E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

When it comes to the rights of African Americans in this country, yes there is Martin (Luther King) and there is Malcolm (X). But they weren't the only ones, not only were they not the only ones, but their efforts would have been in vain were it not for the mettle of men such as deceased Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Although he is no longer with us, his shadow he cast looms large and the hole he left in the fabric of life remains unstitched.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908, Thurgood Marshall was the grandson of a slave. His father, William Marshall, instilled in him from youth an appreciation for the United States Constitution and the rule of law. After completing high school in 1925, Thurgood followed his brother, William Aubrey Marshall, at the historically black Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania. His classmates at Lincoln included a distinguished group of future Black leaders such as the poet and author Langston Hughes, the future President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, and musician Cab Calloway. Just before graduation, he married his first wife, Vivian "Buster" Burey. Their twenty-five year marriage ended with her death from cancer in 1955.*

A Chronology of Justice Marshall's Accomplishments

1930: Mr. Marshall graduates with honors from Lincoln U. (cum laude)

1933: Receives law degree from Howard U. (magna cum laude); begins private practice in Baltimore

1934: Begins to work for Baltimore branch of NAACP

1935: With Charles Houston, wins first major civil rights case, Murray v. Pearson

1936: Becomes assistant special counsel for NAACP in New York

1940: Wins first of 29 Supreme Court victories (Chambers v. Florida)

1944: Successfully argues Smith v. Allwright, overthrowing the South's "white primary"

1948: Wins Shelley v. Kraemer, in which Supreme Court strikes down legality of racially restrictive covenants

1950: Wins Supreme Court victories in two graduate-school integration cases, Sweatt v. Painter and McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents

1951: Visits South Korea and Japan to investigate charges of racism in U.S. armed forces. He reported that the general practice was one of "rigid segregation".

1954: Wins Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, landmark case that demolishes legal basis for segregation in America

1961: Defends civil rights demonstrators, winning Supreme Circuit Court victory in Garner v. Louisiana; nominated to Second Court of Appeals by President J.F. Kennedy

1961: Appointed circuit judge, makes 112 rulings, all of them later upheld by Supreme Court (1961-1965)

1965: Appointed U.S. solicitor general by President Lyndon Johnson; wins 14 of the 19 cases he argues for the government (1965-1967)

1967: Becomes first African American elevated to U.S. Supreme Court (1967-1991)

1991: Retires from the Supreme Court

1993: Dies at 84**

There was a recent article on the strategic role President Lyndon Johnson played in ensuring that Thurgood Marshall became the iron-clad Justice he is renowned for today. For more on that click here.

If there's anything that needs to be added to the above timeline please feel free to add to the accomplishments in the comments below.

*Source
**Source

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

This week my beautiful wife and I volunteered for a few hours at Atlanta's Community Food Bank. If aren't familiar with food banks, these non-profit agencies rescue food that would otherwise be "wasted out" by restaurants or grocery stores for one reason or another and then redistribute this food to their locally food impoverished citizens. Sadly due to the current financial times, these citizens now come from all walks of life.

Here in Atlanta, ACFB rescues food and household products and distributes them to churches, food pantries, schools, etc. This distribution is to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds of food per year. My wife and I volunteered for 3 hours in the afternoon. Her job was to weigh and label parcels of food according to their classification --- food, beverages, condiments, etc. My job was to stack those parcels on palettes then once full, move them from our staging area in ACFB's warehouse across the floor to an area where forklift operators took the palettes to be loaded on trucks. By the end of our 3 hours I had moved a total of 8 palettes and most of my wife's nails were broken. But it was a great experience on two fronts:

1. We were able to do some good in the community in which we live; and
2. We did something together and got to meet a bunch of people (other volunteers) we probably would never normally meet.

Why Volunteer in the First Place?
Last week I was in a VERY dark place, fluctuating between feeling sorry for myself and being pissed at myself and the world for the current financial crunch my family is currently experiencing. As the man of the house, this burden rests particularly heavy on my shoulders and the thought of not being able to meet the needs of my children (something which hasn't happened yet) is currently my Number One nightmare.

In the midst of my sorrow/rage my heart spoke to me:

"Take the focus off you."

Knowing exactly what that meant I hopped on the ol' trusty computer and registered to volunteer not only at ACFB but Habitat For Humanity. Here on this blog I pontificate at length about getting back to me and encourage all of you to do the same who may not be the same man or woman you once were now that you're a mom, dad, wife or husband. Working out as I've mentioned often is great. But there has to be more.

As a child I was indoctrinated into service through my church's Sunday School. This experience continued through middle and high school years. In college I pledged a fraternity that has as one of it's primary tenets being in the service of others. As a young corporate America guy I participated in a few community service projects, most memorably at State Farm Insurance where I participated in a build with Habitat For Humanity. Then I got into the non-profit world and began hosting volunteer events myself. This is when and where my volunteerism ended. Why volunteer when I'm coordinating everything, right?

Wrong.

My New Mojo
This week my soul opened up at the food bank. I felt a long lost piece of me return home. At 4pm when the session was officially over, they had to tell me to stop. I know I had a good two more hours of hard labor left in me. While we were there my wife received a call for a 2nd interview for directorship she really wants. We walked away smiling and looking forward to working with the staffers again. That night I went to be happy, slept well and woke up refreshed. And these are just some of the joys that come from serving others.

This experience impacted me so strongly that I am now committed to putting in 27 hours of Community Service before the end of this year, MINIMUM. Why 27? Because 27 is a nice odd number that actually forces you to keep a tally and it also happens to be the number of my date of birth.

• 27 hours can be 27 weeks spent mentoring a child 1 hour at a time.
• 27 hours can be 3 build days at Habitat For Humanity.
• 27 hours can take whatever form you wish as it pertains to serving others, whether that is hands-on, doing volunteer admin work in an office, teaching a workshop, gardening a community plot, etc.

In the coming weeks as I look to take this blog to places it's never been before expect to see an initiative around 27 Hours of Volunteerism And Service. The inspiration just hit me, so stay tuned while the seed takes root to bear fruit.

I've got 24 more hours to go. How about you? Please let me know in the comments below:

• Have you volunteered at all in 2011?
• What and where have you volunteered?
• Do you think you can commit to volunteering 27 hours of your time this year in the service of others?

To learn more about the effects of Hunger in this country visit, Feeding America.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

We're almost completely caught up here at Makes Me Wanna Holler. I hope this impacts you as positively as it impacted me...



For further inspiration, check out Lamar's Tumblr site.


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Coming soon as a download to the eBook Store here at Makes Me Wanna Holler:



If you like it, please share and retweet amongst your networks.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Recently, I posted a status on Facebook about my Facebook Page and it got a lot of attention.

Those of you who are with me over at Facebook know that my Fan numbers crossed 1,000 at the beginning of the year. What you might not know is that the number stalled right there at 1,000. In the last 2 weeks I've added close to 200.

How? By following some very simple commandments that were taught to me by Lamar Tyler:



And here's a little something I just made up to help you in your quest to become a Facebook Page "ACE."

• Ads (within your budget) are Necessary (depending on your goals).
  
• Content is King.
• Engagement is an Absolute Requirement.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

It's the weekend and if you're in the southern states like me, you're probably out in shorts and a t-shirt running through a park with your dog with plans of eating outside all weekend. We're in the middle of what I can only describe as a heat wave. But even if you're not, there's plenty going on this weekend, namely the NBA All Star Game.

When it comes to making an appropriate selection of beer to drink, as I am no connoisseur as I barely indulge. But when I do, I whip out my cell phone and shoot a text over to my man, Ale Sharpton.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because he graced Makes Me Wanna Holler.com with a list of Fall Beers That Make You Wanna Holler. He has his own blog, writes for magazine's such as Beer Connoisseur and has posted some home-made videos on YouTube. But lately he's been getting some major Internet/social media play and being deemed by most if not all as a certified Beer Sommelier.

At the end of 2010 he did a feature for Thrillist:



And this week he was featured as a Local Find on the ever-growing, moustache-toting, site Scoutmob. To read the full article on his comings and goings and his love of all things brew click here.

Hopefully Mr. Ale will grace this blog once more with his Winter or Spring recommendations, depending on what this weather decides to be. Continued success, Ale Sharpton!


Dennis Malcolm Byron aka “Ale Sharpton” has been a beer enthusiast for more than two decades. A longtime imbiber, he’s taken his appreciation for beer to the next level, writing and educating consumers around the nation about the frosty beverage. To learn more visit his popular website, www.alesharpton.com, for more brew love. And on Twitter he's @AleSharpton.

The Tuskegee Airmen: Then

In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in U.S. military history over the past 300 years. They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen's achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.*



The Tuskegee Airmen: Now



To learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen --- their history, their accomplishments and their current charitable efforts visit the Official Tuskegee Airmen website.

*Source

E.Payne is the author of the eBook Love Notes and wrote the popular parenting article I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Two nights ago before bedtime, my daughter and I were talking about the future. As she has a teenage brother she often imagines what life will be like as a teen.

Growing up my God-fearing mother and stoic-realist father both used to say, "God willing, if I'm still around, I'll..." For one parent it was humbling oneself before God, for the other it was a statement of fact.

For me it's a little bit of both.

Two nights ago before bedtime, my daughter and I were talking about the future --- her life as a teen. What she wanted to do included me, to which I said...

"God willing, if I'm still around."

To which she responded: "Where are you going?"

I didn't pause, stutter or stammer. I answered her frankly, explaining that tomorrow is promised to no one (something I rarely contemplated before becoming a parent). The skin around her eyes began to redden and tears began to stream from them, down onto her chubby cheeks. She boo hooed that she would miss me and didn't want me to go anywhere. I remember doing the same the first time I contemplated the idea that my parents could cease to exist.

I smiled and held her tight, wiping away her tears and telling her everything was fine. I explained that I will be here for as long as I am supposed to be and that because she loves me and I love her I will always be with her no matter where she goes. She nodded and put her forehead against mine.

Then she started talking about Justin "Beaver" (Bieber).

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Sadly this was just about the best video I found on YouTube today covering the nuts and bolts of Black History Month.



What resources, if any, (examples: museums, plays, libraries, speaker series, etc.) are you tapping into this year for Black History Month?

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

When I take my daughter to the store women stop us to tell her:

"My goodness your mother buys you the prettiest outfits!"

When I used to take my daughter to the sitter, my prized babysitter would say:

"Mommy does your hair beautifully!"

When talking to some annoying woman about some of my daughter's ailments she asked:

"What is she taking for for that. I mean, you wouldn't know. Please, ask your wife and let me know."

When my daughter used to bring her lunch to preschool, the program director would say:

"Ummm, Mommy packed you a nice lunch, didn't she?"

When dropping off roses to my daughter's teachers this year on Valentine's Day, one said:

"Tell your wife we said, 'Thank you,' for the flowers!"

When talking to one of my daughter's best friend's mothers (whom I speak with often) at her school where I drop her off everyday, she says to me:

"Okay...[she struggles to remember my name then acts as if she never intended to say it]...tell [my wife's name that she knows from memory] I said hello."

After braving rain, snow, sleet and hail to attend nearly every single game my son has played across three sports for years, what is his question after nearly every game?

"Where's Mom?"

Really? [as in the Windows Phone commercial, "Really?" - complete with crescendo]

The list does grow longer, but not by much.

Dads you get my drift.

Don't you?


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

May your love not go unnoticed...

may you receive the love you deserve...

Happy Valentine's Day.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Yesterday evening I took the family to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It was opening night/family night at the Fox Theatre and the place was packed. A record 4,200 were in attendance not only to see the first performance of a 4 day run here in the ATL, but also to witness history in the making --- 50 years of Revelations (the show's finale) and the last run of Judith Jamison, the heralded artistic director of the troupe after Alvin Ailey himself. She is retiring this year.

As my daughter bounced about on my lap, my wife sat beside me smiling and moving in her seat, and my son sat there begrudgingly appreciating the dancer's energy, I was reminded of my own past.

I've been going to see the Alvin Ailey Dancers since before I high school. I can't remember the exact why and how of it, but I know it was a school based activity that became an annual past-time for me up through high school. I've never had any qualms about men in tights. I think I was always to rapt with thoughts of "How are they holding themselves (or their partners) like that?" and "Damn, that dude is ripped." Because just in case you didn't know dancers are some of the most sculpted people walking the planet, right up there with gymnasts and swimmers. Watching them makes the average grunting gym rat feel silly for putting in so much time pumping iron while these people simply move their bodies with absolute precision and wind up looking like superheroes. This includes the women also.

As I watched I couldn't help but think back fondly on my own childhood being reared to know most if not all who preceded me. Inventors, artists, scientists, all lined the walls of my home. One of my uncle's was nationally renowned in the arts --- a sculptor, painter, and photographer. He actually designed the logo for the United Negro College Fund, something I never knew until his passing.

365 Days of Black History
Back then many were raised with the idea that there was more to life than being a professional athlete or a rapper. The influence of pop media culture didn't drown out the rule and final say of parents. It didn't even exist not too long ago. And for the kids who were being reared this way, we believed what we were being told. One of the best basketball players I knew growing up is a successful doctor in Chicago. One of the fastest track athletes who I had the agony of running alongside in high school is an architect. I took a liking to inventors and to this day I know who invented what, regardless of whether they got credit for it or not in a school text book. My father saw to it that I was informed. Black History Month was a formality, a highlighted 28 days of the 365 that were a part of my daily existence.

Black History month is more than some smattering of Martin Luther King, Jr. audio and video clips. It's Charles Drew, Benjamin Banneker, Elijah McCoy (the "Real McCoy"), Madame C.J. Walker - the original "Mary K.", William Purvis who invented the fountain pen, all the way up to most recently, Lonnie Johson - A ROCKET SCIENTIST - who created the "Super Soaker" a favorite at most summer time barbecues.

Black History Month for me is all about letting the little ones know who proceeded them so they know that they can do it too and do it in their own unique way, especially when someone else (no matter their color) tells them they can't or tries to laugh at their ideas. Beginning next week I am going to highlighting some of these people of my past, as they are an integral part of all our pasts and existences here in these United States of America and abroad.

Enjoy your weekend! If you haven't yet considered doing anything anything with the family for these short 28 days of Black History Month, check your local paper for some local happenings, turn on PBS and make the family sit down in front of the television for an hour or two, or check out the resources available online such as Biography Channel's Black History Month website. And as always please feel free to share your thoughts, comments or questions in the comments.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

For the past four years the economy has been struggling, the unemployment rate has been on a steady increase, and families all over the U.S. are feeling it in some respect. It seems that even though the economy has finally started to improve there is no guarantee for the future. Having an education may be the only way to stay ahead in this cut-throat society.

What the future holds for language

The existence of a diverse, global society seems to be a trend that is going to stick, this is especially prevalent in the U.S. The U.S. has been known as the land of immigration for a large portion of its history, and while the "melting pot" has been an interesting theory, it has not happened in practice. On the contrary, most major U.S. population centers have become more of an ethnic and linguistic checkerboard; Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese speakers represent some of the fastest-growing segments of the immigrant U.S. population.

Being Prepared

Wisdom, traditionally, has been to start teaching a second language in middle school, or even high school. However, numerous studies clearly demonstrate that the optimal period in a child's life for multilingual education is during the preschool years – at exactly the same time they are learning their first language. Yes, it is possible to learn a second and third language later in life, but it is more difficult, because that neurological "window of opportunity" – when the brain is most malleable – has passed.

Dr. Fred Genessee, Professor of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal believes it's as easy for young children to learn two or three languages as it is for them to learn one. He's not alone; educators throughout the world (in countries that often have two or even three official languages) have understood this for decades.

The way a child learns a second language is by actually speaking it in a total immersion environment. You may recall an episode of the animated series The Simpsons in which young Bart gets trapped on a farm in France – and by the end of the episode, finds he's actually speaking the language. While this was a fictional scenario, the phenomenon is real; anyone who has taken young children abroad to stay with relatives in a foreign country for any length of time has observed this happening.

Enrollment in a preschool program that offers immersion in other languages is the best way to get your child started. This investment will make him/her much more competitive in the job market later on.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the Atlanta day care facility, a member of the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose Schools (located in 16 states throughout the U.S.) and part of the network of day care preschools delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum.

This is a guest post.
Photo Credit: The Nickster

Just in case you haven't noticed there is a new video in the sidebar of this blog. It is the trailer for a documentary in which I had the honor of briefly appearing. Aside from me, the message is powerful, but more importantly, timely. There are men out there, good, honest, hardworking, loving, protective, responsible men!

Presenting the latest Tyler New Media production, Men Ain't Boys. Check it out and hopefully when it comes to your town you'll be in line at the theater to watch it.




E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Love - From The Male Perspective

Love Notes is a collection of poems and short stories concentrating on the elusive and insanity causing thing called love --- of course, from the male perspective.

It features a combined 18 poems and short stories that move you through misery and heartbreak to self-reflection, revelation and optimism to the ultimate destination: finding, securing and hopefully succeeding in love.

It is an exploration of the male heart and mind. As well a testimony to the fragility that exists beneath our "hardened" exteriors. It is candid and humorous at times, sad at others, but always hopeful. Men and women will enjoy and be able to relate to this read.

This 43-page eBook is just in time for Valentine's Day. Something to make you think, laugh and hopefully love! Now through Valentine's Day you can get your copy of Love Notes for 25% off.*

Read more after the jump...you have to jump to read more...

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

The following featurette should be motivation for any blogger and business person seeking to be viable in the digital space:




E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

After a long, sleepless weekend, I'm happy to present:



Love Notes, is an eBook collection of poems and short stories revolving around the elusive and insanity causing thing called love... written, of course from the male perspective. If you like it, please feel free to share this post. Thank you!

Tune back in tomorrow for the goodies!


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

I'm a little out of the loop right now but I hope the commercial below is shown during the Super Bowl. For any man who was once a boy and for all parents who have children with fresh and large imaginations there is no way someone can't relate to some if not all of the below.

The first six seconds of this commercial are almost identical in tone and detail to the original Star Wars movie from the white hallway with the black floor to John William's orchestral score. This was the scene when George Lucas debuted of one of the baddest baddies of them all: Darth Vader. Except for the fact that this "Darth" is only three feet tall, clad in plastic, wearing a helmet that's entirely too big for him and probably has nary a sinister intention short of having mind control over dolls and the family dog.

As someone who contemplates "The Force" at least once a week this commercial hit home. It was a double whammy, reminding me of my childhood and causing me to smile about the silly and fun moments of parenthood.

It's only February, but I'm nearly ready to claim this as the commercial of the year. But that's just me.

Agree or disagree? Hot or not? Is it a smash or simply trash?

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

No record amount of snow is going to stop the party over at Super Bowl Gospel 2011 in Texas..

Do you love gospel music and football? Well tonight's your lucky night!

Now in it's 12th year the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is the first and only gospel event sanctioned by the NFL for Super Bowl Weekend. The concert series features Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum selling gospel and contemporary Christian and mainstream artists, such as CeCe Winans, Israel Houghton, Donnie McClurkin and Mary Mary. And just in case you didn't know marquee NFL players and the NFL PLAYERS Choir will be there too!

The event also serves as a fundraiser with a portion of the proceeds benefiting national and local charities. Close to $400,000 and 5,000 tickets have been donated over the last eleven years. This year's recipient organization is PESC, a charity that distributes grants to high-quality non-profits providing historically underserved children with arts, education, health and wellness programming. To learn more visit the PESC Website.

You can follow the live Tweets of the events and related happenings at @SuperBowlGospel

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is produced by Results Marketing & Media Inc. This year's official sponsors are Verizon Wireless, American Family Insurance, The Word Report, Felcor Lodging Trust and School of the Legends.

Disclosure: This is a Press Post

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Today I noticed something on the front page of the February newsletter from my daughter's school. It's theme is centered around Valentine's Day, of course:

SPECIAL

"I love you not for who you are.
I love you because of how I feel when I'm with you."

Be blessed. Make it a great weekend!


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Over at Black And Married With Kids.com I authored the post 10 Things Wrong With You - In Your Marriage. In it I translate the leadership strategies of author Marshall Goldsmith to the marriage relationship and raise the notion that being good at what you do doesn't preclude being good at who you are...

In December of 2010 I wrote the post Why Can’t We Just Get Along. It was an open letter to all. A lamentation over the friction that exists between the sexes and within marriages. Hopefully those who were impacted by it were able to contemplate areas that they need to address. But it should not remain a mere contemplation.

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There is a business book that challenges successful leaders to become even more successful. The author, Marshall Goldsmith, wants to make his readers better. His main premise is in the title. My interpretation of it is as follows: You’ve gotten to where you are and that’s great. You’re a titan of the industry, but are you really as great as you think you are? Things have remained pretty steady for a while and they’re headed toward becoming stagnant. Your workers are uneasy. Morale is low. Although you are THE MAN (or THE WOMAN) nothing is changing. Why? Because what got you to this point isn’t going to take you to the finish line.

The same can be said for marriage. It is a corporate and cooperative experience, after all.

What’s Wrong With You?

In his book, Goldsmith identifies 20 bad habits that keep people from achieving real success in the workplace. Interestingly they are all interpersonal and behavioral rather than shortcomings in the area of skill or performance. In his words:

“They are egregious everyday annoyances that make your workplace substantial more noxious than it needs to be. They are transactional flaws performed by one person against others.”

Out of the 20 he lists, I’ve identified a “Top Ten” that play out in the marriage space.

To learn these Top Ten Bad Habits and read the rest of the article, visit 10 Things Wrong With You - In Your Marriage.


E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

I've finally decided to throw my hat in the eBook ring. Love Notes will be available for download just in time for Valentine's Day.

Love Notes is easiest described as a neat and tidy collection of poems and short stories concentrating on the elusive and insanity causing thing called love --- of course, from the male perspective.

Stay tuned for updates. The most important being it will be available for download right HERE!

In the meantime, please feel free to share, email forward, FB, tweet and retweet (with the hashtag #LoveNotes), FriendFeed, GetGlue, YouTube or whatever it is you do when doing you via the Internet. Talking with someone about it also an option... Just a thought.

Also, let me know what you think of the cover above. Over a year ago I was blessed to capture the kiss of the two lovers featured on it while snapping pics of the Hudson River at the Yonkers Waterfront. I've looked at my shots of them again and again and thought to myself, "How random?" Now in 2011 this random picture is falling into place as a piece of a much bigger picture.

Peace.

E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

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Catching you up just as promised...Some Wednesday motivation for you...




E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Join the Makes Me Wanna Holler.com Facebook Experience

Follow E.Payne on Twtitter @EPayneTheDad

As per my stats on GetGlue my house is a cartoon-watching household --- animation domination on full tilt. This is for two reasons: 1)I have 2 kids spaced 10 years apart who seem to agree on most cartoons they watch together; and 2)my wife and I are some cartoon watching grown folks who never stopped watching them from childhood.

One the absolute favorites around the house is The Incredibles. Released in 2004, my daughter recently got hooked on this movie. She now refuses to watch anything else. Here, every viewing for us is almost like watching it for the first time. But why wouldn't we? We live it every day.

Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr - His strength is immeasurable and he's seemingly physically invulnerable. His exaggerated shoulders and back are an illustration of the weight he carries: that of the world. But at times has the attention span of a flea. He reminisces about the good old days, but loves his family. He's the father and the husband.

Elastigirl/Helen Parr - Flexible isn't even the word to describe how agile and flexible this superhero is. She's poised and constantly focused on what needs to happen in the moment and in the next. She's ferociously protective of her kids. She keeps her man Mr. Incredible in line (often to his chagrin) and gives him the love and support he needs to thrive. She is the mom and the wife.

Violet Parr - The teenage daughter of the Incredibles has the ability to disappear and throw up force fields at will. She's shy, awkward and often unsure of herself and where she fits in the world. Sounds like most teenagers...

Dashiel "Dash" Parr - The little brother. A hot ball of energy who is moving a mile a minute. On in the case of this young man he's so fast he can run on water. He antagonizes his older sibling to no end and drives his mother up the wall at times. Anyone who owns a preschooler - grammar school student knows this all too well.

Jack Jack - the baby. At all appearances he is "normal" possessing no powers at all. But at the critical moment at the movie's end when he gets upset we see the full breadth of his capabilities. He morphs into a screaming fireball to a possessed demon to a lead weight. The parallels don't get any more obvious.

According to these characters most families are incredible. And maybe they are. Although I'm sure most haven't seen The Incredibles as many times as the members of my family and myself have. I'm not sure I've met anyone who can honestly say they didn't enjoy the movie. Can you?



E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.

Join the Makes Me Wanna Holler.com Facebook Experience

Follow E.Payne on Twtitter @EPayneTheDad