today is the first black president’s birthday

hes 24

when i was a kid i was the only black boy in school.

when in history class we talked about slavery it was the most uncomfortable thing ever.

now in history class when people talk about barack obama’s life story i can only imagine how the one black kid in school beams with pride.

when i was a kid i didnt even imagine that such a thing would happen in my lifetime. why? well because there werent even very many blacks on tv.

there were so few that Jet magazine used to list them all on the second to last page of their tiny weekly.

sure there were blacks on tv in sports, but they werent managers or head coaches. it took a while to see them as news anchors.

but a big time politician? let alone the president of the most powerful country in the world? impossible.

the cubs had a better chance of winning it all than that.

politics aside, policies aside… when i look at pictures of barack obama, i feel differently with him than i have any other president before him

because when i see him, i see the result of millions of americans who all stopped thinking that it was impossible. i see the representative of a nation who one day said ideas and the ability to make those ideas come true is what we are about, not the color of our skin or the color we think our leaders should be.

it gives me hope that other glass ceilings can also be broken in record time.

and then we can take on some truly serious problems.

like how we get the cubs that title.

photo: President Barack Obama on Air Force One credit: Pete Souza, White House flickr

took the truest to a fancy classical concert last night at the hollywood bowl

was super fun. Gershwin doing the music from that old United Airlines commercial.

also Bernstein.

but one of the best parts (besides being able to legally bring in bottles of wine) was when the pianist improvised off of Beethoven’s Fifth, best known from “Clockwork Orange”.

she told the crowd that in olden times classical musicians would improve live all the time but nowadays its super rare.

no clue why its rare cuz it was, like i said, the best part.

the conductor, this dude Dudamel is only 29 and the LA Phil has named him their music director and our reviewer and the crowd were super into him, for good reason. he has so much fun up there and clearly knows the music inside out.

but what i liked about him is he conducts from the future. like if he really wants one section to nail it he will gesture to them a full beat before he wants it. so not only are the musicians ready for it, but so is the crowd. it gets everyone way into it.

it also must be hard to do. i was confused. but i was also a tad toasted.

as i plan to be shortly, shorties.