Eating weights for breakfast: Discipline and consistency in everyday life

March 28, 2016 by Soul On Ice

Waking up when it is still dark outside is hard. The sound of an alarm clock ringing repeatedly at 4:30 A.M., only to peer through the blinds and realize it looks exactly the same outside as it did before sleep came, can be demoralizing. The temptation is to ignore the sound of an alarm clock, and press the snooze button or outright ignore the sound of the alarm altogether, but the decision to get the day started was already made. The commitment was made to get up, and even if it was made to no one but yourself, the commitment must be kept or it doesn’t mean a damn thing.

Tale from the needle: Volume I - Soul on Ice

March 25, 2016 by Soul On Ice in Tales from the needle

Tales from the Needle is a weekly series which will highlight people and their tattoos. Some people have a favorite tat, or their most memorable. Some people put more emphasis on their first tat while others have one they wish they never put on their body.

Every Friday, the blog will have a first-person story of a person and their tats. Using only images of their tats keeps the theme of this being a faceless site. The images seen here will merely aid in bringing nuance to the numerous layers that compose the person.

Book Review: Blood Brothers - The fatal friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X

March 23, 2016 by Soul On Ice in Book Reviews

All it took was one brief glance and the book was copped. The cover featured two of the most important figures in African American history with one glancing over the other’s shoulder. The image was familiar and the fact that it was on the cover of a book made it even better, and even more urgent to pick up. The figures on the front of the book were Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.

There was no need to read any reviews beforehand, search for feedback, or do a background check on the authors. In truth, there was no time to do any of those things. For someone who ranks time as one of the 3 most important things a person can have, the time put into doing background checks would be better spent on simply buying the book. Sure, there was the book that was currently in rotation at the time and another following before this one would be read, but that wasn’t the point. Once it came into view, it was a wrap. A call was made to one of my boys to ask if he heard about it and if he wanted to read it. He saw it, went crazy, and said that he did.

A discourse of social media through the Michael Jordan crying face

March 21, 2016 by Soul On Ice

Michael Jordan is arguably the most significant athlete of the past 35 years. From his exploits at the University of North Carolina in the early-1980s to his two stints as a player in the National Basketball Association with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan’s name is synonymous with excellence, greatness, and evolution. Off the court, Michael Jordan’s signature shoes rake in millions of dollars for Nike each year (1), further capitalizing on his hard work, dedication, and overall appeal. It is hard to name another athlete who has made such an impact on the sport he played, as well as the commerce he generated, as Jordan.

There are fans around the world who know Michael Jordan as a player, as a pitchman, or both. There are fans who watched him play shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls, watched him win Most Valuable Player awards, and watched him win NBA championships. There are fans who wear Air Jordans, who will literally wait outside of shopping malls and shoe stores for days prior to an Air Jordan shoe release (2) and who will contend that Michael Jordan is the most important athlete of their generation. All of this, and more, is to emphasize the value, relevance, longevity, and importance of Michael Jordan as an athlete, a human being, a brand, and an international icon.