as it is for you.  Being truthful about myself and going public with it has been quite therapeutic.  Whether sharing my past, my opinions or just a bit of advice, I've really come to enjoy my time at the keyboard. Today, I'm writing to notify you all of a few changes in my agenda. Just recently, Facebook took down 4 of my links to posts here without providing a reason.  All I got was the generic message that they (posts) violated "community standards". Then I learned that Instagram restricted some of my activity because my profile contained a link that wasn't allowed .  That link, as many as you know, is the URL for my Blogger main page: https://zoot580.blogspot.com/ (Kenny's Camera, Cooking and Crazy Confessions).   To date, I have

Note: I am no longer using Blogger.com.  You can find and follow all of my former and current work (including this 3-part story) at ZootsBlogSpot.com .   Be sure to sign up at the bottom for email notification of all my posts.  This story can be found (in a better format) at this link . Let's begin, shall we? Everyone has their idols whether in sports, radio, the big screen or whatever else.  When it comes to music, MY favorite (other than Luther Vandross) singer is hands-down, Chante Moore.  Now, before you gather any opinions because of her beauty, understand that my love for R&B singer Chante' Moore is genuine and well-formed.  I first heard her heavenly voice when she sang backup for El DeBarge on his "In The Storm" album (can we still say album?) from 1992.  She can be heard on "You Know What I Want" and my unmentionable dream-inducing, "Love Me Tonight".  Don't ask.  Let's just say that to me, she has THE most beaut

Hello and welcome back for Episode 3 of my 5-part series, Africa To America , which I call "Hatred Of Self" (if you're new to the party, I strongly suggest you go back to the beginning of my blog series - "Africa To America [Pt. 1]: More Than Just A Slave Journey" ).  This week I want to share a few thoughts on the troubling concept of self-hatred in the black community.  This, as always, is for ALL to hear and I hope that everyone takes something away from this.  Warning: I'm not pulling any punches and this will be raw, so there will be no apologies for what I have to say.  One of my favorite movies is Spike Lee's "School Daze" (1988).  It gives us a closer look at fraternity/sorority pledging, divided friendship, intra-racism and other issues that are believed to occur at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).  Set at the fictional Mission College, the film became quite popular by touching on a subject that you don't n

Ok, it's Valentine's Day and I'm still laughing at all of the people that I saw rushing into the Dollar Tree store to find last-minute V-Day gifts for their significant other.  Wow.  I could go so many different places with that, all revolving around "going through the motions", but I won't.  Maybe it's something I'll cover another day. So while sitting in the parking lot, I happened to catch this couple walking back to their car, not together, and one walking much faster than the other.  Of course, the woman was in the lead (Y'all are always the pissed ones.  Yeah, I said it!  And don't go telling me that us guys are always screwing up.  You all are just quick to anger, for the littlest things!!!  So much for me running for President in 2024, now that this is in print. ).  The guy was trying to talk, or plead about something, but she was NOT hearing it or having it.  I usually mind my own, but curiosity made me reach to turn down my rad

Welcome back for Episode 2 of my "Africa to America" series.  In the first installment, I directed you to the moment AFTER the classic scene in Alex Haley's "Roots" where Kizzy was taken from her family and sold to another plantation.  I shared that the little known understanding was how the loss of his daughter was the breaking point for Kunta Kinte.  Kunta was a proud Mandinka warrior, abducted from Africa and cast into a life of servitude.  Until this tragic event, Kunta had always stood strong in the face of adversity, never abandoning his training and beliefs.  Sadly, the loss of Kizzy and the staggering message from his wife that his beliefs had failed him were more than he could bear.  If you missed my first post, I strongly suggest you read Part 1 first at this link . I hope you had an opportunity to sit back and digest my thoughts on the symbolism behind it.  This was a moment that may have been lost on many who were still caught in Kizzy's depart