Professor Anthony

This is not for you.  This is not for me.  Growing up, I never knew who my father really was.  Yes, he was always around and I lived with the man for 34 years.  However, I couldn't connect to my father because I didn't know how the world shaped the man that I loved.  I couldn't grasp why he had those bad habits, but raised my brother and I to be successful men.  The lack of technology during his time puts me in a disadvantage to see how he truly lived his life.  He traveled so much...he knows many different languages...yet there isn't any records (pictures, letters). I'm not a blogger.  I'm not even a professional photographer.  I just want you to know the person that I am based on my life experiences.  I don't want you to be lost like I was/am about my parents.  This is for my future son and/or daughter... 

[professoranthony]

Countdown

I never realized why it’s so cold in the doctor’s office.

Papa needs surgery. He said it was because papa drinks to much and his smoking habits are eating the heart away.

Sign here son, just in case he cannot be saved. Just in case the operation is unsuccessful.

I turned my head to the left and acknowledged my father sitting in the chair with a blank stare. Papa, everything will be ok.

70 degrees

This is all your fault! You drink a gallon a day! Why do you put your kids through this? Why are you so selfish?

He won’t be able to work again. Paying for you and your brother’s school and now these hospital bills…

I held my mother’s hand and raised her chin so her eyes only recognized her young man. Mama, everything will be ok.

65 degrees

I should of said something when he opened that bottle of whiskey. I should of grabbed that cigarette out of his mouth! I should of…

I gently shoved my baby brother and woke him up from his nightmare by smiling. Baby boy, everything will be ok.

60

I never realized why it’s so cold in the doctor’s office.

[professoranthony]

Blue Moon - Englewood, NJ

I’m not really sure if I made her proud.  I could of done bigger and better things in my life and at the end of the day, I cannot tell if she is happy with my decisions.  I should have became a doctor...maybe a business man, or probably listened to her when I was young and become a pharmacist.  These days, all I can do is sit here and wonder if I made her proud... 33 years of my life I stayed home and watched her work her ass off and never really appreciated it.  Watching her go to work early in the morning and coming home to take care of her two sons and husband, I never really thought about how amazing that was.  She worked in environmental services, aka the “cleaning lady” in a nursing home.  After picking up shit from senior citizens, she came home and dealt with our shit.  I can’t even explain how strong of a person you have to be to do that, but she did.  I can’t never relate to what she has done for us...for me.  I could of made life simpler for her, but I didn’t know what I was doing.  I didn’t know where to start or how to begin.  I use to tell people that all I wanted to do was make her smile and in the end, I still wonder if I made her proud.  I’m sorry...

[professoranthony]

Project: Eats - Jersey City

Jerk chicken wings, chipotle corn, crab fries, pork skewers, Moffle Bar desserts, rosé cider, strong old fashions and beer in a waffle cone…okay, there wasn’t beer in a waffle cone but after one old fashion, I was becoming more and more creative throughout the event.  As I entered my freshman year at Rutgers University, I was introduced to my first college friend and roommate.  We shared the same sense of style, humor, and personality.  My roommate was a little bit wilder than me, but nonetheless, we were inseparable at the time.  He was from Jersey City and I was raised in New Brunswick.  We both respected each other’s family values because our upbringing was pretty much the same.  I still remember visiting his apartment in Jersey City.  It wasn’t appealing to the eye and I won’t go into much detail about it but it made me realize that a person shouldn’t live like this.  As I entered his apartment, I started reminiscing about my life in New Brunswick and how my family lived in a small one bedroom apartment.  My brother and I would share the same room while my parents slept in the living room. I can still feel the building shake when it was windy outside. You couldn’t raise a family in that type of living condition but at the same time you had to respect the struggle.  As freshman year ended, he became wilder and I couldn’t keep up.  My grades were effected drastically and I had to make a decision.  I would see him around campus and we wouldn’t even acknowledge each other after he realized that I didn’t want to get caught up in “college life”. Recently, I received a text from a strange number and to my surprise, it was my old college roommate.  He owns a store now.  He told me he had finished college a few years back and was working in child protection agency.  He continued his education and received his masters.  He talked about his marriage and asked me to visit his store sometime.  As we continued to talk, I would remember the crazy times we had with each other.  I realized how he has grown up and become a man of his own.  I was proud of him.  Sometimes, it takes us a longer time to realize what we want out of life.  I think it is due to the fact that we are comfortable in what we know and scared of what our future holds for us.  However, if our future holds something better…something more secure, we should all chase after it… and it’s “okay” to realize that feeling later in life.  

[professoranthony]

Engagement - Edison, NJ

One of the toughest but most beautiful things to witness is your best friend getting married.  It’s tough because you know things are going to be different. The primary people in his life would be his wife and the family he is going to build.  Time spent with him would decrease and the relationship will eventually change.  Yes, it sounds selfish. However, it’s beautiful to see the happiness that explodes within the room when he gets down on one knee and ask a simple but overwhelming question.  “Will you marry me?” means much more than ring on a finger... So the toughest part is not the fact you realize your friend is getting married and things will be different; its understanding what love truly means.  

[professoranthony]

Costa Rica

I’m about to be a married man and the guys decided to do Costa Rica as my bachelor party destination.  From ATVing down to a waterfall to doing a boat tour around crocodile infested waters, spending time with the guys was the most enjoyable part of this trip.  Most of all, spending time with my brother.  Joe and I decided to do our bachelor parties together.  Even though I spent every day of my life with him, this trip made us closer than ever.  I learned things about him and he learned a lot about me when it comes to family and our future wives.  Moreover, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to spend my last few days with as a bachelor.  I came in calling them “my friends”, but I left Costa Rica referring to them as “my brothers”.  This relationship won’t be understand by most…but it’s okay.  

[professoranthony]

Wynwood - Florida

Heading down to South Beach, I expected to see nothing but sun, beach, and drunk people everywhere.  Didn’t expect to see anything creative.  Then, me and the lady headed to Wynwood, Florida.  I’m really not big on graffiti, but walking down these streets made me envy the creativity of an artist.  How these artists see the world opened up my views of life.  Even a simple quote in the middle of a side walk makes you stop and think...

[professoranthony]

Park Avenue Armory - NYC

Some say this exhibit is “scary...freaky...makes no sense”...I just rather keep an open mind.  

[professoranthony]

Piano Bar - NYC

If y’all fresh to death, then I’m deceased. - The Real Kanye.  

[professoranthony]

Liberty Bell - Philadelphia

“From Signal to Symbol”.  

[professoranthony]

Osgemeos - Silence of the Music

You see colors... I see sunrise. 

[professoranthony]

Garcia Vs. Peterson at the Barclays - Brooklyn 

My first Boxing match...thanks to BAE.  Maybe its the skill of a boxer or the knockouts that gets me excited about this sport.  However, the reason why I probably love watching is because I know I can never be a boxer.  I can never hit a person with such power and intent to destroy their lives.  Even though there has been many times in my life where I wanted hurt someone physically due to bullying me, and others, I chose to walk away.  I still look back at those days and ask myself why?  Is walking away the easiest way out?  

[professoranthony]

Rio de Janiero, Brazil 

Besides basketball, soccer is my favorite sport. Truth be told, before I even started playing basketball, my father put me on the New Brunswick Soccer Recreational League.  I sucked.  I never enjoyed playing...but I loved to watch the beauty of the game. I remember watching the 1998 World Cup and my dad telling me that I should be playing like the “yellow team”.  I fell in love with Brazil that day, but I’m not sure if it was due to soccer.  Maybe it was because my dad was right there giving me advice which he rarely does.  Or maybe it was because I was spending time with him because he worked so much.  One thing is for certain... I felt heartbroken when France defeated Brazil that year.  Of course, that day my brother became a fan of France and Henry.  Our competitive nature was always healthy.  Brazil was on my bucket list from that day forward.  

[professoranthony]

Lower East Side - NYC

[professoranthony]

Smith and Mills, NYC - Old Fashioned

[professoranthony]

The Wedding Crasher Set

[professoranthony]

Club Avenue - Long Branch, NJ

[professoranthony]

Liberty Madness