Q.Ledbetter: My Blah, Blah, Blog

Let's try this again....

2010-02-16T06:49:00.002-05:00

Out of curiosity I came back to this blog to find that Spammers had attacked it. Rather than delete the 10 comments about free medication and what not, I thought I'd just post another message to let everyone know that I no longer use this blog.

I have moved it to my web site, www.qledbetter.com

Follow me there.
...or, follow me here ----> twitter.com/qledbetter

later.

New free Q.Ledbetter download (two new songs)

2009-09-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone, this link will lead you to this week's download: http://bit.ly/h17IY

Let me know if you want the download links for the past 4 weeks. Pass along to a friend.

Your support means everything and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time out. Thank you.

-Q.Ledbetter

News?

2009-09-15T06:43:00.001-05:00

CNN is doing a story right now called, "Has America Lost Its Manners?" They are interviewing an author of a book about etiquette. I keep thinking this is going somewhere, but it isn't. They are really spending 5 minutes talking about proper manners.

Oh man, the anchor just asked, "So, is it okay to be rude to people?"

The response,

"No, it is not acceptable to be rude. In fact, there is a general resistance to people who are rude, and that's a good thing."

Really?! I'm done.

-- Q.Ledbetter

Face the facts Jack!

2009-09-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

A bad habit of mine is to google symptoms of illness whenever I encounter them. Today, I have a slight pressure in the left side of my head. I was sure this was a migrane, but I decided to check out WrongDiagnosis.com anyways. As always, this was a bad idea.

WrongDiagnosis.com led me to links concerning terminal brain tumors, puss build ups, and the need for one of those head scan things. As it turns out, I was just hungry and needed to eat.

A few years ago the glands in my throat swelled up and WrongDiagnosis.com said I may have HIV. It turns out to be due to exposure to mold in my basement mixed with some sinus issues. What I'm saying is: Don't go to WrongDiagnosis.com. It'll just freak you out.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I'll pay any one of you $1,000 to name your son Frodo Baggins.

2009-09-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

I was in Macy's today and the following exchange took place:

Me (to sales rep): Excuse me. Where would I find the umbrellas?

Sales Rep: Downstairs. Once you come off the escelator they'll either be to the left at the far end of the men's section or to the right at the far end of the woman's section.

*TRANSLATION*

Sales Rep: They're downstairs, either at one end of the store or the other.

Irony for breakfast, anyone?

2009-09-05T06:54:00.002-05:00

TRUE STORY:

A man shows up to a town hall meeting. The man supports the idea that Obama is a Nazi and wants to turn America into a Socialist country. The man does not believe in Government sponsored healthcare because he feels that universal healthcare is not the responsibility of the taxpayers in this country.

That same man brags that he had a terminal, life-threatening illness and paid for treatment on his own WITHOUT having any type of healthcare. How did he do it?

....He asked for monetary donations from his friends, church, loved ones, and people in his community.

That's a true story. Sit on that for a second.

I don't know how you feel, but I feel like it is the responsibility of the strong to support the weak. We're all in this world together.

The good newness

2009-09-03T07:17:00.002-05:00

TOTALLY forgot to provide my blog/note readers with this week's free music and video download.

This link is for two new (and FREE) Q.Ledbetter tracks and a video of me writing a new song in the studio.

Enjoy and thanks for all of your support. I appreciate it more than you can possibly believe.

http://bit.ly/B0v2j

No one is really all THAT important.

2009-08-31T10:36:00.002-05:00

The word "hater" is being over used. Just because someone has an objective opinion it doesn't necessarily mean that they are hating. These people just don't like something you like. The way I see it, if you don't like something for a legitimate reason, then you're not hating.

If you don't like that woman's dress because you think it's ugly, you are NOT a hater.

If you don't like that song because the content is regressive and the beat is uninspiring, you are NOT a hater.

If you don't like being around someone because they are pretentious attention hogs, you are NOT a hater.

If you don't like when people with fancy cars act like they're better than everyone else because their seats are heated, you are NOT a hater.

If you don't like superficial women because they are superficial women, then you are NOT a hater.

Being branded as a hater is so unfavorable that people are afraid to dislike things that they have every reason in the world to dislike. I am not saying that their is a definitive line that needs to be drawn between what people are allowed to hate. I am just saying that opinions are opinions and they differ.

The problem comes when people dislike things for no good reason. THAT is what defines a hater. Hating Lil' Wayne's music because you don't think it's good is not hating. Hating Lil' Wayne's music just because.....that's hating.

Let's try out this new logic:

YOU: Hey Quincy, do you like Tom's new BMW.
ME: No! I hate it!
YOU: Why?
ME: Because, man....
YOU: Because what?
ME: Because!!!!!

HATER!

YOU: Hey Quincy, do you like Tom's new car.
ME: No! I hate it!
YOU: Why?
ME: Because its changed him. Ever since he got that car he's been thinking he's better than everyone else and talks shit about everyone else's car.

NOT A HATER!

Furthermore, we need to stop assuming that people are hating on us. I would say that 99% of the world are NOT celebrities and, therefore, not worth paying enough attention to to hate on in the first place. So, one could assume that unless you are someone worth knowing about, then you're not being hated on and if someone IS hating on you (as defined above), then you're probably looking for people to be hating on you. I mean come on...who in their right mind would think that they're great enough to be hated on in the first place?

I may be wrong, but I open up the lines for debate if you're willing.

ready.set.go.

Get your goodies.

2009-08-26T00:52:00.002-05:00

So, I hired someone to help me with promoting my music because it's something that I suck at. He suggested that every week I post a new video and generate a download for everyone. I've been doing it for two weeks and it seems to be working.

This week the download include a brand new song of mine, as well as live audio of me covering a Radiohead song from my last show.

All for free. Just click this link and get your goodies!

http://bit.ly/32JMTM

The downloads come every Tuesday.

Wolfe Blitzer has lost the crown...to a baby.

2009-08-25T07:37:00.003-05:00

I think it was last month when I posted a blog saying that CNN news anchor, Wolfe Blitzer, had the most kick ass name in the world. This is no longer true. I just found out that a fella (and talented musician) I met when I first moved up to New York has a new baby boy. His name: CASH DANGER O'BRIAN

I am pleased to report that I'm not even kidding about this. That is, hands down, the most kick ass name I've ever heard in my life. The boy was born with an ass kicking boot on his left foot.

You sissy-face-yellow-belly-flower-loving punks sleep on THAT!

Dear People Who Think Obama is From Kenya

2009-08-19T17:24:00.002-05:00

Dear People Who Think Obama is From Kenya:

I'm really wondering if we should continue being friends.

I mean, really. No offense; but, really.

Your "friend",

-- Q.Ledbetter

Dear Men With Lower Back Tatoos

2009-08-19T17:19:00.002-05:00

Dear Men With Lower Back Tatoos:

Stop it.

Sincerely,

-- Q.Ledbetter

Exercise Those Rights (ass)

2009-08-19T06:34:00.001-05:00

THE FOLLOWING IS A REPOST FROM RYAN CONNER'S BLOG. I JUST HAPPEN TO THINK IT'S GENIUS:

A lot of people are showing up at Obama's town hall meetings carrying guns. Two guys today had assault rifles. When asked why they brought them to a health care town hall, they responded that they're just exercising their Second Amendment rights. When asked what the Second Amendment has to do with health care, they responded, "Freedom! GUNS! Grrroooooowwl!"
If I get a chance, I'm going to go to one of these and exercises my Constitutional rights. People will ask, "Why don't you have any soldiers quartered in your home?" And I'll just let them know, "I'm exercising my Third Amendment rights to not have soldiers quartered in my home without my consent. Freedom. Health care. Socialism. Obama is from Kenya. Blahhhh!"

"Hey Ryan, I noticed that you're here at the health care town hall, but you aren't being waterboarded. What's going on there?"
"Well, fine questioner, I'm only exercising my Eighth Amendment rights which protect me against cruel and unusual punishment. Freedom good. Socialism bad. Grrrr...."

"Well, Ryan, why do you oppose health care reform that could help 47 million uninsured people get insurance?"
"That's another great question, sir or madam. Well, you see, about half of my friends don't have health insurance. Comics can't get decent insurance unless they can afford about $500-$700 per month. And I say we keep it that way. If everyone can get health insurance, the next thing you know, I won't have any freedoms. For example, if my friend Rory was to get health insurance, I wouldn't be able to bring my AK-47 to Burger King. How fucked up is that? I love freedoms. And if my friend Danny was to somehow get health insurance, the government could force me to be a Mormon. Freedom good. And if my friend Justin was to get health insurance, I would lose my freedom to not have a government bureaucrat anally brutalize me. Come on America. Save my anal virginity. Say no to health care for all!"

Advice from me to you

2009-08-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

boogie 'til you break somethin'

Amazing

2009-08-16T11:55:00.001-05:00

Nothing makes sense anymore.

-- Q.Ledbetter

www.qledbetter.com
www.myspace.com/qledbetter
www.twitter.com/qledbetter

Geeeez!

2009-08-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

Even the iPhone app for MySpace is lame. I wonder what will be next after Facebook is played out.

-- Q.Ledbetter

www.qledbetter.com
www.myspace.com/qledbetter
www.twitter.com/qledbetter

the best bloggers don't blog....the best musicians don't musician

2009-08-11T21:42:00.003-05:00

What up wit' daaaaaat??????

I would very much like for a few people (who will go unnamed) to start blogging more and a few musicians to make more music, even if only to entertain me on my sleepless nights. You're depriving the world of your wit and your skills. Let's get on the ball folks. I mean, I have blog links to the side of my blog (www.qledbetter.blogspot.com, in case you're reading an RSS feed) for a REASON!!!! If you're on my blog link list, that means I think you're a genius and you should show off more.

Instead there are people who have blogs that shouldn't. These people write everyday and here you are...to "busy". Come on!

IN OTHER NEWS:
Is it just me or does rap look REALLY retarded lately.

IN EVEN BETTER NEWS:
Click here to download my new video and demo track: https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=MnFpWmdxeFhnYU5jR0E9PQ

IN SOMEWHAT "AIIGHT" NEWS IN COMPARISON TO THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED "EVEN BETTER NEWS":
I was watching MtvU while surfing iTunes this evening (my favorite thing to do to pass the time) and a video came on that I fell in love with. The song was incredible, the video was unique, yadda yadda yadda. Who was this? I need to know in...

3
2
1

Moby?????
Really?! Moby?! I mean, I didn't really follow Moby back in the day, but that's just because....well, I don't really have a good reason. I just didn't. Long story short: Now I do. His new album makes me feel fuzzy on the inside.

....and I mean that in the best way possible.

pour the 40 for the homie

2009-08-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

So, today my very good work buddy got fired. There was no laying off about it; this dude got fired. I'll miss him because he's one of those people who would be the subject of this conversation:

PERSON: Hey, do you know Leon?

HOOD RAT: Hell yeah I know me some Leon!

PERSON: What do you think of him?

HOOD RAT: Dat fool don't give a f----k!!!!!!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, beyond being a stand up individual at least 98.5% of the time Leon was they type of person who didn't give a f----k and for that he was and is one of my heroes.

So Leon, I know you will be reading this blog post eventually, so let me just say this:

1) I'm sorry for using your name in this post. It felt appropriate and you're not sitting next to me in the office anymore to talk me out of doing so.

2) You're the freakin' GUY, man. I'll come up to Queens more often. We'll hang.

Q.Ledbetter - "What We Believe"

2009-08-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

Click To Play

Oh Corporate America

2009-08-05T15:07:00.001-05:00

Working in the corporate world is a lot like being in a passively abusive relationship that you're not sure you should get out of. It's like your spouse doesn't BEAT you, but they hate your family. It's like you're 21 years old and you want to break up, but don't because you both have a cell phone family plan and it would just be too much of a hassle at the moment; what with all the severance charges, plan changes, and such.

I my job and I have an interesting relationship. Spiritually, I can't really say I hate my job because, let's face it, I'm very fortunate to have one. Saying I hate my job would be like a homeless man getting mad at someone for putting dirty dollar bills in his beggars cup.

Homeless Man: May I please have a dollar?!

Kind Person: Of course! Here you go!

Homeless Man: Thank yo--...wait. What is this, ketchup?!

I've lost my point and I don't have time to figure it out again. I guess (and I do mean, GUESS) what I am trying to say is that it is hard to appreciate being in a place where we are not seen as real people. This goes for almost any job. We are human resources, not humans. We are not people, we are intellectual capital that would be replaced by a machine or a "global resource" if at all possible.

If you have the means to be your own boss, then take it. If you are already your own boss, then cherish the times because I would give my life to no longer have to give my life to a suit.

Out.

-- Q.Ledbetter

www.qledbetter.com
www.myspace.com/qledbetter
www.twitter.com/qledbetter

....more fun with technology

2009-07-31T14:08:00.001-05:00

So I was not pleased with my last blog writer application for my iPhone, so I got a new one. Like the last time, I am testing to see if this post goes up wherever I have set my routing feeds; meaning I should see this on my blog, facebook notes, and my phone.

...all brought to you from the safety of a men's room stall here at work.

Technology sure is amazing, ain't it?!

Dear Cosi Lobster Melt Sandwich:

2009-07-31T11:35:00.002-05:00

Dear Cosi Lobster Melt Sandwich:

Let me start off by saying, this is not at all like me. My family and friends know me as a calm and cool player when it comes to these sorts of things. Today, it seems, all that has changed because although we have only just met, I think I may be in love with you.

I don't want to go into specifics, but when we met during my lunch break I was strangely drawn to you. Could it have been the way the cheese melted away at your sides like water from a bubbling spring? Could it have been the sent of your delicious spices? Could it have been that you came with a side of chips? One can never be sure what attracts two lovers, but whatever "it" is, I feel as though we shared it.

Cosi Lobster Melt Sandwich, as we shared those delicious moments together, savouring every nibble upon the edges of your flat bread exterior, I began to imagine a future where you and I were as one in the throws of affection. With all hopes of not seeming too direct, I have already made copies of the keys to my apartment for you to have. There is no extra room, but I will not be discrete in my hopes that your resolve to the lack of space would be to join me in my room (or the refrigerator where you will be waiting for me when I am, again, over thrown by uncontrollable hunger). The choice is yours.

So Cosi Lobster Melt Sandwich, I plan to see you again very soon. Perhaps for dinner sometime this weekend or for lunch during a lunch break next week. We will speak of politics and share secrets of our love. Our spicy, delicious, cheese melted love.

Yummy:

Mr. Q.Ledbetter, the First.

Damn. Are you serious!

2009-07-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1616542/20090720/beastie_boys.jhtml

A conversation between Q.Ledbetter and his new pimple.

2009-07-28T14:49:00.005-05:00

Q.Ledbetter is conversing with the pimple on his forehead. Let's listen in, shall we?

PIMPLE: MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Q: What?! Who's that? Where is that oh so sinister laughter coming from.

PIMPLE: It is, I. Pimp Pimple! MUAHAHAHAHA!

Q: Oh. You. What do you want this time?

PIMPLE: I have set camp on your forehead to terrorize you on your dates and interactions with women.

Q: Oh yeah?

PIMPLE: Yes! Women will run for the hills as soon as they see me perched atop your dome. They will rally in restrooms and local coffee shops to trade gossip stories, not about meeting you, but of meeting ME!!!!

Q: What women?

PIMPLE: What do you mean, 'What women'?

Q: I mean, exactly that. What women?

PIMPLE: Why, the women with whom you go on dates with, Q.Ledbetter.

Q: Are you sure you have the right Q.Ledbetter?

PIMPLE: I'm positive! *thunder crash* MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Q: Sorry, dude. The only women I encounter on a daily basis are the women at work and I mean....c'mon....They're only really interested in how quickly I can put together a spreadsheet.

PIMPLE: Really?

Q: Yes. Oh, and the weather. Everyone at work seems to be very interested in the weather.

PIMPLE: Well then...I suppose my timing is a bit off.

Q: Way off.

PIMPLE: Hmmm...would you like to go out on a date with me?!

Q: Ummm...are you a female pimple?

PIMPLE: Yes. Can't you tell?!

Q: No, I can't actually. Your voice is very gender neutral.

PIMPLE: My name is Leslie.

Q: That can be a dude's name, too.

PIMPLE: Well, I'm not.

Q: Sure. Well...I was going to go to a movie tonight. You're welcome to roll with me. In any case, you're attached to my forehead, so I guess you'll be coming along anyways.

PIMPLE: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Q: What now?

PIMPLE: I'm going to ruin this date, Q.Ledbetter! I'm going to RUIN IT! You'll look hideous.

Q: Fair enough. I really wanna see "Up".

PIMPLE: Me, too. I hear it's very touching.

fin.

Hipster Parody

2009-07-28T13:58:00.001-05:00

It has been decided that my good friends and business associates, Ryan Conner and Michael Cummings and I, will write and shoot a short film about Hipsters. The film will take place in Brooklyn, New York (the Hipster Mecca) and will star Ryan and myself.

In this film we will be in a band called Ass Crash Monster. The music will, indeed reflect what you imagine when you hear that band name. Be on the look out.

In other news:

Under no circumstances should you nor your loved ones eat Indian food for three meals in a row. Not even on a good day. This will affect your well being quite unfavorably.

...and with that I bid you all a good day.

In case you weren't aware...

2009-07-28T09:50:00.005-05:00

Radiohead is medicine. It's just that simple. If you feel bad, just play some Radiohead. Hands down, the best band of our generation and the 2nd best band in history.

The end.

Really? We're still on this?

2009-07-28T06:29:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time, my brother applied for a government job working in a warehouse and underwent a rigorous background check from the U.S. government that lasted a bit less than a year. They found everything out about him from his birthday, to the day my dad purchased our first car, to his social networks, to the specifics of his work history.

That being said, I think it's a safe bet that the same government can find out whether or not The President of the United States is an American.

text convo between me and my mom

2009-07-24T20:06:00.003-05:00

*Prompted by me not being able to visit them in Virginia this weekend.

MOM: I thought U were coming home. Did U have to hang out with DIDDY?

ME: Yeah, had to go to Barbados with Beyonce. Not gonna make it.

MOM: I'm so sorry. Outcast was coming over. I know they wanted to kck it with U ;-)

ME: Geez, they just won't leave me alone!!!! Tell them I'll catch up with them later.

MOM: OK. Good night. I guess I will have to party with them alone.

fin.

Pigeons

2009-07-24T15:10:00.003-05:00

Pigeons are zombie birds. All they do is fly around and feed on things. Today during my lunch break I went to the a dock on the Hudson River and I was mesmerized, looking at the pigeons do their thing. Their "thing" only entails flying and eating. Some of them hurt their legs, but their constant hunger pulls rank on their pain.

I admire the pigeons. They're not afraid of humans. Unlike other birds, they don't fly away when we approach. They just wait for you to drop food. I was followed by a pigeon once. It looked like it was trying to race me. It was cute.

Lately, I have had an issue with birds (not just pigeons) flying towards my face. City birds don't play games. In the past couple of months I can recall three times when I've ducked for cover because a bird was flying right at my face. It's scary. These birds up here have issues. We need to strike fear in their hearts so they know who's boss.

I need me a Yoko Ono.

A co-worker said that I should take a vacation to the islands and meet "a nice Caribbean woman". She had just visited the Bahamas last week and said the kindness of the women down there made her think of me. Oddly enough it made me feel good just to know that folks are thinkin' about a brotha. Score!

This is the most terrible blog post in history.

So yeah, back to pigeons....

Pigeons aren't even pretty birds. They're very plain looking and they have that crazy, maniac zombie look in their eyes. Check it out:

I heard that if a zombie pigeon monster bites you, then within 4 days YOU turn into a pigeon; and you are doomed to a life of scrapping for bread and rice crumbs around office buildings during lunch hours.

Think about that.

A very special guest blog post from the President's new dog

2009-07-24T15:08:00.003-05:00

arf arf!

Testing Science

2009-07-21T14:08:00.001-05:00

I just bought a blogging app for my iPhone. I am writing this to see if it posts to my blog and then my facebook notes automatically.

And all from the comfort of the men's room.

Govern yourselves accordingly.

Complainy McComplainstein

2009-07-21T09:05:00.004-05:00

Last year someone replied to a blog saying that I complain too much about everything. I disagree, but my last couple blogs have been a bit bitchy. Here is a list of things that are awesome that I've had the pleasure of taking part in recently:

-Falling asleep to rain

-Performing my music

-Laura Marling (Buy her music.)

-The Cold War Kids (Buy their music...especially their second album)

-Family time

-Living in NYC

-Sleeping on the couch on weekends just because I can

-Getting home at sunrise

-Making fun of hipsters with Ryan Conner and Mike Cummings

-Making fun of hipsters making fun of us

-Writing and recording a new EP

-Shooting Amanda Diva's weekly Diva Speak TV Mini's

-Talking about shooting/producing a real show with Amanda Diva and Co.

-Rising above

-Watching movies

-Writing movies

-Playing guitar

-Making music

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Life is grand most of the time, isn't it?

Dear People Who Don't Touch Door Knobs

2009-07-21T08:52:00.002-05:00

Dear People Who Don't Touch Door Knobs:

I mean, seriously? You don't touch door knobs? How do you go into and out of places? I understand wanting to stay away from germs, but let's get real. There are germs everywhere. You cannot escape them. Besides, I'm sure you touch and do more harmful things than touching door knobs.

Sincerely,

Quincy G. Ledbetter

P.S. - If you're the type of person who doesn't flush toilets because you don't want to touch the handle because of all the germs, you're creating a far more unsanitary environment than you know. It's gross.

Flush the toilet and touch the door knobs. They won't kill you and chances are they won't even make you sick.

A "LOST" sighting

2009-07-21T08:50:00.003-05:00

There's a dude in my office who looks so much like John Locke (from "LOST", no the philosopher) it's scary.

Alright, that's it.

John Locke

Dear Wolf Blitzer

2009-07-17T06:42:00.002-05:00

Dear Wolf:

I just did research and I realized that your name really is Wolf Blitzer. You have a very bad ass name and I'm sure it has worked to your advantage with the ladies. Also, I'm sure you have never had to play a sport in your life or sleep with massive amounts of women to prove your manhood. I would never question the manhood of a man named Wolf.

I imagine college is when it started working in your favor. You were most likely at a college party and something like this happened:

WOLF: Hello super models.

MODEL 1: Who the hell are you. Can't you see we're much too attractive to talk to you.

MODEL 2: Yeah, totally.

WOLF: I think you'll change your mind about that momentarily.

MODEL 1: Look cheese ball I have a boyfriend!

WOLF: What's your boyfriend's name?

MODEL 1: It's Brad Pitt.

MODEL 2: And my boyfriend's name is Jermaine Jackson.

WOLF: I see. Well, my name is Wolf Blitzer.

MODEL 1: Understood. Would you like us to remove our clothes now or later.

WOLF: Now is fine, but could you go get me a beer first? Thanks.

Wolf, I'm sure your father was either very stoned all the time or a home-schooled race car driver. Wolf, I've read your Wikipedia and it doesn't mention that you were born in a karate dojo. Why? With a name like Wolf Blitzer I am sure you were born in a karate dojo, or perhaps, hatched from an eagle egg. No one knows the truth, but I know you were not born from a woman's womb with a name like Wolf Blitzer. Your claws and underdeveloped talons would have surely damaged the trappings of the female anatomy.

Wolf, all I am trying to say is that your name is very bad ass. Please do not get angry with me and kill me with lasers from your eye balls.

Sincerely:

Q.Ledbetter

Dear Guy Married to the Woman Sitting Next to me at the Movies

2009-07-13T07:24:00.002-05:00

Dear Guy Married to the Woman Sitting Next to me at the Movies:

I don't know if you've noticed this before, but instead of laughing, your wife screams. I mean this quite literally. At times when other human beings are laughing, your wife screams and stomps her feet. It's obnoxious.

Leave your wife.

Sincerely:

Q.Ledbetter

Oh yeah....Jersey City

2009-07-10T06:22:00.003-05:00

Last night I got home at a little after midnight. I hadn't eaten and I'm far to lazy to cook, let alone go to the grocery store, so I decided to get some pizza from the parlor two blocks from my house. Sometimes I forget that it's not a good idea to walk around my neighborhood after a late hour. I was reminded last night.

As soon as I walked out of my front door in route to the late night pizza spot, I spotted two shifty looking gentlemen across the street who were walking in the same direction. (NOTE: People look shifty for no reason in Jersey City Heights.) They were talking loudly and laughing until they saw me and began looking EXTRA shifty. I ignored it at first and just assumed I was being paranoid, that is, until they started whispering and pointing at me. Oh boy.

Like I said, they were walking parallel to me on the other end of the street to my left. I didn't tense up or anything, but I was mentally preparing to "engage" with the two gentlemen in case they were plotting some sort of attack. Just then, I heard a loud voice coming from my right.

FLAT LINE FLAT LINE, MUTHA F---KA!!!!!
FLAT LINE FLAT LINE!!!!

The guys on to my left stopped whispering and everything got quiet until we heard the yelling again, "FLAT LINE! FLAT LINE, MU'FAKKA!!!! FLAT LINE! FLAT LINE!"

Seconds later me and the two gentlemen, still parallel, passed by a street corner and the source of the yelling could be seen. A boy, about 15 years old, marching (not walking....marching) down the street, clearly angry about something that had happened seconds before. Apparently, yelling death threats to the world was his therapy.

I did something that I have never done before when encountering shifty individuals on the street. I walked faster. Significantly faster. Almost to a gallop. The guys who were walking parallel to me were no longer parallel. They were gone. I don't know if they had turned around or had turned down some other block, but I know that they were gone. They were the smart ones.

The rational thing to do would be to turn my ass around and go back home. My hunger would not let me think rationally. I needed pizza and by golly I was going to get it. I kept walking. The boy kept yelling. I got it in my mind that he was just rapping lyrics to a song, but as he got closer to me I could see that he was not wearing headphones and the cadence at which he blurted the words was not reminiscent of any Junior Mafia track I had ever heard. No. This guy was just crazy.

I went into the pizza spot and prayed that this lunatic was not as hungry as I was for pizza. He wasn't. By the time I got my pizza and headed back on my way home it was 12:32am. The streets were empty and dark and my good friend, "Flat line", was not to be seen or heard. I thought all oddity's were at rest for the evening, but then I passed by a mother and daughter. The mother looked to be in her mid 30's the daughter no older than 10. The little girl had a fresh black eye and tears streaming down her face, having been punched no more than a few minutes before.

Jersey City Heights, ladies and gentlemen.

MJ and other stuff

2009-07-09T06:39:00.004-05:00

It's been a looooong time since I've posted anything that I feel has been worth reading. I will attempt to do so in 3....2....1....

I am still very much in disbelief that Michael Jackson has passed. I don't think it has really even hit me yet. As a matter of fact, besides an odd feeling in my stomach, I'm very numb to the whole ordeal. When I found out I didn't even really flinch. That's not to say I am not affected, but for some reason I haven't been able to show it. Michael Jackson has been a staple in my life since I was born and for that to be gone now feels funny.

Some people in my age group are saying that they feel like their childhood is over now. I understand, but I'm not sure I'd go that far. I mean, I haven't forgotten what it was like to chase the ice cream truck down the blog. I haven't forgotten how it felt to guard the secret of which girl I "liked" in school. What makes it feel weird is that Michael Jackson was there to compose the soundtrack to all of those feelings. I have always been able to attribute a moment in my life to whatever Michael Jackson song was hot at that time. I'll miss that.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I've been doing more shows lately. I'm not sure who I'm trying to impress - maybe just myself - but, doing live performances is a lot of fun. In a way, it's like holding a mirror up to my face because I'm starting to realize how badly I suck at guitar. When listening to my songs I don't sound like I'm that bad. Even when I am my own audience, I feel like I'm not too shabby and don't need to know scales or the names of chords to do what I want to do. It's only when I'm in front of an audience of people staring at me that I realize I need to step my game up a bit.

So, I will do that.

Work is getting more and more frustrating by the day. I don't hate my job, but it's almost starting to feel like my job hates me. Does that make sense? Probably not.

I've been torturing myself in a way by volunteering for additional responsibilities. Even when my work load is full and barely manageable I volunteer for another project or take on some other mundane task. Fear is the only reason I do this. I'm afraid that if I don't do everything, then my superiors will start to feel like I'm good for nothing and do away with me. With the economy the way it is and my addiction for being a grown up (paying rent, dealing with bill collectors, eating food, etc.) I refuse to subdue to some abnormal struggle by not having at least SOME TYPE of income coming in.

Anyways, this on top of being Black in the corporate world makes me feel obliged to do extra. A friend criticized me once for "pulling the BlackCard" in this situation and I understand her point that things aren't as bad as they were before, during, and immediately after the Civil Rights Movement; however, a discomfort still exists. I am no stranger to being over looked for promotions and acclaim in my past jobs for no logical reason other than it just being because my triumphs go unrecognized. I do happen to think that some of the time (only SOME of the time) this is because I am Black.

I am thinking of a time when I was in line to become a manager for a company where I was working. My superiors all told me I was next in line to get this position. Months later when the position was available it was given to a white man with no experience. ZERO experience. No seriously....Z-E-R-O. There is no logic behind their decision to give him the job over me. No seriously.....NO LOGIC. I can't explain what lead me to believe that if I were white I would've gotten the job I was in line to get, but when you're in that type of situation you just know. Even when you step out of the situation and look at it objectively. You just know.

Now, I am NOT having this problem at my current job. My superiors always make it a point to tell me how well I am doing and how valuable I am to the team. It's just that past experiences such as the one I just mentioned make me terrified that it's all just a game and they really don't mean what they say when they tell me how important I am.

I'm not bitching, so don't comment on this blog bitching about me bitching about being Black. Because I'm not. I'm just saying. I take on these extra assignments and responsibilities because I'm insecure about my role here. Part of that insecurity comes out of knowing that a lot of times minorities, thought no longer the minority, are still minorities. I mean the fact that we're still CALLED minorities proves this fact to some degree.

I turn 29 in a week and people seem to think that this is a big deal. I don't think it is. We live in a culture where we're taught that time is running out. Most of us feel as if we should be married by a certain age, we should have sex by a certain age (and depending on your age at a respectable frequency), we should have children by a certain age, et cetera. This is all bull crap. I stand firm in my belief that time doest REALLY exist. It's a matter of perception.

Do you know that in some cultures they don't even keep track of age?! I was watching a video where Sean Lennon traveled to Africa and he went to visit a tribe that was COMPLETELY cut off from civilization. (I mean, if you showed these people a television they wouldn't know what to make of it.) They never kept track of their age. Sean was talking to the village hunters and asked one of them how old you had to be to start hunting. After his question was translated, one of the hunters pointed to a boy standing with them. Sean asked, "Yes, and how old is he?" They didn't even understand the question. The translator said, "They don't concern themselves with tracking age."

I'm not at all saying I want to live in a village, wearing a grass skirt and hunting boar, but it would be nice if we didn't track age in our society. I think with that burden off of people's minds we would focus on something more important. I do know for a fact that people wouldn't give up on themselves so easily if they didn't know how old they were.

Alright I've ranted enough. I have more, but I think I'll type it in another blog.
Later.

...and the winner for Most Inappropriate Plug goes to

2009-06-29T10:01:00.004-05:00

JOE JACKSON!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/06/28/lemon.joe.jackson.cnn

There are two key points in this interview that offer some insight as to what could have possibly caused Michael Jackson's behavior over the years.

1) Joe Jackson (MJ's father) says about his family, "We're very heart broken. We've lost the greatest entertainer of all time."

Ummmmm....how about referring to your recently passed son as YOUR SON and not "the greatest entertainer of all time".

This maybe just me reading too much into the statement. You could attribute that to Joe Jackson's old age. He just wasn't thinking straight. Right?! I mean surely he cares about his son passing away and is deeply saddened and affected by the loss.

Oh wait--

2) At the 3:13 mark of the video (via the link above) Joe Jackson calls up a business partner and they plug their new record label. Right. Naturally. You're being interviewed and asked how you feel about your beloved son's - oh excuse me - your entertainer's death. What better time to promote your label.

So Joe Jackson wins the gold medal for Most Inappropriate Plug in the Douche-Bag Olympics.

Congratulations.....douche.

UPDATE: More mention of the record label at the 2:37 mark and the 4:24 mark of this video presconference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE2mh2Wp1aY

The ideal thing to do would be to stop mentioning it all together. Even Al Sharpton should know that.

I'm not good at proving points.

2009-06-15T06:28:00.002-05:00

My roommate/best good buddy Mr. Ryan Conner forwarded me a video of a high school freestyle battle. (NOTE: I tried to find the video on YouTube, but I gave up after the first try. Sorry.) One of the contestants had a wayward way about him. He was just "off". I thought he was mentally challenged, but Ryan argued that he was just a bit nuts. He won the argument. Here's how:

Me: Dude, look at this guy. He's clearly mentally challenged.

Ryan: You don't mean fully retarded, right?

Me: Yes.

Ryan: No way. Look at him. The only thing off about him is the look on his face and the way he's standing. He's just really slow; not retarded.

Me: He's retarded, man. Look at Forrest Gump. He was really slow, but he was fully mentally challenged.

Ryan: *pause*

Me: Wait...Forrest Gump didn't really exist, did he?

Ryan: Nope. He didn't.

Me: So I guess the point I'm trying to make doesn't really make much sense, huh?

Ryan: Nope.

Me: Alright, you win.

Too much goodness....

2009-06-05T08:22:00.002-05:00

Quincy Ledbetter Reminder: Fandango has an Overwhelming Offer available ...

These words were welcoming me as I ventured into my e-mail inbox. I see what they were going for, but I was a little uncomfortable what it was saying. The use of the word "overwhelming" in this case makes it seems like I shouldn't pursue their offer because I wouldn't be able to handle it. It sounds more like a warning than any promise of good fortune.

Mind yourself Quincy Ledbetter. These savings will kick your ass bloody!

I haven't blogged in a while because I haven't had much to say about anything, but now I have something to say. I plan on starting an Internet beef with Spencer Pratt. Google him if you don't know who he is; or just read the post from two or three blogs ago.

More news has been released via Mtv News that Spencer is taking this rap thing seriously now. Now, I haven't seen The Hills, so I can't comment on his acting ability, but something tells me that it can't be as bad as his rapping. He should end this fruitless pursuit or I shall end it for him with my deep roots in the music industry and boundless clout with top executives.

NOTE: I'm being sarcastic....kind of.

So the Internet beef starts now. Whenever I see Spencer I will welcome his presence with a series of crude looks served with a side order of indifference. I am confident that Spencer Pratt is someone I could take in a fight. This says a lot because I'm as weak as they come when it comes to physical confrontation.

I've lost my voice. I had a show lined up that I had to cancel because my voice went on me. I was hella bummed. I still am actually.

I like ending blogs on a dark note, so that will be that.
Buh-bye.

interesting blog

2009-05-14T17:05:00.001-05:00

ice cream 'n cake, son.

Spencer Pratt

2009-05-13T13:12:00.003-05:00

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1611096/20090511/story.jhtml

After you click the above link you will come across yet another sign of the Apocalypse. Spencer Pratt has taken it upon himself to embark on a rap career. He calls himself "The White Jay-Z" and notes that the only rappers he is feeling right now are Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mayne. He also said that he is trying to stay in the lane of ring-tone rap.

Interesting.

Saying you're trying to create ring-tone rap is like purposely acting retarded so you can try to hook up with a hot nurse who works at a care facility. It's like the plot of a really bad movie.

I got a new guitar this weekend. It's pretty much bad ass, but I got it for all the wrong reasons. Nothing is wrong with my Fender acoustic....nothing at all. What happened was, my roommate came home with a new guitar and it sounds sweet as crap. It's like he went to Heaven's guitar-making factory and stole their finest one in stock. It doesn't use steel or nylon strings. It's made with angel hair.

Anyways, I went to try out guitars yesterday (Sunday) and ended up buying a Taylor electric-acoustic that sounds close to my roommate's new guitar. His is still better, but mine is comparable, which is cool. Since I'm doing live shows now I figured I should get a guitar that would make my playing sound a bit better.

YOU: Quincy, I'm sure this is interesting to people who find this interesting, but I'm not interested. You should definitely talk about something else before I stop reading this blog.

ME: Yeah, you're probably right.

This weekend I was in a diner with friends. The waitress came by and asked us for our orders. I wanted the Cajun chicken fingers with seasoned fries because they looked appealing in the picture from the menu. There was one problem though...cole slaw. I hate cole slaw. I don't even like the way it sounds or looks, let alone the taste. It's gross.

Anyways, the waitress came by and the following exchange took place:

HER: Can I get you guys anything?

ME: Yes, I'll have the Cajun chicken fingers with fries, but could I get a different side besides cole slaw?

HER: It comes with the cole slaw.

ME: Right, but could I exchange the cole slaw for another side? I really don't like cole slaw.

HER: It's not a side. It just comes with it.

ME: So I can't exchange it for something different?

HER: No, it comes with it so you can't exchange it for something different.

ME: Ok, well could you come back in a few minutes, so I can decide on something else?

HER: Well, everything comes with cole slaw, so no matter what you get it'll come with the cole slaw.

ME: Oooooooh! I thought the cole slaw was a side dish and I wasn't allowed to exchange it for another one of your sides. But, now I see....so everything comes with the cole slaw?

HER: Yes.

ME: Ok, I didn't understand. I'll have the Cajun chicken fingers with the fries, then.

See what happened there? Simple ass mistake. When I see cole slaw in a picture with an order of food and I don't see cole slaw in any of the other pictures of food, then I think cole slaw only comes with the dish with which it is pictured. So, after this whole thing the waitress had an attitude with me the rest of the night. I didn't notice it because I'm oblivious to things like that, but all of my friends confirmed that:

a) I was an ass. Not a mean sort of ass, but a "Geez, this guy is a f---kin' idiot" sort of ass.

b) The waitress hated me and gave me mean looks the whole time we were there.

I didn't notice she had a problem with me until she refilled my lemonade and rudely reached across my face and over my food to put it on the table.

I have problems when I got to restaurants. I always have particular orders, but I'm always nice and polite. I think my kindness should over rule my specific desires when selecting a dish to eat. I think that's fair.

Okay, bye.

Classic Exchange #189

2009-05-11T10:12:00.003-05:00

The following is an exchange between me and a co-worker.

ME: Hey, have you ever heard of Chester French.

CO-WORKER: No...I have a friend named Dallas French.

ME: ....ummm...Okay.

CO-WORKER: Is there any relation?

ME: No, Chester French is a Pop band. There is no relation to your friend Dallas French.

CO-WORKER: Oh, okay.

NOTE: I'm sure he was joking, but still....such things must be noted.

all that shuck 'n jive

2009-05-08T06:44:00.003-05:00

I work in an office. I have a great job, but it's the complete opposite of what I want to do with my life, so I spend most of my time scheming on how to get out of needing to work a regular job. I was thinking about setting the foundations for my criminal enterprise, but then I saw The First 48 on A&E and realized that I just don't have the chops for it.

LESSON LEARNED: The police will find you.

It's all for the better, though. I'm good at everything except crime, so it's back to the drawing board.

I'm from Virginia (DC Metro area to be exact) and I live in New York. Needless to say, there are some key differences between me and the people that live here. I have always thought that "The Monkey" was a term to describe any type of STD. For example, "You'd better stay away from that one, dog. She got dat monkey!" My co-workers had never heard of this term and I thought they were crazy. They said it was probably a southern thing. I inquired to other people who are from where I'm from and they've never heard of this term either. That got me to wondering where I had heard this term before. I can't remember.

LESSON LEARNED: Test the validity of witty slang and phrases before applying them to the vocabulary.

...and now some random thoughts
I've done nothing to Mike Tyson to make him want to inflict bodily harm on me, but if I saw him on the street, I think I would make moves in the opposite direction. The guy once threatened to eat some one's babies. Yuck. I also just saw a photo of him sitting on an expensive couch, holding a puppy. He looked very gentle. Now I don't know what to think :/

Dealing with important people is difficult until you become important, as well. At which point, you will probably become difficult to deal with. In essence, we're all striving to be inaccessible by making ourselves more accessible to people who are inaccessible.

There are people who have private Twitter accounts. I imagine this is because they don't want people to know what they're doing.
*blank stare*

fin.

The sun is out for the first time in what seems like a whole week and a half. I plan on doing some frolicking in the city. Not enough people frolic. I think we should go back to that. More people need to frolic and skip and hold hands. New York is the place to do it.

If life were a musical, then frolicking would be common place.

PARTY ON MY BLOG!

2009-05-08T06:42:00.002-05:00

Sorry. No one is here yet :(

Come back at around midnight. Things get poppin' at midnight.
...and don't wear sneakers. We don't allow that here.

My boxers and me

2009-05-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

WEDGIE: Hello Q.Ledbetter!

ME: Oh no! What do you want?!

WEDGIE: I want what I always want...to get up in dat ass.

ME: Well, now is not a good time. Could you come back later.

WEDGIE: No.

ME: GET LOST!!!!

WEDGIE: Why don't you make me. No one is around.

ME: Fine!!!!!

WEDGIE: No..wait...let's talk this out...Fool, take your hands offa me!

ME: Oh hi, Office Hot Girl. I didn't even hear you coming around the corner.

OFFICE HOT GIRL: Hello Quincy.

ME: Ok...well...later.

OFFICE HOT GIRL: Okaaaay.

WEDGIE: SCORE!

I need more perspective on this (specifically from Black Men)

2009-04-30T06:11:00.002-05:00

Follow this link and read the article from The Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/the-most-embarrassing-cnn_n_193095.html

I was on my lunch break yesterday and saw this report when it aired live. As I watched the report I couldn't believe that someone at CNN thought it would be a good idea to do a few minutes on how "black" President Obama is. I was so shocked that at first I couldn't even determine whether or not I should have been angry. Being a black male in America is difficult enough without our stereotypical mannerisms being mocked by Kyra Phillips (the female news anchor) on my lunch break.

NOTE: Check the moment at the end of the interview when she insists on receiving a fist bump from T.J. Holmes. Are you serious?!

I grew up surrounded by black men in my family and I am a witness to the FACT that not all black men replace "ER" or "OR" with an "A" at the end of words like "swagger". My father never has. Not all of us walk with a limp and give each other pounds instead of shaking hands. When I was 7 years old, I didn't go to a special school where I learned the mannerisms I was supposed to have because of the color of my skin. I graduated from a predominately black University and most of the students I partnered with didn't shuck and jive due to some predetermined Swagga Gene received at birth.

We are in a day in age when such associations are unjustifiable. Truth be told, I know more white people with the alleged "swagga" described in this news cast.

In a nutshell, I did not find the story to be humorous or the slightest bit accurate. I, however, am more disappointed than angry. Keep in mind, I am a black male in America. Being associated with the "swagga" stereotype happens more than you can possibly believe. Honestly, if one more person is blown away at how articulate I am (as if I'm not supposed to be), I'm going to explode. My point is I expected better out of a national news channel.

But, enough about what I think. What are YOUR thoughts?????

social tip-toe

2009-04-27T06:15:00.006-05:00

There is a fine line between ambition and annoyance. The grey area of having to wonder whether or not you are one or the other is the most irritating part about being in the entertainment business. You don't want people you're trying to work with to think you're annoying and you definitely don't want them to think that you're not ambitious. How can you tell when you're being one or the other?

Hmmmm....

Swine Flu has run willy nilly. I posted about it on my Twitter page. (Did I tell you I have a Twitter now? Oops. More on that later.) I think Muslims across the nation are looking at the rest of us like, "We TOLD you so!!!!" I'm not sure what to think. I never thought pork chops could hurt me, but I guess I was wrong. I'm very disappointed pork chops....VERY disappointed.

Hmmmmm.....

So, as I mentioned before, I got a Twitter page. I got it for one reason and one reason only: A time will come when I can actually benefit from having a Twitter and I didn't want to wait to get to that point in my career to start one. I didn't want to try to start one and see that a fan has already started twitter.com/qledbetter. If that happened, I would be annoyed. Then I would have to start twitter.com/therealqledbetter, which is just lame because anyone can be the REAL Q.Ledbetter.

I also like the idea that Ryan had. He started a Twitter page only to post things that no one would care about, hence, exposing Twitter for what it is; and that is a site where people post things that no one else should really care about. I mean, let's get real. Twitter is just a mechanism for stalkers to know what you're doing at all times. Am I right folks?!

So yeah....I have a Twitter page now....Follow me.

COMMON SENSE: Q.Ledbetter, you are such a hypocrite!

ME: What?! Who was that?! Who are you?! Show yourself!!!!

COMMON SENSE: It's me, numb nuts! I'm not surprised you don't recognize my voice. We haven't associated with each other in a very long time.

ME: Ohhhh...hello, Common Sense. How have you been?

COMMON SENSE: Oh, OK...so NOW you want to talk to me!

ME: Look, I'm sorry. Things have just been crazy.

COMMON SENSE: Your life is falling apart Q.Ledbetter, and it's all because you stopped listening to me.

ME: I wouldn't say my life is falling apart, per say, but it has been----

COMMON SENSE: What about that girl you were dating from the end of last year until February?

ME: Well she and I weren't really dating because we never actually went out on a---

COMMON SENSE: Exactly.

ME: You make a good point.

COMMON SENSE: What about a couple of weeks ago when you refused to get business cards made and now that you actually NEED business cards, you don't have any.

ME: Well, you know how I feel about business cards.

COMMON SENSE: ....and now this Twitter thing. I must say Q.Ledbetter. I expected this out of a lot of people: Lil' Wayne, Soulja Boy, Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Jesus...

ME: Wait...Jesus has a Twitter page?!

COMMON SENSE: Not yet, but He's thinking about it. I'm trying to talk Him out of it.

ME: Wait....Jesus and I have the same Common Sense?!?!

COMMON SENSE: I'm universal, dork! That's where the "common" comes from. Besides, who says I can't take on multiple clients?!

ME: I guess that makes sense.

COMMON SENSE: I'm very disappointed in you Q.Ledbetter. Shame. For shame!

ME: :(

fin

That's a conversation I just had with my common sense. It was brutal. I'm sorry you had to sit through that. I'll make it up to you, though. Let's go for ice cream :D

Followers!

2009-04-22T13:07:00.003-05:00

I just realized that people can follow your blog. This goes beyond simply reading the blog on a regular basis. No. Now people can follow your blog. As of right now I have 5 followers.

I enjoy having followers. I love you all...all 5 of you.

In other news:

I just returned from an ice cream social that my office threw for us. The ice cream was very creamy and everyone stuck to their own cliques...as expected. I did not want ice cream because ice cream is one of those things that I have to be in the mood for.

One woman who works in our office tried to get me and my office buddy, Leon, to socialize with everyone else. We didn't budge. She called me Quinton. My name is Quincy. I didn't want to correct her.

The problem is that now that I know she thinks my name is Quinton and I didn't correct her, then how will I correct her in the future? "Hey, I know you've been calling me Quinton for the past 5 or so months, but my name is actually Quincy." She'll say, "Why didn't you tell me that before when I called you Quinton all those times?!?!"

I won't know what to say. Do you?

My job sponsored a writing class that taught us strategies on how to write and communicate more effectively in a corporate environment. I realized 2 things during this 4-hour class:

1) As the days go by I dream more and more of the day when I am my OWN boss.

2) I've been writing my blogs all wrong and if what I learned in that class is any indication, none of you have read a word of what I've written for the past 3 years.

cheers.

A special brand of American

2009-04-22T12:54:00.003-05:00

It is no secret that America operates based on fear and this video is an example of how that affects the sanity of it's citizens. Check out what is said at the 4:40 mark.

These idiots are talking about not paying taxes, removing their children from school, and burning books for teaching Evolution.

idiots.

back to report

2009-04-21T06:10:00.002-05:00

I sucked last night. I didn't really screw up too bad, but the thing is that it wasn't a historic performance. Before I do anything for the first time I expect myself to not only do well, but to do HISTORICALLY well. I wanted jaws to be dropped and I wanted people to be hung on my every word. I did some self analysis and determined that I did not expect said praise, but I wanted it and when I didn't get it, I got bummed.

I strayed from saying, "Hi everyone this is my first time performing in front of anyone and I'm afraid." I wanted to, but I hate when people do that. It's like saying, "Excuse me if I do a bad job tonight...it's justified." There's no excuse for how I did besides that I'm not all that great as a performer and I'm terrified of people. I should work on getting over it. I'm going to do it again next week, for sure. Those mother effers are going to respect me, damnit.

The past 3 times I have done my laundry I have done so without folding my clothes and putting them in the proper place. I've been living out of the laundry bag, which is fine by me. I try to motivate myself by dumping my clean, unfolded laundry in places where it will get in my way. For example, I'll dump my laundry on my bed so that I'll have to fold it if I want to go to sleep. I'll dump my laundry on my living room couch so that I have to fold it if I have guests coming over or if I want to sit down to watch a movie.

The problem is that when I usually don't go to bed until my body is ready to quit on me, so a much easier solution is to just put the clothes back in the laundry bag. Also, I hang out with people who don't really care about your laundry, so when they come over they never say, "Quincy, get your life together and fold you laundry!" they just say, "Nah, it's cool. My laundry isn't folded, either." Tonight, however, I will fold my laundry and start living my life the right way.

Work is getting pretty hectic. We have a new boss who is the boss of my other two bosses. She recognized my work-horse mentality early and has given me a few projects to work on. My other bosses are clearly not too pleased with this, but what can they do or say about it.

I am on an endless search to find a woman who will not go COMPLETELY banana nuts on me after 3 months.

The end.

plucking strings 'n such

2009-04-20T13:27:00.003-05:00

I'm doing my first acoustic performance tonight at an open mic in the city. I'm VERY nervous, because it'll be my first time singing in front of anyone besides my roommate. I know I'm talented, but I'm just worried about acceptance.

It's pretty funny because my fear has been leading me to come up with every excuse in the book to NOT perform tonight. The following is what I've come up with:

"It's raining today. I'll go on a day that it's not raining."

"It's a bit cold still; Spring hasn't hit. I'll start performing when the weather is warmer."

"I'll just go to watch tonight to get a feel for what's going on and next week I'll do my thing."

"I'm scared."

Bottom line is that I'm going to do it no matter what I say to myself. So I may have a report tomorrow or later tonight.

Stay tuned!

I had a conversation with my brother about Twitter today. He and I both decided that there are only two good reasons to have a Twitter page.

1) If you're famous.

2) If you are sarcastically using Twitter to make fun of Twitter.

Other than that, what's the point?
Your thoughts, please.

this commercial is so gay

2009-04-08T11:50:00.003-05:00

I agree with the point being made in this commerical (though, I am guilty of the offense). I like how Hilary Duff, of all people, comes out of no where with the most ridiculous logic in the history of all time.

They should have used a racial example. That would've conveyed the idea a bit more effectively.

My pimp training begins soon....

2009-04-08T07:40:00.003-05:00

Ryan and I were at our friend Ankur's place hanging out over the weekend. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but the conversation turned to my love life (or rather, a lack thereof) and Ankur swore to place me under a tight regime of pimp training. He thinks it is atrosious that I do not "f---k b---hes on the regular", which is a sentiment shared by many of my male counterparts. I can dig it. I do not f---k b----thes on the regular and I am the type of person who typically would be. I'm a musician. I should be a rolling stone and have at LEAST 7 children by 6 mothers. Flava Flav and Ol' Dirty Bastard both have more than 10 children each. Mama wants grandkids and I've got some catching up to do.

My mother wants grandkids. She has said this numerous times over the past few years. I'm pretty sure it's at a point where she doesn't care WHO bears these children. I'm pretty sure I could get a girl pregnant. That would be easy. I don't mean to imply that I'm turning down poontang left and right, but...I mean...you know....it's available. These days getting a girl pregnant is as easy for anyone as a pot head coming up on a dime bag. I remember watching movies like Coolie High and seeing the main characters try so hard to get women out of their knickers. I remember watching that movie and thinking, "Wow, am I going to have to try that hard?! No thanks, Frank!" It's just not as difficult these days...which I think is sad.

My family (brother and sister specifically) do not think I like "black things", i.e., Tyler Perry movies and Rap Music. For the record I LOOOVE Hip-Hop. I'm one of those people who will tell you that Hip-Hop saved/changed my life. I just like good Hip-Hop. I love movies made by black film makers. I just don't like "black movies".

Let me explain.

There is a sub-culture in the realm of Black Entertainment that operates on a set of rules. These rules are set up by us (black folk) and no one else. We oblige ourselves to create and support sub-par work and I think it gives people of other cultures the chance to discredit our work by calling it "black ______". Black music. Black movies. Black comedy. I don't think it is fair for example, to say, "Brick Bronson is a really good black comic," as opposed to, "Brick Bronson is a really good comic."

Most of us think this is a good thing because it gives us a sense of individuality, but it does not. It awards people (of all races, even our own) the opportunity to NOT see us as an equal. You will notice that when an entertainer is accepted by all races that entertainer is known by their name and not given the title "black _____."

Dave Chappelle and Spike Lee are a perfect examples. People don't refer to Dave Chapelle as "a really good black comic." They say, "Dave Chappelle is hilarious." Film critics do not write off Spike Lee's films as a "great contribution to black cinema" and leave it at that. Further, people do not watch John Singleton's Boys in the Hood and say, "Wow, what a really good black movie!" It's just a great movie.

So what makes these entertainers and others like them so acceptable beyond the restrictions of the title "black ____"? They do not limit themselves to a certain tactic or skill level. They do what they want to do. Richard Pryor did what he thought was funny without considering whether or not people would accept it. I mean really, it takes BALLS to do the Mudbone thing....B-A-L-L-S. Pryor's bravery has no predecessor so there was no way for him to determine whether or not other black folk would respond or even "get it". It just shows that he didn't think about that sort of thing. He thought something was funny, so he said it and he did it. He didn't stop and think, "how will black people respond to this."

The fact of the matter is that if we are just ourselves, then we will identify with each other and the black experience will get across naturally. I am a black man. If I share my experiences through entertainment honestly, then THAT is the black experience. How can it not be? We don't have to say our words a certain way or stick to a certain type of subject matter to get our point across; nor do we have to try to appeal to anyone of any other race. We just have to be ourselves.

I'll be the first to acknowledge Tyler Perry's talent. You can't discredit the fact that he knows what he's doing. It just breaks my heart to see him limit himself in the ways he is. He is sticking to a formula and it's boring the hell out of me. It's at a point where characters from one film are showing up in his televisions shows and vice versa. "Black comics" feel like they have to act a certain way and touch on certain topics and other things are off limits. All this is doing is creating and supporting stereotypes and giving us an excuse to limit ourselves and be limited.

I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. Feel free to share your thoughts if you like.

something is very wrong with this

2009-04-03T15:32:00.006-05:00

While chitty chatting with a friend on Facebook I noticed an advertisement that kind of caught me off guard. You tell me what you think.

NOTE: Click the image to make it larger if necessary. Trust me, it's worth it.

It looks like an add to call a little girl named, Kenya.

Snapple is creating a brand....in my dreams

2009-03-29T14:25:00.002-05:00

I had a dream that seemed to be a nightmare, but it ended with a girl offering everyone Snapple. She had a platter of Snapple and was handing it out to everyone in the midst of all this chaos. She exclaimed, "There's always time for Snapple," then I woke up.

Is this the future? Is this what marketing is going to be moving forward? Are we subject to commercials even when we are asleep?!

I'm on to you Snapple.
I'm on to you!

this is like The Grudge

2009-03-24T12:20:00.002-05:00

I was on a dating show in 2006. To this day they are STILL playing my episode. Literally, only ONE person knew about me being on this show. Now everyone knows. I got a text from my mom this morning after she had just seen it. One of her texts, in reference to my appearance on the show said, "You definitely have some skills."

If you had seen the episode, you would know that she was being sarcastic.

Seacrest Out.

multiplicity theories and day dreams

2009-03-23T08:09:00.002-05:00

I have decided to donate my body to stem cell research so that the President can clone me and I have more time to tend to the needs of others. I am not saying that I don't want to help my friends, but when they are all asking for things at once it gets kind of tough to handle. The only way to make myself available to everyone and still be able to take care of myself would be to develop a slave of me. I will call it SLAV-Q.0

SLAV-Q.0 will handle my photo shoots and studio sessions for people who come up to visit. I will work in the studio on new instrumentals that people will actually buy. SLAV-Q.0 will fold my laundry. I will actually do my laundry. I have no problem doing my laundry; it's the folding and putting it away that sucks for me. SLAV-Q.0 and I will split the work week. I will go Wednesday to Thursday and Q.0 will go Monday to Tuesday. We will alternate Fridays.

SLAV-Q.0 will have a shut down mechanism just in case it decides to develop a mind of it's own. After about two weeks of dealing with the stuff I deal with in some of my photo shoots, it will most definitely try to revolt. I can't have that.

So, I'm really exhausted today and I dozed off at my desk this morning. Whenever I am sleepy I talk jibberish because I imagine conversations with people and I think they are actually happening. This morning when I dozed off, I woke up and exclaimed, "WATCH OUT SAYID! ONE OF THEM KNOWS KARATE!"

I'll let you decide for yourselves what I was dreaming about.

I'm getting better....

2009-03-20T06:05:00.002-05:00

I'm not the type of person to toot his own horn, but there are a number of things that I am getting better at and I thought I'd take this opportunity to shamefully point these things out:

British Accent
Those of you who read this blog often know that I am obsessed with the British accent. I think that anytime anyone says anything in a British accent they sound intelligent; far more intelligent than me anyways. My fascination with the UK dialect prompts me to mimic it 90% of my day. I do it at work, I do it on the train, I do it when I buy movie tickets, and I do it in the shower.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to BE British. I'm not one of those guys who walks around trashing on America and talking about how things in the UK are superior to America. I don't even think the British accent is the sexiest accent (everyone knows that French is the sexiest accent). I just like the way it sounds.

Anyways, I've never been able to say "No" correctly in a British accent, but I have almost gotten it down. Americans say "No" as it sounds, but the British say "Naorrr" (that's the best I could do to type the way it sounds).

Also, I've been trying my British in a high to middle toned voice. It's much easier to do it in a slow baritone drawl.

.....the more I write this blog, the more I realize that I may need to be committed by the time I am 60 years old. Hmmm....stay tuned.

Self-Promotion
I'm getting better at promoting myself. I have NEVER been a fan of assuming people should know and respect me and my music. I've always thought, if people like it, they like it and if they don't, they don't. But now, while maintaining the 'I don't give a fart' principle, I have been pushing my music out to more and more people and not necessarily waiting for them to ask me to hear it. Recent events have led me to work harder at getting to a situation where I am making music full time.

This seems like a good time to tell you to check out my web site at www.qledbetter.com

Making Music
I have improved as a producer and musician by leaps and bounds in the past month.
...That's it.

Alright.

Love yourself.
later.

P.S. - My mother, who is in her early 60's, sent me a friend request on Facebook. I'm not sure how to handle this. Sometimes women say things to me on that site that mother's are not meant to see.

P.P.S. - Mom, if you're reading this, I assure you the advances made upon me by insane females are unprompted....at least I think so.

P.P.P.S. - I suppose there are some flirtatious things I say to women via Facebook in a playful way that would lead my mother to think that I am some sort of sleazeball or PlayBoy.

P.P.P.P.S. - Mom, if you're reading this, I assure you that I am in no way one of those PlayBoys who chases tail.

...you see how complicated this is for me.

www.qledbetter.com

2009-03-18T06:45:00.002-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen I have a web site now. This is not the first time I have had a web site, but it is definitely the first time that I have NEEDED a web site and the first time that a web site bearing my name will be frequently updated. In fact, I think it's safe to say I didn't have a web site the last time; it makes more sense to say that I had a fancy template posted on line with my name on it.

Anywhoodle doodle, I am sure by now you're like, "Oh Q.Ledbetter, enough hibbity jib from your lip. GIVE US THE LINK TO THE WEB SITE!" This tells me two things about you:

1) You're not very observant (the link is the subject to this blog post).
2) You love me. You REALLY love me.

Here it is: www.qledbetter.com

Again, I will be updating the site frequently. Not everyday, but frequently enough for you to stop by a couple times a week and find something new. Even if it's just to link to this blog and read up on my rants.

Ok...thanks for the support.
All we need is love.

later

Text convo between me and my parents.

2009-03-02T07:23:00.003-05:00

MOM: R U working today? Did U have a lot of snow?

ME: Yeah, it's a lot. I'm at work, though. You?

MOM: U poor thing. Dad said turn off the lights when U leave because he knows U R there alone.

...this is where I get my sarcastic attitude from.

This is Your Brain on Drugs

2009-02-10T23:56:00.001-05:00

An Awkward First Date

2009-02-09T14:31:00.001-05:00

This next one is reserved for people who know the characters. Bill and Carlton work in the same office as I do. They are two of my favorite people in the office because they're really cool, so this video was made out of love:

A. Rod Interview

2009-02-09T10:12:00.001-05:00

Racist Martin Loses a Friend

2009-02-09T08:44:00.001-05:00

i promise i'm only a LITTLE BIT serious about this

2009-02-08T23:37:00.004-05:00

So, I woke up at exactly 6:38am Sunday morning and was pretty disoriented. While I was disoriented I started to think about time travel and realized we've been going about it all wrong. Instead of thinking of time as a tangible thing (it isn't) we should be taking a more conscious perspective.

Think of any time your dreams have reached a climactic point, but just before you fall off that cliff or land that kiss with the guy/gal of your dreams your alarm clock goes off. How does your alarm clock know to go off right before your dream is realized? I'll tell you how. The alarm clock goes off BEFORE you have the dream. Stay with me.

We all know that dreams aren't actual events, but they are the result of some activity in our subconscious. Time can be stretched, events can be controlled, etc. If real life is the result of a universal consciousness, then who's to say the same thing can't occur?

A sane person can say that Q.Ledbetter.

What? Who are you?

I am your subconscious.

Oh...hey, what's up?

You're what's up?

What? What do you mean?

Listen to yourself. Listen to the hopslop you're feeding these people!

I'm just sayin'....

Yeah, that's the problem.

Well, maybe if you made more sense I wouldn't be so irrational.

Don't try to blame this on me!!!!

I'm just sayin'. You're my subconscious and, therefore, have a lot to do with what I think. If I make no sense, then who's fault is that?

I'll need a second to ponder that. You may have a point

Yeah...me too.

So, if you came up with that time travel theory, then does that mean that I came up with it?

Yep.

Hmmm...

But, wait...if you're refuting my time travel theory, then does that mean that I am, as well?

Yep.

Hmmm....

Well, I guess we're at a crossroads, my friend.

It would appear so.

The Story of Ivory "Pretty Red" Wilson

2009-02-04T18:34:00.002-05:00

http://www.streetsense.org/vendors_iwilson.jsp

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031303568.html

Read the stories that accompany the links above.

I met Ivory "Pretty Red" Wilson on the streets of D.C. in 2006. He was carrying a duffle bag full of his book, "A Player's World Manual: Wanna Be a Pimp?" After talking with him for a little over an hour I paid $20 for a copy.

I was going to write a blog about the book, but I don't really want to get into it after reading more about him. Maybe when I'm not feeling as somber as I do now, I'll tell you guys about the book.

Charges? Really?

2009-02-04T07:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't read too much into the story, but here is a very quick rundown:

1) A photo of Michael Phelps smoking weed was leaked to the media.

2) The media is in a frenzy.

3) The media is saying that Michael Phelps may face charges.

There is only one item in this list that does NOT make sense.

1) Sure, Phelps should have known better, as an athlete and public figure, than to let someone (friend or foe) photograph him doing something like that.

2) Sure, the media is going to blow the story up to be bigger than it really is.

3) WHAT?!?!?!

Why would Michael Phelps face charges for something that he is doing in a photo? It doesn't make sense. Instead of arguing my point I will give scenarios that follow the same logic as Phelps being brought up on charges:

1) A friend takes a photo of you playfully fighting another friend. Months later the police get a hold of this photo and arrest you for assault and battery.

2) The Chief of Police in Long Beach, California finally gets around to listening to Doggy Style and a warrant is issued for Snoop Dog's arrest.

3) A picture of you holding a bull horn in a public park somehow reaches the authorities and you are arrested and fined for disturbing the peace.

4) Robert DeNiro is arrested for murder because of his role in The Godfather II.

I think you get my point.

The Chronicles of Boogaloo Brown

2009-02-03T10:24:00.008-05:00

If I were to be a Blaxsploitation character, I would be a detective named Boogaloo Brown. I would keep a memoir called The Chronicles of Boogaloo Brown. This is something that you have to deal with.

I have been spending the better part of this morning role playing as a terrible actor from the UK named Antwan Fenderbalm. Its making me laugh. I wish you were in on the joke so you would understand how funny this is.

I was sick last night, but sick in a way that makes it best, for your sake, I don't go into detail. My being sick led me to Google search what diseases are related to the symptoms I had last night. This is a terrible habit of mine. Whenever I am sick I Google search symptoms of diseases. I need to stop this because most diseases share the same symptoms; usually these symptoms are identical to those of the common cold. Hence, whenever I have a cold and I look up symptoms I can easily convince myself that I am an HIV positive Diabetic with a brain tumor and minor sinus infection.

So a woman, with whom I was once affiliated, hit me up after a while of us not talking. She said she made the decision to become a stripper. I was hogboggled* by this and spent the remainder of the evening contemplating life and what could have led to her decision, as it doesn't make sense for her to be a stripper (there are excusable circumstances, but she has none). Later that evening I got a text from her saying she was only joking. She should be a comedian, instead.

(my sarcastic wit in action)

...and WOWSER MCWOWSERSTEINS*!!!! I got a placement on the next Day26 album. Its not a track I produced (Dre Knight did it). I only played guitars on it, but its something, you know? Lets hope everything goes through as it should.

Baby steps, folks.
...baby steps.

*hogboggled - This is a word a made up on the spot to describe how surprised I was. It goes beyond shock.

*wowser mcwowsersteins - A co-worker said this to me yesterday and I swore that I would use it every chance I get. This is something you, as my friends and family, will have to accept.

short article written about me without my knowing....

2009-01-28T22:52:00.002-05:00

This guy wrote a short blurb about me on his site:

http://freshpairofdmvs.com/

I'm not entirely sure who he is or if he reads my blog at all, but I really appreciate it.
Check it out if you have the time.

ladi dadi we likes to potty

2009-01-28T22:24:00.002-05:00

My roommate got me into pomegranate juice. He said it cleans out your system. For a couple of weeks he would drink a glass before bed and in the morning he would hold his arms out and brag to me about a shit he took that was "this big". I was intrigued by this, so a few days ago when I went grocery shopping I bought my own jug of pomegranate juice.

Here's the thing folks, its not working for me. I've been drinking a tall glass of pomegranate juice every night for the past few nights....nothin'. At least nothing extraordinary as I hoped. I'm not sure what this means. I suppose no change in "activity" isn't a bad thing. It just seems odd.

Please don't leave comments on this blog with medical advice.

Tonight's episode of "LOST" was amazing...simply AMAZING! I'm not even going to get into it. If you haven't been watching this show, then don't even start. Wait until the final season, set aside a week or two to watch the full series. Don't be like me. I'm hooked on this freaking show.

I've got nothing else to write :p
bye.

just so you know....

2009-01-28T22:23:00.001-05:00

"LOST" is the best show on television.

things just work out....

2009-01-27T11:41:00.002-05:00

I don't want to go into detail about what prompted me to write this blog because it would be long and sappy.

I just wanted to take a moment to say that no matter what happens, as long as you have faith, things will work out. Don't be afraid to take chances and jump when you know you're supposed to.

Everything works out with a bit of faith.

super weekend fun times....

2009-01-26T08:03:00.003-05:00

I went to see my good friend PattyCrash perform in the city on Saturday night. Her and her band, Who Cares, kicked so much ass you wouldn't believe. After the show she told me that they didn't do too good, but I couldn't tell because I was busy rocking out. They were loved.

After they kicked off the show a few other acts got up and did their thing. The rest of the performers were REALLY abstract; to a point where I think most people would be put off, but I dug it. I had a really good time.

I went to the movies and saw a preview for "2012". As you can probably imagine its a movie about the world ending in 2012. I'd be lying if I said I was not a little put off at the idea of the world ending so soon, however, I don't think it will happen. It seems like wacko scientists, bloggers, and conspiracy theorists are always looking for ANY reason to say the world is going to end and on what day or that the worst can happen. Remember Y2K? The lot of us were all convinced that the world was going to go splitsville as soon as the ball dropped January 1st, 2000.

I don't know the details as extensively as I should to be blogging about it, but apparently, an ancient calender set up by and ancient civilization ends on January 20th, 2012. Everyone who studies up on this thing is wondering WHY it ends on that day. Records show that they predicted world wide catastrophe much like the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". Personally, I think the calender ends just because...well...it did.

On the other hand, maybe the world WILL end in 2012. Why not? I mean, something took out the dinosaurs, right? It would be delusional to think that something couldn't take humans out as well.

I'm dealing with this much like I deal with everything else that could go either way...I don't think about it. There is no right or wrong answer to this. Its nothing like debates on topics like racism or real science, where there is conclusive evidence.

IN OTHER NEWS:

My friend's band, The French Exit, tapped me to produce their Ep. We started on Saturday. Henri (good friend and guitarist for the band) left his pedal rig at my place. He has the most impressive pedal rig I've seen up close and personal. I've been having fun with it.

This probably doesn't interest any of you at all :p

IN MORE NEWS:

Crucial Element is coming a long. Remember Crucial Element? If not, then you're missing out.

IN A BOOST OF CONFIDENCE:

I was waiting for the train and as a girl passed by me she smiled and said, "Mmm...yous a sexy ass mu'fucca!" I don't know how to handle such things. What do you say to someone who says that to you? Do you thank them? I think she had been drinking (she tripped and fell seconds after speaking to me), so do I write her comment off as poor judgement?

I JUST NOTICED:

When I'm on-line chatting with someone I say what I type out loud.

NOTE TO SELF:

Stop buying so many DVDs.
Write better blogs.

is this even normal?

2009-01-23T08:24:00.004-05:00

I think my ears shrink a little when it's cold outside. Does this happen to you? If not, then that means I have a unique ability; and some would define any sort of unique ability as a super power.

What I'm saying is that I have a super power.

Jealous?

so, its time to break up

2009-01-22T23:05:00.002-05:00

Earlier this evening I switched from Sprint to AT&T. This means I had to break up with my current phone, The Samsung Instinct (pictured above). It went something like this.

ME: Hey look...we need to have a talk.

INSTINCT: Yeah, wadda ya' want, dumb ass?

ME: I ummm....I...well--

INSTINCT: Spit it out numb nuts!

ME: This isn't working.

INSTINCT: What isn't working?

ME: You and me. Well...it's more you. YOU'RE not working.

INSTINCT: Oh really?! I'm not working?!

ME: No. You're not. Just this morning you froze. I couldn't make or receive any calls.

INSTINCT: You're too sensitive.

ME: And about a month ago I couldn't use any of your Web features because of some sort of error you kept having.

INSTINCT: Water under the bridge, I thought!

ME: And a month before THAT your software applications shut down COMPLETELY!

INSTINCT: Look, you haven't been Mr. Perfect either. Remember that time when you dropped me in the toilet?!

ME: What?

INSTINCT: Yeah, you dropped me in the toilet just after you --

ME: Wait, wait, wait...I don't remember that.

INSTINCT: Oh you don't?! OH...YOU...DON'T?!?!

ME: No.

INSTINCT: Figures...it didn't really happen.

ME: Why would you accuse me of something you KNOW I didn't do?

INSTINCT: I'm a crappy phone. I do things like that.

ME: Oh.

INSTINCT: Look, piss pants. Be straight with me. Its someone else isn't it?

ME: What? Why would you ever think that?

INSTINCT: Who is it?

ME: Look, I just want a clean break...a chance to start ov---

INSTINCT: WHO IS IT?!?!?!

ME: I don't know what you're talkin' abou---

INSTINCT: Its that damn iPhone isn't it?!

ME: ....just wanna take things a bit slower, ya' know? I--

INSTINCT: ISN'T IT?!?!

ME: .....yes.

INSTINCT: ....that bitch.

ME: I haven't been with the iPhone long, but already it's treating me better than you ever did!

INSTINCT: What can I do to change?

ME: Its too late.

INSTINCT: It's never too late, Quincy.

ME: I think it is. I already switched cellular providers from Sprint to AT&T, so even if I wanted to stay with you I couldn't.

INSTINCT: Let's try to work it out, baby cakes.

ME: We've tried. You're the 3rd unit that Sprint has had to send me. I'm sick of trying to work things out with you. Let's just part ways.

INSTINCT: Fine. You go with that little bitch, iPhone. You'll miss me! You'll regret the day you ever turned your back on me and Sprint, Quincy Ledbetter!!!!! Just you wait, one day you'll be texting and calling and surfing the web and you'll miss me. You'll want me back. You're gonna...oh shit...

ME: What's wrong?! Are you OK?

INSTINCT: Ummm...my software applications just became obsolete and I'm freezing up again.

ME: Oh man, so what does that mean? Are you alright?

INSTINCT: ----

ME: Instinct?

INSTINCT: ----

ME: Hello?!

INSTINCT: ----

iPhone: Quincy.

ME: Oh hey, iPhone.

iPhone: Quincy, let it go. Here. Eat this plate of fine Thai cuisine I bought for you.

ME: Oh iPhone!

PSA to my loved ones

2009-01-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

I love you all.

My phone is broken again, but Sprint is sending me a new one in the mail now. I should have it by tomorrow or Saturday.

so the fact is....

2009-01-20T20:31:00.003-05:00

I'm all about some Lisa Bonet and have been since WELL before my age was in the double digits.

....that is all.

this is me being stubborn

2009-01-20T09:09:00.002-05:00

I have a problem getting over things. I get defensive and if I feel like I am right about something, I argue my point to no end. This is a flaw that I have been working very hard to correct. I am better at "letting go" than I was in my wonder years, but I'm not completely there yet. With that being said, I will try to keep this short and sweet:

There is a comment posted on the blog before this from Anonymous that accuses me of being judgemental and bitchy about anything that doesn't fit into my view. I reviewed a few of my blogs and 10% of me can see where this person can make such a mistake in character, but that is not who I am.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time defending myself on the matter because it really doesn't matter. This is more for everyone else who reads my blog.

If I appear judgemental and bitchy it is not my intention because that is not who I am. I'm sure if you spend less time looking for things wrong with my personality via the contents of my blog and more time not taking it seriously you'll realize that I'm not such a doom and gloom kind of guy. After all, anyone who writes a blog about ninjas rescuing him from work is not to be taken seriously enough to judge how his character is in real life.

But, the fact remains that I write what I want when I want and how I want to. If you do not like the contents of my blog, then you take the same advise I gave to Anonymous. If you're reading this blog to look for things to chastise me about, please read something else. The last thing I need is someone making a judgement on how judgemental I'm being.

*happy dance

i wish i were lying about this

2009-01-19T08:08:00.002-05:00

PETA has launched a campaign to change the name of fish from "fish" to "sea kittens". They figure that changing the name to sea kitten would make people think twice about fishing or eating fish all together. I understand that this may sound unbelievable, but it is true. Here is a link to a news story on the subject:

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/16/would-you-eat-a-sea-kitten/

This is one step closer to bringing our world to a state of Idiocracy. We're getting more and more stupid as the decades pass, ladies and gentlemen. Have you seen a show called, "Gossip Girl". I watched an episode for the first time a few nights ago. It was one of the worst shows I'd ever seen. The dialogue is so unnatural. I felt like I was watching people read a script. I don't expect you to understand.

I found myself watching an episode of "Desperate Housewives" recently as well. The show is basically about a group of MILFs doing MILF things. I enjoyed it for its visual qualities more than its content. Which is the same as letting a woman get away with being a crappy person because she's hot.

Which brings me to the dream I had last night. I had a dream that I was in some sort of concentration camp where they separated us by gender. It was a lot like college. Anyways, I was dating a girl on the other side of the camp who was addicted to Meth, but she was still hot. It was like she had just started with the Meth and it hadn't affected her much yet. Towards the end of the dream we were in her room and I thought she was cooking chicken, but it was Meth. She was like, "Do you want some?" I declined and ended the relationship just as the drug bust was initiated.

It was wild, man....WILD!

So, I really wish I could go to the Inauguration, but last week they told us that we have to work on a big project at work. They advised against taking any days off for the duration of this month (probably into next month). So, I'll be watching history take place from the break room here at the office.

Yaaaaay!!!!!

OK...that's all I got.

My band and I finished our second album last night. The free download link is coming very soon.

forgotten yet again

2009-01-16T07:33:00.004-05:00

I've been struggling to find something worth writing about in my blog lately. I used to let fly with the ranting and the yadda yadda yadda, but I have found myself biting my tongue recently. What is there to talk about?!

Blaaaah.

I'm going to see my friends' band play tonight. They're dope.

See?! That's all I got right now! Have I become uninteresting? Has the WORLD become uninteresting?! There isn't much that I can pay attention to in the media that doesn't piss me off, so I've been staying away from following current events. I've been very "centered" lately and the last thing I need is to see the leaders of our government continue to foul things up.

So, a plane crashed in the Hudson River near where I live. Reports say that it was because of a "bird strike", which is when the plane is in flight and a flock of birds inadvertently fly into the engines.

WTF4REEEEL!!!!!

happy corporate time, folks!!!!

2009-01-14T07:50:00.002-05:00

I will be in a training session for work from 12:00pm until 4:30pm. Here is what needs to happen:

You will steal a car and travel to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. You will start a series of fires in various rows of brownstones until the whole neighborhood is ablaze. All the while, you will be robbing corner stores in the neighborhood. You will do this to create a calling-all-cars scenario within the NYPD. If things go well, all hands in regards to law enforcement will be on deck with great concern to the chaos in Brooklyn.

You will get back into the vehicle you stole and drive to Union Square in Midtown Manhattan. Just outside of the Virgin Megastore on 14th Street where will be a helicopter piloted by a South American man named, "Pelle" (this is, of course, a code name). "Pelle" will fly you to the roof of the building in which I work. There you will be met with a band of rouge ninja smuggled to this land from their lair in the hills of various parts of Asia.

You will lead said band of ninja and strike upon the building initiated by separating the ninja into two groups: "Go Team A" (herein referred to as Fox Frollic) and "Go Team B" (herein referred to as Unicorn Leap). Unicorn Leap will scale the west wing of the building to the 35th Floor and immediately crash through the windows. Fox Frolic will secure the lower floors. Anyone who attempts to thwart the campaign will be ninja chopped in the back of the neck and/or ninja kicked in the buttocks, rendering them unconscious.

NOTE: This particular band of ninja have been trained to administer a blow to the buttocks sure to knock out their enemies.

You will seek me out. I am not sure where I will be held, but I am sure it is going to be in one of the meeting rooms (naturally). You will enter and stuff me into a potato sack. This must look like a kidnapping.

You will take me to the roof where "Pelle" will fly us to safety. The ninja will stay behind and fend off any security guards or law enforcement that may not have been sent to tend to the chaos in Prospect Park. You and I will fly safely to Vermont where we will be greeted by servants and we shall eat fresh grapes and toast to our victorious escapade. You must, however, return me to my home by 1am so that I can rest up. I will have to be back at work tomorrow.

This will be a dangerous campaign and there may be some casualties. You might not make it. But, if you call yourself my "friend", then you will at least try. There is no way anyone who calls themselves a true friend to anyone else would let a friend sit through a meeting from 12:00pm until 4:30pm. I expect to see you soon.

Thank you, friend.
I bid you Godspeed!

danger.

2009-01-12T21:06:00.001-05:00

You're in danger when you find yourself spending today waiting for tomorrow.
Snap out of it.

i was "that guy" for a second

2009-01-12T09:22:00.004-05:00

I have a problem with people who have no inner monologue; meaning, they just blurt out crap that comes to their mind with no concern how it makes people feel. Well, I was that guy for a moment yesterday evening.

I had a screenwriting class and the instructor was sitting down the whole time. Anytime he wasn't sitting down he was way across the room, so I didn't realize how tall this guy was. He's about 7 feet tall. It was crazy. I didn't notice this until after class and I was standing next to him in the elevator.

I looked up at him (had to tilt my head back pretty far), and I said, "Wow, I didn't realize how tall you were." To which he replied, "Sometimes I don't realize how tall I am." That was the end of the conversation and it wasn't until I was on the train home that I realized the sarcasm in his reply. It can be translated as, "Come on man, I've been towering over everyone I've met since I was a Senior in High School. I'm well aware that I stand out. I don't need you to point it out to me like some asshole who doesn't know how to have a thought without blurting it out in an elevator full of people."

Well, this is my apology to Mr. Doug Katz:

Doug, I was "that guy" and I pride myself on not being one of "those people". I let my slip show. I apologize. The class was great. I hope we cross paths again on a more professional level.

Peace 'n Grease, dude.

outrageous in an awkward sort of way

2009-01-09T13:57:00.006-05:00

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01092009/news/politics/young_gopers__o__the_pain__149360.htm

Two of the people in the article, to which the link above leads, used to work in my office. One of them is a friend of mine I think the things they're saying are WAY off base and not reflective of how intelligent they actually are when they're not talking about politics.

I am not going to go into too much detail on what the article is about. I expect you to read the article and the comments that follow on your own. I would like to touch on a couple of things that sparked my attention:

1) The word "socialism" is tossed around like a beach ball. I don't care what ANY one says. No one would be talking all of this 'socialism' jazz if Joe the Plumber didn't say it first. Before Joe said it and the GOP ran with it, NO ONE was comparing Obama's plan to socialism. No one. The fact of the matter is that it is NOT socialism. Obama's plan simply goes back to the way things were during Clinton's time in the Oval Office. This is not socialism; this is going back to something that WORKED.

If there is a procedure that was working well in a system and the procedure changed and the system fell apart, what would you do? You would GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL SYSTEM!!!!! This is NOT socialism.

This "socialism" thing came about because people can't think for themselves. They hear a catch phrase, trigger word, or a half witted opinion and they adopt it as their own so they can either sound smart in conversations with people who have adopted the same idea or be antagonistic just for the sake of being against something. Its a shame that intelligent people, like the ones interviewed in this article, get caught up in it along with the idiots.

2) Someone in the article said something to the effect of, "I'm going to hide my guns so Barry can't get to them." Are you serious. BARACK will not come to your apartment and take your guns away. No one is going to do that. This is America. You have the right to bear arms, so as long as your guns are registered, no one will take them away from you. At NO POINT in his campaign did Barack Obama say that he was going rewrite the Constitution to repossess firearms.

Gun control and stricter regulation on people who possess ILLEGAL FIREARMS is necessary. Anytime children in the inner city can get an illegal firearm sooner and easier than they can get better resources for their education, stricter punishment is necessary.

NOTE: The key phrase here is "ILLEGAL FIREARMS". If you have licenses for your guns, then you don't need to hide them.

3) Another person (maybe the same person), said that he/she will "buy as many guns as possible" before Barack takes his seat as President.

This is just stupid. Since when is buying more guns an intelligent resolve for anything.

4) Another person in the article suggested that America is suffering from an "overreaction" to the current economic crisis.

Okay. In the past two months over 500,000 people have lost their jobs. We have seen shortages in fuel and food. These are F-A-C-T-S. If you think that the precautions being discussed in our government and in the media is an overreaction then, perhaps you do not have as much responsibility as other grown ups do and who are feeling this crisis first hand.

5) In one of the comments to the article someone suggested that Barack and the Democrats are some how responsible for our country's current condition. This would only make since if Barack or a Democrat were president for the past 8 years. Where do you even come up with an opinion that stupid? I don't even know.

6) I'm tired of typing about this. Read the article yourself. If you know anyone who shares the same ideas as my former co-workers, then please take them to a library and have them read more.

I especially encourage people who voted against Barack Obama as a result of rational thinking and a simple difference in opinion to discuss the matter with the others who are harboring and buying guns, crying socialism, and just being ignorant in general.

I'm done.

the critics have spoken

2009-01-09T13:55:00.001-05:00

"Quincy, your blog has revolutionized my life."

--Leon Persaud
January 9th, 2009

is it just me or....

2009-01-08T19:08:00.006-05:00

Doesn't George Harrison look a lot like classic images of Jesus?

As a matter of fact, most 60's and 70's rock stars looked like they got their look from classic religious paintings.

random acts of awesomeness....

2009-01-06T12:43:00.002-05:00

A girl from the Call Center her in our office just walked up to my desk and gave me half of her Subway sandwich. I've never uttered more than a "hello" to this girl in my life, so what made her think of me in my time of hunger is a mystery. She didn't say anything. She just walked up and gave it to me.

I almost choked on my gratitude before I uttered a low gasp and a "thank you".

This has been a random act of awesomeness brought to you by Q.Ledbetter and the girl from the Call Center.

are you in the 5th grade

2009-01-06T07:59:00.003-05:00

Please flush the toilet after you use a public urinal. You have no idea how terribly juvenile it is to not flush.

Thank you:

MGMT

just to give you an idea of how sick and exhausted i am

2009-01-05T13:52:00.004-05:00

I'm at my desk at work. My right hand was resting on my thigh, but I thought it was the mouse for my computer.

Ladies and gentlemen, I moved my hand around my thigh wondering why my mouse wasn't working. I did this for approximately 5 seconds which is 4 seconds too long to be acceptable.

The following has nothing to do with me being sick:

I was out with a good friend-o-mine on Saturday night and it was cold. She let me borrow an extra scarf from her car because for some strange reason, I do not own my own scarf. As soon as she handed me the scarf I realized that I had no idea what the best way to put on a scarf would be. I figured I would do it how everyone else does it, so I tried that. It didn't work.

Long story short, she ended up putting the scarf on for me. I felt like I was 10 years old.

I had a dream last night that I woke up to go to work very late. In the dream it was after 4pm and I get off work at 4. I thought it was real.

sicky sicky sick sick and things that go bump in the night....

2009-01-05T07:17:00.004-05:00

I would very much like to sue the makers of over the counter drugs for false advertising. I don't want to sound like a Scientologist or anything, but the junk just doesn't work. Please answer, for me, the following questions:

1) When have you ever taken Airborne when you felt like you were starting to get sick and you avoided getting sicker?

2) When have you ever used Tylenol Cold and Sinus and it eased your sore throat and got rid of your cough and runny nose?

3) When has NyQuil/DayQuil done anything besides taste terrible?

I may be alone in this; as a matter of fact, I'm sure I am, however, over the counter drugs never (and have never) worked for me. I felt like I was starting to get sick yesterday morning, so I took the appropriate vitamins, drank plenty of fluids, and took all the preventive medicines. I even ate vegetables and you KNOW how much I hate the veggies. I woke up this morning feeling like death had violated me in my sleep.

So join me in my quest to win big in the legal system by suing the major pharmaceutical companies for false advertising.

I apologize for this blog post not being entertaining. Now if you will excuse, me I have to go eat oranges.

NOTE: Refrain from posting comments to this blog listing pointers or ideas on how I can feel better. This isn't a cry for help. Its a ridiculous blog post not to be taken seriously.

...alright.
peace 'n grease

interesting titles

2008-12-31T13:12:00.005-05:00

I have been creating unique and imaginary names for random things today. Band names, movie titles, diseases, et cetera. The following are the most impressive of the bunch.

I imagined a band called Q.Ledbetter featuring Dr. Funkenstein and the Magical Mystery Machine Band Collective. I'm thinking that our promotional photo will be a Polaroid of me, my friend/fellow producer Overok, Samuel L. Jackson (affectionately referred to herein fore to wit as "Sammy J"), your mom, Cornell West, and an Irish Drunkard.

I imagined a disease called Polysyplogicalfibrosis, which involves an allergic reaction to handshakes lasting longer than 2 seconds resulting in hives and cold sweats.

Oh, and you shit ferbies.

Its a good disease to have.

I came up with a concept for a movie that I call The Adventures of Bugaloo Brown. I forgot what I wanted it to be about and I can't really focus on what it was because my brain can't get past how awesome the title is.

It's snowing right now in New York City. This could be a detriment to my NYE plans.

fastest nose in the world....

2008-12-30T07:38:00.003-05:00

Last night I had a dream that I was Batman. Well, not really. I was Christian Bale playing Batman. Perhaps I was Quincy playing Christian Bale playing Batman. In any case, I (Christian) was trapped in a den of vampires, which was actually an abandoned warehouse in Jersey City. In real life I pass this abandoned warehouse everyday on my way to work and I often think to myself, "I'll bet vampires live in there."

Anyways, I am assuming that we were shooting the next Batman movie. It was kind of lame. I hope they don't cast me (Quincy) to be in the next Batman movie. I was ruining it. I mean, I was kicking some vampire ass, but it just wasn't up to par with the performances of the real Christian Bale. They should stick with the real Christian Bale.

I hate the couch in my living room. It is the most hideous couch I've ever seen. My roommate and I have a couch cover thing covering this hideous couch, but the cover itself is pretty ugly, too. I want to get rid of this couch. There are two things stopping me:

1) Lack of financial resources for a new couch.
2) The couch is ultra comfortable.

We will discuss Item #2.

So yeah...the couch in my living room is ultra comfortable. When was the last time someone used "ultra" to describe how intense something is? This should give you an idea of how comfortable this couch is. My couch is so comfortable, I suspect it of being a voodoo couch.

If you lay down on the couch in my living room, then 5 minutes later you will be asleep. I'm not talking about a gradual and peaceful sleep, either. I'm talking about the kind of sleep were all you do is wake up 30 minutes to an hour in the future. Last night I was laying on my couch watching a DVD. The resolution was coming up, so there was about 30 minutes left in the movie and then *POOF* I was propelled into the future; exhausted and watching the credits. Prior to this I was not heavy-eyed or even remotely tired. I just woke up. Other times, I have laid down on a late Friday night to watch infomercials (Am I the only one who does that?) and *POOF*. Daylight and Saturday morning cartoons.

This past Saturday I retreated from a group of friends and a great show because of social awkwardness on my part. I am as not at all proud of it. It was my last night in Virginia and I was at a good friend's birthday dinner. We were all heading over to a MC Battle near the restaurant. Shortly after we arrived, in walks a very small group of people that I had ill dealings with recently. I have been trying to avoid confrontation with them ever since. Instead of standing my ground I retreated. I left in the most douche baggy way. I didn't even say farewell to my friends. I, literally, just got up and left.

Call me what you will. I will probably agree with you. The bright side is that on my ride home I contemplated my evident social disease and am searching for a "cure", so to speak. Drugs and alcohol have been known to make even the most uptight a bit more limber, but I have sworn into the straight edge way (not to sound like a douche or anything, though). I'll have to find another way to break the thick shell keeping me from interacting with others.

If you have any rational and mature suggestions, then I'd like to hear them.

2008 has been a year of triumph and turmoil for yours truly. I'd wish for 2009 to be more stable, but since when is stability exciting, eh?

It never has been and it never will be.

CURRENT NEED: To improve my social interaction with human beings.

CURRENT WANT: A band to do live shows with.

CURRENT WOE: The deterioration of MySpace.

CURRENT TRIUMPH: I woke up today.

CURRENT STRUGGLE: Damn, I'm broke!

Hug someone today, man. Fa' shozo.

Fear.

2008-12-29T08:07:00.004-05:00

Well, I am back at work after a lot of time off for the holidays and I'm readjusting to getting back into work mode.

I hate taking time off of work. I loath moments when I walk into my supervisor's office and request vacation time and I hate the moment when I call in sick. Anyone who works with me or has ever worked with me will tell you how rarely I take a day off of work. They will not, however, tell you its because of my dedication to the company or an admirable work ethic. No, my friends. Its all fear. I cannot lose my job.

I have a "thing" (call it a phobia if you want) of losing my job. I'm afraid that if I take a day off, be it necessary or not, my co-workers and employers will immediately see me as being unreliable and expendable. It happens with every job I've ever had. From my first day I'm afraid that I'll make some huge blunder and get fired or I'll be laid off for one reason or the other. The economy doesn't have to be in shambles for this fear to take hold, so naturally the current state of our country isn't helping me sleep at night. I cannot lose my job.

From Monday to Friday and much of my weekend I am sweating bullets and seizing every opportunity to show my co-workers and employer how important I can be. Its tiring. I not only show up for work on time, but a couple of hours early. I am constantly volunteering for every ounce of overtime and any take part in as many additional side project as possible. I cannot lose my job.

There is a promise that is made to every American from the day they are born; the promise of Freedom. American history is riddled with lumps of time where that promise is broken (e.g., slavery, genocide of the Native American, et cetera). As far as I see it the only form of Freedom left in this world is ownership. I'm not talking about ownership of material possessions, but ownership of our lives. I am using my employment to finance my dreams and I, my friends, have the gift and curse of being a BIG dreamer. I mean, REALLY big. My dreams cost money to pursue and my only means of financial support is my employment. So you must understand when I say: I cannot lose my job.

I mentioned my idea of freedom. The only way to be free - I mean TRULY free - is to live your dreams. The great thing about our country is that you can do anything you want to do here. If you want to be a professional juggler, then you can be a professional juggler. The horrible thing about our country is that the order of things here make it so hard for us to do what we want to do with our lives. It seems like just when things are going good an election is stolen and a buffoon is handed the responsibility of improving our livelihood. Naturally, said buffoon is a terrible leader and his mistakes drive our country into a recession. If its not ill guided leadership, then its war. Just when things are on the ups a war is started and financed with our tax dollars forcing us to forgo our individual pursuits of happiness to carry out the evil deeds of men. But, apparently war is necessary and my tax payer dollars are necessary for our security and I need to make a contribution, so for that reason....I cannot lose my job.

This is a topic for another blog completely, but there is a domino effect in American culture that makes living our dreams almost impossible. Materialism and a commercial view of what makes anything beautiful makes opportunity exclusive for most of us. Most of us don't feel good enough to live the way we should. We feel unworthy. All too often are confidence and fearlessness viewed as delusions. Its almost at a point where being pessimistic is synonymous with realism. But, what do you expect when 90% of "Reality" Television consists of shows where very talented people are told they aren't good enough and suffer rounds of elimination? I mean, really. We praise these things. We celebrate their inability to rise to the standard of what we think is acceptable.

I'm sick of being afraid and my spirits are beyond weary from the constant anxiety that comes with "uncertain economic times" and not living up to the world's expectations of what makes a real man. I don't know about you, but all my life I've been breaking my back to show everyone what I'm made of rather than MAKING anything of myself. I'm very sick of it. I mean, life just isn't worth living if you're going to be fearful throughout most of it, right?

I'm working very hard on not being afraid. There are times when I have to drop what I'm doing and chant to myself:

Everything will be fine.
Everything will work out.
I'll be alright.

Everything will be fine.
Everything will work out.
I'll be alright.

I am not sure in what capacity GOD intervenes in our lives. I've been trying to figure that out. One thing I am sure of - beyond the shadow of a doubt - is that GOD is out there somewhere and the existence of a higher power is greater than any of you can attempt to explain (don't bother trying). There are tons of different belief systems and theories and perspectives that attempt to explain what GOD wants for us and many of them contradict each other. There is, however, one reigning theme among all religion and belief: There is nothing to be afraid of.

I'm not saying that I'm not afraid, but I know that I shouldn't be and neither should you. Our culture is a culture of exclusion and fear. I've fallen for it. I know this because I spend most of my time on this Earth being afraid of people and afraid of what may happen to me in the future. I'm not living NOW. Knowing this isn't enough to fix it. I know this because I'm still afraid and the only thing I can think about is..."I cannot lose my job." But, I'm aware of my set back and however large it seems to me sometimes....its still minor.

I'm not sure why I'm ranting on and on about this and I don't know why I think its important enough to share with all of you. I honestly don't know. Maybe there is someone out there who is chicken shit like me and needs to know that they're not alone. The Good Lord knows that I feel alone in this. So take from it whatever you like.

I'm scared.
If you're scared, lets hold hands.

A Guide to an Effective Office Happy Hour

2008-12-18T14:53:00.006-05:00

In T-minus 7 minutes from now our office holiday happy hour will start. Afterwards, my department and neighboring department will go on a department holiday dinner. There will be small-talk-a-plenty and small talk is something that I suck very badly at. I have been sitting at my desk trying to figure out how to weather the storm, so to speak. I have compiled a list of things that anti-socialites, such as myself, can do to make happy hour a bit more happy.

1. Buddy System

Center yourself in discussion circles where an office buddy is stationed. I don't really pal around (thanks Sarah Palin for the wonderful new phrase) with co-workers, so this is difficult for me. There are, however, a couple of people in my office who see through my "stay away from me" demeanor and recognize that I'm a lonely sap looking for a little lovin'. I will be sure to stick around them without being too clingy.

2. Do not attend.

I'm not sure if you knew this but happy hours are not mandatory; in which case, you could just not show up and say you had errands to run. Running errands is always the universal excuse and it always works. "Running errands" is something grown ups say when they don't have shit to do and they either:

a) Want to avoid you, or...
b) Want you to think they're busy, when they really aren't

I mean, really...what are people doing when they're running said errands or "running around all day". Whenever someone tells me this (usually women) I get in image of them running the streets of the city with no objective or Point B.

ME: Hey, what have you been up to today?

GROWN UP: Ohhh...nothing much. I've been running around all day.

ME: Really?

GROWN UP: Yeah! I had a ton of errands to run and things I had to take care of.

Gimmie a break! Anyways, we're all grown up enough to not question each other when we say we're "running errands", so you can use this excuse when trying to get out of uncomfortable social situations.....like happy hour :D

3. Stare

Just stare at people. If someone tries to talk to you just stare them down; not in an aggressive way. Just in a "I'm weird" kind of way. I warn you, this will change happy hour into UNhappy hour for your co-workers and will further alienate you from the networking professionals' social club.

4. Take the food and run

This is just as it sounds. Go in, get your food, and be out. I plan on doing that right now.

Later.

Retarded Office Happenings: A day in the life of a man trying to break free.

2008-12-18T13:10:00.007-05:00

BLOG ITEM #1: A Nerd in Real Life

I just over heard my co-worker on the phone with someone. He was saying how a friend/family member had to write a 5 page paper on a 4-line poem. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Wow, that sounds like fun!"

The scary thing is that I actually meant it.

BLOG ITEM #2: Retarded Office Happenings

There is a memo I send out every week to people who do not have their CPA licenses, but should have their CPA licenses. The memo ends with the following questions:

Was CPA licensing or the possible need for you to have a license discussed with you at any time prior to your being hired?

Do you hold a professional certification such as CIA, CISA, etc.?

What is your job title and your business unit?

What are your specific job responsibilities?

Do you work directly with clients?

Do you supervise accounting/auditing engagements?

Is there a specific reason for you not to require a CPA license in your job function?

Please add any addition information you would like us I know.

People reply to this e-mailed memo with answers to these questions. The memo only goes out to adults....or so I thought.

Today, I got the following response to these questions (NOTE: This is ALL the e-mail said.):

I have passed all 4 parts of the CPA exam.

I am in the process of applying for a license.

Yes.

Senior Manager and Real Estate.

To sign tax returns.

I do communicate with the clients.

8 questions asked; 6 responses; no way of knowing which of the 6 responses go to which of the 8 questions; 2 of the responses answer questions that were not asked. Some of the answers are obvious matches. I'll give you that. But, that "Yes"...that can answer any one of 4 of the questions asked.

BLOG ITEM #3: Sometimes I am TOO responsible
A couple of weeks ago I started a new savings account and have started transferring money from my shitty Ameriprise account to my new savings account as the funds are made available to me (see my past blogs about Ameriprise for the full story on why I need to do this). I have been doing well with saving and decided to use some money to pay off some bills. Well, day before yesterday I paid off a lot of money on some debt I have. The next day I forgot I did this and paid the same amount a second time. Oops.

Good news: Less debt
Bad news: Less money in my pocket

BLOG ITEM #4: The lameness of this blog
This blog is pretty lame.

BLOG ITEM #5: New vocabulary word!
Yesterday Leon (co-worker) asked, "When was the last time you heard someone say 'wowsers'?" Ironically, at the time he asked me, I had already said it twice in normal conversation with people earlier in the day. I told him that and he said, "In a conference call a woman said, 'Wowser McWowsers!'"

Oh my Sweet Lord in the after life! I fell in love!

Let it be known to all of you that I will be adopting the phrase "Wowser McWowsers" as my personal friend and calling card.

I adopt it.
You adapt to it.

This is what must happen.

OK...later.

The Christmas Boogie

2008-12-16T10:41:00.002-05:00

I have lived by a creed that gets me through the toughest of times..."Boogie 'til you break somethin'." Not a lot of people have boogied until they have broken something. I have. It was high school. I was dancing (I'm a good dancer...people don't know that about me) and I fractured my ankle. This is a true story.

People think that fracturing my ankle while dancing makes me a BAD dancer. Not so. It just indicates that whatever dancing I was doing was very intricate and it involved jumping and pivoting. Since when have you seen an beginner dancer jump and pivot? You haven't. Only the advanced of the advanced dancing and boogie specialists jump and pivot. The particular move I was doing at the time I fractured my ankle involved a jump while pivoting.

Get on my level.

*Q.Ledbetter throws up his arms in a "WHUT", fashion.

So, just last night I decided to work even harder at working hard. Close friends will tell you that I already work too hard, but I disagree. My focus is somehow diverted. I'm always in the studio, but my music isn't getting heard. I'm doing something wrong. I don't spend enough time promoting myself, I suppose. I have no idea how to promote myself. I need someone to help me promote ME. It sounds ridiculous and a tad pretentious, but I'm dead ass serious. If you would like to help me get my music heard, then I'd like you to let me know what you can do to help advance the cause.

*Q.Ledbetter looks at you in a "needy puppy dog", fashion.

I bought a new sweater yesterday from EXPRESS. I am wearing this new sweater, but it should be noted that it is not helping me EXPRESS myself any more effectively. Hahahahahahahaha...lol...brb...bff....rotflmao....lmao!!!!!!! :D

*Q.Ledbetter opens a can of corn and offers you a helping to go along with all this substance he's already put on your plate.

My addiction to Emoticons is affecting how I talk to people in real life. I find myself replying to questions people ask me with cartoon-esque facial expressions, rather than actual words. For example:

FEMALE: Quincy, do you think this dress makes me look fat?

ME: :|

*Q.Ledbetter's profound perspective on life takes a turn when :D

I'm sure you'll agree this is no way to communicate with other human beings.

But seriously, if you can help me get my music "out there", then we should talk and get something going. Promotion and marketing isn't my strong suit and its holding me back. I'm working on it, but a bit of help would be wonderful.

Thanks.

A blog written by my friend Maria's cat.

2008-12-12T13:43:00.006-05:00

The following blog is brought to you by, guest writer, Mr. Gati. Gati is a kitty cat that lives with my close friend Maria.

December 12, 2008

Meow:

Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow, meow, meow, meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow.

Puuuuurrrrrrr.

Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW!!!!!!! MEOW! Meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow; meow meow meow meow.

Meow!

Mr. Gati

*Mr. Gati pictured here with his brother, Tigre.

such things must be documented....

2008-12-12T08:50:00.003-05:00

ME: I'm sorry, I just don't see the logic in playing the lottery.

CO-WORKER: So, what you're not superstitious?

ME: Not at all, man. Are you?

CO-WORKER: No...*pause*...but, I am sometimes.