Business…the column this week is on why I think we need to bring downloading back around. Not that it ever really left, but there’s a great chance now that the new Fiddy record could land you in the clink. Speaking of Fiddy, I’m talking about him next week. For a preview, what I’ve got to say is about as nice as his new album. You tell me what that means.
And now, apologies…sorta.

Lately, I’ve had to add my own appendages to people’s comments and, in some cases, totally chopping some of them. I hate to do that–the comments boards are for you, not for me, so I tend to stay off them–but sometimes, it has to be done. So, here are a few quick things to keep in mind when you comment.
1. If your comment distorts a point I made in my post, I’ll put something at the end. Call it clarification. In those cases, either somebody just missed something totally or I did not make something clear. If we’re dealing with the latter, it’s better for me to do that rather than change the post. Then, it really makes the commenter look bad when the mistake is really mine.
2. If your comment is too harsh toward someone that doesn’t deserve it, the chop is in effect. And those someones in question are other commenters. Talk as bad about me or some public figure as you want, but please be somewhat respectful of fellow readers. Opinions are like assholes–most of them stink. However, some are fouler than others, and that’s when I come with that bar of soap called “delete.”
3. If you get a little too personal about me, I get to snipping. Some of you know me, and a few of you know me well. That’s okay, but don’t everybody need to know everything. So, if you’ve got something to say about my family or my relationships with them, chances are I start chopping. There’s not too much about my life that I guard closely, but it’s not fair to put something out there about someone else simply because of their association with me. So, be somewhat cautious about my business, but respect the business of others like you would your own. It’s the only way I can be fair to them.
4. If you say something utterly silly or don’t come hard, you’re getting roasted. Don’t make a generalization if you’re really talking about me. I can handle it. I ain’t comin’ fake about anything on here, so I hope that you won’t, either. This place is all about recklessly informed opinions, so please bring them. If you’re not reckless, that’s fine, but don’t be fake with yours–or mine. But if you say something stupid, I give your cohort the chance to get you. If they don’t, then I show up. So for you sensitive folks, before you post, ask the following–What Would Kirk Do? He brings the noise, folks. Aden does, too, and he’ll be appearing on here pretty soon.
Those there are ground rules…keep ’em in mind.
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And while I’m clarifying things, let’s rap for a second about my post on “I S S U E S.” Thanks for all the well-wishers that left comments. Your kindness was appreciated. However, a few of you overreacted a little bit. That incident didn’t have me come home, drink a pint of scotch, play my records until I didn’t want to hear them anymore, or watch television until television went off.
That was merely about an observation I had during a strange evening. I’m good to mention things about how I feel, but that shouldn’t be taken as something that consumes me. Now, when I wrote on here about the thoughts in my head as I prepared to visit my best friend’s grave, that consumed me, and I have no problem admitting that. Hell, that still consumes me in different ways. However, seeing my ex at a poetry reading did not have the same effect. If it did, my perspective on the universe would need some fine tuning.
When I write on here about how I feel, those are usually just statements made in passing. I’ve figured out that most people only talk about how they feel when they’ve reached some breaking point, and they are totally unable to keep to themselves the anguish they feel. I’m not wired that way. My job, as an opinion writer, is to tell you what I think and feel about damn near anything. That’s all it is. I’m willing to bet that the sorts of things I write about feeling are things that all of you have felt at one point or another. When I put those things on the site, the intent is to mention briefly my own bizarre spin on things. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps I was a bit melodramatic about things, but that wasn’t the intention with that one.
So, yes, I miss my ex-girlfriends. But I haven’t called any of them in more than four months (haven’t called one in nearly three years) and it’s unlikely that I will. Not sittin by the phone with an itchy dialing finger, either. But, for someone who values friendship above all else, it’s wack to not be in a position, for whatever reason, to see how a friend is doing. ‘Tis a damn shame, but that’s life. I’m cool with it, regardless of how wack that is at the core of the issue.
But if you are one of those people that only speaks at the breaking point, let a lil out in the meantime, between time. Makes life a lot easier.
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Playlist
Bob Marley – Is This Love
Beatles – Hello, Goodbye
Dilated Peoples – This Way
50 Cent – A Baltimore Love Thing
Eminem – Spend Some Time
Cee-Lo Green – Let’s Stay Together
Parliament – All Your Goodies Are Gone (a forgotten candidate for the (S)he Ain’t Shit No Way list)
Lil Wayne – Tha Block is Hot
Jay-Z – Brooklyn’s Finest
Johnny Guitar Watson – Tarzan
Twista – Feels So Good
Mobb Deep – Survival of the Fittest
Ozzy Osbourne – Goodbye to Romance
Run-DMC – Rock Box
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And I’m gone.