Dawson's Ink

So, my birthday month, aka #AugustWillSon2010, has three sponsors: the site I write for (although not nearly enough) GROOVMNT.com, Crumbs Bake Shop and Blue Moon beer. It’s been a great month with great friends and great surprises. And lots and lots of Blue Moon.

At times this past weekend, I’ve felt I was full to the brim with that tasty beverage, and once I think I even dared myself to take another sip. Methinks September will yield a fast of non-beer proportions, along with a break from sweets as well. Add that to my no-red-meat regimen, and throw in a few bike rides, and I’m gonna be in tip-top shape. #notreallybutIcandream

I’ve enjoyed everything and everyone that has contributed to the celebratory days and nights. I apologize profusely to those who I didn’t call back or get in touch with or communicate with more readily. Blame it on the Blue Moon. And the days that turned into blurs. My heart was in the right place. Love you all.

And now, as I plot my detox, here’s something new that will hopefully become a regular feature here at ‘The Ink’ in order to help me document life on a weekly basis. Gonna call it Dawson’s Links, five things from the week that just ended that stood out to me.

Let’s get to em.
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5. Marina Vs. the ‘Beer Goggles’ guy. Love her. |MSNBC

4. My day job. |YT

3. All ‘Bailey’ Everything. |TVF

2. A Star Named Fave. |APNF

1. Lalah. |YT

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For most of you, this is just the week of the 4th of July, the week when “other” people celebrate their independence. But for me, I can’t think of that week, that day, without going back to thoughts that will forever be shackled onto my mind.

There are two instances from back in the day when I was young, independent of one another, both with extraordinary visuals.

They always come to mind on that day, make my mind race back and forth with the images. Let’s go.

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Working on a lot of projects right now, the most time-intensive being the conference taking place in Fort Lauderdale in June. That, along with being burnt out on social media, made me decide to step away for a month to both see if I could do it, and to get some work done.

In the meantime, here’s a Q&A I did recently. Just because. I call them “Say What’s” … with a few Who’s thrown in for good measure. LOL

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It wasn’t a mistake. His lips on her shoulder.

It was more inevitable, with the mixture of the moisture, the movements and the moment stirring things to a slow boil on a night when house music served as the soundtrack. It was a slow heat. A slow rise. An attraction that wasn’t built overnight, yet was acted on that night.

For them, it was more of a conscious need. Not an ‘if’, but more of a ‘when’. So much more of a win.

It was a mix of smiles and laughter since they’d met, the ‘getting to know one another’–the hard part, the ‘why must we do this’ part, the ‘here we go again’ part–that led them to this night. A perfect mix of beats and banter. A mix of trust and two-steps. Curiosity made them spend time. Caution made them take their time.

A constant back and forth, a constant presence… that turned into a present when their lips finally met.

It was all of that, combined with a hypnotic house flow, a Saturday night dance party where inhibitions literally fell away with each song, the bass line serving as a type of serum that opens your eyes. Parts your lips.

That night, it started with her shoulder. A gentle touch with each lip, gradually wiping away all evidence of the night’s sweat with each peck. Each lick. Each impression made a deeper one.

That night, a DJ saved their lives. Saved their first kiss–a best first kiss–for the dance floor. Her hand. His chest. Her head. His chin. Her look. His reaction. Their lips. Their exhale.

They never missed a beat.

That night, in the middle of the city, as they danced to Ten City, their connection grew. Their lips and tongues made formal introductions. A measured, steady, sexy mix. Neither knew what the future held. They just held each other. Held that moment.

One that wasn’t a mistake. Just a slow boil. A first kiss of many.

A mix…

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I‘m not in love with the way you are… but I love you.

Not in love with the way you process love, or the things you claim to love. The way you run away from it even after making love to the very thought of it. I’m not in love with the way you put in the work. Or the fact that you really don’t. The way you run when things get complicated, or when you think the one you love is upset.

I hate it every time you think that love don’t love you, even when you don’t say it. I can see it. I don’t love you when you don’t allow people to love you, or that feeling you get that you somehow don’t deserve their love.

No, I’m definitely not in love with the way you are… But still, I love you. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thirteen, in the ninth grade*. A year younger than everybody else. Barely 5 foot 2. A year shorter, too. It may have been the other side of Queens, but it felt like a world away.

First time taking the train alone. First time outside of the circle of friends that followed one another through elementary and middle school. First time out of the comfort zone that was the neighborhood.

There were a lot of firsts that fall, which was my first semester in high school. A lot of changes, a lot of adjustments, a lot of experiences that have made my book worth writing. A new slew of teachers and characters that would be a part of my world for the next four years.

It was the “Wonder Years” before the sitcom. It was Doogie Howser-like in that I was the youngest, the most out of place, considered pretty smart since I was a year ahead… but not really sure if I’d fit in. If I’d be accepted. Just an awkward teenager in every sense of the word.

So, to be sure, there were changes that would occur. There were adjustments to be made. To say I’d be experiencing a host of firsts would be an understatement.

And then… there was that first. Read the rest of this entry »

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