Playlist #5 (The Ultimate Freestyle), Road Observations + My New Job

"Maria... the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Maria..."
"I wonder if I take you home, will you still be in love, baby..."
"Where are you tonight, my love? In the arms of another man..."
"There's no reason for you to cry, my love, 'cause I'll always be around..."

If these lyrics mean anything to you then this list is for you!!

This weekend I've got the Ultimate Freestyle playlist for your enjoyment. I'm taking you back!! My list will lay out the tracks that are the MUST HAVES for the short lived genre known as freestyle. In it's time (mid 80's thru the mid-90's), it was a musical alternative to pop, rap (it wasn't quite "hip hop" yet), rock/metal, and the sappy music that would later be labeled as "Adult Contemporary".

Freestyle was born out the confluence of R&B, "underground" house music, latin music, and rap. Most songs were produced and sung by Latinos but adopted by everyone who loved a hot beat and lyrics that shared stories of love, heartache, and good times!!!

[Special thanks to Desi, Chulo, J, Doom, Mari, and Lizbet for their feedback]

The Ultimate Freestyle playlist
Maria - TKA
Change On Me - Cynthia
Spring Love - Stevie B
Where Are You Tonight - Coro
No Reason To Cry - Judy Torres
Without You - George Lamond
Show Me - Cover Girls
Take Me In Your Arms - Lil' Suzy
Dreamboy/Dreamgirl - Cynthia and Johnny O
Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Within My Heart - Voyce
Silent Morning - Noel
Yo No Sé - Pajama Party
Love Letter - Giggles
Temptation - Corina
When I Hear Music - Debbie Deb
Let The Music Play - Shannon (credited as being the first freestyle single on the wikipedia entry for "freestyle")
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The Ultimate Freestyle Artists
Freestyle is unique in that there are a handful of artists that had tremendous success and who have many great songs the exemplify what freestyle is all about. Any songs by these artists are worth having in your freestyle collection:
- George Lamond
- Judy Torres
- Stevie B
- Cynthia
- TKA
- Cover Girls
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Honorable Mentions
Endless Night - Cynthia
Thief of Hearts - Cynthia
Bad of the Heart - George Lamond
Come into My Arms - Judy Torres
Diamond Girl - Nice and Wild
Together Forever - Lisette Melendez
In My Eyes - Stevie B
Can You Feel the Beat? - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
Crying Over You - Coro
Point of No Return - Expose
Sincerely Yours - Sweet Sensation

[All this freestyle is taking me back... =)
There were PLENTY of songs not listed here. You can begin anticipating the release of the follow up to the Ultimate Freestyle list early in the New Year]

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VALIDATION OF MY THEORY::
Three examples from a busy driving day on Saturday, Dec. 27th -

(1) A driver cuts from the right lane to the left lane on the BQE only to go slower than the surrounding traffic (driving just under 40mph when the limit is 55)... in the left f*****n lane!!! The left-most lane is known to many as the PASSING lane!!! Slow vehicles to the right, passing vehicles on the left. It's not really too hard to remember. What is wrong with these people??? When I look over to the driver of this car, I see A middle aged South Asian male.
(2) Earlier in the day, again on the BQE: To enter the highway at this particular section, you must first stop at a STOP sign then merge into the right-most lane. One especially stupid person decided (a few cars ahead of me) that after waiting at the stop sign, that it was a good idea to change lanes (into the middle lane of a three-lane road) BEFORE getting up to highway speed!!! Another driver in that middle lane, traveling at a reasonable HIGHWAY speed, had to practically slam on his/her brakes and swerve to their left to avoid hitting this car. Thankfully, no one was in that left lane, otherwise, we would have had a very messy situation. Who is driving the car ahead of me, you ask??? A young Asian woman!
(3) Another slow driver in the left most lane (once again on the BQE) holding up the flow of traffic. Everyone (including me) decides that it is better to pass this car to their right (as opposed to passing on the left). Who is driving said vehicle, you ask again?? A middle aged male.

Can't win 'em all, I guess. But like I said before... these people are the aberration not the rule. It's the 1 out of 20 that I expect to find. that means my my theory has held true 95% of the time. I'll take those odds any day.
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The brief story of my new job

Back Story - I have a friend who is a professor at Queens College [QC]. We actually became friends after I took a few of his classes and received a recommendation from him for a job on campus. He taught several electives in Sociology and one required course: Social Statistics. For a short time, I was the stats tutor for the department and I would see some his students and some students from other stats classes. It was during that time that I began noticing that I was making a real difference with the students I helped.

I stopped tutoring when I started in the Masters Program (in Sociology) at QC. People still came looking for me based on recommendations from friends of theirs, former stats students that had been at my tutoring sessions. While I was finishing my time in the MA program this past summer, I seriously considering teaching Sociology (specifically, stats). I knew several previous MA graduates that began teaching at QC as a springboard to something a bit more permanent in the "real world". My prof friend was one of the former grads that stuck around.

I had been asked repeatedly by some faculty members, who I happen to be friendly with, whether I would consider teaching in the Fall semester. I didn't think I was ready and I was more focused on completing my thesis, first and foremost. I also wanted to try and find a full time job. The last thing I wanted was to take on some classes during day time hours only to have a job offer come my way. I'd then be forced to either drop my day classes and potentially burn bridges or turn down the offer.

But now that my friend is newly married and planning to move out of the city, he lobbied to have me take over his courses in the Spring semester. And through some arm twisting and underhanded office politics, I managed to squirm my way into the position. OK, so it wasn't really that devious but I did ask some people to speak up on my behalf and it paid off. I e-mailed the chair of the department to let him know I was interested in teaching the evening stats class and the e-mail response was "Consider it done". I never thought it would be that easy!!

Now I'm scheduled to take over my friend's evening stats class and a day section for another faculty member who the department lost due to a severe illness and subsequent surgery. I'm going to keep working in that non-profit agency in Brooklyn, for better or worse, and simply enjoy the extra income from teaching. It will allow me to travel (which I have been DYING to do!!!!) and save some more money.

I'm leading the vanguard of new Soc Stats instructors at Queens College, bitches!!! Be ready for the revolution!

OK... maybe not. But I definitely feel like we've got a movement of some sort here. Built more out of necessity than anything else. And I know I will put my heart and soul into the class early on because I want these kids to learn. I want to know that I equipped them with the knowledge needed to use what they know in other Soc courses. Also, there are changes that will be made to stats in the next year or so and I will be there involved in the decision making process! Exciting times are ahead, folks. Stay tuned!!

Until next time faithful reader....