Take One

A coupla weeks ago, I had to submit a self-tape for an audition to work as a host of a web project.

So, I made sure I had decent lighting, grabbed my phone, then recorded away!

Yes, it took me a dozen or more few takes, but I did what I did!

My first recording was an introduction of myself and what I'd like to do as a host.

The next recording was me creating a mock, game show sequence.

Truth be told, the videos are just fine to me, but what bothers me is that, in them, I can clearly see I need to wear braces again! I didn't wear my retainer the way I should have, and now it shows. My teeth are jacked up!!!!!!!!!!! Back to dang near where they started decades ago!

I'm gonna take my butt to an orthodontist to see what the heck can be done! I want my straight teeth back!

But I'll still happily be somebody's host with crooked teeth until they're fixed! ;)

CAMStar

Almost two weeks ago, I worked my second print gig ever! And by far, it was the BEST of the two!

I don't deem it the best because it paid more. It gets that moniker because it was so incredibly professional, and took such great care of the talent.

Treating the talent like they're appreciated goes a lonnnnnnnng way with excellent, on-set morale, and with the level of energy and professionalism the talent will give to the project.

I had two, different roles to perform for the project.

Shoot Day #1: I was a well-dressed, upwardly mobile fella who drove a hot, red, Cadillac XT5. The scene featured me driving up to a stranded motorist, and calling an OnStar dispatcher to send assistance.

Heck, I wish Wardrobe had let me keep the duds. And I wouldn't have complained if producers also let me keep the XT5!

Shoot Day #2: I was a handsome firefighter! The scene featured me as the responder OnStar called to assist a motorist involved in an accident. Um, needless to say, the motorist was rather fond of me! Haaaa!

I look forward to booking many, many, many enjoyable and lucrative gigs like that one!!!!!

Iyanla, Please Fix Their Lives

Over the past few weeks, OWN has run a riveting, three-part series on spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant's Iyanla: Fix My Life.

Since I don't subscribe to cable, I haven't seen much of Iyanla's docuseries, but glory be to God I saw the latest installment: "Crack Addiction, Abandonment, 7 Broken Brothers."

She set out to help a family of eight children (seven boys and one girl) who were abandoned in childhood by their drug-addicted parents.

What I know for sure is that my parents weren't wealthy. They weren't overly involved in our day-to-day lives. And most importantly: they weren't ABSENT!

Heck, after hearing about this family's upbringing, I now feel like mine was damn near idyllic!

I wish these people the absolute best! And I'm thankful Iyanla was there to do what she does! She's a true BLESSING!

I can't do the series justice by describing it, so I have Part I of the series below. To see Parts II & III, go HERE!

There's Nothing I'm Not Worthy Of - This Is Me!

There's a bearded lady in ALL of us!!!!!!

"When the sharpest words wanna cut me down,

I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out.

I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I'm meant to be, this is me. 

Look out, 'cause here I come. 

And I'm marching on to the beat I drum.

I'm not scared to be seen, I make no apologies, this is me!" 

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#TheGreatestShowman

38.7 Miles To Glory

Last Sunday, I awakened and said to myself: "I want a frozen margarita."

Just like that!

So, I showered, jumped into the car and headed to Tequila Jack's!

I know that sounds like a relatively simple thing to do: go out to eat on a Sunday. But this is southern California. So, just going out to eat at a particular restaurant could take you a ten-minute drive.

Or, in this instance: an HOUR!

Yep! I drove an HOUR to get a frozen margarita! All the way to Long Beach!

I first went to the joint when Mike, my fraternity brother, was here to set sail on a cruise ship to Hawaii. We sauntered into the restaurant and proceeded to imbibe a couple of frozen delights! And just like that, I was HOOKED!

So, Sunday, I drove to Long Beach, ordered lunch and a frozen margarita, and all was well in the world.

Truth be told, things could have been better if I had devoured two, but I had to be good since I was driving alone.

But, man, I wanted another! :)

Tequila Jack's, I'll be back!  :) :) :)

Mama's Day / The Way They Were

Today would be my mother's 86th birthday!

WOW!

Mama bid adieu to this side of Paradise 33 years ago!

THIRTY-THREE YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've lived on this planet longer WITHOUT her than WITH her.

I was a mere 21 years blessed when she passed.

Daddy is gone, too, but I was lucky to have him for 45 years.

Juanita A. Montgomery and Charles A. Montgomery Sr

It makes my heart sing to imagine them hangin' out in Heaven as they did on Earth.

Mem'ries, light the corners of my mind.

Misty water-colored mem'ries

Of the way they were.

Happy Birthday, Mama!

I hope you and Daddy are eating some great food in celebration and having a great drink...

Or three! :)

Lyfting Spirits, One Driver At A Time

Yesterday was my first time ordering a Lyft ride share. I usually use Uber, but since I was going quite a distance, I wanted to take advantage of Lyft's first time discount.

It was a little disappointing that the discount was only a measly $5.00! My first ride with Uber was discounted $10.00. But that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, with Uber, my passenger rating is a perfect five. And I think that score derives from how kindly I treat the drivers. I end every ride with a hug; whether the driver is female or male, or hasn't quite decided.

I figured with Lyft, I was gonna do my same routine.

My first driver was Justin, a young black man who hails from "The Chi"(Chicago). He practically told me his whole life story! He moved here to L.A. with his sister and a friend. They were so desperate to get here they didn't bother themselves with preparing first, so they were homeless the first few weeks. I'll never understand folks who do that, but hey, if they like it, I love it.

I spent most of the drive listening to him go on and on about what he wants out of life and how driving for Lyft is helping him accomplish his goals. Good for him, I thought.

When we arrived at my destination, I asked him to exit the car so I could hug him. I think he was a little surprised by my request, but he obliged. I hugged him, wished him the very best, then gave him a five-dollar tip.

My return driver was a young man of Armenian descent named Arthur. When I climbed into his car, the first thing outta my mouth was: "What's up, Mr. Arthur?" He said, "Wow, I love your energy already."

Arthur and I proceeded to talk about everything under the sun. We got hella personal. And I mean, make-your-mama-squirm personal.

By the time we arrived in front of my doorstep, I directed him to exit the car so I could hug him. He gave me one hell of an embrace!

I wished him the very best and gave him a two-dollar tip. Yes, he was just as great as Justin, but man, after spending damn near $70 on transportation for the day, I just didn't wanna part with another cent! I hope he forgives me!

A part of me kicked myself in the butt for spending that much when I could have simply driven myself for free, but hey, I hope some of the things the drivers and I discussed will benefit their lives. I could never have had any positive impact on them if I had driven myself.

Yeah, that's the way I'll look at it. :)

That's What She Said

Miss Winfrey sure does bless us with some bona fide gems.

Over the course of my adult life, I've been bold enough to ask folks for all sorts of things. Unfortunately, when some of those folks granted me what I asked for, I second-guessed myself and didn't think I possessed the skill set to fulfill my ask.

So, I asked for naught.

Well, when it comes to helping others, I seem to maintain my bold mindset from the ask and beyond. Such is the case right now when it comes to my godson, Jordan.

The young fella just graduated from college with a degree in Sports Marketing. His mother told me earlier today that he might be taking a job in the mailroom of a bank.

A what!!????

Working in a dang bank's mailroom is about as far away from his sports marketing interest as...well...milking cows!

I hopped onto the computer, researched some sports internships, then sent him the info. I told him to APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!

At 54, I clearly see that if one is gonna work at the bottom of the totem poll, he might as well do so WITHIN the industry that interests him! No need working as a host in a sushi restaurant when you want to build cars for a living! Work in a dang auto garage!

I know most people won't ask for what they truly want because they fear rejection. If being rejected won't kill you, no need fearing it!

Speak up and let folks know what you want! I've always been amazed at how many people will come to our aid if we simply ask for their help.

My mother repeated a particular phrase to us kids all the time:

So, no more keepin' my mouth shut when I want somethin'!

Nor when I want somethin' for somebody ELSE!

Godson, a sports-related job is a-comin'!!!!

Asketh and thou shalt receiveth! :)

Aaron Burr, Sir

I was introduced to a middle-aged white fella the other day, and somehow, the subject of the Broadway smash Hamilton came up.

Turns out he went to see it on Broadway before it was the talk of the land. He had no idea what it was about or anything. He simply went because someone gifted him with a ticket.

When Leslie Odom Jr hit the stage, and the opening song, "Alexander Hamilton," commenced, the fella told me his first thought was: "Wow, they're telling this story from the slave's perspective."

"...the slave's perspective."

He saw black and brown faces on the stage and just KNEW the characters HAD to be slaves.

SLAVES!!!!!

You see, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a GENIUS!

Because he KNOWS how "the others" view us black and brown people.

BRAVO, Hamilton, for being so dang trailblazing!!!!!!!

As soon as I hit the lottery, I'm gonna see it! Haaaa!

His name is Alexander Hamilton!

And he's a brown LATINO! :)

"Alexander Hamilton" lyrics and music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Little Brother

Paulie Calafiore

The main reason I keep accepting the offer to work as a Sequester Manager for the long-running CBS reality competition show, Big Brother, is to meet the houseguests and hopefully, impart some of my commonsensical wisdom.

Season after season the cast is mostly composed of people younger than 35, so that means my wisdom is needed in a huuuuuuge way! Haaa!

One of my favorite houseguests from Season 18 was Paulie Calafiore (pictured above).

Cody Calafiore

He is the older brother of Cody Calafiore who was a beloved houseguest on Season 16.

Paulie's stint on the show wasn't as drama-free as Cody's. The nastiest confrontation he had on the show lives infamously on YouTube.

I always make it a point to express to the houseguests that they may think they came onto the show to win $500K, but since only one person can win the grand prize, that means everybody else is there for another reason. And it would behoove them to keep their minds open to figure out and embrace that reason.

Heck, for all I know, Paulie may have come onto the show just to meet ME, so he can ponder some of the tough questions about his life I asked him dang near daily! I told him often to ignore the "haters" and ONLY concentrate on his SUPPORTERS! Why give energy to those who AREN'T on your team? He told me he'd work on that. And I believe he will.

Well, after the show wrapped, he told me he will always count his time with me in the Jury House as one of the highlights of his Big Brother experience. And for that, I'm immeasurably thankful.

I wish the young fella the very best. He has an indefatigable desire to succeed and charisma for days!!!! So, his professional future oughta be quite comfortable for him.

The Brothers Calafiore aren't just easy on the eyes. They're well-bred and genuinely kind human beings.

This world would benefit from more just like 'em!

Go 'head, Little Brother, make your mark on the world! :)

Just Sayin'

Laundry is in the washer!

Pasta is on the stove!

And this ol' dude is HAPPY 'bout it all!

And immeasurably THANKFUL for being alive and well!!!!!!!