Why Al Gore Invented The Internet

This is the real filmmaking Kevin Smith. He has made a number of very successful films including but not limited to Clerks, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob. BUT, he is not the only Kevin Smith who has made a film. Almost 15 years ago, as a final senior project, I made a short film in the style of some of my favorite Karate flicks of the 70's. As I was going through some of my old tapes, I found this gem, and decided to share it with all of you. Now the tape has gone through some degradation and some of the video might look horrible, but i believe the overall vision of the movie is there.

I present to you, my loyal readers, "Blade's Fury: Master Kahn vs. Wu-Tang"

"Not a popular place with the brothers..."

I suspect Jesika is laughing her head off. My dad is probably somewhere nearby with his trademark smile, shaking his head wondering, “What on earth is Kevin doing there?”. These heavenly sentiments are in response to my choice of venue for my first monthly lunch with one of Jesika’s childhood friends, Becky. The place was Kuma’s Corner and if anyone knows me, it’s about as “un-Kevin” a place as there is on Earth. I found this place on the Food Network, and they proclaim to have the “best burger in Chicago”. Now I have been a connoisseur of a great burger for quite some time and I would go to great lengths to sample the best my hometown has to offer. But was I ready for Kuma’s Corner?

I made it to the restaurant right at the stroke of noon on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, and I immediately heard Becky call my name. She was sitting at the bar with an empty seat saved me for me next to her. As I looked around, I saw that the seat that Becky had saved was the only empty seat in the entire place. Even though the restaurant had only been open a scant 30 minutes, it was filled with curious mix of young professionals on their lunch break, the occasional tourist, and what I would consider to be serious headbangers. Headbangers, you ask? Well, what I forgot to mention is that in addition to serving the self-proclaimed best burger in Chicago, Kuma’s Corner is a fully-functional heavy metal bar, complete with tattooed wait staff, pentagraphs, and blaring death metal as the soundtrack. As I walked in, I was reminded of Eddie Murphy’s classic line from the 80’s comedy, 48 Hours,

“Not a popular place with the brothers…”

This was about as far outside of my South Side/Urban/Hip-Hop comfort zone as I could possibly get. But part of the reason I started blogging was to step out of that comfort zone and broaden my cultural horizons, so as long as our waitress didn’t stand on the bar and bite the head off of a live bat, I could roll with the punches.






Our first course was Prince Edward Island Mussels cooked in beer, and our first topic was of course, Jesika. We both talked about how much we missed Jesika, and Becky shared with me something that really stuck. She told me how in the midst of dealing with the stresses of her life, she sometimes has “conversations with Jesika”, where she imagines what Jesika’s response would be to her venting. I can totally empathize. I have written quite extensively about the “conversations” I have had with my departed father in the midst of recent adversity. The spiritual influence and moral imprint that my father had on me was so strong that in those moments we look for his guidance, it comes to me every time. However, it is with great sadness and regret that I say that sometimes I struggle to feel that same connection with Jesika. It is not because I didn’t or don’t continue to love her. To say that I miss Jesika would be an understatement of the grandest magnitude. It feels more like something inside in my body has been ripped out and the resulting void is constantly pried open to prevent it from healing. I yearn to feel the same sort calming, emotionally fortifying connection to Jesika that I feel with my father. It’s just not that easy though. Because for every time I think of all the good times Jesika and I had together, it is matched with these disjointed flashbacks of watching the woman I loved so much die in 24 days and all the ugliness and pain that ensued afterwards. The memory of Jesika and I having dinner in our apartment on the beach for the first time is cruelly followed by flashback of Jesika’s mother yelling for me to leave the ICU room immediately after Jesika’s transition. It’s like it plays back in slow motion. My mother quietly comes to me and tells me that we should go, and all of Jesika’s friends and family just stood there silently. A joyous time like Jesika and I spending her 30th birthday together last August gets trumped by sitting in the apartment the day after Jesika’s passing, and in the midst of a prayer with my family’s pastor and my mother, hearing Jesika’s father exclaim I was “disrespecting his daughter” by failing to “step up”, ask him “for Jesika’s hand” in order to “be a part of [his] family”. People who I have spoken to about this have told me that with time and prayer, these hard feelings will fade, and all that will remain in my heart are my cherished memories of Jesika and I. I hope so.





The next course came and it was the moment of truth. The burgers. Becky opted for the “Clutch”, a garden burger with four cheeses. My choice was a monstrosity called the “Neurosis”, a beef burger with Swiss, cheddar, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and horseradish mayo. Total nutritional bankruptcy. Yes, I know this. But it is so good. The best in the city, that might take additional study, but definitely a serious contender. Our next topic of conversation was an inevitable one. The sudden death of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. Becky and I just kind of reflected on how Michael Jackson WAS the 80’s and for him to be gone also means truly bidding farewell to our childhood. How many of us remember “Thriller” jackets, and the bedazzled glove. Ladies and gentlemen, that was a LONG time ago.

Curiously, we got into a discussion about Michael’s apparent issues related to his dislike of his own appearance and his speculated rejection of African-American culture in general. The concept of African-American cultural identity is one that I believed Becky didn’t have a lot of background in, so I took the lead in this conversation. I shared my sentiment that I think Michael was so brow beat by his father, and under such scrutiny by the media at such a young age that what was normal is his mind as an adolescent may seem like another universe to us. I promise to write more about African-American culture, and blackness, and self-loathing in future posts. Right now, I will just say, Michael Jackson was a tremendously talented individual who unfortunately endured a highly unhealthy childhood which led to him making poor choices in adulthood. In the words of the immortal Stan Lee, “Nuff Said!”.

So our first lunch was a lot of fun. I enjoyed a great burger and even better conversation, and even though the heavy metal vibe was strange to my hip-hop sensibilities, I came out of there unharmed. On my ride home, I thought about a possible spin off location. A restaurant dedicated to classic hip-hop with sandwiches named after my favorite MC’s. I can see it now. The “Rakim”, the “KRS-One”, the “Common Sense”. A live DJ spinning during the lunch rush. Waitresses dressed in Cross Colors serving the food.

An idea worth revisiting.

To see Becky's take on our meeting, please visit her blog, Which End Is Up Today.

Joining Forces

When I decided to start, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”, my primary inspiration was Becky, one of Jesika’s best friends and her blog, “Which End Is Up Today”. It chronicles the lives of Becky and her sister as they navigate through life as young professional women of Chicago. In reading her blog, I was struck by her honesty and willingness to put her own neck in the guillotine of public opinion when writing her entries. When I wrote my first entry, “Back To Basics”, it was my original intent just to keep them to myself as sort of a private journal. It was Becky, who not only encouraged me to make my writings public, but she even offered to post them on her blog for me. It was then that I decided to go ahead and put together, “It Ain’t Hard To Tell”. I just felt like for me to get as much out of this blogging process as possible, I needed to do it all the way. I must say that in dealing with Jesika’s passing, one of the things that has been most healing to me has been, having to really think about my feelings, and then write them down in a way that makes sense to others. Sometimes I may succeed and sometimes I may fail, but the process itself has been very helpful.

A couple of weeks ago, I suggested to Becky that we try to do sort of a cross-promotion of blogs. I thought it would be fun if we got together for lunch once a month, had a conversation, and then blogged about it from each of our perspectives. In all actuality, I really thought it would be a good way for us to keep in touch in a way that will assist both of our healing processes , as well as pay homage to how much Jesika meant to both of us. I am sure she is in Heaven, smiling at us. I am sure she is calling us huge dorks, but she is smiling nonetheless.

So, our first lunch was yesterday afternoon. I have pictures and funny stories, and I promise they are forthcoming. It is only because AT&T DSL sucks so bad that I havent posted them yet. As soon as my technical difficulties are resolved, my voyage to Kuma’s Corner with Becky will be chronicled. Becky needs suggestions for nect month’s restaurant, so feel free to hit her up.

P.S. The picture doesn’t hold much significance except that it is the only Marvel comic book that I can recall with a Black man and a White woman fighting together for the side of right. That’s us – champions for the side of truth and justice. Evil doers beware!