CEDTalks

When I turn 26, call me "Iron Man". No, it's not my goal to become Tony Stark, alter ego of the Marvel character reintroduced by Tropic Thunder superstar Robert Downey, Jr. As I approach another birthday, many of my principles and theories regarding life are changing. Issues that previously carried a lot of value have become extremely irrelevant; inversely, new events and happenings now possess greater priority. Addressing some of these topics require great strength and endurance, two traits commonly associated with the word iron. As a matter of fact, being an "Iron Man" is a theme that carries a lot of ties to my upcoming age (26 is actually the atomic number of iron.) At my age, the lines between good and bad become a lot clearer; I aim to be a superhero. 26 is an interesting year. The blurry lines from your life start to disappear. You've escaped the 22-25 "awkward" years where you're not a kid, but you're not old. Messing with som...

"Yeah I got on sneaks but I need a new pair/ cause basketball courts in the summer got girls there" -DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (nee Will Smith), "Summertime" Even though he has a pretty decent collection of boots and dress shoes, my father never really spoke to us about footwear. Charles Perry (please say the full name), as he is affectionately known by my friends and fans, focused his teachings on other principles of manhood, including laying sheet rock and cutting tiles. So while I could fix floors with the best of the best, my "sole game" never reached its full potential. In high school, little fuss was made; I balanced between high school jock and GQ magazine reject. On days I did not have sports, I dressed up; it's listed in the Pennsbury High School history book that I was the first 16 year-old in school history to wear jeans and dress shoes.  Ladies Love Cool "J"s, and Air Maxes, and the Lil Penny's, and Foampositi...