i'm gonna do you a small favor

yes, indeed!
It's a good day.
I take it all back. Everything. All that jazz about being lonely and stuff. Ferget it.

You know what I love love love about living in Austin?
I get to be alone.
Oh yeah. God had to slap me in the face and remind me. Sometimes, it's good to just go and walk away from everything.

Sometimes the hustle-bustle of the grind just comes and wrings you out, and you just wanna chill and do your own thang, right? I never really got that in NYC, too many people everywhere. I mean, everywhere.

But down here in the Lone Star, there's space, baby. Lot's of wide, open space. To just be alone and do your own thang. I dig that.

I went to shoot some hoops tonight, and chose to go to the outdoor courts as opposed to the gym, cuz I wanted to be by myself and mull through some thoughts. And you know what?

I did! I got to just hang out, and work on my left-handed dribble. All by myself! (man, that never ever ever ever happened on an NYC court. The minute you pull onto a court, someone wants to play you. And they're always waaaay better than me.)

But actually, some kids did eventually ask me to join in their game. And I played. And I didn't suck, which makes me all the more happy! It's funny, but, I've never really been very good at basketball. Every other sport I try, I get better the more and more I do it. Running, tennis, snowboarding. The more I do it, the better I get. Basketball, on the other hand, I think I peaked in 8th grade, when I scored 10 points in a game, my highest ever. (it's probably because I was 1 inch taller in the 8th grade than I am now. And a whole lot fatter! Oh, sometimes I miss being a fat kid. I really do.)
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Life is groovy down in these parts. I'm gonna look at a house that I might buy tomorrow, it's a steal compared to NYC prices. I also solved a problem in my math class that a whole lot of people had trouble with, which made me feel superior to them, and therefore boosted my ego in a superficial way. Go go temporary empowerment!
Plus, I'm thinking about delving back into the world of tattoos. It's been more than 10 years since I got my first one, can you believe? And almost 8 years since I got my last one. I think it's time.
Yes, it's definitely time to get some more ink. More details to follow.

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I'm also trying to fulfill a command that God gave me the other day. You know, it's all good to promote social justice and volunteer and do all that jazz. But the real commitment to making a difference is by establishing relationships with the less fortunate. Jesus went and hung out with the prostitutes, tax-collectors, and lepers. The dregs of society. This is what I should be doing with my life, isn't it? Befriending and hanging out with those who are truly destitue.

I got a glimpse of that with some of the students I was teaching in Brooklyn. Some of them came from real high-poverty households, and establishing relationships with them and their families really was very fun. Now, I'm hoping do help out someone I met when I was volunteering at the convention center, a displaced New Orleans evacuee who's just trying to make it here in Austin with her son. I'm going to take them out to dinner this weekend and also invite them to my church. It's the first time in my life that I've done something like this, and it makes me happy that I'm finally putting my money where my mouth is. You know? I preach a good game of social justice . . . but honestly, what have I really ever done to fight poverty and inequality on a personal level. Most of my legacy involves standing around at protests to shout silly slogans, or wearing trendy counter-culture t-shirts, or debating political action while getting high.
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Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your treat.
A couple months ago, I was stuck in traffic in Queens on the Long Island Expressway (that's the LIE, to you city folk) and listening to my favorite station ever, Hot 97. It was a Saturday night, around 1AM, and for those of you who know NYC, no surpise that there's a traffic jam at that time of the night. DJ Green Lantern (arguably, one of the greatest DJs ever) was spinning his show, and layed down this phatty phat amazing joint that just consisted of whistles. Like slow, casual, pretty girl at the beach, 1950's whistles that he cut over and over and over. I couldn't take it! Wow, what an amazing beat. The rhymes were pretty tight too, and it's a good thing they kept shouting themselves out all over it, so I would know who they were, Dipset, baby. (you know, Cam'ron and Julez Santana's Harlem crew)
So, this beat with the crazy whistle runs through my dreams for the last couple months. I'm desperately looking up samples on iTunes and Amazon trying to figure out if this is a track that's actually been released. I gotta hear that phat phat whistle beat again!
Finally, the other day, on Acquisition (a fine fine Mac program), I find it. After searching for the last 3 months!

And I tell ya, I've been listening to it nonstop for the last two weeks. Oh yeah.
It's not as dope as when Green Lantern was cuttin and choppin, but it'll do. And finally, as with all dope beats, I've gotten just a little sick of it. (and, the lyrics are kind of a foul, which I don't approve of.)

But here it is, enjoy. (and don't arrest me.)

Oh, and here's a classic Del/Hieroglyphics track that I love too.

Have some fun, crazy kids.

all caps when you spell the mad name. --mfdoom+madlib=madvillian

MADTEDS