Dear Hannah - GRASPP is an acronym that reminds me to check the "battle plan" of my team by examining *G*roup Morale, *R*elationships, *A*dministration, *S*piritual Tone, *P*lanning, and *P*roblem Solving. Having a battle plan does not ensure victory, but it does give you a solid approach ... which always gives you a chance to win. I spit "GRASPP (Battle Plan)" to my teammates at our 9-20-2024 department meeting to outline my "journey" that brought me to this team. My performance was polarizing ... I received effusive praise (even a public declaration of such from a district official in attendance), apathy, and the "cold shoulder". A friend shared that "GRASPP" (and especially the resulting praise from from the district official) probably made its audience look and feel "bad" ... for which I might pay a price. So let me count the costs ... I shared "GRASPP" as a (recordable) #StandupStorytelling opportunity to speak truth (in love) to power ... to connect to and lift up the marginalized (say "hello") ... and to let "hit dogs holler" (say "heck no" to our declining "status quo" ... and "tell 'em that I smell em") ... I counted these costs and decided to pay them ... FWIW, I have discerned (in the 8 months since this performance) that people were impressed by, offended by, and oblivious to "GRASPP" ... the "bounding theory" says that it both predicted and contributed to the oppressive level of classroom scrutiny I experienced this year. None of this "backtracking" impacts today's reality ... I must still survive my environment by engaging in #StandupStorytelling's hope, healing, change, and "counterstory" telling ... while avoiding unnecessary adult interactions ... and must recognize that some of this approach is not sustainable (because both invite more "slings and arrows") ...

In June 2023, The Computer History Museum (Mountain View, CA) published my oral history (https://bit.ly/CHMOH_DB_YT) for my contributions to the computing world as an Internet strategist for The Universal Black Pages (an Internet directory of African-related content), and as the founding director of KnowledgeBase’s Project CHIP (which refurbished and redistributed 1500+ computers to Georgia families and organizations). My oral history experience inspired a new project called #YourStory. #YourStory combines #StandupStorytelling with principles and best practices of oral history recording to document the thoughts and experiences of ordinary people who do extraordinary work. EPISODE 2.01 "TRANSCRIPT": ... Alou Macalou was the primary developer of The UBP ... in December 1994 I wrote KB's first business plan ... Alou contacted me that month about commercializing The UBP ... our strategic alliance was formed ... we put business plan together ... Dr. Vince Carter and Dr. Gary May became advisors (Gary May is Chancellor of UC-Davis ... not Cal State ...03m48sec ATDC story ... Dwight Holter ... 4-legged stool (Management, Market, Technology, finance) ... 06m40sec I am "key man" ... 07m58sec we raised $20K ($6K) ... 08m50sec no cash flow => cracks start to show ... 09m30sec this is like a marriage, and we got twisted when things got topsy-turvy 09m51sec Microsoft chooses us for diversity recruiting ... Internet advertising is a "thing" ... 11m50sec we had advertising revenue by mid-1996(?) ... we had momentum, and could have done more ... 12m54sec ... we did not pay ourselves salaries ... I was VPSS, Alou was CEO, Larry was CTO 13m30sec I entered with my exit plan - to launch KnowledgeBase 13m58sec I raised all the investment $$ 14m34sec ... I recouped all the investment $$ ... Netgate was our site host 15m11sec ...

Dear Hannah - I'm a #StandupStoryteller. I'm the "Brother From Another Planet". Strange people think I am strange. I think that what I experience is strange. And still I rise. Self-reflection is my "superpower". I am committed to generating hope, healing, and change ... powered by autoethnographic self-reflection, #StandupStorytelling, #YourStory, and publishing. What I see and experience makes me wanna "holler". Rather than wallow in lament, though ... I want to "spit it so they git it" ... success results when preparation meets opportunity ... opportunities are sometimes disguised as 'lost opportunities' ... don't choke on the smoke from the okey-doke ... use what you got to give 'em what they need ...