Head & Queso

Commonplace and different, intimate and distant, fresher than infant

[headandqueso]

Head & Queso turned 11 today!

[headandqueso]

"They ask me what I do and who I do it for." I enjoyed shooting this lesson for a lot of different reasons. It's sports related which is always engaging, but to analyze the impact it has on society as a whole was the real treat. This lesson is also directed to the grade I struggled and grew the most with this past year. I definitely had them in mind when shooting. Also I heard some of y'all loud and clear last time, so the look is updated. Maybe when I see y'all live I will tell you the story of how I broke quarantine to get a haircut, S/O to @spirulina_green and @reflectioneternalbarbershop #linkinbio (at Harlem Park Elementary) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVIcQPnrtS/?igshid=181mm5j2qdz04

[headandqueso]

Big #HarlemPark Energy! I miss y'all so much. Let's keep working! #covid_19 can't beat us 💪🏿 #ScholarsDoWhat (at Harlem Park Elementary) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_jHUoknrt4/?igshid=1whn0x9ieaheq

[headandqueso]

[headandqueso]

La vie en rose

[headandqueso]

Skin to skin. The first time I held my daughter. She is so much more prepared for this life than her mother and I ever were. That's a testament to our family/friends that have helped guide/shape us to this point. She's inherited that and so much more. Next time you see me though, ask me about her mother's strength. We'll have an honest conversation about where our family's confidence comes from. Solenne Simbi Uwimana born on 9/11/18. #Homebirth #2ndFloorBathroom #NoMidwifeNoProblem #NoIDontWantToDeliverTheBabyStopAsking #WeInAndWeOut #ThatsAOGsClassic #PassedDown (at Butchers Hill Association) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnslqOflXLy/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ym5urabzjy5w

[headandqueso]

Park life 🇧🇪 (at Patterson Park)

[headandqueso]

I'm not happy. I maintain an aura of contentment in order to appease the people I love. Even my mom noticed I was unhappy. How can I agree with someone I've been combative with my whole life. Not by choice. She does make me happy. When times are bad, she holds me down. When times are good, I never know. We always seem to be struggling. I don't notice it because my personality will not allow it. I can be broke and have nothing, that's when I thrive. I would almost prefer it to this existence. I'm addicted to living. I cannot stand not feeling alive every second of every day. That's not how life works though, does it? You have to be still. You have to be still long enough for it to set in. You have to be still long enough for it to change you. Meaningful change only happens when you are allowing it to happen. Can you be that cognisant enough to let it happen. Why work so hard just to stay the same? Hard work seems to be the common denominator. That means being delusional enough to understand an eternity will yield nothing. Why would you do something over and over and expect results? I don't think you do. It provides a break from the norm. That should be your ultimate motivation. It is the key to happiness. Change.

The sunshine

[headandqueso]

#KigaliBeer tour. Most of what you see is only available in stores except for #VirungaGold, a malty lager with a touch of sweetness, made in #Rwanda. The Belgian options are pretty standard with a few noted exceptions, the #BrugseZot #Dubbel, and the #StFeuillienSaison, a perfect bready and spicy #saison. (at Nyarutarama)

[headandqueso]

Big Sone a.k.a. Aunty Sone, too cool for school #MrChips (at Mr.Chips Kigali)

[headandqueso]

#Nyamirambo #Kigali #Rwanda #Graffiti #WallArt (at Nyamirambo corner)

[headandqueso]

Coming Soon. Shipping Gold.

[headandqueso]

#inemaartscenter🙏🙏 #Kigali #Rwanda (at Inema art center)

[headandqueso]

Forever born day date. I feel special because I'm a child of God and because she loves me. Is it possible that the feeling is the same? Of course. It's how it makes ME feel. The similarities don't end there. They both make me think of somebody other than myself, which if you know me, is hard to do. A lil schmizz, feeling good, as expected. I have an entire story to tell. For now, I'll leave you wtih just this, never forget to give love.

[headandqueso]

Didier dans notre jardin, Decembre 2017 #Kigali #Rwanda #Nyarutarama (at Nyarutarama, Kigali)

[headandqueso]

❤ (at Wall of Love)

[headandqueso]

Real Freedom

Mind is going, going, going. It's gone. Like out of here. Out the park. We live in our heads so much, that when a moment of introspection focused on something other than our lives, our anxieties, our passions, our loves, and our fear confronts us, we forget that life goes on everywhere else around us. It's a simple thought. Take for example the man who you ride the train with everyday, who you notice has a new cast on his leg. Late at night, the couple who are hurriedly getting into an Uber, leaving a noisy street corner in a busy nightclub district. She seems inebriated, the man seems lucid. The old man who cries on a park bench, while passerbys jog and careen carelessly through their day.

The vulnerable are the most deserving of our attention, yet they are the ones we hardly ever notice. The children, the elderly, the disabled. When we take a close look at anything other than our beautiful lives, we notice the amazing and simple fact that life goes on everywhere else. Just knowing that fact should give you a sense of what is possible if we somehow paid more attention. The endless possibilities that could entail. The notion of where your mind can go, the outcomes it can reach and then decide that there's another option, on top of another option, on top of another option. The more you think about somebody other than yourself, the more you open yourself up to infinity. At least the concept as we understand it.

A classic tune. A memory you cling to. True love. An undeniable fact. A skill. The truth. The feeling of a job well done. The applause from the crowd. Pride. Forever is a mighty long time, and when you look outside yourself for just a moment, you can get a glimpse of it. That is what real freedom is, I think. The few times we manage to think of others, we see why it all matters. Yes of course, why we matter, but why everything does and why everything plays a part. Real freedom, the kind where you can't just walk the streets without a care in the world. Without always looking at your surroundings, without always thinking about the next human being. The next man I used to call him.

"Always think about the next man."

I used to say that to my friends when they were involved with a girl. We knew that these weren't long-term relationships we were engaging in. We were responsible for the next man she would date. We knew we could affect their well-being, therefore we should handle with care for the next man who she would eventually end up with. I'm not sure if that makes us assholes or Samaritans. It was a saying hardly put into action.