<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Family @ obsidianpotency.blog-city.com</title><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/</link><description>(Family) </description><copyright>Copyright 2008 obsidianpotency.blog-city.com</copyright><generator></generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:51:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><image><title>Family @ obsidianpotency.blog-city.com</title><url>http://server1.blog-city.com/images/bc_v5_logo_small.gif</url><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/</link></image><ttl>360</ttl><docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss</docs><item><title>[Review] Kung Fu Panda</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/review_kung_fu_panda.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/review_kung_fu_panda.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:15:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=review%5Fkung%5Ffu%5Fpanda</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[I took my niece to see Kung Fu Panda yesterday.&nbsp; It ended up being possibly the most unexpectedly fun time I&#39;ve ever had watching a movie that on the surface looked absolutely fucking terrible to me.&nbsp;&nbsp; I was stunned when I learned]]></description></item><item><title>The Party</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_party.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_party.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:56:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=the%5Fparty</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[The party was very successful.&nbsp; We had a good turnout (including a lot of kickballers), and it was the first party that we had as a house in almost a year.&nbsp; Our air conditioner on the first floor wasn&#39;t working, driving many guests to t]]></description></item><item><title>XXXI</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/xxxi.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/xxxi.htm</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:23:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=xxxi</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[This might be the shortest birthday entry I&#39;ve ever written.&nbsp; With the exception of one devastating, life-changing event,  my path from 30 to 31 years old has been fantastic.&nbsp; The relative lack of upheaval is still refreshing; I&#39;ve]]></description></item><item><title>Giving Black</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/giving_black.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/giving_black.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:57:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=giving%5Fblack</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[I took a day off work to speak at Northwood High School in Silver Spring last week.&nbsp; I friend of mine who works for Montgomery County Public Schools sent me a flyer about the opportunity.&nbsp; It was part of an assembly at the school in recogni]]></description></item><item><title>Last Ride, Last Son</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/last_ride_last_son.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/last_ride_last_son.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:17:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=last%5Fride%5Flast%5Fson</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Before Friday&#39;s funeral, there was Thursday&#39;s visitation.&nbsp; My parents -- all three of them -- were there.&nbsp; I encountered friends of my brothers that I had never met before, most of whom I never knew existed.&nbsp; Two former next-do]]></description></item><item><title>Arrangements</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/arrangements.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/arrangements.htm</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:35:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=arrangements</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[My brother&#39;s visitation day is Thursday evening, and his funeral service is Friday morning.&nbsp; From the looks of thing, many of his friends have received word (basically because I called a bunch of his friends using his cellphone and told them]]></description></item><item><title>The Kindly Ones</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_kindly_ones.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_kindly_ones.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:40:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=the%5Fkindly%5Fones</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[This has been such a rough few days.&nbsp; My brother&#39;s death has generated a flurry of activity.&nbsp; I&#39;ve actually been at the heart of some of it.&nbsp; I had no idea that dealing with a close family member&#39;s passing was such hard wor]]></description></item><item><title>Second Message To Kadi Mbanefo</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/second_message_to_kadi_mbanefo.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/second_message_to_kadi_mbanefo.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:49:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=second%5Fmessage%5Fto%5Fkadi%5Fmbanefo</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Kadi,I had thought about writing a second message to you, but I wasn&#39;t sure what to say that hadn&#39;t already been said.&nbsp; Well, now I have something to tell you:Our brother is dead.&nbsp; Your little brother.&nbsp; My big brother.&nbsp; Go]]></description></item><item><title>Weekend stuff</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/weekend_stuff_1.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/weekend_stuff_1.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 May 2007 15:20:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=weekend%5Fstuff%5F1</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[This weekend was relatively uneventful.&nbsp; I ran around trying to get a part for my bike on Saturday, which is being re-assembled in Rockville.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the part was in Alexandria...and I&#39;m in D.C..&nbsp; On Friday night, I went to]]></description></item><item><title>4 Years In The Black!</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/4_years_in_the_black.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/4_years_in_the_black.htm</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jan 2007 04:59:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=4%5Fyears%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fblack</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Four years ago today, I put up my very first weblog entry. Back then I used MovableType as my weblog provider, and the header/title was "[my first name]'s Obsidian Potency."  Eventually I would invite others to post along with me, and]]></description></item><item><title>2006</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/2006.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/2006.htm</link><pubDate>Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:41:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=2006</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[I last had an entry with this title in 2004, so I thought I'd revisit the year a bit from my point of view.

Worldwide, Saddam Hussein was executed in dubious circumstances (again, The Rob does a good job of elucidating how potentially harmful and]]></description></item><item><title>[Review] John Legend: Get Lifted</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/get_lifted.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/get_lifted.htm</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Sep 2006 04:41:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=get%5Flifted</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[My sister gave me this John Legend (real name: John Smith) album when I first got back from South Africa.  For whatever reason, it took about a year for me to get into.  Had I reviewed the album then, it would have received the Snow Patrol treatment.]]></description></item><item><title>The incident that led to Obsidian Potency.</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_incident_that_led_to_obsidian_potency.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/the_incident_that_led_to_obsidian_potency.htm</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:23:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=the%5Fincident%5Fthat%5Fled%5Fto%5Fobsidian%5Fpotency</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Is CVS racist?  It seems like a silly question on the surface.  But according to Snopes and some local news teams, the answer seems to be yes.
The incidents occurred in two South Carolina CVS stores, and several stores in Kansas City, Miss]]></description></item><item><title>An Obsidian Potency PSA: Networking</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/an_obsidian_potency_psa_networking.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/an_obsidian_potency_psa_networking.htm</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:28:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=an%5Fobsidian%5Fpotency%5Fpsa%5Fnetworking</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[This is a public service announcement brought to you in part...by Obsidian Potency."As cliche as it sounds, one of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past year is the power of networking.  When I returned to the U.S. in 2005 after a ye]]></description></item><item><title>New Job! (in an old place)</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/new_job_in_an_old_place.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/new_job_in_an_old_place.htm</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:20:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=new%5Fjob%5Fin%5Fan%5Fold%5Fplace</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[I got a full-time job offer July 7, and I just found out that all the checks that needed to happen are finished and good!  It's a job in my field, doing similar work to what I did in South Africa.  And it's in D.C.  And it gives me a c]]></description></item><item><title>Joe Learns Firsthand about S.F. vs. NYC Rents</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/joe_learns_firsthand_about_sf_vs_nyc_rents.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/joe_learns_firsthand_about_sf_vs_nyc_rents.htm</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2006 19:38:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=joe%5Flearns%5Ffirsthand%5Fabout%5Fsf%5Fvs%5Fnyc%5Frents</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Joe&nbsp;recently posted about the difference between New York City rent and San Francisco rent.&nbsp; Now he knows first hand what I've been trying to get across to my friends for years: San Francisco doesn't even come CLOSE to being as expensive to]]></description></item><item><title>Cars</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/cars.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/cars.htm</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2006 16:40:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=cars</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[I took my niece to see Cars yesterday afternoon.  It was good, but there's an asterisk...]]></description></item><item><title>Festivities</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/festivities.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/festivities.htm</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2006 16:04:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=festivities</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[For the past couple of nights, I've spent time with family and friends - namely, my brother two nights ago and Rob last night.&nbsp; Both took me out to dinner, and my co-workers are apparently taking me out to lunch today.&nbsp; Tomorrow night I'll]]></description></item><item><title>XXIX</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/29.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/29.htm</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2006 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=29</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Continuing a brief tradition of naming, I am naming this post after my brand-new age.  Damn, so now I'm just one year away from the big 3-0.  Too bad that doesn't freak me out at all.  Which is kinda surprising, considering the fact th]]></description></item><item><title>Christmas and NYE</title><guid isPermaLink="true">http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/christmas_and_nye.htm</guid><link>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/christmas_and_nye.htm</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2006 21:39:00 GMT</pubDate><comments>http://obsidianpotency.blog-city.com/console/comments/popup/?f=christmas%5Fand%5Fnye</comments><dc:creator>jcabana</dc:creator><description><![CDATA[Christmas meant time with the fam as usual this year.  My cousin Mbuyoti decided very recently to come to the States to study; he is from southern Africa, and I first met him in South Africa last year...make that two years ago.  Anyway, I g]]></description></item></channel></rss>