Profit or Prophet

Rebecca St James Concert

So last night I went to this Rebecca St. James Concert! It was quite a different atmosphere from the previous night as this was a Christian concert. The concert was held in the great metropolis of Deltona. I headed out about 6 pm to catch a glimpse of the Grammy award-winning artist. Growing up I had never been into to much Christian music because I was told it was “Blasphemous”. I never really bought into this train of thought, but was not in a position to defy my parents either. They would rather I listen to gangsta rap than listen to something with a positive message…how ironic!!

AS I arrived at the outdoor venue I had on a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Surely this would be enough warmth for Florida…Wrong. When I first got there it was not so bad, but as the sun quickly departed, the humid Florida air began to bite at my skin. An hour into the opening acts I headed back to my car where I found a windbreaker from the night before. Hoping the thin nylon would provide me with warmth was a mistake. Ms. St James was supposed to perform at 8pm. But as 8:30 rolled around I was standing around freezing with one hand in my pocket and the other sippin on hot coffee!! A decision had to be made. With each performance prior to Ms James, I grew weary of the cold. It was 8:45 and still no Rebecca. I really felt bad for the people who had been there since 3pm. They waited all day to see her perform. At 9:05 She finally graced the stage. Unfortunately I could not take it anymore and half way through te second number I departed. I had never been one to beet the traffic, but I also was not about freeze my patooty off for anybody. …did I really just use the word “patooty”…

Side Note – There were about 7 opening acts for Ms. James. And as the night before, I am sure each artist was just as passionate about his or her art as the headliner. Ms. James has a huge tour bus with security guards and the whole nine..I was joking with some of my church friends and we said” isn’t this a Christian Concert?? What’s up with the security??” we chuckled it off but, I thought more for the artist who don’t get a tour bus, don’t they need protection from the band of renegade Christians who might attack??

Side Bar – One of the hip hop artist from the night said something that I have always felt in my heart, ironically I have never been able to articulate as well as he did in his lyrics. He said this:

“God gave me this talent free, I didn’t ask for it, he wants me to share it with you, how could I charge you for something that was free to me?”
Now that is not a direct quote, but it sums up my feeling on why music should be free!! He asked everyone to go to his website and download his CD for free, this was a welcome sound to my ears as I observed many of today’s artist (especially the Christian ones) making a profit of a talent they been blessed with given from God, but want you to pay to hear it?? How ironic is that??

Knocks Me Off My Feet

Donnell Jones Concert

I don’t like to admit to making a mistake very often, but a few years ago I made probably the biggest mistake of my life. I was listening to a song by Donnell Jones, which was saying everything that I was feeling at that time. I was always a big fan of his, and at that point in my life “ I just needed time to see, where I wanna be?” These words, although they were true at the time, proved to be the cause for my later disappointment and apology. The sad truth is that if by chance you ever fall in love, you should really hold on to it. The deeper truth is that if you are lucky enough to fall in love with someone, and they love you back just as much, you should be thankful for every moment you have with that person. Unfortunately at age 21 I was unaware of this timeless truth. But, as the saying goes, “it is better to have loved, and to have lost, than to never to have loved at all!!”

On Friday night I scooted downtown after work to grab a few cocktails with some friends. As we went to a friend’s bar I noticed a stage set up. I asked him who was performing? He said “Donnell Jones”. My heart skipped. The man who was responsible for so much pleasure and pain, I had to see him in concert. I hung out for a few hours to her one of my favorite R&B artist do his thing. I would not be disappointed. He has a new album coming out and I didn’t recognize some of his new stuff, but as the night went on, he brought out more and more of his classics. Then, as if he got the memo…he ended the night with “Where I wanna be”. Well that put a sour end to a great night of music, as I skirted over to the bar. I would normally have drowned my sorrows in long pour of Bacardi Limon, but it was late and I needed to put this to rest in so many ways. I ordered up a sprite and decided to let it go….let it all ago!!
Side note – Opening up for Donnell was a high school friend of mine. Ironically this person had a crush on me in back in the day!! I was a couple years older than her, and it just never really materialized. It was awkward to see her all grown up and on stage. I always knew she could sing, but it was awesome to see her take command of the stage!! After her set, we made small talk and got caught up on each other’s lives. She is an accountant by day, and a sultry singer at night. Mega props to her on following her dream and never giving up. As the night went on, I ran into more high school friends who where also there to se our classmate. Once again, the move back home is starting to pay dividends.

Eat Me

You are what you eat...or are you??

“Oliver, you’re not really Black!!” You would not believe how many times I have heard this in my life. I have almost become numb to these words & thoughts, mostly writing people off who have this mindset. Growing up in Deltona, this was a challenge for me as a child. I was usually the only black kid in my class for the first few years. I would get picked on sometimes about it, but mostly stayed close to a core group of friends who accepted me for who I was. A person. Unfortunately though, these same kids who grew up thinking that being black meant, rims and gold teeth, think no differently now. It is amazing how people mask racism with terms like “urban”, “inner-city”, “demographic” etc… As I am now in Corp. America again, these terms and sayings have reared their ugly heads once more.

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that I am a person who is very proud to be a black man. I am also very proud of my Jamaican Heritage. I say these statements not to feel superior to another race of people or culture, but I feel there is so much to be proud of in the face of struggle from both the color of my skin and the culture I was raised in. I enjoy meeting people of other cultures as we can learn so much from those who are different than us. If all the colors of the rainbow were red, that would not be very exciting now would it?? Such is true in life, we need all kinds of people to make this world interesting. It is sad to me when people limit themselves to shallow thinking and closed mindedness. More than anything I feel sorry for these people. If I thought like this, I would only eat “Rice & Peas and Jerk Chicken!!” As much as I love Jamaican food, I also enjoy Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, French, Japanese, and all types of international cuisine. It would be boring to eat the same style of food every night. Sometimes you feel like a taco, sometimes you feel like a crepe’. The beauty of life is knowing that you can experience all these things without losing your own identity.

Muzak

Muzak…

What is it? How can we be so taken prisoner by a set of rhythmic vibrations?? Music is such a huge part of our beings that it sometimes makes me wonder where we would be without it? Most folks who know me know the importance of music in my life. I have learned not to become a music snob, as some people are who have been educated in the musical fields. Far too often one in the musical world will lose touch with the basis of music.

There was a point in my college “career”, that I hated music. I had listened and critiqued it so much that I could not hold a conversation with my friends anymore; I would spout out topics they had no understanding of. To the common man, he cares little for the “inverted chord progressions”, which took place in the middle of the latest hip hop song!! As a musician though, very little escaped my ears and I began to over analyze music to a point of obsession.

Thankfully, I got out of my funk and began to listen for the sake of enjoyment again. What a great gift we have in music!!. Whether you believe in creation or not, our ability as humans to create and appreciate music is something divine. There is a song for every occasion in our lives. From our earliest studies of culture, music has and always will be a constant companion. With out music, there would be no national anthems, no seventh inning stretches, no jaws, and no “chicken noodle soup song”. Yes even the chicken noodle soup song is an example of the vast variations of music on our society and culture.

I recently received a few CD’s from very good friend. These were all burnt mixes of stuff new and old. I was able to recognize some of the tracks, and others were very new to me. With each new selection, I was eager to hear something different and unique. I instantly fell in love with a couple new tracks. Isn’t it funny how a song can completely encompass your soul and take you to another world? As I listened to each track, I was able to put myself in the middle of the artist’s lyrics and “Drift Away”!! Shockingly my favorite tracks ended being a song from the Dixie Chicks called “I Hope” & the John Mayer track “waiting on the world”! Needless to say, I was shocked that these songs from artist I have heard of, but never really listened to could enlighten my day so greatly!!

Here is a challenge…Think about your life… If you could make one twelve track CD, what songs would be on it?

Side Note…
Getting music from a friend is like getting legal crack! I can’t get enough as always. The mixed CD is a viable art form. As I have made my fair share of mixes in the past, I discussed technique with my friend as a skilled craftsman would with another artist. It is comical sometimes how life changes right before our eyes… 20 yeas ago we used to walk down the street with boom boxes on our shoulders…now we have cell phones with built in MP3 players… Music will never be far from us.

Driven

When I put my mind to it….

Success is all relative to a certain position in life. To Bill Gates or the Donald I am a drop in the bucket, but to some folks (like my mom), they think the world of me. It is funny how an opinion me can vary when I remain the same person. Fortunately I stopped living for others approval a long time ago. I now just make sure that before I go to sleep, I am comfortable with the things I did that day. In the end that’s all you have.

So as I am growing older I am finding that I have certain areas that I excel and others that I am lacking or below average. Recently as I was interviewing for jobs they asked me what my greatest weakness is? After thinking about it, I mentioned that my handwriting really needs some help. At the time that’s all I could think of. (If you have never seen it, it is really bad) I am currently listening to an audio book of the “Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. (I listen to it on my daily commute.) This is currently the worlds best selling book. I must admit it offers a certain insights to life and the things we can do. I was turned off though very early by one of its defining keys to success.

Mr. Warren states that you must focus on one thing and do it well. He explains how spreading yourself to thin causes you to loose focus on your ideals and goals. Well, I beg to differ. I agree that being the best you can be in an area is great thing, but I also believe that being versatile is just as important also. Personally, I hate to be pigeon holed by someone for something that I am supposed to be. It is easy to write someone off as being one thing. You can say, “hey that’s guys a surfer, or that guys a band dork, etc…” we all say these things as we try to categorize the people we know into blocks or groups. Truth be told, no one is one thing. We are complex beings with much “more than meets the eye”!! (Transformer shout out)
It is my belief that contrary to Mr. Warren we can do and be anything that we want to be at any given time. The need to belong to a certain group or clique is a dangerous notion to me. We form groups or pacts of acceptance to only the ideals and thoughts that fit into our perspective. A club of millionaires will never understand the struggles on the common man, yet if they mowed their own lawn just like John Doe 6 pack, they may understand that we are more alike than we are apart. I believe that we can do anything if we put our minds to it, yet putting your mind to it requires you to think consciously about the world around you…and that’s just not best selling theory these days.

Sick & Tired

Pleasae read all five blogs in one sitting...its quality reading and the that was O KING!!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired. My body has been run ragged!! I have not been able to sleep, this has been happening for sometime now, but it is affecting me more lately. I can not sleep in anymore and my latest wake up call over the past few weeks has been 7. But I am not usually in bed before 1 or two on a good night. I am functioning on 2 to 3 hours a night if you call that solid sleep. I feel like Ed Norton in Fight Club!! To add a little sugar to the sweetener, I have pick up a cold or flu from everyone I and their mommas who got a flu shot last week. That combined with a few nights of partying have combined to a never-ending illness over the past two weeks.

This came to a culmination yesterday as I just had it!!

We all have had one of those days!! You wake up take a shower, get dressed and head into work…but wait, did I forget something.., Watch?? Check. Necklace?? Check. Keys? Check. Cell Phone? Check?? Wallet?? Check?? Argh….what did I forget…..wait…I couldn’t have?? “did I put on Deodorant?? No Check!!! How does this happen? A grown man forgets to spruce up with some old spice?? I think in the morning routine, I just missed a step. Now to compound this situation with my previously mention illness, I was uber frustrated. The worst part of having BO Is not knowing if you do or don’t have BO..I knew I was missing some right guard, but I did not know if I was giving off a foul odor, or if it was under control. Fortunately I was not sweating yesterday, yet still I was overly continuous of myself making sure I would not get to close to anyone person. To top it all off, because of my illness, I could not smell a rose if it was glued to my olfactory gland!!

At the end of the day I was relieved to know my odor was nothing but the smell on fabric softener that had soaked through to my skin!! I have never been happier to be a snuggle kind of guy!! As for the sniffles, they are still with me today, hopefully I can get some sleep in the next couple of days and get over this. Being sick sucks in so many ways!!

Disney Dreams....

A Recent Trip To Epcot

I went to Disney this past weekend for the food and wine festival, (yes I know did not help my sickness). As I approached the park I remembered going to Epcot with my entire family back in the early 90’s. Back then it was a big tip as my entire family went. I realized what a special memory this and how I would cherish that for a long time. Nostalgia aside, I was ready to check out some of the new rides and attractions Mickey had brought the giant silver globe in my 11 y absence. My recent trips to the Disney World park’s had all been centered around the more adventurous side of things. This was my first trip back to Epcot since “Tuba-Christmas 95”!!

I have some great friends. I have mentioned this on occasion before, but my core group of friend’s are some of the best people I know. I have been blessed time and time again when I think back on life and realize how special these bonds are compared to others I know. The ability to share jokes with people that have gone on since the 7th grade is just awesome!! I truly feel sorry for the wife’s of my boys who just have to shake their heads at our school boyish antics… Add little bit of booze to the mix and we are a destructive bunch of wreck – looses set for world domination…That’s Disney World Domination!! With every food sample from around the world, we were forced (and I stress forced), to imbibe a libation from every available country. By the time we made it to America our sheets were set at full sail!! The mixture of Dayquil an lager had quickly put my cold to rest!! It was smooth sailing for the rest of the day.

The weather in Florida can just be breathtaking at times. I know what it lacks in natural landscape it makes up for in weather and endless beaches. As much as I love the weather in the bay area, Florida has days that take you a little closer to heaven with each drop of sunshine. Saturday was one of those days I was happy to be in the sunshine state. It was just cool enough in the morning for long sleeves, but warm enough in the afternoon for polo. A perfect combination that made the food, wine, and friendship that much more enjoyable.

As the evening drew to a close, on cue a beautiful sunset was complimented by clear skies and full moon. At dusk we spent 20 minutes playing with our camera’s searching for the right setting to get our night vision pictures right. Although none of them came out, it is still a funny memory trying to figure this stuff out!!
The night ended with a meal at Bahama Breeze as we discussed plans for our upcoming trip to Jamaica!! Times like these make me joyous to be around the people that I care about he most on a day to day basis….even if they do think the NBA should have a dress code!!

Vote or Die

Diddy’s campaign never really made sense to me. I appreciate the passion of the mohawk’d marathon runner, but the extreme of his slogan made it seem a little to offensive for my blood.

This election their was no need for a fancy campaign slogan. America had had enough of DC’s politics. Across the country voters turned out to change the country through the power of election. As much as I was happy to see the current administration take a huge blow, I was happy to see our form of democracy really work. This is proof once again that our form of government is able to stay true to its original inception. The people do have the power to change policy and government with in due process without disrupting the over flow of the governance of the country. This is a beautiful thing when it is appreciated for the fact that it was conceived over 200 yrs ago. Over government has survived and will continue to thrive just as longs as though who believe in its ideals stay true to our responsibility….Voting!!

I voted in Florida for the first time. I wanted to make sure my state would not make the same mistake they did in 2000 with the general election so I chose to use the electronic machine eliminating the chance of a “Hanging Chad”. Contrary to the speculation, anyone with a decent IQ could easily handle this machine. I found it easy and a streamline process, although I do spend 6 hours working with computers.

As I was waiting in line to vote a older African American Gentleman came into vote. He could barely walk and had to be pushing his late 80’s, yet he came in unassisted and was ready to vote. I wish I had my camera!! I almost wanted to applaud his efforts. Now this is speculation, but I assumed he was born in a time when it was impossible for him to vote. I am sure he has seen the heights of this country and the depths, yet he was here in his place right where he is supposed to be.

Shame on us all for taking this privilege for granted so much!! As I came into work proudly wearing my “I Voted” sticker, a co-worker begun to snicker at the fact that I woke up early just to go vote. Instantly my mind raced back to the old man who probably never had this chance at the age of 28. I proudly spoke out on the dangers of taking this liberty for granted. As the debate ensued, I knew forever which side of the line I would be on. After waking up early and going into work stinky (see my sick & tired blog) it was all worth it!!


Election Highlights!!

A tear of joy ran down my cheek today as Rumsfeld resigned…oh what perfect timing.

Did they really think the American people cared about Sadamm Hussein?

Two Hands

If you go to my myspace page you will see a video link to the Ben Harper song titled “Two Hands” I first heard this song about a year or so ago in the bay and was instantly hooked. Never mind the pulsing reggae rhythms, the lyrics of this song cut straight to my heart. I have always wanted to help people, but more than not we as people end up taking care of number one first. This is human nature, and I am guilty of it more than most. During my stay in Jamaica I knew I had to make some changes in my life. I had been somewhat successful in the business world and had been another part in the corporate cog of America. There is nothing wiring with this as we all need to work and have to have a job. Yet in my soul, I knew that I was more than a guy who collected rent and scheduled apartment cleanings. I knew that I could help people as I once did I college and could make someone else’s day brighter.

On the beach one morning I prayed for God to make me a blessing to someone each day. Ironically I was thrown back to my Boy Scout motto, which says to “Do a good turn daily”. Back in the day this was seen as helping a old woman across the road, but in the modern times it is something as easy as holding the door open for a person. That extra five seconds you spend holding that door, may be the relief they needed to get them through the day. We have all been on both sides of that coin!!

Upon my return I knew I had to get active. I knew that my talents were being wasted if not for my sake, but for that sake of those who could not advocate for them selves. Unfortunately, the real world caught up to me quickly and the bills had to get paid. I had a little savings, but not enough to become a wandering missionary feeding the homeless. I had to work, so it was back to the man I went!!

In June I joined a new church. At first I was a little skeptical because it was across from my old high school and I was not really feeling the level of diversity I desired in a place of worship. I found myself doubting my ability to grow in this congregation. I went back a couple more times and decided to meet with the pastor for a little one on one Q’n A. As we discussed all topics from church to politics to sports, I mentioned my desire to get active in the community. He also expressed a desire for that among the church members and suddenly we were speaking the same language. I instantly got tapped into a group through the church and before I knew was heading up a feed a family program for needy families in our town.

When it rains, it pours. Just about the time I was getting involved with this program, I had become also involved with a couple other volunteer organizations. One with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and eh other with a local church who has a basketball program for teens. all this in a matter of a month. In typical Oliver Fashion I could not say know and my evenings are completely booked. Careful what you wish (or pray) for. My beach prayer had been answered and in typical Godly fashion multiplied into abundance!! Now my problem is juggling my calendar so that I am able to participate in all activities equally while maintaining somewhat remnants of a social life. Fortunately I have been blessed to have everything line up on different days and weekends.
One of my friends asked me a “why are you doing all this stuff”. My reply was simply because I can and I want to. As much as I would love to come home one evening from work and relax, I feel so much better about things knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life today…guess its still the Boy Scout in me!!

I am such a Weener

At what point did Halloween surpass Christmas as my favorite holiday? I am not sure, but I do know that this one-day (or weekend) is just as important to me now as ever before. Christmas is always and forever number one because of the religious implications, but Halloween has been bumped up to a solid #2 based solely on fun potential alone.

2 years ago a friend drop some tickets on me and my roommate to see the “Exotic Erotic Ball” in San Fran. I had know idea what this was so we went dressed in street clothes. This took place the weekend before Halloween so most people came dressed in a costume or lack their of. At this point in my life I had never really lived in a major city and never new the extremes of diversity. Five minutes at the ball changed my idea of the word costume all together. I was at first appalled, then I could not look away as the costumes became more and more extravagant, I made a vow to never show up to a party again not dressed for the occasion. Halloween took on a new meaning, not one of ghost and ghouls, but one of creativity and originality. The best costumes are the ones that are a little different and defiantly cheesy!!

Over the next year I had done some careful watching of pop culture to see which costume would I attempt to pull off. At the time (2005) Dave Chappelle had just launched his double disk CD featuring a comic bit about the “Lil Jon” I had to do it. So I went out and got the whole costume from a ATL hat to a fake gold grill!! My friends were shocked and the two parties I went to were tons of fun. The Halloween party in Downtown SF was out of control as 200k people packed the streets for this occasion. My camera was in overdrive as I snapped photos with everyone!! I had a blast and the Halloween bug and definitely stung me.

As this year approached I was unable to secure a costume to surpass last years feat so I brought back Lil Jon for some east coast love. Again he was a smash and the focal point of many pictures. On Halloween night I decided to switch it up and break out my back up costume, the “Hooray Beer” guy from the Red Stripe commercials. This did not go over as well, but to the fans of originality, this was pretty funny. During my celebrations I got some pics with some great costumes including the “Appliance Direct Guy”, Caption Crunch, ad Borat. All these costumes helped bolster the spirit of the holiday!! The next day I had to go to Wal Martt to pick up some supplies for my job, sure enough, the Christmas decorations were up and Halloween candies were all on sale, how quickly life changes moods in less than 24 hours!! Oh well, I guess it time for jingle bells!!