Seasons Greetings

I Just wanted to say Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from us to you.

Enjoy!

-Lubeen

Confessions of a Workaholic

Disgusted. Outraged. That is precisely how I feel when I do anything at a substandard level that I know could have done much better. Which has not happened in awhile. Not for any reason but the fact that I have not been required to do any thinking that required such. But it did not start that way. I had ample time to complete this assignment. Almost a month. And what did I do? Dove straight into the ocean of procrastination, knowing full well you cannot tread water forever. Then the beginning of this week came. I could taste the anxiety. Normally it would not be this tangible, but my grade for this course hinges on this 12-15 page research paper. It would be unthinkable for me to not at least be about my business when it comes to that, right? Suffice to say, I have never been so distracted in my life. Ever social media outlet and website was my distraction. Not to mention work, and my community college classes have finals next week. In short, I forgot about college. I'll say it. Flying back and forth to St. Louis 4 different times this semester, has made the idea of college seem more like summer camp. In September, it was years away. Now I have a month before the rest of my life begins. And this is how I begin? With a lackluster paper I would not feel comfortable giving Flavor Flav to edit. The mere sight of it in my open word document makes me upset. 12-15 pages. Try 10 with the bibliography. Semblance of togetherness? There might be, if I didnt construct it between yesterday and right now. A year ago, this would not have been a problem. In fact, I was a pro at it. But the time off has dulled my writing acumen, and my insistence on putting this assignment on the backburner has had disastrous repercussions for my psyche, and heaven knows what it will look like for my infantile GPA. I never shirk r But....this is perhaps what I needed. Reality check. I've been working this semester...but not how I will need too in order to succeed in my new residence. Now that transition period is here. But it is time. I use this as fuel, and although I will not pay Premium price again, it is a lesson well learned.

"Excuses are monuments that build bridges to nowhere" - Anonymous

- Mr. Jackson

Mr. Jackson, we're a problem

I'm not even gonna say anything to introduce this other than this is what can happen thanks to that 5ive blackberry connection. lets gooo

Participants:
-------------
John , Jonathan

Messages:
---------

John : Yo
John : We bout to do some bbm backandforth verses
John : Imma start
John : You're gonna do the next line
John : sometimes I wish I could grow wings and fly away/cause life aint promised, shit I could even die today
Jonathan: If it came down to it what did I bring/ was I real with my life to make the angels sing
John : But when they start singing will I even hear their song?/cause a dude is always sinnin', predisposed to doing wrong
Jonathan: In school I used to stay silent/it wasn't even about my faith/plus with the amount of work I had talking out of turn as a black man could have been a giant mistake
John : I turned into a closet Christian, kept God with my polos/ sunday morning service in the chapel, it was a no-go./ and I mean that with no blasphemy, its just that I wasn't making God my priority
Jonathan: See that's the about this life, it will get u dead/and when you don't foster your soul you spirit doesn't get fed/now its been a minute and I still trip up/ but I had an epiphany that God never runs amuck
John : He doesn't leave, He doesn't lie, He only loves/ so I try to do the same till they take me off my plug
Jonathan: And if you're a church kid it gets hard/cause hip hop culture is about beloved in the church as the BET awards
Jonathan: But topic switch I need to address this/what in the world is viacom allowed to serve black people up like breakfast
John : What's a collge hill and who the fuck goes on a hell date?/ who ever is writing these shows should have a cell mate
Jonathan: Good gracious and the media loves it/they want us to goo back a couple hundred years and lynch ourselves/and we walk around cosigning it
Jonathan: And the young kids growing up want to 50/he lives in Connecticut/ yeah he comes back to the hood but he always goes home surrounded by sicamore wood
John : While for them a mansion is only a dream/ so they use his music as a manual on how to get cream/ if only they really knew what success means
Jonathan: And let's examine hip hop moguls for a minute/jigga man been acting a little funky/ I did some research there's illuminati signatures all over his company
Jonathan: But I digress its still a war on ignorance and poverty/ and as long as I'm black in new Hampshire police feel inclined to follow me
John : This aint twitter and your ass aint a fan/ you're definitely the reason why black folkes hate "the man"
Jonathan: Who...me? I aint never done anything wrong/yes u did stop trying to hide/u convinced these little queens that instead their mind they should reveal their backside
John : And after that they just start to backslide/ get with a rich dude so they can get a maybach ride/ but all he really wants is a lay-back-ride
Jonathan: See the problem with the culture is easy/rappers talk a lot but freeze up when we require accountability/MC tough guy talking about putting things in her mouth/ you have two sons a daughter you can't be relevant to us if you don't run your own house
John : Yet you take the term "real dude" and run with it/ while you got your fam walking 'round on some hunger shit/ now please tell me where's the man in that/i'm only 18 but I still can answer back./ a real man knows to take care of his own/ and to worry bout what's inside, not outside his home
Jonathan: Every image of us as men gets distored/ we either in the movies beating our wives, not feeding our babies or doing both while seeing multiple ladies/i am the son of a king, its impossible for me to be an auto-coon/especially when its 2010 and you have the death of darrion Albert and instead people ngo buckwild over New moon
John : Forget about a new moon, I wanna see a new day/ when what sells doesn't depend on radio play/ when the media doesn't care if your straight or gay/ when my people succeed despite what all the haters say

Jonathan: And planned parenthood stops preying on the hood/and pastors give us truth instead of what sounds good/ politicians aren't dirty and marrief men believe in commitment/where policemen do their job the right way and Al sharpton doesn't just show up on the scene for the newscamera foray

John : Son, we're nice
John : Lol
John : Hella good shit
John : Imma put this on the blog

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

haha. That's it, thats all. Btw, this all Just happened. Big Lube is quick with his.

As Always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Tonight I Realized

I wrote this piece a little while ago, and I actually never intended to post it, send it, or really have it see the light of day. But I figured I've been sitting on it for long enough, and letting it sit there and gather dust is pointless. So Here's a poem of mine called Tonight I Realized. Let me know what you think.

Tonight I Realized

Tonight I realized why I keep some people at a distance,

and why those whom I hold close

only hear part of the description.

No one can see the way I see,

feel the way I feel,

Love to the extent that I love,

But from another perspective my love

was seen as a lack thereof.

Tonight I realized why dwell on things I shouldn't,

and try to rationalize and figure out why

she's upset with me for things I couldn't-

even fucking realize I did wrong,

it must mean that my mind's gone,

or maybe I'm just a waste,

But I know that's not the case,

well, at least I hope,

because this feeling that's building within my throat

is way worse than feeling broke

cause the feeling within my throat's

got me feeling like imma choke...

and I would get choked up,

but I'm a man and men don't cry,

but this glassy layer over my eye

says something a little different.

Tonight I realized that although I think I lost the war

there's more than enough reason to fight the war,

because I know what I'm truly fighting for,

and only I can fathom it's importance.

The key to my future, the meaning to my past,

and I hope you didn't believe it when you said

it didn't have a meaning...

Tonight I realized that despite how I want things to look,

this isn't a story book,

and no matter how hard I try

I can't bring Alice back to Wonderland.

But it is, or was, in my hands

to make her dreams her realities,

or at least make her reality

parallel her wildest dreams.

So as I sit and beg the mad hatter to abandon his clock

in hopes that time will also take time,

giving me time to make things right.

Because every girl deserves the chance to

live a fairy tale,

but this Jack is all Heart

and although he found his queen,

the union left his head in the clouds.

As Always,

Pax, Amore et Musica

Fear the Jumbo Guy...

hello hello,

yes its been a while, you probably have not heard from me since i got to college, my apologies, takes a little while to get into the swing of things, 5 classes, track et al...

so yup, its about that time again. believe it or not, im still running for Lori. lol

guy is back out on the track.

so my main event is long jump, but i am running too, but you know the rule, anything more than 200m is pushing it...

what else is going on in my life? stay tuned and you will find out soon enough...

*we are going to resume our regular postings....

Ebony Eyes: Stress Edition

Apologies for the hiatus...but as you see the 5ive still holds it down.






" I don't fear failure, I only fear mediocrity" - Jerry Blackwell

House Lights, Bravoes

Damn. Been too long. That's on me.

Where do I start?

Knee surgery. yale. 2 A's and 1 B- (hopefully). dropped econ. mo' money mo' _ . you already know. As old friendships grow, new ones manifest themselves. no ceilings. no holds barred. started downloading music. indecisive. bridging the gap. haircut. bud. mad bud. zeta psi. im still here, just been gone for a minute. fake punt on 4th and 22. I hate harvard. and brian.

I'll have something more structured next time...

JbP

Shinin'

"No job, no life, just music..." - Charles Hamilton

I'm sitting in my living room, alone in the house, listening to my ipod on this GREAT home theater system, and I can't help but zone out and think back on the past few months. And I must say... College isn't a joke. Not that I thought it was going to be, but Damn. The work has been everything but easy, but I'm still managing to keep my grades solid, for the most part at least.

But let me stop myself there before I digress any further. This post is about and was inspired by music.

Have you ever been listening to a song and then, after a while, realized that although your eyes were open, and you may have even been looking at something or even talking to some one, you weren't focused on or aware of anything going on around you? It's always fascinated me how music could slip you into a sort of trance, and make you zone out like that. You lose awareness of everything around you, but, somehow seem to enter a state of deep thought on some issue completely unrelated to your current environment. When the right song comes on, music is able to stir up thoughts and emotions within you that are so powerful that your subconscious, if only for a moment, completely loses interest in the "real" world. Often, I can only speak for myself, but music tends to force me to think about things that I try to force as far to the back of my mind as possible. Necessary evil, I guess. Can anyone relate?

As Always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Ebony Eyes Weekly Wrap Up Vol. 7

Its grind season...bundle up.




" The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." - Psalms 23

- Mr. Jackson

Ebony Eyes Weekly Wrap-Up Vol. 6

Long overdue. The workload is peaking, stress is at a maximum, and it is brick outside. Its just getting started...




"All black everything" - Sean Carter

- Mr. Jackson

Graveyard Shift

Whats up everybody?


I'm sitting here, looking/feeling like a mess. My desk is cluttered, my floor is worse, and my bed is occupied by someone other than myself. Hell, by the looks of thing, I won't be asleep until... tonight. Yup, it's one of those nights. Oh well, such is college.

My main intention for this post isn't to complain about the tests i have to study for or the paper due @ 9:10 am that I haven't finished yet. No, this one is about music. I want to give you guys some insight into what keeps me going on these graveyard shift nights. Tonight is a R&B night, so the list goes as such:


Lauryn Hill- MTV Unplugged 2.0


























John Legend - Once Again






Trey Songz - Ready





J. Holiday - Round 2





& Last, but not least, one of my fav. R&B albums:

Tank - Sex, Love & Pain

I definitely reccommend that you check out all of those albums. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. But, I really should get back to work, 3:48 am is no time for procrastination.

Enjoy, and till next time,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Just Checking In...

As Always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Ebony Eyes Weekly Wrap-Up Vol.5

Apologies for the slightly scatterbrained train of thought...






"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age. " - Robert Frost

- Mr. Jackson

Konnichiwa B*****s!!!

haha. Please excuse the title of this post and give me a chance to explain(& redeem) myself. As some of you may know, I have taken the opportunity to put my Latin days behind me and to pick up a new language. As (I really do hope) you can guess, my new linguistic focus is にほんご, also known as Japanese.

I saw that to open the door for a (quite) shameless plug. I invite you all to (after reading nineto5ive, of course) head on over to http://lubeensworld.blogspot.com/ and read the blog I created for my First Year Japanese class. Now, I can't promise any great literary or artistic content, I mean, it's only been 3 weeks, but I can say that you can see me try to, in the words of The RZA, "Diversify [my] bonds, B***h!'

lmao.

But till next time,

どうぞよろしく　and Pax, Amore et Musica

Ebony Eyes Weekly Wrap-Up Vol. 4

Here we go again.




"The talented tenth" - W.E.B. DuBois

- Mr. Jackson

Mac & the Blac

It is the 21st Century. It's time!

No one IMs anymore...it's video chat

No one texts anymore...it's BBM

Let's get it together 5ive, get your MacBook Pro and your BlackBerry. Let's stop this PC foolishness and this non-smartphone absurdity.

This post is long overdue as I haven't written in several months, but this was just on my mind today. If we're keeping in touch, you need to have the technology.

You can call me by my future name from here on out

-Dr. Burton

It's been Wayy too Long

My Return to the blog, please excuse my absence.




As Always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Ebony Eyes Weekly Wrap Up Vol. 3

Apologies for the lapse in postings...I had to get some things in order..



- Mr. Jackson

Clean Up on Aisle 7

I have fallen off slightly. Not in the sense of my work ethic...although excessive sunlight, humidity, and torrential downpours do not entice me to write a thesis or research climate change in St. Louis anymore than a syllabus from my professor would.But, I have been going through some situations in my life, personal and my professional (which is still in its prepubescent stage) that have caused me to PAUSE....and take stock of my surroundings. Summer has been over for awhile in my neck of the woods, simply because I ceased having fun, when I was not working. Which, happened to be a majority of the summer. That was phase 1. Childish to say the least. I would sit on my couch, and pout, eat cartons of Breyers Strawberry Ice Cream, Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn, Flavor Blasted Goldfish, and drink herbal tea, all while watching 24 on the Tivo. Pathetic. In between these pouting sessions, workouts, errands, and small excursions would be intermittently scattered, but nothing seemed to break my emotional funk. But..after months of prayer, pouting and Nola telling me to man up..Marshalls called me. I did that job application the second week June. But they called. And I ceased being Jonathan "unemployed and senile" Jackson and became Mr. Giftware and Domestics. I am currently working towards a 75 cent pay raise, if my 45 day review is acceptable to my manager.
But...to what end was this post written? What possible point could he have by just giving a cluttered narrative about how boring and mundane his summer was? Simply put, to show growth, even of the most minuscule kind, is a necessity to furthering ones progression into the next phase of life. Boys II Men, i think not. We've been that. Men to Scholars, I accept that moniker with open arms.

" But the grace of God I am what I am..." I Corinthians 15:10

- Mr. Jackson


p.s. For all your home decor needs..i.e.soap dispensers, wicker baskets, salt shakers, duvet covers and Lacoste towels...visit your local TJX Corporation Affiliate. We put people first.

You're the reason everybody fired up this evening...

Another summer draws to a close, this one being a little more special that the rest.

Fresh outta high school, college just literally around the corner, the other 4our are about to disperse to each of their prestigious institutions…

A summer of working in deutsche bank London and afribank west Africa in lagos; one of good times, bad times, being far away and being close by…

As I leave lagos for pastures anew its time to say farewell to (as Mr Punch put it) my childhood summer… wouldn’t have gotten this far without u boys…

You amazing…

no matter what, that cant be taken away from you 4our...

-GB

a summer farewell

*written on my new bb 8520

This summer was supposed to be the culmination of my chtdhood; those years in which I
reveled in the notion that a second chance always awaited me, demonstrations of
irresponsibility and vice were common, and I felt entitled to treatment and luxuries which
I had not earned. I fell back on my natural ability far too often; only more frequently did I use my words and
Position to offend.

That was my childhood. And quite frankly I'm proud of it.

But at the same time, I've learned from it-grown from it (or out of it). This summer has been without a doubt the launching pad
From which I begin my ascent to that perch I've had my eye on for 4 years now. This summer, I've realized
That my life, my legacy, truly begins. In three months alone, the stakes have been higher than ever before, the reults likewise.
Effort and innovation will determine my outcome.

Effort. And Innovation.

Farewell childhood - farewell summer.

Ebony Eyes: Weekly Wrap Up: Vol.2

As promised...





" I just wanna take care of my family, got no respect for you if you not trying to do the right thing" - Jagged Edge

Ebony Eyes: Weekly Wrap-Up

Part of the reason the 5ive was such a successful tandem during our years at Saint Paul’s, was our ability to pick up the slack for one another. Sometimes we dropped the ball, other times it was impossible to handle all of our business without dropping another important component to what we knew would sustain our drive towards excellence. This is a situation involving the latter scenario, and I am the Clean-Up Man. Welcome to Weekly Wrap-Up. A sprinkling of opinion, satire, spirituality, pain, stress, success, disappointment; in short, whatever God put into my life and had me deal with this current week. In about 3 to 4 minutes.

"It's my destiny to use what God made best in me" - Serani

- Mr. Jackson

London Slide Show

Just something I threw together...



- Mr. Jackson

Rosary Beads

haha..you must have forgot. I do this blog thing.

Jet-lag is finally wearing off. I have finished unpacking. Gifts are being mailed to the appropriate relatives and friends. In short, I am home. Happy, satisfied, and actually rather displaced. You see, London, was fabulous for me. It was not even the sight seeing, meeting new people, the food, etc. I needed to leave NH to remember how big the world is. Too often we get caught up thinking that one city has it all. I have met people who have never left the borough of Brooklyn. When I inquired why, they simply replied, "For what reason? Everything I want is right here." Small mind small world. But allow me to step off my soap box. I went to LONDON. The city with the double decker buses, people with funny accents, and more West Indians than you can throw a bowl of saltfish at. It was 8 days to remember.

Day 1:
Well, after a 6 hour trans-atlantic flight into Heathrow, which included but was not limited too: a screaming infant, a very rude flight attendent with a cockney accent, and an entire pack of flavor blasted goldfish, I touched down. Gbolawoyi and his dear uncle gave me a tour of the city, to which I ooohed and awwed, fighting the drowsiness as best I could. We got to the flat, I said hello to Mr. Ajayi Sr., and attached myself to a bed. I' m sure you can imagine the rest.









Day 2:
These stupid little plugs to my left. Today, was in essence, learning how to walk on the other side of the road. I'm all for different things, I love new environments, but wow was I out of my element. We went to train station, and Gbola gave me an Oyster card, and explained, (in great detail to his credit) how one navigates the Underground and the bus system in Metro London. I see your lips moving but I ain't heard much (c) Lil' Wayne... Everything was moving so fast, I was looking on the wrong side of the road, and almost got hit by many a Benzo. Fortunately, they recognize a foreigner when they see one. You know the look, the confused stare, oversized backpack, glazed eyes darting back and forth, constant fiddling with a map, awkward pacing like they want to ask you a question but don't, really forcing the issue of appearing comfortable... I was that guy.

Day 3:

We really hit the ground running today. My, oh my. A brief side note before I continue:

I figured out why adjusting is so difficult.You see, someone can come to America, not knowing a soul, and quite possibly walk into a big city, and find a bistro, or outdoor shop, where there native language is quite possibly spoken. The same can be said for other great cities around the world. But somewhere, ingrained inside of my cultural identity, is this idea, that, wherever I go, there will be something to remind me of home. It could candy, an advertisement, a gum wrapper, but I discovered this weird longing to be reminded that I was not far from home. FALSE. Even the Skittles tasted different.

more to come soonish...


-Mr. Jackson

Guy McGuy

Hello hello...

You know, I gotta keep you guys in the loop, Guy McGuy landed in Londontown yesterday morning. We've just been chilling, done a little bit of the sight seeing thing, but i'll leave that for him to tell you all himself... (pictures and videos to come to a computer near you soon)

Just to let you know that your beloved Mr Jackson made it here safely, sorry for taking him away from you. You will have him back on Sunday evening....

-Mr Ajayi

It's Been A While

Whats Going on everyone?

It has been so, so long since my last post, and for that, I truly apologize. I've been really busy since May 14th (my last post) and a lot has transpired. First and foremost, I, as well as (just about) everyone else in my form, have graduated from St. Paul's school and made our first steps towards our college careers. I have completely separated myself from my home for the past four years and returned to my true home in New York City. After little over 12 hours of being home, I made the decision to partially move into the home of a certain Syrie Bianco, along with Yasmin. And I almost feel bad when I say I don't want to go home.

I often joke about it with my friends, but I truly do mean it when I say this can be/will be/is the greatest Summer of my/our lives to date. With our high school years complete and our college careers slowly creeping over the horizon, this summer is no longer just a break from school; it is a great transition period during which we must prepare, both mentally and physically, to start the new chapters in our lives. Even our parents cannot help but accept the fact that we are no longer their babies. We have reached our coming of age, and they have no choice but to let us venture outside of the nest.

And Damn, I love being out the nest.

I plan to spend the next two weeks in this same way: relaxing and enjoying New York City in the company of good friends. Then, work starts, and the Summer gets so much better. Ironic, huh?

As Always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Ebony Eyes: Wildlife Edition

Many people like to assume thing when they hear I am from New Hampshire. "Do you know what Ihop is?" " Are there..well..you know.. black people?"...so on and so forth. This video will answer none of those questions, and will most likely leave you thinking that I run a zoo or have nothing but time on my hands. The latter is true.




" I give you dominion over all things..." - God

- Mr. Jackson

Simpson Afterdark Chronicles: James Brown vs. Team Scopa

Josh Herrera.
The Godfather of Soul.
1st Floor of Simpson House.

Enjoy it immensely.




Get up ahhhh....



- Mr. Jackson

Ebony Eyes Vol. 7 - Frying eggs in the shade

Location: Turkey Pond River Watershed
Unwilling Participants: Myself and Big Lube
Task(s): Record salinity, toxicity, paddle until our arms fell off, get ABAPed...etc

We made it work though...



"I'm about coming from nothing and becoming something..." - Killer Mike

- Mr. Jackson

Ebony Eyes: Jumpoff Ent. Vol. 1

We went in....Shout out to T-Dubs..and the whole school..especially the '09s who showed mega love that night..

More to come...

Prime Time Rhyme Remix from Tyler Wilson on Vimeo.

- Mr. Jackson

Transitions...

you know, right now, i'm going to take a page from Jordans book and give you a little insight into my world right now....

I just touched down in London Town a few days go, and now I am in my room at home, in my bed where I have been all day, resting. (well since i got back from work)

It is only in the past few days that I have been able to reflect on our achievements as a 5ive and as individuals at St Paul's, with all 5ive of us going to five different colleges, all of which are either ivy league universities, or "baby ivies" so to speak. (for the newsweek article on the 25 'new ivies' go to http://www.newsweek.com/id/39401)

Now, the time has come, for us to rest, relax, enjoy life, but not be satisfied and rest on our laurels. We just finished writing one chapter of our lives in a fantastic fashion, and in the fall, we will begin to write the next chapter, in what i believe will be the greatest yet...

Jjack, i await your arrival...

p.s. scary report from campus.

It's Like I Never Left...

Allow me to give you some insight into my world right about now:

I am sitting in my room at my uncle's home on Long Island, with a laptop on my lap watching Sunday Tiger, prepping for Finals Kobe, all while delaying the completion of my Directed Studies application and fingering my St. Paul's ring located on my right Ring Finger. And I'm relaying this all to you. 

Needless to say, I'm a busy man. 

I'd like to take this time to congratulate my 5ive; we've actually done it. I'd also like to congratulate Spencer Jones, and old roommate of mine. You've done it as well. There were times - years actually - when I didn't think you'd make it. But you did. And seeing you last Tuesday at Syries... Well, it was like you never left. 

That's how I feel right now - Like I never left my closest friends, those who Jonathan referred to as chosen family members. My greatest fear was that distance, time and home would erode friendships that I've cherished for a surplus of 4our years now. However, as indicated by the amount I've corresponded with all of you, and you all know who you are, it doesn't feel like much of anything has changed. The only difference is that you all don't get to see my sexy face as you hear my sexy voice.  

And on that note, I depart. Tiger just birdied 15 and is tied atop the leaderboard. Greatness calls. 

JbP

p.s. There will be an influx in posts. I needed to get my bearings. Stick with us. 

p.p.s. jxb2@pantheon.yale.edu or jordan.buxton-punch@yale.edu ... show me some love, shoot me a line. 

Before Graduation

The Line-Up...


*look at how dapper Mr. Ajayi is....



- Mr. Jackson

We Made it...

As I sit here...in my living room...(my actual bedroom is much to cluttered to breathe in..much less set up a computer) I am faced with an odd sensation. I have graduated, the matriculation from high school into college is complete, and I am officially an SPS Alumnus. That being said, my friends, the 5ive in particular, are spread out across the country. I take that back. They will all be in the northeast, and I, will be 1000 miles away in St. Louis. But this is a time of celebration, no? A time for parties, exorbatent amounts of cake and ice cream, late nights, reconnecting with friends from home, lounging, anything and everything that involves no work, right? Partially. You see, in this moment, of blissful and carefree behavior, I have come to realize that, I may in fact, not see some of my classmates for an extended period of time. Not only that, but their presence will not be around for events that I deemed normal, i.e. Sunday Breakfast, classes, sports, dorm life, etc... But such is life, and in my life, my friends are the family I choose, which makes the upkeep of those relationships healthy.

Side Note: I know some of you may have noticed the decrease in postings as of late. I want to take this time to dispel and/or quell any discussion of a hiatus being taken. The 5ive does not take breaks. Then it wouldn't be nineto5ive would it? We really go hard. nine to five, ten to six (c) Lil' Wayne..we may not post as much, but let' s face it, Mr. Burton is in North Cak, Mr. Hamilton is in Queens, Mr. Punch is in Strong Island, & Mr. Ajayi is globe-hopping in between Naija and London. So..please excuse the space, we all on our own paths as of right now...but keep logging on, and we will continue to give you what you want. Our reality, is giving you our lives. Grow with us...

- Mr. Jackson

Did you realize....

you may or may not know by now that i both love and hate track and field at the same time.

track is a one of a kind sport, there is no ball, really no real goal, purpose, except than to prove that you are better than your competitors, that you will always find a way to win, a way to get the job done no matter the circumstances.

so on that note, i want to introduce you to my 4x100m relay team mates, most are already familiar with them:

in the order we run

(from right to left)

General Jackson

Yours Truly

Christian Percy i.e. face of the programme

Lord Lewis

So to all of you record breaking, All ISL winning, All New England earning teammates i say thank you and congratulations!

...that you are a champion?!

Ebony Eyes: Priceless Moments Vol. 1

There are times in life..moments..that take our breath away. There are those which make us want to go back and time and take the breath out of our mouths so we would not be able to make those moments possible, as well. Some are just down right hilarious, and need to be archived and stored so future generations can share in the merriment. The newest edition to the Ebony Eyes themes, will be a collection of such pieces life, aptly titled Priceless Moments. These will be a short montage of quotations from people I know, but what they say is only as important as how they say it. Sometimes. There will be humor, serious content, and everything in between, I hope. So without further ado, the man on my left is Nick..and this is our moment.






- Mr. Jackson

Shine Sessions Vol 2 : Anchorman

For every team, no matter what the sport, there is always that intangible player. Maybe its that 6'8 power forward who can explode on any given night for 30 and 20; that mid-fielder on the pitch who, when he touches the ball, makes the ball seem like it is attached to his feet and makes Joga bonita into a lifestyle; The running back who uses just the right amount of finesse to squeeze through that tiny gap of sunlight between the defensive line man and the outside lineback, but tempers his attack with the strenth to shrug off the strong safety on his way to the goal line. Kieran Lee Lewis is one such individual. He gets credit for his work his work outside of the athletic field, as an SAO and a Prefect, but what he can do with his feet, has never gone unnoticed.
Simply stated, the boy is lightning. Not quick, not speedy, not fast, but he is a force of nature when he touches the track. (It can aptly be renamed "the tarmac", because he takes off, when he starts, and he flies when he is running...you get the drift). But despite all his athletic prowess, he remains humble, and his sense of humor is a constant source of joy for all his friends. So..ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you Kieran Lee Lewis. His body of work is as impressive as his hair. ooh...and he plays soccer. Well. Soon to be tearing up a NESCAC soccer pitch ( or track) near you. Get Familiar with the hair.


Kieran at play




Kieran at the office



- Mr. Jackson

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Get Acquainted Archive

I just wanted to have a list running list of all get acquainted posts so it could be easily accessible to all of you. Just click the names to get to each post

Emilio Rojas

Charles Hamilton

Fedd Hill

Drake

More to come really soon.

As always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

Effort x Heart

No explanation necessary.




We are all on a journey to a particular path...


- Mr. Jackson

Pray For Rain

"We're too close, can't stop praying now/
Though it seems there's no end to this pain/
Everytime I close my eyes, I pray for rain/
I pray for rain to wash away the pain..." - Jim Jones

My parents came up to see me today and we went out to Uno's for dinner. While we were finishing up, the sky darkened, the wind started blowing and the rain started pouring. Hard as hell. As I sat there eating my scampi I got upset and thought, "Damn, it was such a nice day, and now the wind decided to come and mess all up." right after that, however, i thought back to a conversation i had w/ my mom earlier in the day and realized that it wasn't all bad. My allergies have been completely using and abusing me since the weather got nice, but it should be better now that a lot of the pollen will be washed away. There's a sliver lining in every cloud, even the ones with thunder and lightning in them.

I think everyone can find some good in a rainy day. For some people, the constant pitter-patter provides them with a natural lullaby that eases them right to sleep. It induces others into a very introspective state, allowing them to ponder all the various aspects of their existence, which is not always a pleasant experience. I, however, believe that rain has the ability to cleanse you, in a sense; to thoroughly wash away all the dust gathered from walking the road of life. And who doesn't want to be clean?

As always,

Pax, Amor et Musica

The Quest

My last post was a little... let's call it"angry". This one is different:

“Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself In dark woods, the right road lost.”

There is nothing peculiar, or foreign, or even intrinsically different about this quote; it’s fairly self-explanatory and even more common. There will be a point in our lives – all of our lives - if there hasn’t been already, where we find ourselves in a dark woods, removed from life’s correct path. And during that time it will be this quest that we have begun to embark upon that ultimately offers us guidance and direction.
When lost or misguided, one’s mind undoubtedly begins to wander; and when one’s mind wanders, it questions; and when one’s mind questions, it effectively strips down that which its owner has worked to establish over the course of however many years.  The mind and soul become susceptible to self-doubt, fear, inexplicable or uncharacteristic rebellion, and plenty of other detrimental attributes. Dante acknowledges this by referencing death, fear, and terror, all while describing himself as weary and tired, which I believe one can either interpret as the state of his mentality, or his physicality. Either way, his mental mindless wandering and erring has led him to unchartered inner territories.
And this is how the Quest essentially begins. Our inability to sustain the straight and arrow leads to our ability to wander and think. Although that wandering and thinking often attacks the fundamental aspects of our character and moral code – essentially the well from which we extract our beliefs – it is essential to our growth, if only spiritually. Dante acknowledges this, as does Milton, as does Hagel, as do the other countless philosophs, writers, and thinkers who’ve tried to outline the importance of the Quest. Until we cease fearing this inevitable inner journey whose destination will forever remain unknown and unforeseen, these great minds and their works will be of relevance. In many ways, their Quests live vicariously through ours, serving as the Vergil to our Dante and offering us the guidance required to undertake a journey more pertinent, significant, and necessary than I could describe.
So midway on our life’s Journey, when we’ve found ourselves in that dark woods having lost that right road, fall back on the foundation of guidance with which we’ve only begun to be supplied in this class – that’s what its here for.

- excerpt from a declamation written for my Philosophy class.

JbP