It's been said about my family (a very large family...I have 62 first cousins), that when ever you walk into a Brown/Jefferson/Lucas house, you hear music. Either someone is singing, or playing music. I have a lot of good and not so good memories about times shared with my family, and many times those memories coincide with a specific album, rather than just a song. And more often than not, the album would be a gospel album. For instance:

When I was about 5 years old, my Aunt Melva and Uncle Mark would come over every now and then, and the family (my mom and dad, brother and sister) would sit down, and play Super Mario Bros. 3. These little get togethers continued 'til I was about 10. Every time we sat down to play this game, we would listen to "The Call" by Anointed. Now whenever I hear this album, I am reminded of those times.

We used to go camping up near Owen Sound, Ontario. We had a cabin that we shared with my Aunt Melva. I guess I was about 7 years old. Right around the same time, CeCe Winans released her album "Alone In His Presence". We listened to it nonstop for about two weeks. As a matter of fact, as much as I like the Commodores, the title song from "Alone In His Presence" is my all-time favourite song. It just hits me in a way that I can't explain...but it always puts me in a happy, nostalgic mood. It brings me peace, in a way.

My Uncle Tony used to live out in the country, and whenever we drove out there (and actually when we got there, it was playing too), we would listen to Kirk Franklin's "God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation". It was cool because one of my uncle's sons is deaf (my cousin Mike), and his mom could dothe sign language for the song "Stomp", which was on that album...it was pretty neat.

Yolanda Adam's "Through the Storm" reminds me of my Grandma Beatrice, who died when I was four. A lot of the songs on the album were played at her funeral.

We used to take long drives listening to The Winans' "Tomorrow" before gas prices went crazy.

We listen to BeBe and CeCe Winans "First Christmas" every year on Christmas morning.

Finally, my favourite gospel album is "Different Lifestyles" by BeBe and CeCe Winans...I can't explain every reason why this brings up so many memories, so I'll just say that this album has brought me through a huge chunk of my childhood, teens, and even now, as I venture into adulthood.

So, what albums or songs, from any genre, fill you with memories every time you hear them?

I get my laptop back...next Wednesday. :S

Oh well...don't worry, I actually have great news!

I was 242 lbs when the summer started (damn freshman 15), but thanks to a training routine my dad made up for me, I am now 225! XD

I've been thinking about posting my weight in the header or footer of my journal bi-weekly, just to track my progress. Sort of like extra motivation...what do you all think?

EDIT: Well, thank you all for your feedback. I think I'm going to keep a bi-weekly personal tally of my weight (for self motivation), as well as post it in the footer of my journal. Posting it here will provide extra motivation...since y'all can keep tabs on me ;). Don't worry, it won't be a new journal every 2 weeks about my weight. It will just be posted in the journal footer.

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Okay, so the screen on my laptop was slowly becoming unhinged, so I took it in to Futureshop. I won't have it back until next Monday, at the earliest.

Unfortunately, this also means that I don't have a scanner (the family computer has a printer, but no scanner). Which means that I won't be able to upload anything unless I take a picture of it.

So, uploading will be a little slow as of late. Now, I have to go try and find a camera around the house, because I owe somebody a piece that should've been done a LONG time ago X| My bad.

I got tagged, or pimped, by  speckled-paws. This is a really great idea!
Here are the rules:

1-First 10 people to comment here, I will post your avatar and 3 pieces you've done that I like.

2-If I feature you, then you must make a list of your own, starting with me in the first spot.

Let the art-pimpage begin!!

1.  speckled-paws
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2505495/ - Dangerously sexy!
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2573097/ - Excellent perspective!
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1982252/ - Nice rendition of Alice...very cute!

2.  tifreak8x
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1914359/ - The prologue to a simply epic story...start here and read on through!
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2603316/ - He did a great job colouring this.
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2585060/ - Sweet patch he designed for a story.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Let's spread the art around, y'all!

I got to thinking the other day that I don't have a whole lot of stuff in my gallery...

and I realized that I don't have a lot of stuff in my gallery because, recently, I haven't had the time or energy to create art...

and I realized that this is because, even though I'm supposed to be a part-time cook at KFC, I've been working full-time (due to other cooks taking time off)...

and I found out yesterday that all the cooks will be back on staff next week, meaning less hours for me...

which will give me more time to create art!

So, in short, expect a flurry of art starting probably later tonight or early tomorrow! I'm talking drawings, sketches, music, poetry, everything!!

On the note of music...I've been working on writing an album. So, I will periodically post my lyrics to see what you all think :)

I'm gonna try to be more consistant in my art output from now on...I PROMISE!

Have a good day!

It was only a matter of time before I got caught up in one of these. I got tagged by  shinjideo. So here we go:

1) Post these rules
2) Post 8 true things about yourself
3) At the end you must tag 4 people and post their icons
4) Go to their page and send them a message saying you tagged them
5) NO TAG-BACKS

1: I have an unnatural fear of popping balloons...no joke. I can't pop them myself, and I hate it when other people pop them, especially if they pop them while I'm not expecting it.

2. I've never seen Aladdin all the way through. Actually, I think all I've ever seen of it was the first 10 minutes.

3. While my favourite TV shows are The Cosby Show and Magnum P.I., my guilty pleasure is The Golden Girls. I can't get enough of that show!

4. If there is one thing that I cannot tolerate, it is disrespect toward women. My dad taught me to respect women at a very early age. I cannot stand disrespect toward women, and I've lost a few friends based on the way they treat women.

5. I have a soft spot in my heart for homeless people. I guess it's because I've known people who came pretty close to going homeless, and saw firsthand just how devastating the mere prospect of homelessness is.

6. "Alone in His Presence" by CeCe Winans always puts a smile on my face, even if I'm only thinking of the song. I have some great memories attached to that song.

7. I have never been in a relationship because I've always been too shy to ask a girl out. This shyness has disappeared over the last year though...university does that to you. So things may be looking up.

8. I absolutely love the smell of gasoline...and chlorine. I don't know why.

Alright, who to tag, who to tag....
 kittmouri
 speckled-paws
 canadianartist999
 ophelius

Go do it now! (or don't do it...it's your choice).

Just a general update.

***
I've got an account over on deviantArt now!! It'll give me a chance to post some of my non-furry artwork, like school projects and personal work. Don't worry, I'm not leaving FA...I repeat, I am NOT leaving FA!

***
Got a job at KFC as a cook...so I'm actually gonna have money now! Yes!!

***
I found a place to live next year. I was pretty sure I was gonna be living alone (which I did not want to do). But a girl who was on my floor last year found a house, and she invited me to live with her. So we're renting the house together.

I'm happy about this for two reasons...
1. I won't be a homeless university student
2. I'm living with someone that I actually know

Downside: I'm not sure how this girl deals with bumps in the night, but I'm pretty sure that if she hears one, I'll have to investigate...bummer. But I suppose it might make me feel more manly *Hulks up*

***
I'm still open for everything: commissions, trades, requests, gift art, whatever! I need the practice, so don't be afraid to hit me up in any of those categories.

~
Well, that pretty much covers everything. Hope y'all are enjoying your summer so far!

So, I'm watching my favourite sports show, Pardon the Interruption on TSN, and they talked about furries!

It appears that the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team are staying in the same hotel that Anthrocon is being held in...imagine that!

Hello there! How is everyone?

So, just a general update on me...

I am on a path to lose some weight and gain some muscle (I'm lucky my dad is a certified personal trainer). I'm not obese or anything, but I just want to be in better shape, so I can be around for my 50th wedding anniversary someday, instead of dying of a heart attack at 45.

I have been working on a huge art project, which  chaukoal has helped me with greatly, by providing excellent reference material (thanks again, man!). So, until that's done, I've been trying to keep busy with small artworks in-between...just so I don't lose my sanity working on one giant, complicated piece! So, does anyone want some free gift art? Or a free icon? Or have requests? Or anything? I just need to keep occupied when I'm not doing my big project.

My niece said my name for the first time the other day...it was really cute.

Thanks to  chrismukkah and  kittmouri, I found some great anatomy references. So, look out for some new work coming soon with some much improved anatomy! Many thanks to you two!

Alright! That's about it...now, what have you been up to?

To my watchers...

I'm sorry my art submission has been virtually non-existant. Don't worry...I haven't disappeared. It's just been a ridiculously busy four weeks. O_o;

But things are settling down, and I'm in a working mood, so expect some arts!

That is all. Have a nice day!

Hey everyone.

So, I'm trying to record the vocals for some of my songs, so I can upload them here. The problem is, I only have the microphone that was built in to my computer, and it's pretty weak at recording sound evenly (HP G60 Notebook with a Conexant High Definition SmartAudio 221 microphone).

So, I was wondering, does anyone knows of any recording programs that are good at recording sound evenly despite a low-grade microphone? Or should just give up and buy a new microphone?

Thanks a bunch!

This journal may seem like a Commodores plug, but before you run away, you should know something:

The first time I saw these videos was when I was twelve (2002), just before I started drawing furries. It was around midnight on a French-Canadian TV show that was running a classic concert series. That night, they were showing Commodores and Kool & The Gang concerts. I never thought that I would ever see these videos again (thank God for YouTube!).

These videos are the biggest reason why I created The Supreme Foxes (I thought it would be cool to have a band made up of animals)...therefore, they are the main reason behind why I draw furries.

Enjoy!

The Commodores - Slippery When Wet (live 1977)
The Commodores - Fancy Dancer (live 1976)
The Commodores - Machine Gun (live 1975)

Bonus: The song that really sparked my love for both the Commodores, and Classic R&B altogether.

The Commodores - Too Hot Ta Trot

Okay, you're all probably sick of the Commodores now...so I'll stop.

So, I just found out that my church (First Baptist Church, in Chatham, Ontario) has been granted a historical landmark status by the government of Canada....

...which is sick!

My church was used by abolishionist John Brown, to plan his raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1858. The raid was supposed to free the slaves captured in Harper's Ferry, and while the mission failed, First Baptist church was still seen as a safe meeting place for blacks for many years.

My hometown, Chatham, was a safehold for blacks throughout history (in late 1800s, early 1900s, the population of Chatham is 1/3 black. Many were escaped slaves).

It feels so good that such a historic site is finally getting the recognition from the government that it deserves!

*passes out from delight*

So, I have decided to open up for commissions...probably bad timing due to the economy, but there's not too much I can do about that. ^^;

So, here are the prices below:

Sketches: $3 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2278634
Inked: $5
Grayscale: $8
Colour: $10 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2284006
Extra characters: $1-2
Background: $2

Examples of each are forthcoming

---

Okay, so, I haven't done yiffy stuff before, but I am open to try some...though I do reserve the right to refuse if I'm uncomfortable. Same goes for fetishes.
Here is what I won't do, under any circumstances:

Gore
Snuff
M/M Porn, Yaoi
Scat
Cub
Hard Vore
Rape of any kind
Zoophilia/Bestiality

If you have questions, just ask me. Again, I have the right to refuse a commission if I do not feel comfortable about it. Nothing against the person...I just have my boundaries.

PayPal: brown_t96[at]yahoo.ca
If you don't have PayPal, we can work something out...not sure what, but we'll come up with something.

Um, I don't really know what to say other than that...if you want something done, or if you have questions, you can note me here or email me at brown_t96@yahoo.ca. I guess I'll open up 5 spots for now, since I'm new to the whole process.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Thank you to those who take an interest! I truly appreciate it!

The next music video I am doing is Stevie Wonder's "Visions"

Here is the song, if you are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFeQ.....eature=related

Thank you to everyone who voted! I really appreciate it. I shall now go to work on my music video!

So, last year, I made a tribute music video for the Commodores' "Zoom". Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPEcXEEBBLs

Well, the video-making bug got me again. The only problem is, I've got so many songs that I want to make a video for. So, I putting it to a vote.

Here are the possible songs:

Easy - The Commodores
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFHbGuSRAwg

Living For the City - Stevie Wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc0XEw4m-3w

Visions - Stevie Wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFeQ.....eature=related

Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRav.....eature=related

The World's a Masquerade - Earth, Wind & Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cEC94ZzQjs

Here's where you come in:
Vote for one of the songs. You can either write your choice in a response here, or note me, and I'll add it to the total. You don't have to check out the links...you can just pick randomly, if you want.
Participation is much appreciated, and thank you to all who do.

I put this poll up in few other places, and I'll add all the totals together when I close the poll.

P.S. if you happened to watch my video, please tell me what I could do to make my new video better.

Stats:
Easy.............................11
Living For the City.............1
Visions..........................13
Papa Was a Rolling Stone....5
The World's a Masquerade...0

Stay tuned for the winner........

Meme that was done by  katibara, and I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

1. What does your furaffinity name mean and why?
Mahewa na Umoja is Swahili for "music and harmony". I chose it to represent my African heritage, and because music can inspire unity between people.

2. What fandom were you obsessed with when you joined and what are you into now?
Can't really say. I guess I always liked the concept of anthropomorphic animals, and I still do.

3. How many watchers do you have now?
Just four, but I'm kinda surprised I have any at all.

4. Name 3 of your favourite artists on FA.
 farellemoon,  valentinecrow, and  red-dog...
and  rabid and  tibek and  p_moss and  katibara and  strype and  skia... sorry, I couldn't pick just three, and there are more that I would like to list, but then I'd be here all day.

5. Do you comment, fav, or both?
Both, as often as I can.

6. Do you participate in clubs' contests here on FA?
I didn't realize there were clubs...or contests o_O

7. What is your most popular deviation?
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1912292/ thus far.

8. What are your favourite non-anime TV shows?
- The Cosby Show
- Magnum, P.I.
- M*A*S*H
- Arrested Development
- Seinfeld
- Two and a Half Men

9. What are the things you wish you could draw better?
I could use a good anatomy lesson...my anatomy is terrible.

10. Summer or winter?
Winter, primarily because of Christmas (so joyous).

11. Rain or Sun?
As much as I like sun, I like the rain better.

12. What's your favourite type of music?
Funk, R&B, Soul, Gospel and Jazz, but I can listen to anything other than new country.

13. PC or Mac?
PC - the Apple Corporation scares me a little bit :(

14. Anime or Manga?
*shrugs* I don't know enough about either.

15. Coke or Pepsi?
Pepsi

16. Read or TV?
Both, whenever I have time.

17. How many hours a day do you spend on FA?
No idea.

18. Name a hidden talent.
I have a three-octave range, including falsetto.

19. Flash or traditional cartoons?
I like both, but I prefer traditional...give me Looney Tunes any day!

20. What is your favourite fast food restaurant?
Harvey's, all the way!

21. What are your top 3 favourite books?

- "Angelwalk" by Roger Elwood
- "My Life" by Magic Johnson
- I would say Sports Illustrated, but I have a feeling it wouldn't count

22. Wii or Playstation?
Wii! I'll take my Nintendo, thanks.

23. Name 3 of your favourite bands/singers.

1. The Commodores (I'm a complete Commodores junkie)
2. Earth, Wind & Fire
3. The Winans

24. Are you a fast, slow, or medium typer?
Slow to medium.

25. Do you like Denny's?
Never been to Denny's...commercials make it look good though.

26. What is your favourite emoticon?
XD I guess...it's just so happy!

27. What is your favourite type of pie?
Sorry, I'm a cake person.

28. Have you ever stayed up for 24 hours?
Three or four times.

29. Do you go on YouTube a lot?
Yes, mostly for my account.

30. Are you a member on any other sites besides FA?
Facebook, Funtrivia, YouTube, deviantArt (I don't have anything up there, though)

31. Do you cosplay?
No. I don't know what it is.

32. Fruits or sweets?
Fruit...hand over all of your watermelon!

33. Buttered, plain, or salted popcorn?
Buttered! Salted is good too.

34. Have you skipped school?
A few times.

35. Have you been on a plane?
Nope (afraid of flying).

36. Have you swum in an ocean?
No.

37. Have you been ice skating?
Yes!!! I gotta do that again, soon.

38. Favourite vacation spot
Tobermory/Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. Beautiful plateaus and caves, and the cleanest lakewater I have ever seen in my life. I recommend that y'all go!

39. Ever been on TV?
Locally, a few times.

40. Favourite salad dressing?
Mee no like salad dressing XP

41. What do you do to relax?
Sing

42. What is the last film you saw in the theatres?
The Dark Knight...simply incredible!!!

43. Favourite Sandwich?
Peanut butter and honey.

44. If you could go anywhere in the world...
Jamaica, Africa, or Tobermory.

45. Favourite time of the day?
Dawn and dusk. So peacefull.

46. What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be a weatherman...then a basketball player...then a chef.

47. What do you want to be now?
Graphic designer...I would love to be an art director at a record company, doing album covers.

48. If you could eat with one person, who would it be?
Present day: Denzel Washington. All Time: Jesus

49. What character would you hate to be stuck in a room with?
My Own: Jeff Fox. I haven't got a picture of him up here yet, but he's really wild and kinda eccentric. I don't mind that, but I would be so jealous of his ability to not care about consequences.
All Time: The Noid...God, he annoys the hell out of me.

50. When is your birthday?
March 23!

51. Favourite type of ice cream?
Cookies 'n' Cream...Mmmmm

52. Last book you read?
Film Art, An Introduction: Eighth Edition (ugh schoolwork).

53. Which store would you max out a credit card at?
Any music store that sells instruments or CDs or both.

54. Do you buy / sell / both on eBay?
Nope.

55. What is the most annoying thing people ask you?
When people ask if they can shove things in my afro. If I say yes, they sometimes jam the thing into my scalp, and that's not that great a feeling.

56. Favourite all time movie?
The Shining, hands down.

57. What was your favourite show when you were a kid?
Goof Troop, Recess, Art Attack, Kratt's Creatures, The Elephant Show, basically anything that was on TVO Kids or Family Channel.

58. What are you listening to right now?
"Won't You Come Dance With Me" by The Commodores. This song is my anthem, and I recommend it to everyone (both the album and live versions are good, but the album version is a bit better).

59. What is the last thing you ate?
Honey-Nut Cheerios.

60. If you were a crayon what colour would you be?
Black.

61. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Her eyes.

62. Favourite sport to play?
American football and basketball.

63. Favourite Day of the Year?
Christmas. Not for the commercialism and gifts, but because of my family. We have so much tradition: We sing as a family in our church's Christmas concert, my aunt and uncle and their kids come over on Christmas eve and stay overnight, my dad wakes us by ringing a bell and saing "HO HO HO", we say a little prayer after telling the Christmas story, open the gifts, have brunch, then off to my Grandpa's house for dinner with the entire family.

People seem to hate Christmas, but for me, it's magical. (God, that was corny)

64. Hugs or Kisses?
I like both, but if it's an intimate kiss, then women only, please (I hope that didn't sound mean).

65. Vanilla or Chocolate?
Chocolate.

66. Favourite Board Game?
Shool (it's an unconventional board game).

67. Favourite smells?
Actually, there is an old BeBe and CeCe Winans cassette tape I have that smells like my dad's old Ford Tempo. This smell brings back memories of riding to my late Grandma Beatrice's house when I was a toddler (she passed when I was 4). I know it's weird that my favourite smell is a cassette, but it just brings back a lot of good memories.

68. What inspires you?
My parents. They've been married for 21 years, and seeing all of my friends parents getting divorced, I realized just what a blessing it was not having to go through that. It's not the only reason they inspire me, but it is the shortest to type out. Seriously, I could write a 14 page essay on how my parents inspire me.

69. Do you have any piercings?
No

70. How many siblings do you have?
Three...an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister.

71. Bacon Bits or croutons?
Bacon bits please!

72. Favourite Day of the Week?
Saturday.

73. Favourite phrase?
What's happenin'?

74. Favourite Restaurant?
Glitters, in my hometown of Chatham, Ontario, Canada.

75. Favourite animal?
Foxes...or lions...can't decide =O

76. Favourite thing to do outside:
Go for long walks.

77. Favourite thing to do when it's raining?
Go for a long walk in it.

78. Favourite Disney character?
Tod, Vixey, Simba, Nala, Kronk, Bernard, Baloo, the list goes on and on.

79. Do you like coffee? If so, what is your favorite brand?
Nope. I drink hot chocolate in the morning. XD

80. Tag 6 people
Whoever wants to do it.

Almost stolen from  speckled-paws, but then I got tagged, so here we GO!


Using only song titles from one artist, cleverly answer these questions.

Pick a band/artist: The Commodores

1. Are you male or female: SUPERMAN

2. Describe yourself: I'M LOOKING FOR LOVE

3. How do you feel about yourself: I FEEL SANCTIFIED

4. Describe your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend: BETTER NEVER THAN FOREVER

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: FUNKY SITUATION

6. Describe your current location: BRICK HOUSE

7. Describe where you want to be: WONDERLAND

8. Your best friend is: THREE TIMES A LADY

9. Your favorite color is: HEAVEN KNOWS

10. You know that: YOU'RE SPECIAL

11. What’s the weather like: SLIPPERY WHEN WET

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called? THIS IS YOUR LIFE

13. What is life to you: SWEET LOVE

14. What is the best advice you have to give: WAKE UP CHILDREN/JESUS IS LOVE

15. If you could change your name what would you change it to: CAPTAIN QUICKDRAW

******
WARNING! Stealing this meme will result in a boadening of musical horizons

Hey everyone! I hope that you did some research on Black History. If you didn't, don't worry, there are eleven other months in the year. =) If you are interested on learning more or if you have questions, feel free to note me.

So, my birthday is coming up, and I haven't seen a lot of my extended family since I Christmas (university likes to destroy all the things that are enjoyable in your life, from time to time, like seeing your family). I really want to make a good impression, so I'm gonna to lose some weight.

So, to keep me motivated, I was gonna start a blog or a vlog or something like that. What do you all think? Should I post a blog recording my progress from week to week?

I NEED TO KNOW!!! Thank you.

So, here at my school, I've found something quite disturbing...there is absolutely NOTHING up on campus to celebrate Black History Month! NOTHING!!!! And I'm not offended as a black man, or the fact that there are no remnants of acknowlwdgement, but I am offended that: a) Not many even realized that it's Black History Month, and b) They didn't seem to care. February is a month to celebrate the history and the struggles, as well as the triumphs, of both notable black leaders and little-known individuals. Everybody knows about Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but do you know about Sojourner Truth? Or the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing?

I don't mean to sound confrontational, because I'm really not. I guess I'm just sick and tired of how Anglo-Saxon Eurocentric the Western world is. And that's not even a bad thing! The problem arises when all that people seem to think about in black culture is rappers, and drug-dealers, gangs and sports. Not only are some of these aspects negative, but that's all some people focus on. There's so much more to us than that!

I don't mean to preach...all I'm asking is for someone to take the time to do some research. Black history is intruging once you delve past what everyone thinks they know about Martin Luther King Jr. Any history can be intruging.

Thank you for reading my little rant, and Happy Black History Month! Go tell somebody!

P.S. Did you know that Charles Drew, a black man, discovered a process that separaes the liquid red blood cells from the plasma and, by freezing the two separately, the blood could be preserved and reconstituted at a later date? This resulted in the invention of the blood bank.

Congratulations to my Pittsburgh Steelers!!!! Y'all made Steeler Nation proud. But also, congratulations to the Arizona Cardinals, for defying all odds laid against them leading up to this Super Bowl...you guys put up quite a fight...



...BUT YEAH STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanna say hello to anyone who visits my page. Thanks for dropping by! You're more than welcome to come back anytime. I hope you like what you see.