I started blogging on December 13, 2007,  and The Black Lounge has provided me the space to share my thoughts and ideas with everyone whether or not I knew them. I’ve had awesome experiences and conversations, come across blogs that I still read to this day and have even met a few people via blogging whom I consider to be friends. A few things have happened over the past week which have caused me to put  things in my life into perspective. With that perspective, I feel that it’s time to move on. I haven’t updated this blog in months, and in all honesty, I no longer feel comfortable sharing my thoughts here. Thanks to everyone for the years of support and for allowing me to share my thoughts.

It’s been real folks. Take Care.

-B.

2011 was a good year in music. I discovered a few new artists, spent most the time discovering new music via Pandora and Spotify and enjoyed what I’ve discovered. Since I’m a cool guy and all, I figured that I’d share (via my Last.fm page) the 10 artists I’ve listened to the most in 2011.

My Top 10 Artists of 2011

10. Katy Perry: 391 Plays

9. Paramore: 401 Plays

8. La Roux: 464 Plays

7. Kazaky: 477 Plays

6. Coldplay: 497 Plays

5. The Foreign Exchange: 606 Plays

4. Kylie Minogue: 633 Plays

3. Beyoncé:  969 Plays

2. Jill Scott: 1,272 Plays

1. Adele: 1,297 Plays

This song has been in my head for the past few days as I’ve been thinking about a range of things. Just thought that I’d share it.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been in a seriously introspective mood. Questioning myself, my decisions, and a few other things. For the past few years, my goals have been simple: Finish and graduate from school. Move out of Ma Dukes’ house and get my own place (with cable and air conditioning). Find a job to support myself.

Now that I’ve reached those goals, what’s next?

I can say without a shadow of doubt in my head that I don’t want to push paper for the next 40-50 years. So, the next logical step would be to create another set of goals to attain and surpass, and then start working on that.

But here’s the thing. I don’t know what I want to do now.

Of course, I have lifelong goals which include going to (and staying consistent with) the gym, attain a respectable portfolio and of course to start a family (in the DISTANT future lol). But as far as career-wise?

Yeah. That’s where I’m not so sure.

I’m starting to realize that, although Civil Engineers make GREAT money, it’s not really where my passion lies. I love to design roads and all, but it’s not something I could see myself doing for the length of my career. I’ve been getting excellent feedback from my Photography but I’m nervous about pursuing that (although I LOVE to do it).

So how would I go about trying to figure out what I want to do with my life? A change in scenery, perhaps? Finding a new hobby or two? Hanging out with new people? I’m really at a loss for ideas.

Random Thought of the Moment: “I’m on a search for clarity.”

The Song of the Moment: “Never A Day in Vain” by Georgia Anne Muldrow

The few weeks since my last blog post have been nothing short of a whirlwind for me. Here’s what’s been going on since July 5th.

1. I signed the lease on my first apartment!! Move in day was August 2nd and since the only thing I have is a bedroom set, the entire moving process took no more than a couple of hours. I’m excited to move towards the next chapter of my life and more importantly? I’m happy to be in a place with air conditioning!

2. My car (which I recently nicknamed Old Faithful) started going haywire about 3 weeks ago. First there were acceleration problems, followed by my car’s desire to shake and vibrate like a backup dancer in an Uncle Luke video caused me to put it in the shop. They came back and said that outside of needing some EXPENSIVE (to the tune of several thousand dollars worth) suspension work, I needed to get my transmission looked at by ANOTHER place. I took a half day off work and went to get everything checked out and heard some not so great news. At the end of the day, I was confronted with two options. Put several thousand dollars worth of work into my car (which may or may not extend it’s life AND cost more than the car is worth) or.. get another one.

I got another one. smh. Not looking forward to having car payments again, but like Monnie said a few weeks back. Shit happens and you have to deal with it.

3. So… remember that “unexpected yet interesting change in my social life” that I talked about last time? That’s over. Still won’t go into particulars, but I can say that I was caught off guard by it. Immediately afterwards (for the first week), I was a wreck. But since then I’ve learned that despite my best efforts, things won’t always work out as I want them to. It’s been about three weeks and I can say that (outside of a random moment here or there), I feel better each day and have come to terms with everything. We said that we would remain friends and at the end of the day, I’m fine with that.

3a. Being the type of person that puts my all into relationships, I tend to take it hard when they don’t work out. I can say that the aforementioned situation has turned me off to getting to know people/dating/relationships for a while.

4. The above things all occurred within days of each other. As I was sitting in the car rental spot waiting for my rental car, I noticed that I was having trouble breathing and that my hands were seriously shaking. I had to sit down for a few minutes to gather myself before moving forward and I’ve even noticed that I’ve lost about ten pounds. Saying that I’ve been stressed over the past 3 weeks is nothing but true. I still have kickboxing as an outlet, but I’m starting to wonder if I need another one.

I have plenty of great things to look forward to and in the near future so as long as I focus on these things and not the negative, I’ll be fine.

5. I’m still on track to finish the application for the E.I.T. exam, however I misplaced the papers. lol. I’ll have to re-download them and mail them out when I’m done. The application’s due before September 1st, and the exam itself is on a Saturday in mid-October. Did I also mention that it was 8 hours long?

5a. I conferred with a few of my classmates, and have looked at some study guides (900+ pages for each), and most sources recommend studying for at least 3 months prior to the exam. Also, being that the exam/registration fee costs about $225, this is definitely something I don’t want to go into half-assedly (Yeah I made that word up) and fail. I might just bite the bullet on this one and wait until April to take the exam. With everything that’s been going on recently (working, moving into a new place, etc.) I definitely havent been studying. We’ll see how I feel closer to the date.

6. The photo shoots I had scheduled in July all got shuffled around. I’m in the process of rescheduling 3 of them, and the 4th (impromptu session with my godson) can be shot whenever. I also have one scheduled for next weekend!!

Despite everything, as of now, I’m in a good place. Been in a great mood all day and am looking forward to tackling what needs to be tackled.

I’ve learned that learning to deal with and handle stress and stressful situations is all apart of growing up. Being that I’m a little more than four months away from turning 25, I can’t shut down every time life throws a curve ball my way. I’ll simply have to accept. analyze, adapt, and overcome.

Seems like this whole ‘being an adult’ thing is full of surprises.

1. I’ve wanted to return to blogging for months but every time I open up WordPress.com, I lose the spark (or get distracted).

2. I graduated from Undergrad on May 21st. Was blessed enough to land a Full-time (albeit contracted) position a week after graduation and I started on June 6th. However, I am in DIRE need of a vacation. A week or two off on a beach (preferably in Puerto Rico) with my iPod and a lot of Puerto Rican food is what I need. I’ll have to save for it though. I’m just glad that the hustle, bustle and stress of the Engineering program is OVER.

2a. Since my position is a 13 month contract, I’ve applied for other jobs and have passed them to friends who’ve graduated and haven’t found anything yet. I love the position I have so far and there’s a strong chance for the contract to be renewed (as they have someone there who’s been on contract FOR YEARS), but I’m still keeping my eyes open for a permanent position.

3. The apartment search is underway. Since I’ve applied to positions as far away as Arlington, VA and have looked at jobs as far away as Frederick, MD, I’ve opened up my apartment search to the entire DC-Baltimore Metro Area. I have 4 complexes here in the Baltimore area and about 4 in the DC area that are on my list to tour. Haven’t made any moves yet as I’m still waiting on word from the jobs I’ve applied for, but I’ll call to check for vacancies before the end of the month. I anticipate leaving home sometime this fall.

4. I took the month of April off from the Gym to focus on school and to finish up all of the projects I had to do. That one month hiatus turned into an almost three-month hiatus. I signed up for 3 summer classes at the gym which started last week. In addition, I signed up for Kickboxing via a Groupon and liked it, so I’m sticking with it. Hopefully I’ll keep it up this time.

5.I have my paperwork for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam in October. I need to fill it out and send it in (along with the astronomical fee) for processing. The deadline is August 30th. I considered signing up for a prep course one of my former professors offer but I definitely don’t have $600 lying around to pay for it. I have to order prep books from Amazon, but come hell or high water I’ll be in there for that 8-hour exam in October!

6. Graduate School is still in the cards. I still want to pursue a degree in City and Regional Planning. I want to concentrate on more of the design side and less of the policy side, but I know having a background in Policy would only open more doors professionally. I’m all for diversifying myself professionally. I’m anticipating going to graduate school in the next 3-4 years after I’m out on my own and am stable enough to do so.

7. I’m still at the weekend job. Don’t really know why, except I guess it’s part of a way for me to hold on to undergrad since I left school and my internship. I’ve been seriously contemplating the necessity of a second job, though. My plan to work and accelerate the payment of my student loans sounds nice in theory, but I DO want to have a life now that I’m done with undergrad. Plus.. getting off work at midnight on Monday and having to be at work at 8am is a bit of a task. I’m barely managing.

8. My Photography has come along rather well. I have 4 photo shoots scheduled for the month of July. My being nervous is a bit of an understatement, but I have a few great photographers that I look up to and plenty of books to get my technique right. My plan is to have a serious Portfolio done by New Years.

9. There’s been an unexpected yet interesting change in my social life. Started back in February, and well..  I won’t go into details about it, but I’m in a good place. A really good place. Finally getting the chance to go out more and experience new things and places is great. I never knew how much I was missing locked up in the Engineering building. The friends and their kids are all doing well. One of my friends is even getting married next year and I was told that I was (not asked to be) in the wedding party. Lol. I’m proud of all of them.

10. The fam’s good. Ma Dukes is out on disability until she retires (next year I think). She’s home most of the time going back and forth to doctor’s visits. She still knits and watches Court TV or Discovery Investigation. And she’s even starting to travel more. She deserves it.

11. All in all, life’s changed a lot since January. I’m nervous as all hell but excited for what’s to come. The Black Lounge has been around chronicling my journey since December, 2007. Hopefully I’ll stick with this because I have a feeling that 2011 will be a year to remember.

“Rolling in the Deep” by Adele

“Far Away” by Marsha Ambrosius

“Make it Rain” by Travis Porter

“Cannibal” by Ke$ha

“Polite Dance Song” by The Bird & the Bee

“Colorblind” by Natalie Walker

“Quickie” by Miguel

“Dogs Days are Over” by Florence + The Machine

“Sleazy” by Ke$ha

“Pay Me” by Miguel

“Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club

“Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer

“The Dumbing Down of Love” by Frou Frou

“Soft Shock” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

For me, 2010 was a good year in music. I discovered a few new artists, listened to the radio way less and enjoyed the majority of what I’ve heard. Since I’m a cool guy and all, I figured that I’d share (via my Last.fm page) the 10 artists I’ve listened to the most in 2010, as well as the 10 songs I listened to the most in 2010.

My Top 10 Artists of 2010

10. Phantogram: 588 Plays

9.  Kylie Minogue: 633 Plays

8. Ciara: 663 Plays

7. Christina Aguilera: 702 Plays

6. Erykah Badu: 728 Plays

5. Beyoncé:  899 Plays

4. The Foreign Exchange: 937 Plays

3. Paramore: 1,172 Plays

2. Kid Cudi: 1,281 Plays

1. Jill Scott: 1,558 Plays

My Top 10 Songs of 2010

10. Beyoncé: “Why Don’t You Love Me”: 225 Plays

9. Kate Hudson: “Cinema Italiano”: 241 Plays

8. Solange: “God Given Name”: 242 Plays

7. Lykke Li: “Little Bit”: 242 Plays

6. Incubus: “Dig”: 244 Plays

5. Kid Cudi: “In My Dreams”: 245 Plays

4. Frou Frou: “Let Go”: 246 Plays

3. The Postal Service: “Such Great Heights“: 252 Plays

2. Kylie Minogue: “Get Outta My Way“: 261 Plays

1. La Roux: “Bullet Proof”: 278 Plays

Finding full-time employment is the next logical step, right?

Outside of browsing a few newspaper articles and networking with some contacts I’ve come across this past year in reference to employment, I have yet to start looking. I know I definitely need to though.

At my internship, I spoke with the Area Engineer (the boss that oversees all Engineering projects for this region of our company) a few months ago and he said that the company was on a hiring freeze due to the economy. That’s to be expected as I’ve already been laid off from one job this past year.

I’ve been an intern with this company since Summer 2009, and although I’d love to stay where I am, I know that that may not be an option. Luckily for me, since this is an international company and I worked for them overseas this past summer, I may have a leg up when it comes time to apply for entry-level positions. One of the contacts I made in Germany ended up accepting a position within the company at division headquarters, so I’ll be following up with that as well.

My coworkers seem to think that I’ll be kept on and just transferred over to a full-time position since I’ve been with the company for so long (it is only a lateral move), but I’m keeping all of my options open and looking for work anyways.

I have faith in myself that all will workout for the best, I just want to cover all of my bases.

Wish me luck!

You never know what will happen.

At Morgan State, students in the School of Engineering are given a Senior Design Project in lieu of the Comprehensive exams that most other majors take (thank god). We have one semester to find and research a topic (last semester for me) and another semester to flesh out said research and deliver a mock project (this upcoming semester). My project is based in Transportation Engineering with an emphasis on Traffic Calming.

As of now, I’m networking with different people and compiling information to start my project. All is on schedule at the moment.

Also, there is an exam that most Engineers take (Fundamentals of Engineering) to receive their E.I.T. (Engineer-in-Training) certification. The E.I.T. is the step before testing for your P.E. (Professional Engineering) license. The exam for this is in April 2011 and October 2011, but I don’t think I’m going to register for the April session. At my internship, I’d say a good 99% of all the P.E.’s in the office recommended that I take the exam before I graduate because of the breadth of topics covered, length of the test (8 hours) and the level of difficulty.

With everything that I have going on now as far as school goes and my Senior Design Project being a graduation requirement, the plan is to hold off on the F.E. exam until October. The last thing I need is to saddle myself down with extra work. Things don’t usually work out well when that happens. Also, one of the professors (who I actually have a class with this semester) offers a review session for people who are taking the E.I.T and P.E. exams. I’ll definitely be going to that after graduation.

5 months until Graduation.