Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Pay The Piper


I worked a gig for a company on Saturday, Jan. 12th.  I still haven't been paid for that gig, yet the company has booked me for another gig at the same household in two days.  Should I go this Friday if I haven't been paid for the gig from two and a half weeks ago?  Hmm.  This ol' dude is gonna choose to believe that the check for the first gig will arrive by Friday afternoon.  If it doesn't, I'll make up my mind then whether or not I'll work the gig in two days.  All I know, though, is that I won't be accepting another gig with these folks until I'm paid.  Yes, I need that money from Peter to pay my landlords Paul.  :)

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Hot Like Fire!


Last night, I got a hair up my heinie to watch the pilot episode of CHICAGO FIRE on the NBC website.  Well, by the time I went to bed, I had watched SEVEN episodes!  By the time I go to bed tonight, I will have watched the ENTIRE season!  I'm tellin' u, I really became deeply engrossed in the lives of those firemen and EMT women.  And I cared about each and every one of 'em.  I'm sure real firemen and women might have something to say about the show not being authentic, but hey, it's television.  It's supposed to take some liberties with reality.  And that's all right by me.  I'm looking forward to the next, original episode!  I like those folks.  And I wanna spend more time with 'em!

Monday, January 28, 2013

My "To Do" List


Before week's end, I have to finish my Cracked.com article, record an audiobook audition and simply squeeze enjoyment out of every, blessed moment!  'Cause, truth be told, regardless whether we live for six years or sixty-six years, it just doesn't seem long enough!

So, this ol' dude is gonna hop into the bed and go over the audiobook audition sides.  I've gotta get verrrry familiar with the material.  Say a little prayer for me!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Daddy, May I?


NOTHIN' like a daddy's love!  Absolutely NOTHIN'!!!!

I Am I


"If you know who you ARE, people can NEVER coerce you into behaving like someone you are NOT!" 
-- CAM Jr

Thursday, January 24, 2013

What About Lil' Ol' Me?


In March, Tyshawn is flying to Brazil, then off to Argentina.  This week, Vinny is in New Orleans, shooting something Super Bowl related.  Mary Jo just started her new job at Fox Studios this week. Mikel's first on-air feature on The Steve Harvey Show is televised today or tomorrow.  Honestly, it appears that everybody and their mama are moving forward in their lives.  And then there's lil' ol' me. Yes, I'm doing some things lately that I haven't done in ages, which could propel me forward, but, dangit, it appears that progress is just takin' its sweet, lil' time!  But as the wise man knows, all good things occur in their own time.  Um...I mean, GOD's time!  So, keep workin'.  That's all a brotha can do!!!!!!

In regard to frettin' about keepin' up with the Joneses?????


Monday, January 21, 2013

A Genuine Leader...

President Obama Swearing In 2013

Today is historical in two ways.  One, it is our nation's national holiday for the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.  His prophetic words are still as relevant to our times now as they were when he said them.  I hope and pray the world takes heed.

Secondly, today marks the swearing in of President Barack Obama's second term!  How fitting that our first, non-white President is inaugurated on the national holiday in honor of a black man who fought for justice for all races, creeds, religions, etc.  Now, of course, President Obama has spoken up today on behalf of all the gay men and women in this nation.  Another first.  I tell you, the man is a walking, talking, breathing FIRST.  God bless him.  God bless this nation.  And God bless Kelly Clarkson for singing, "My Country 'Tis Of Thee," so beautifully!

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Vicious Beasts

Today marks the THIRD time I was ATTACKED on the street by RABID, VICIOUS dogs!!!!!  The first, two instances, they were a pair of Chihuahuas.  WTF!!!  And today?  ANOTHER pair of friggin' Chihuahuas!!!  Only one of them, though, was determined to take me down.  That sucka kept comin' at me despite its female owner trying to shoo the UNLEASHED killer away from me.  But I never kicked the stupid bitch.  I mean, the dog.  Not its owner.  To avoid being bitten, I danced around like Muhammad Ali in his heyday.  Two other people ran out of the house behind the owner to "rescue" me from the dog.  Or the dog from ME!  I was surprised to see who one of those people was.  Yep...SOUL MAN!!!!!!
   

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Still Countin'

The passage of time has been swift and filled with incredible highs and humbling lows.  I still haven't found what I'm lookin' for in this world.  So, I'm living each day, determined to be as much of a BLESSING as humanly possible.  I've learned in my 49 years of life that it truly is more fulfilling to give than receive.  I've accepted (or allowed circumstances to dictate) that living with less and giving more make me feel like a King of sorts.  I have won.  And I have lost.  But I have never believed I couldn't win again.  I think "they" call that, hope.  Well, I am a living witness that my two, greatest partners-in-crime are---and have always been---HOPE and PERSEVERANCE.  To the outside world looking in, I've got plenty of nothin'.  And, more often than not, nothin's plenty for me.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Welcome To Savannah

Today, on Facebook, I saw a photograph of the most beautiful, outdoor setting I've seen in ages.  Upon investigation, I learned it was a photo of a plaza way in Savannah, GA.  I believe it was located in the Wormsloe Historic Site.  Prior to this photo, the only thing I knew about Savannah was what I "learned" in the novel and subsequent film, Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.

What I know today is that Savannah looks really beautiful to me, so I think I'm gonna have to do a little sightseeing in that neck of the woods.  I'd love to stroll down those gorgeous, tree-lined paths in the rain.  Oh, that would be a slice of heaven for me.  Indeed, indeed!

2013...The Year Of ALVESTER!

ALVESTER

2013 is gonna be one helluva year for singer/songwriter/dancer/actor, ALVESTER!  This kid is on FIRE!!!!  He's got TALENT, LOOKS & a COMPASSIONATE SPIRIT!  What more could a person want?  He just texted me his rendition of Kendrick Lamar's, Swimming Pools (Drank).  He mashed it with his own, original tune, Wasted.  I think it's hot!!!  Now, I've gotta see what I can do to drive viewers to his YouTube page so the views on his video can skyrocket!  Yes, the video appears below!!!

DRANK!!!!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Get The Party Started

Last night, I worked a Sweet Sixteen party at the home of some really, really rich folks.  They're so rich, I looked up how much they had to pay in property taxes a year or so ago and it said almost $128K.  What!!!!!  Anyway, the house was grand and looked dang comfortable on the inside!  The party, though, was staged in the back, though.  A tent was propped up so that heat could be pushed into the joint.  And we needed it, too, 'cause it was colder than a rich, old lady outside!  Haaa!

Anyway, the young lady celebrating her sixteenth birthday seemed sweet enough.  Her hundred plus guests were another story.  Over all, they were pretty cool, too, but there were a few of them (all boys to my knowledge) who brought alcohol AND coke!  No, not Coca Cola!  I thought, wow, fifteen and sixteen-yr-olds drinking and snorting coke!  Geez!  Everybody wants to be too hip for the room.  Although I never actually thought I witnessed anyone drinking or taking drugs, one kid---a 15-yr-old---did confess to me that he had had six shots before he arrived and six or so inside the party.  Of course, I told him he's too young for that kind of thing, but I suspect my words of caution may have fallen upon deaf ears.  Or maybe not.  Only God and he know.

By night's end, all hell broke loose when we discovered that the $500 per hour dj was tweaked out of his mind.  He was so wasted on something that he couldn't break down his elaborate setup.  So, that means, I had to do it along with the house's security staff and all the other production staff on hand.  The owner of the house even pitched in!  What!!!  I would have expected him to be livid with the dj, but he didn't seem to be.  He wasn't happy, but he didn't illustrate any of the antics I would have expected a rich and pampered person to illustrate.  No shouting.  No "I'm better than you" attitude.  He simply pitched in and helped us break down the guy's equipment.  After we had everything in the trailer, the dj, himself, wound up missing.  Say what?  Yep, he was missing.  Turns out, in his tweaked world, he had decided that someone was after him; so, he hid.  All of us scoured the tony, Beverly Hills neighborhood, looking for him.  Eventually, his nephew and I found him hiding behind a tree.  The nephew's dad was called so that he could come and drive the dj's colossal truck and trailer ('cause the nephew didn't feel comfortable driving the huge contraption) while the nephew drove the dad's car.  I left before the father arrived.  I had enough!

I wish the dj the best.  It appears his old drug demons might have made a return appearance.  Nobody deserves that kind of paranoia and feelings of imminent doom.  And God bless his nephew, Michael.  That young man truly didn't deserve the drama his uncle heaped atop him.  Heck, I almost feel kinda guilty about goin' into the kitchen to make myself a second Screwdriver for the day.  But, you know what?  I'll get over it!  :) 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Cracked Out

I've decided that 2013 is my year for DOING instead of just OBSERVING!  I've lived far too long without DOING!  CREATING!  So, first up in the month of January is penning a humorous article for the Cracked website!  Yes, their humor leans more toward a sophomoric humor I don't usually embrace, but, dangit, my life needs to be shaken up a bit!  And tackling something new---something I wouldn't ordinarily take on---is the key needed to start up my complacent engine!  I haven't yet decided precisely what I'm going to write.  All I know is that it's NOT gonna be the dark stuff I usually prefer!  It's gonna have a sexual slant!  I like talkin' about sex!  Haaaa!  The wise man knows that the magic doesn't happen until he gets out of his comfort zone.  So, discomfort, come with it!  'Cause this man is determined to make some magic in his life!!!!!!!!!!  

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Right Now

"But at this moment, with my arms outstretched,
I need you to make a way
As you've done so many times before.
Through a window or an open door.
I stretch my hands to you.
Come rescue me.
I need you...
Right away..."

The Truest Truth Of The Matter

Always remember, my friend, the world will change again.  And you may have to come back through everywhere you've been.  So...

It's Who I Am

All my life I've tried my best to avoid confrontations of any kind.  I just don't feel comfortable in potentially confrontational situations.  I know that sounds like a reasonable feeling but apparently, it isn't how quite a few people feel; 'cause I hear of some folks fighting with others on the regular!  That just isn't who I am.  I suspect some might dismiss me as passive-aggressive.  Instigating turmoil, then running away from it once it percolates.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  All I know is that nowadays, I actually think about what I'm gonna say before I say it.  In my 49 yrs of life, I've learned that thinking before saying cuts down on a whole heap of a lot of confrontation.  Amen.

The Hunt Is On

The second week of the new year is rapidly drawing to a close.  This ol' dude has FINALLY come to the conclusion that he MUST face reality.  The reality that I need MONEY!  The reality that I need a steady income!  The reality that I need a J-O-B!  YESTERDAY!!!!!  Honestly, I've been a freelancer for the past 14 years or so and the well has run dry!  Back in 2007, I had a credit score of 800!  Today...um...not so much.  As birdbrained as it may seem, though, I don't lose sleep over my current situation, 'cause I believe I can flip the script at any moment.  Well, the moment has come for me to job search...for...my...LIFE!  So, later today it's back to "pounding the pavement" like I did when I was younger.  Back then, I ALWAYS made somethin' happen to benefit me.  And, today, I'm gonna do the exact, same thing!!!!  Word!  :)

Monday, January 7, 2013

Talk It Out

Sticks and stones might break your bones even when you dodge and dart.  Yes, words can sting like anything, but sometimes silence breaks a heart.

Resilient Am I

I'm proud of my 49-yr-old heart.  It's been PLAYED, STABBED, BEATEN, BURNED & BROKEN; but somehow, it STILL works just fine!!!!!!

Round Dos

Today begins the second, work week of the new year!  What that means for me is that I have to complete my new screenplay's outline.  AND...I have to work like a mofo to land a full-time, paying gig in showbiz.  A gig I LIKE, thank you very much!!!  Truth be told, I'm soooo tired of thinking about when the next check is comin'.  And from where!  Yes, I wholeheartedly live my life with a blind faith that only the most devout believers possess.  So, I won't fret.  But I'm still sick of wondering!!!!!!!!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Signage

I think I need to place this sign on the door of the spare bedroom I rent.  'Cause on a weekly basis, the dude who rents the room and his young, tender girlfriend have the most petty arguments I've ever heard.  Tonight's argument is, he thinks she ignored him while they were out at some joint.  She's denying it and he's angrily telling her she's guilty as charged.  Whatever!  He'd NEVER stand for all this ridiculous back & forth if she wasn't such a hot, lil' piece of a$$!!!!!!!

On The Decline

This new year has started off quite nicely in regard to my workout exercises!  I've consistently performed 250, decline push-ups every other day.  On my day off from push-ups, I'm at the park, grunting out pull-ups, dips and isometric squats.  If I keep this up, only God knows how I'll look by the end of March.  Thus far, I clearly see the subtle changes happening with my shoulders, pecs and lats.  Even my tummy, too!  Yeah, this 49-yr-old dude doesn't look too bad if he says so himself!  As soon as I see really defined quads, I'm gonna be ECSTATIC!!!  :)

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Red Nose Muscle

I've always admired how muscular some Pit Bull dogs are.  I saw the video below earlier today and must admit I've NEVER seen one that muscular!  Geez!  I wish I knew his workout routine!!!!!

Haaaaaaaaaaa!

So, die-hard fashionistas call these pants, meggings.  Leggings for me.  Lol!!!  I think fashionistas have such a great sense of humor!  Lol!!!!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Everything Old Is New Again

IRIS APFEL

Facebook is a godsend.  There, I come across some of the most interesting videos and photographs.  Today was no exception; for today, I was introduced to the gorgeous and impeccably dressed nonagenerian, IRIS APFEL.  Oh, what a dame!!  I love everything about her from her stylish shoes to her "you can never wear too many accessories" wardrobe!  FABBBBBULOUS!

I suppose my volunteer work with the elderly has given me a greater love & respect for them that I never knew existed until I stepped foot into the senior residence.  I would give an eye and a leg to have someone in the residence like Iris.  However, Iris lives in her own house.  Her vibrant energy and continued thirst for life has kept her up and running when many her age have practically thrown in the towel altogether.  God bless this woman.  And God has blessed ME by introducing me to her!!!!

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times:  WHAT A DAME!!!!

N-O-W!

2013, I know what time it is!!!!!!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Light Shineth

During last night's New Year's Eve service, one of the messages from the pastor's sermon that I must keep close to my heart is simply that:  in 2013, this is the year of...
So...this bald, black man MUST live his life in accordance to the honor and integrity I was born to possess.  Before I say anything, I must ask myself, "What is my intention for saying this?"  If the intention isn't to uplift, enlighten or edify, it SHOULDN'T be said.  Before I act, I must ask myself, "If this action was broadcast for the world to see, would I do it?"  If the answer is, no, I can't do it.  In regard to masturbation, folks will simply have to accept the fact that I do it and LOVE it!!!!  #2013istheyearoftruth

I've Got One Thing To Say

2012...

Happy New ME in 2-0-1-3!

I rang in the New Year at One Church International in The Arc Theater (see actual service below).  And, I have to tell you, Touré Roberts truly put his foot into the service!  Whew!  Had me on my feet!  One of the comments he made that truly moved me was that I should leave back in 2012 those activities and people that stand in the way of me fulfilling my destiny.  Don't drag 'em into 2013!!  I knew precisely what he meant.  And I pledged to God and to myself that I would heed Touré's words.  It won't be easy.  But it'll be worth it.

If I keep my heart and mind open, I can clearly see that becoming an active member/volunteer in the church can help change my life for the better.  I feel sooo full after I leave Touré's services.  Now, the must-do work is at hand:  develop and outline a plan to put me on the path to living my highest life.  I am blessed with breath, so any & everything is possible!

Happy New Year to one and all!  Amen.


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