Male Pattern Baldness aka DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!

There was a time...a time that doesn't seem too long ago...that I had hair.

I mean, a lot of hair.

Senior year at Howard U., circa 2003

Then, due to the pressures of conforming to a look that was deemed acceptable by the man (sidebar: if you find that jive turkey, tell him I'm looking for him...), I got a haircut. It wasn't the dreaded look that I had grown to love, but I rocked either a fade or tapered bush quite nicely.

Corporate World Cut, circa 2005

Then...year after year...the hair got thinner - rapidly thinner - forcing the haircuts to get lower and lower...until finally...there was no hair.

Getting My Grown-Man On, circa 2008

No doubt - I hated realizing that I was going bald. Dreaded it.

No pun intended.

I tried to ignore the warning signs. As mentioned, I tried to camouflage it by getting the haircuts lower. However, there was no denying the inevitable. Hell, my Pops is bald so I should have known better.

Sure, folks will lie and tell you, "It's determined by your mom's side of the family." Bullsh*t. All of them jokers still have a head a hair with no signs of push back. No, 'tis I in this lonely club with myself, my father, my cousin - on my dad's side of the family - and one of his brothers (the other still has a full head of hair...grrr!).

The point of all of this, though, is not the fact, that I'm bald, but the fact that maintaining a nice bald look is WAY harder than having dreads, a perfectly manicured fade (shout out to the late 80s!), or any other crazy style that I've been fortunate to rock. Hell, I have to cut my whole head every other day with clippers to keep it clean (BTW, tried this with my T-edgers and I went through two blades in three months - DAMMIT!), or I spend $25 a week to get my barber (gotta get that $20 appointment...plus tip) to cut it where it looks nice Friday through the following Monday and then a bit rough on Tuesday through Thursday before doing it all over again.

After going through $100 a month, I tried to go the ultra-cheap route and buying one of those Mach 7 razors or whatever the hell they advertise them as. I knew I was taking a chance because every time (since puberty, anyway...) that I have placed a razor to my face, I have broken out in bumps, but I thought, "Well, if I moisturize before, during, and after shaving, I should be fine!").

WRONG!

Sure enough, my head was, indeed, as smooth as a baby's bottom (insert that *whew* whistle) for two days...and then it bumped-up like a mother****** on the sides and the back of my head (but not my face - WTF!?) for about a week...just nasty-like!

So, I threw the razor, the shaving gel, and the after shave moisturizer away!

For some foolish reason, I thought keeping my head looking straight would get easy once I began rocking a dome. No one warned me that this would be one of the most frustrating things I encounter on damn near a daily basis.

While we search for cures for all types of ailments and diseases, I long for a day when there is a cure for Male Pattern Baldness. If there was such a research fund to end this travesty that affects so many people (men and women!), I would, without a doubt, donate to it...if a large percentage of my discretionary was not already going towards my clipping.

Matter of fact, I hope that he can fit me in this Friday.

That's My Sister!

My sister represented for her company on this video they produced for Yellow Pages dot com. She's at the 36-seconds remaining mark of the video...you can't miss her. She's very appealing to the eyes so when you see her you'll instantly be mesmerized.

Yes, that is a family trait of ours.

Check out the video here.

Ode to Big Mama

While taking a break during a work day that included me skipping lunch (I’m missing meals, but getting fatter. Go figure…), I decided to go to Foster’s Market in Chapel Hill to satisfy my sweet tooth (OK, that probably explains a lot).

I purchased a brownie and beverage from Foster's and then drove back to work where a dozen or so e-mails were awaiting a response. After responding to e-mails for about 30 minutes, I remembered, “Hey, I got a brownie!”

Pulled off the plastic wrapping and took a bite.

“WWWHHHOOOAAA...”

The brownie had that homemade richness – you know, that taste that screams “I don’t care how much or how many calories it takes for it to taste scrumptious!”

For me, it took me back to the days of going by my great-grandmother’s house in Mobile, Alabama’s Roger Williams Project as a youngster…I’m talking 5- or 6-years-old youngster…and always being greeted by some of her fudge goodness.

My great-grandmother, Irene, was the best.

Like really.

She was the best great-grandmother any kid could ask for.

Whether it was my mom bringing me my sister, CC, by just for a few minutes to say “Hi” or my dad bringing us over to hang for a while, Big Mama – as we called her – always greeted us with a warm, teeth-filled smile (“Heeeeyyyyy Baby!”) and some baked, hard fudge in a plastic bag.

It felt as if even when we showed up unannounced she knew we were coming and had fresh baked fudge for us. We could’ve been minutes away from eating dinner, but Mama or Daddy would let us devour the fudge anyway; and on the chance she didn’t have any fudge for us, she would always have a freeze cup (literally, a cup of frozen Kool-Aid) in the freezer just waiting for us.

Big Mama always made time for us. We were kids, but she always made us feel so important when we were in her presence. She always made us feel welcomed. She always kept our stomachs filled and our sweet tooth happy. She cared. She was the quintessential Big Mama.

Needless to say, I was pretty sad when Big Mama passed away when I was eight years old.

I later learned – not too long ago, actually – that Big Mama was the "candy lady" in the area of Roger Williams that she lived in. She always had those goodies because she sold it to help her get by. That doesn’t take away from my memories of her. I mean, she didn’t have to give them to me and CC for free!

I don’t write this just to shout out my own Big Mama…even though she was the best…but as an ode to all Big Mamas whether they were just a grandmother, an aunt, or a neighbor that held their matriarchal position in the community. All of the Big Mamas that were able to brighten up a kid’s day and ALWAYS had the ability to keep a kid in line through use of words or the rod.

With so many youngsters straight wilin’ in the streets and terrorizing communities, we can use more Big Mamas to be there for these kids that obviously feel hopeless and lost.

I’m just thankful that I had a great Big Mama coming up. When I was around her, I always felt at home.

I Made Up with an Old Friend

Before I ever had a real best friend in life - as in another human being whom I wanted to really get to know and share things with - my closest confidant was probably this 35mm camera that I actually found in a hotel room while on a trip in high school.

It was a like gift from above! It was a sweet camera,too - a black Nikon with a nice enough zoom on it to get some great shots. That camera stayed with me until my senior trip in high school...when while having fun in Orlando, I decided to take it in the beach water and a reasonably high tide splash water into lens, causing it to malfunction.

That came gave me three good years of photos, though, and I used it to photograph EVERYTHING.

My family. New Orleans sites. High School memories. Spiders and spider webs in my grandma's front yard. If I was there to witness it then you best believe I was capturing the moment via photography. I was the school photographer pretty much at both of the high schools I attended; knew how to develop film in the dark room; I used to enter contests everything - I was a beast and even considered becoming a photographer for a living.

Cockiness aside, though, I not only was good at it...I enjoyed it so much.

Then, I just lost the luster. For a couple of reasons - reasons I should probably be sharing with a professional while lying on a couch so I'll just do us all a favor and not go into details.

This summer, though, provided me with a number of moments that I wanted to remember via photography. A trip back home and priceless moments with family. Adventures around and outside the U.S. Seeing sites and meeting people that I may never see again.

I had to capture the moments.

While shooting the shots throughout the summer, I felt an old...something. Camera in hand felt so familiar.

Then, while at a Bun B concert, it was like I reconnected with an old friend. It was a free concert and I was right up on the stage and got some great shots that made me realize how much I missed the art of photography. That something was that "itch" - you know the "itch" I'm talking about - and it was back.

Bun B at The Cat's Cradle, August 18, 2008

Like the other photos on the blog, I shot the photos with a four-year-old Sony Cybershot camera that I *coughs* borrowed from my job. I takes good shots - especially portraits that need no flash. I plan on investing in a more professional model in '09, though, and I hope to take a photography course at The ArtsCenter to get better at photography.

At the moment, though, I'm just glad that I've reconnected with my ol' buddy!

Best Birthday EVER!

So I kicked off my birthday festivities a couple of weeks before the date of my birth - due to a previously planned trip to the West Coast.

It began with a cookout at the crib that the homey, B and Coy, made it up for along with Coy's friend, Jeanette. Nothing out of the ordinary...I have a cookout year-after-year. What made this year so much more fun was that fact that I actually made it out later in the evening to go partying.

I have habitually enjoyed myself a bit too much (*coughs*) at the cookout to make it out on the town. This year was different, though, as we hit up The Office in Raleigh!

B and Coy

Alex made a three hour drive after a 15-hour work day to party with The Kid

A week later, Annie and I hopped a plane to the West Coast to chill in Palm Springs, California.

That's an oxymoron because it was hot as HELL out there. 108 or hotter every single day. Crazy! The place was scenic and serene, though, with mountains in every direction you looked. I love mountains.

The San Jacinto Mountains...I believe

We mostly kicked back with plans to go to L.A. on my birthday. Then...we decided to bring in my birthday in LAS VEGAS, a four-hour drive from the balmy Palm Springs. The Strip and Planet Hollywood were the spots where we brought the party! We met a cool dude name Andy out there who, like us, came to really have a good time. Good times, indeed!

Plus, I don't know how he worked it out...but even Elvis came to party with The Kid.

I don't ask questions.

Vegas buddies, Andy and Elvis

The Joneses on The Vegas Strip, "Happy Birthday to me!"

After a night of frolicking, we woke up and drove it over to Los Angeles for a birthday lunch at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.

"We came from three time zones away just to eat here!"


My Howard U., School of C folks know about Mr. Micheaux

After all of this fun, we made our way back to the East Coast.

I've been saying it since I've been back home: this was my best birthday ever! Not only because of the overwhelming fun I had or the great presents that I received - no, solely because of the folks took the time to spend time with The Kid in celebration of my birthday. Who knew turning 27 could be so fun and exciting!?

Now, the plan is to talk my Pops into going along with him on a European trek that he's been pondering for a few years.

Get those fingers crossed!

I Hate To Use This Word, But...

Vacation was awesome.

Five days in New Orleans that included good times with the fam, lots of daiquiris, scrumptious delectable delights, an unprecedented run-in with "The Law" and fun on Bourbon Street. Ahhhh, The Big Easy...

Pops and his kids (and the grandson) on the Fourth of July

The older Jones Kids and the Bro-in-Law on Bourbon

Then it was off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for five days of some much needed fun with a little bit of R&R here and there. If you're ever going to Cabo, I definitely recommend the Riu Santa Fe. It's the all-inclusive jump-off, no doubt.

Every morning I would wake up and stare at the view from our balcony...

...it was crazy beautiful.

Speaking of crazy, the drinks were...that's fire under those shots. Birthday shots!

There were bars everywhere we turned, but the best was held down by...

"Gaby! " Gaby not only made great drinks, but she was fun and funny!

We even made friends in Cabo - Andrew and Karen were from Canada and were cool, ay!

Alas, we made our way back to New Orleans for one more day. I had to go and see my sister rack up awards at the Bernard Harris ExxonMobil Summer Science Camp...

Tiara is the smartest out of all of us. She's a star and a future doctor!

...and we HAD to see Gran before leaving!

Angie with her grandmother

We eventually returned to the real world, but we have great memories from vacation to hold us over until the next time we're able to get away for a few days.

Video Guru

Sure, my emphasis in college was technically Radio, TV, and Film...I only focused on radio, though - and I wasn't that great as far as grasping the functionalities while in the classroom.

I learned a lot of my radio/audio skills outside of the classroom either at WHBC, WHUR, or in the real world at WCHL.

I've been clueless about the inner workings of video or film production even though I've always had a sincere interest in the two as much as radio. So, I've been trying to pick up a few things here and there and am teaching myself video production skills.

Here's a video that I consider my first true masterpiece:

Kinda/Sorta

The show is still coming. Life has been EXTREMELY chaotic the past few weeks. I'm still getting in and looking to create change. I, too, struggle just like my constituents.

Need I say more...

Talking Politics

I had an exclusive opportunity to catch up with John Edwards last night as he took in the UNC vs. Clemson basketball game in Chapel Hill, NC.

We go way back.

Seriously, I got talk to the former Senator and Presidential Candidate who still has a significant amount of political clout. What are the secret meetings with Clinton and Obama all about? Who will he endorse? Listen and find out for yourself.

JJJ with Senator John Edwards

(Hey, the interview's not long at all...)

Man, I Was Trippin'

Did you read the debut article on this blog?

You didn't?

Oh. Well, I'll bring you up to speed in one sentence: my dumb a** thought I had a chance in hell to run a 10-mile race. With three months of training.

What the hell was I thinking??? I mean, I really thought I could train for and run a 10-mile frickin' race that takes place in April. Of this year.

No, I'm not on drugs.

I finally got a much-needed dose of reality last Monday when I went running after work in the neighborhood adjacent to my job. Along with a buddy of mine, I was all set to do a solid mile non-stop. You know, crawl before I walk. After about five minutes of running, I felt like I could barely walk. He kept telling me, "C'mon, make it to the stop sign (which was maybe 20 feet away but seemed like 300 yards), but I was in agonizing, alternating pain.

When my shins didn't hurt, my lungs were hurting. I assume from the constant inhaling and exhaling. I (barely) finished the distance...a good mile and a half, but I truly just wanted to just lay down on the sidewalk and go to sleep.

"Is it morning already!?"

I was, physically, feeling so bad and thinking, "How the hell am I going to be able to add 8.5 more miles to my distance within three months???" Didn't sound to realistic so I had to go to the Internet to find information to confirm this notion. Sure enough, some experts suggest training 18 months for a marathon (26.2 miles)...I figure I should give myself about a year to do 10 miles...I mean, I am severely out of shape.

So I am going to do the 5K (3.1 miles) instead. Now, I can train to complete that distance. I figure, training to run that race will kick start my year-long training to complete the 10-mile race in April '09. I feel bad for not sticking to it, but if it's impossible then it's just damn impossible.

Why Do We Need Change, You Ask?

Your candidate with the kids, compared to...


(Speechless)

Need We Say More!?

Even More Reason to Vote for Me

Just imagine what his wife would do if elected to office...

So what are you dreaming about Billy???

100 Days and Running...Well, Really 98 Days

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers was working to create a partnership between our radio station and a local magazine that is organizing a 5K race and 10 mile run that is scheduled to take place on April 26 of this year. In brainstorming ideas, she had a bright idea and tried to sell me on it:

Co-worker: Hey, Johnny...I know you're an outgoing guy and all. Heck, you got your kayaking thing going on and all. Wouldn't you want to run the 10 mile race and chronicle it as part of the campaign!? The idea sort of just came to me last night. Something like 'I'm Running with Johnny.' Oh, this could be fun!

JJJ: Uhm...sure. I'll do it. It'll help me get in shape, too.

Co-worker: That's awesome!

Mind you, I hate running. I always have. Sure, I can play sports that involve running for hours at a time..or, at least I could back in the day. Running just to run, though, has never been my thing.

True to form, about six weeks have past since that conversation and I've been playing a little more basketball, about twice a week (early in the week...), and even running here and there. All of this compared to the past 2+ years I've spent only getting exercise in the form of fork lifting...food-to-mouth.

...and a one scoop, two scoops, three scoops, more!

However, if this is going to happen - running 10 miles in about two hours - I've got to kick training in to high gear like RIGHT NOW.

So training begins on Monday, January 21 and you can follow the journey here. Unlike Paddling with Purpose (which will, from now on, always benefit Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate), there will be no fund raising or the growing of a beard. This is my own personal challenge.

(A moment that should be shared with a professional while lying on a couch is about to be typed...now)

I always renege on things like this and never go through with it. Hell, I've been trying to get in shape - again - for about two years. Two years of talking about exercising, but remaining consistent to nothing, but eating. I get tired of hearing myself talk about what I'm going to do. I really do want to do this because it'll be the biggest challenge I've ever faced.

Can I push my body and mind to the limit and actually run (well, I'm sure I'll just be jogging) 10 miles at one time!?

You and I will see, won't we?