When I first started blogging, it wasn't known as blogging. I had just learned how to build a website thanks to my homeboy Daz teaching me via telephone. Things were easy back then. All you had to know was how to create links, post photos and type whatever you thought people would have the patience to read. I was at North Carolina A&T State University and I created my site called the Realm of David Gaines. And I'm amazed it's still available online!

Then I moved it to my own domain. My first domain was realmofdrg.com [which is no longer online] since DavidGaines.com was being used by someone to post some weird stuff about "big brother is watching." Then one day when I went to renew my domain name, the website I was using asked if I wanted DavidGaines.com which luckily for me just became available.

Since then I've been playing with different looks, different layouts and never a specific theme to anything I posted. I did a Redskins blog called Skinsaphrenia; a blog about Washington, DC stuff from a BlacKorean's point of view; a DC events site with nightclubs, restaurants and things to do; a site about turning 30 and what I needed to do to stay young and hale [that one didn't last long]; and who knows whatever ideas I came up with.

Finally I settled on I am David Gaines and this is what's on my mind. That's this one, of course, a site I did for several years until I figured out what I wanted my site to be about. And after more than a decade has passed, I've come to the conclusion that there will never be just one thing I write about. I did motivational stuff, financial advice [I should start taking some of my advice], stuff about health and food [like what's really used to make a Twinkie], politics, humor, world events, and so on and so forth.

So, with that said and really saying nothing new, I've moved [well, sorta] the blog to DavidGaines.com, without the "/nucleus/" directory. Nothing elaborate, mainly technical, but mostly a note on where to find my continued babbling if you found this page.

Ever since I started blogging at NajwaGaines.com, I've neglected this site. Then again, I've always gone through spurts of writer's block. But just to get some traffic to this site, I'm sharing some photos I finally got around to posting after the birth of Najwa Gaines [which coincidentally are posted on the other site!].

Thank you everyone who came out to the BaByQ Shower/Cookout in both Charlotte NC and Washington DC!

Check out all the photos by clicking here!

Chad Ochocinco? Nope. His new teammate T.O.? Nope. Try the Iceland soccer team...




Then again, check out Danish superleague-club FC Nordsjælland...

It's pretty amazing how two blue lines can change your priorities. Instantly. Nearly seven months ago Nduku and I decided we wanted to have a child. In two months we'll be welcoming a baby girl into the world. We were planning a trip to Puerto Rico, but that's been replaced with a tour of Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC.

Many people have said life will never be the same. We say life has yet to begin. With a due date of September 16 [for the fellas, that's week 2 of the NFL season] we're looking at only a couple of months before the first day of the rest of our lives. We are retiring from 8-hours of sleep each night, spontaneous road trips to wherever the wind blows and living life on the edge with reckless abandon [well, Nduku already has; I'm getting there].

To celebrate this transition and welcome our daughter into the world, we're inviting everyone to our BaByQ Shower/Cookout on Saturday, August 14, in Washington, DC. Nduku and I have moved into our new home in the Mt. Vernon Square area near the Washington Convention Center where we are welcoming all to come celebrate with us. Though it's technically an untraditional baby shower, it's more accurately a traditional summer cookout.

Though we'll never have everything we need for parenthood, hence the baby registries, I hope everyone can still come by — even for a moment — to meet the soon-to-be-mother of our baby girl. As a friend of ours once said: your presence is more important than your presents.

Get all the information and RSVP by clicking here.

Don't ask where I heard this from, but there's a phrase that says, "A love inspects the distorted promise."

Going green is becoming what "Just Say No" was back in the day. It started out as something catchy, something people preached but didn't always practice and something that didn't really reward you for doing the right thing. Other than your brain not resembling an egg frying on the stove.

But now you can go green, save the planet and have a chance to win an iPod Touch, an iPad or even an Apple MacBook 250 GB! Bobby Cato as usual is ahead of the game and shared with me the Get Green Video Contest. All you have to do is submit a video of how you're recycling your two cents by May 2, and you're in there. Worst case is you get to show off your videography skills and inspire others to turn off the lights to empty rooms, shut down computers when leaving work and use both sides of toilet paper to save our planet.



And don't be discouraged just because you have to be an enrolled high school student between the ages of 14-19, make your video anyway, send it to me [better yet, post it on YouTube] and I'll share it here. Especially if you show how you use both sides of toilet paper!

In a recent Washington City Paper article about contraceptives, the topic was brought to light about our [we men] ignorance when it comes to birth control. Apparently we think the vaginal ring is equivalent to a magic wand and wearing two condoms is more effective than wearing just one. Well, isn't it?

Seriously, how does a vaginal ring work? As I was reading the article, I started asking myself how much I knew about birth control methods, other than the most effective and least used — abstinence. And really, I'm still not sure if condoms are made out of sheepskin or latex.

And who's Jimmy anyway?

Continue Reading How Much Do YOU Know About Birth Control?

At the risk of exposing my age [whatever — I'm 35], I remember that in the 11th grade, connecting to the Internet wasn't as easy as ordering an overpriced latte, an overpriced piece of cake and peeling open a laptop. We literally used a telephone keypad, dialed a long string of numbers which literally connected you to the exact machine you were connecting to [even before the days of browsers!] and waited what felt like ages before finally, a message would slowly crawl up the page saying, "Welcome." And if you wanted to see something on another server, you had to call that server directly.

Everything was nothing but words and numbers. Animated .gifs? Streaming video? Personal homepage? There were no such things, nor blogs, tweets, RSS feeds; not even pictures, sound or even color. Color! And if anyone had a webcam, it was Al Gore while he was developing the Internet.

Continue Reading Now You Can "Call" Me and No Phone Number is Needed

Congratulations to my homeboy Mike and his wife Jenny who exchanged vows this weekend! There were times when this day didn't seem possible, but when you have two strong and dedicated individuals like Mike and Jenny, all things are possible.



[This photo is during the reception. I would've had photos from the ceremony, but I was sitting in a challenging spot to take photos. I'll see if I can get some from everyone else.]

Check Out Photos From Mike & Jenny's Wedding

These are photos from a trip out to The Res [as in the Navajo reservation] during my visit to see my dad in Flagstaff, Arizona. Every time I've visited and attempted to explain to anyone what it's like out on The Res, the words just never seem to do justice to the environment.

I can't even say the photos will do it justice, but it does help give you an idea of what it's like.

A few days later we took a trip south of Flagstaff to visit a couple of National Parks. Below are photos from our visit to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Parks...

Continue Reading Greetings from Navajo Nation and Photos at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot

One of our clients is looking to hire two medical coders immediately! The position is at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. And another client is looking for a bilingual receptionist/administrative assistant in Springfield, VA.

» Click Below to Continue Reading:
'Now Hiring: Medical Coder and Bilingual Receptionist'

We are currently looking for a couple of part-time positions, both accounting based and needing to be filled immediately. One is in Arlington, VA, performing accounts payable and receivable on Mondays and Thursdays. The position requires a couple years of working experience using Solomon, an accounting software. The position has flexible hours, ideally 7:00 am to 3:00 pm paying $15 an hour. The other is in Washington, DC, performing accounts receivable 20 to 24 hours a week for $16 an hour. Candidates have to have experience with Medicaid waiver billing.

» Click Below to Continue Reading:
'Accounting Positions Hiring in DC'

And yet another one of my good friends, Abeo Anderson, is using her energy to make the world a better place. She sent me an email about some programs the non-profit where she works, Raising Expectations Inc., is having. One of the programs is "Green the Block" Mosaic & Music Citywide Youth Environmental Sculpture Art Project designed to clean up and design our neighborhoods. Youth [ages 12-18] will meet at neighborhood libraries to learn from environmental educators and professional mosaic/sculpture artists about various ways to help keep DC communities clean and green. Youth Ward representatives will take action by going out in their communities and collecting recyclable materials for the creation of 8 large mosaic/sculpture figures for public display in their Ward. More information can be found on their website.

Continue Reading Raising Expectations of Our Youth Through Cultural Arts and More

Recently I received an email from a friend of mine, Jesse Moore, about a program seeking volunteers in the Washington, DC, area. Concerned Black Men's Capitol City Cares Mentoring Program [C3MP] is looking for mentors to work with young men and provide guidance and support.

Those who are interested in at least seeing what they're talking about can download an application and attend the orientation coming up in a few weeks.

Continue Reading Concerned Black Men Looking For Mentors in DC

I want to send out a big THANK YOU to those who made donations to the National Kidney Foundation and sponsored me for the 5k walk last weekend. It was DC's largest turnout ever, starting with only 30 participants when it first started 8 years ago to over 800 participants this year. Those making donations were:



The walk went well, the weather was perfect and the people were amazingly enthusiastic and passionate for the cause. We heard stories of those affected by kidney diseases and many success stories which put our [and your] efforts into perspective.

Next year the plan is to assemble a team, as many of the other participants did, and see if we can increase our contribution and get more people involved. In participating I heard from some of my friends who also know people who are/were affected by kidney failure such as Amanee Blake, Mary Andom and Dana VanSlyke Sentell's husband, my former high school classmate Jeff Sentell.

Thanks again everyone who donated and those who sent emails and made phone calls to show your support!

Just as Washington DC's City Council is piecing together a Code of Ethics in light of Mayor for Life Marion Barry's most recent headliners [The City Paper has one of the most, well, memorable front pages of all time which is a MUST SEE], fellow councilmember Jim Graham finds himself indirectly associated with another scandal — this one with actual criminal charges. Allegedly his chief of staff took bribes to help push a bill that essentially is thought by some to limit competition with taxi companies and give financial breaks to those with hybrid vehicles. And coincidence or not, councilmember Jim Graham presented a bill that creates a medallion system [or something like that] which limits the number of taxis that can operate in DC as well as give financial breaks to those with hybrid vehicles [or something like that].

Continue Reading 37 Criminal Charges? You're Hired!

For those who know and those who don't, my mom had a kidney transplant several years ago after waiting for almost a decade and a half!!! Maybe longer!? I lost count when she didn't get a match after the first three to five years. Three times a week she spent four hours sitting next to a machine to get her blood cleaned. That's a part-time job! Talk about relying on your job to stay alive!

Well, the other day I saw a brochure about a fundraising walk, similar to the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Run/Walk, and, well, how am I not going to participate? I wear the green ribbon on my lapel from time to time which encourages people to become organ donors. My mom got her kidney from a 22-year-old who passed away way too early in life. He who was an organ donor. His other kidney went to another recipient. All his organs went to other recipients. Bless his heart.

Anyway, I know it's a recession, but I'm asking everyone if they, too, can help, by making a donation to the National Kidney Foundation. Everything counts. Especially the gesture. If all you have is $10, my appreciation will be just as great. Donations can be made by clicking on this link to help me reach my goal.

I'm also going to participate in the 5k Walk on October 3, 2009, here in Washington, DC. I'm just glad it's called a walk!

Thanks!

In the past week or so we've seen an uptick in some of the positions our clients are looking to fill. If you're already a candidate of mine, I haven't forgotten you; you'll see from the positions listed below why you may not have heard from me in a while. And if you fit any of the positions below, let me know and since you're already registered, I can get your resume in front of the client quicker.

If these opportunities don't quite tickle your fancy but you know someone who may fit any of the descriptions below, let them know and collect some karma points.

» Click Below to Continue Reading:
'NOW HIRING: Available Job Opportunities Hiring Immediately'

Here we go again. Another one of those Facebook survey questionnaires asking random and useless questions and people reading them who have nothing better to do. Of course I normally ignore these, but then my homeboy Daz tags me on one which is quite interesting:



Continue reading My Life According to Prince