First things first, why the name? Mon ah-vee is the phonetic spelling of Mon Avis, which simply means my view in French. That layer combined with the tag line, one could correctly assume that I am a product of Hip Hop culture.
Who I am is relative. I’m always me, but many things to the different people that know me. I’m the unique friend. Not in the “yo, who brought this guy” sense, but unique in the sense that I rarely ever fit preconceived ideas. Outside of basketball and boxing I’m not really a sports guy. I’ve had 2 beers combined in my entire life, I’m not a fan of strip clubs, heavy drinking in general or going out of my way to impress anyone. Not really a fan of social media and despite all of this seemingly anti-social stuff, not quite “guys guy” kinda stuff, I also don’t fit into the nerd box either.
What I am into, is thinking about the various elements of human existence and what little part can I play to help. I value being a good father, husband, sibling and friend; overall just being a good human being. Certainly a true introvert that genuinely loves a few people, likes a few people, and prefers a healthy balance of seeing and missing folks to keep my harmony. Some, well, maybe a little more than some, let’s say somewhere between some and all of the people that know me would say I’m an unemotional guy. However, those same people would say I’m a guy that values family, friendships and the quirky things in life. I’m a lover of comedy, hip hop, and toeing that fine line between appropriate and inappropriate to inspire authentic feelings. You’ll see.
I’m not perfect, I don’t pretend to be and I fully understand that no one else is either, remember that for the comments. If you read enough of my posts you’ll know that I am certainly human, sharing my views and opinion on things whether popular or not. So if you don’t have that unique friend from the West Side of Chicago, that gives really good advice, loves good food, tries to find the balance in all things, genuinely cares about your well being, yet doesn’t respond to text messages in a timely manner…it’s nice to meet you, I’m that guy!
Photos by Craig Adderley, Frans Van Heerden, Ian Turnell,