Letters From Zion

I was watching "White House Down" a few months ago and Channing Tatum called his daughter's YouTube channel a "vlog". "They don't call them vlogs anymore, Dad." Wow. I knew I was getting old, but I always thought I was technologically "in-the-know" because I've existed here (in cyberspace) for what seems like forever. I was on Prodigy.net, AOL.com, BlackPlanet, MySpace, etc. I have a long digital footprint. But I haven't a clue what to call a video blog other than a "vlog". Anyway, I miss my blog. I miss the interaction. I miss the exchange. I miss the platform. I decided that I'd stop in and jot down a few new words since I still have this address pasted across my Twitter page, I should do something to show I'm still alive. Maybe I'll have some other things to post here. Regardless, I miss this space. What I plan to do about it? Not really sure, will have to think about it for awhile. When I had an...

I hate to be presumptuous about time. I've posted updates on my Facebook before reminding us that tomorrow is not promised, Death has it's own schedule. We can't let that stop us from living, and part of living involves plans and dreams... "Tomorrow is NOT promised." I think as a country we've been in a dark period. Political discourse has been the norm ever since we elected our 44th President back in 2008. The irony is that I don't think I've ever been more hopeful as I was after that, and now I think I'm probably the most disappointed I've ever been in our country. A lot of people could argue that I shouldn't let politics affect me in such a way, but it is what it is. It matters. The toughest parts of my youth were under Reagan and Bush. The best parts of my adult life were under Clinton, and everything since then have been a struggle under Bush Jr. I know, I know, this is coming off as a political blog, but it's not, trust ...

I was blogging before I knew what the word meant. I have been keeping a journal my whole life... well, not my WHOLE life, but by the time I was 16 it was a requirement. I didn't keep it to let a bunch of people read it, but it's funny how that seems to happen. I personally would never pick up someone's journal and start reading. Maybe it's something about people who understand what it is to document certain events. It's also the nature of nosey fucking bastards to pick something up and read it without asking. They would never write down certain things because they wouldn't want you to know (like the fact that your 19-year-old best friend is sleeping with the mother of your other 18-year-old best friend... thanks, dude. And you got mad at me because you read in my journal that I ALMOST slept with you EX-girlfriend? That's audacity). The irony is that even if you don't write it down, eventually the embarrassing thing will STILL come out, so why bother hi...

Yeah, sometimes you just have one of those days... or weeks... or months. I wish I could narrow it down to one specific reason I feel this way, but I can't. It's a host of things. One is my son trying to snore directly above my head. I may have to kill someone.

Sometimes I wonder about my little corner of the world... I wonder how many sets of eyes come through and see what I have to say? It's weird, for a number of reasons. I don't have nearly the traffic I used to have on MySpace. In fact, I had so much traffic there and there was such a hustle and bustle to "keep up" with the Blogosphere on there, I often had to find topics to write about. No such hurry here. It's just me and my one dedicated fan that I know is reading... but who are the rest of you? I can't spend a lot of time worrying about the Unknown. How much concern can I give to those whom I do not know? Only so much. Some are waiting to hear if I have anything to say about them. The irony of those people waiting for me to say something is that they constantly keep my name in their mouth, as if I am their standard by which they live, and I don't know why this is? Maybe I'm the one that being stupid by NOT writing about them? I mean, the one time I d...

My boy Silver Surfer has put his site up. This is my music group, Flamingo Park Music Group. It's about to be fun. Wix.com flamingoparkmusicgroup created by fpmgmusic based on One Tune Page

I've been following the Casey Anthony trial for quite some time. The idea that a parent could neglect the disappearance of their child for an entire month is absolutely abhorrent, and I think that's the core of why everyone is so incensed about her acquittal. I've seen people who feel as though the system is broken and some who say justice was not done. I'm not nearly as emotional as some of my peers, the point of law is parity. Without the legal system Casey Anthony would have been dragged to the center of town and hung from an oak. The problem is I've seen that kind of "justice" used against too many of my ancestors when they certainly deserved better. The part of me that demands true fairness couldn't let that happen. A lot of people have referenced the OJ Simpson trial (in different contexts) and I think that's a good example of how the court of public opinion differs from a court of law (and should). The jury had a responsibility to judge the ...

No, my blog. I don't hate you. I'm cheating on you with a novel. Two, in fact. I neglect you... but believe that I love you. Just because I remember the fond days on MySpace from time-to-time, that first foray into this thing of blogging, what I describe as a public conversation with yourself, doesn't mean that you are not the most special thing I've ever known. That brought me to you, so it's part of my journey. If anybody's been paying attention, bloggers have become characters in the narrative of all, the Theory Of Everything. There's an art to this. The Art Of The Blog. How do you wield it? It's a fingerprint. Like a tapestry, a story of You is being woven. Do you put your thread in, or will others tailor your tale? The pull of writing is so damn fickle. Sometimes it's relentless, then others it's elusive. Truth be told, most of the time it's there when you need it most, and the more you let it in the better you become at it. I don't ...

My friend John Citrone just kills me. We gotta laugh, so we don't cry.... rickscottresignation

Tighten up ya headbands, True Believers and True Deceivers, it's ere'bodee's favorite Mega-Blogger. I promised my new friend Jeremy Cole I would blog about my experience with them, and here we go. So I finally make my order for my Maschine, and I decided to go with Guitar Center, the brick-and-mortar store on Atlantic, but they didn't have them in stock. I've been checking prices online on the site, so I said "What-the-hell" and went with them. Enough with the talking and get with the walking. I wanted to buy from GC to make up for all the time I've spent just test-driving everything in the store. There's a couple of my 10-minute beats in Guitar Center on the Triton, Motif, MPC (1000, 2500, 4000), it's fun to see how much I can recall even though I don't use them everyday anymore. Anyway, I loiter a lot there, so I was giving them the business out of loyalty; I'm that kinda guy. So I go to the site, make my order, and It's showing ...

I think that everyone my age looks to Yoda to be a sage prophet. I've heard time and time again from my rabbis throughout my life "Patience". It's a lesson I've often passed on, but it takes much practice to not do anything when everything around you is popping off, but it's a lesson I continue to practice. In poker, a sign of a pro is the good laydown... assessing a situation and getting out of the way of a superior hand. It's a special skill. I don't want to get in the practice of name-dropping, but I know personally people who have sold millions of records. Such feats are not nearly as easy as it once was, but the potential for success is something those who are attuned to their surroundings can detect. The unifying element in all these people was a genuine love for what they were doing, and the idea of having fun. Yes, you must have drive, but if you don't love what you do, "success" is elusive. Anybody who befriends me on Facebook ha...

What's up, True Believers and True Deceivers? I hope you guys are enjoying this blog series, because I'm only 3 chapters in, so if this is a bust, I'm kind of committed at this point. Ah, who am I kidding? I like it myself, and since I've committed to it, I'm going to finish it regardless. I'm obviously not going to be able to cover everything in my blog, but I'm hoping that what I do tell you will inspire someone else to pick this book up, read it, and apply his principles. He's already proven that he knows what he's talking about, at least to me... Law Number Three: Get Your Mind Right I can't and won't say I loved every word of this book. I don't think Russell intended it to be as such. He was doing him, and being honest, so he had to tell the reader the truth as he sees it, and he submitted that we might disagree on some points. This chapter was an overwhelmingly spiritual chapter, and whenever we are talking spirituality (at least i...

Republican Woman-Stay Away From Me.. � Davey D's Hip Hop Corner-(The Blog)

What's good True Believers and True Deceivers? I'm back with Part 2 to my 12-part Blog covering the 12 Laws Of Russell Simmons. I appreciate any and all feedback I get on this, and if you like what you see here, I urge you to go out and get a copy of Do You: 12 Laws To Access The Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success (Damn, Rush.... couldn't get them to edit that title down a bit???) Anyway, it's $6 if you follow my link to Amazon.com. Trust me, this will be a book you read more than once, and I'd love to see more of my friends adopt some of the principles therein. So anyway, let's get down to business: LAW NUMBER TWO: Always Do You " It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are. " - E.E. Cummings " Never change for the mainstream - stay in your lane, and if you're talented and resilient enough the mainstream will come to you. " -Russell Simmons Here's a very interesting anecdote (at least I hope it is) f...

What's up True Believers and True Deceivers? It's your favorite digital scribe trying to breathe life back into these pages. It's been awhile since I been consistently blogging, and that's due to me working on a book of my own, and when I'm not doing that I'm reading everything I can get my hands on, but I do miss this, and I need to be more consistent. I've been yelling at one of my blog-mates El The Roller Derby Chick about her blogs, then looked at my last posting and realized just how hypocritical I've been. She's a good 3 postings ahead of me.... thanks for making me look bad, El. So there's this blog I've been wanting to do for some time now, but I didn't feel as though I could really do it justice. Something like 2-3 years ago, I had the chance to read Do You!: 12 Laws to Access The Power In You To Achieve Happiness And Success by Russell Simmons. From time to time I've touched on some of the principles he outlined in the...

I had a great conversation with my friend DJ (his initials, not his profession) who's actually had a life this summer so he missed out on the news that “Heroes” had been canceled. I relayed to him my conversation with DH Lawrence XVII, the actor who played Eric Doyle the Puppetmaster (and chronicled here in my blog) and how he gave me some insight from a professional stand-point. I totally understood David H's diplomacy (don't go blasting potential bosses on the Internet), but as a fan, I can voice my disapproval of NBC and the depths of their contempt for us as fans. They are beholden to those who own stock, but profitability and good television are not synonymous (the music industry is a prime example), so they will give you what they think you want and expect that we are not intelligent enough to know the difference. So I've been subjected to their promotion of two new shows: “The Event”, the recipient of “Heroes” 9pm timeslot (which I will boycott on default), and...

In the interest of disclosure, and making sure credit is given when due, Brother Roland S. Martin's blog started this stream of consciousness. Here is his podcast from the Tom Joyner Morning Show: http://www.rolandsmartin.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/30/roland-tjms-08-30-10-roland-s-martintom-joyner-morning-show-roland-martin-discusses-glenn-beck-and-the-restoring-honor-rally/ Not since 2008 have I really ventured much into the political landscape, to be honest it became quite exhausting, an endless debate with people who's appeal to xenophobia and ignorance would allow them to dismiss the simplest of fact. Polarized bi-partisan politics have no logic... Last night Jon Stewart and The Daily Show won an Emmy. I take a fair amount of satisfaction that even in the self-congratulatory industry of Hollywood, “The Daily Show” is recognized for it's voice of reason when there are outlets that thrive on misinformation, and stoke the fires of hatred and discord. Don't make...

I know the cool thing to do is to counter the culture, buck the system, that's a lot of what HipHop was about, and a lot of what's happened to it. I've been alive just about the same amount of time that HipHop has, I've grown with it, and I've seen all the cycles. Anti-disestablishmentarianism at it's best. (Yes, that is a word...) Musicians in the ghetto couldn't afford instruments, so the turntable became our instrument. We took technology that wasn't really meant for us (TR808, SP1200, they were not designed with us in mind the way the MPC was), and carved out a space in history, all the while they labeled us a fad. HipHop is approaching it's 40 th Anniversary. Success breeds discord, and it's all-too-often I hear musicians decry “HipHop sucks.” They say it's not music. Say what you will... we ain't going nowhere. Everybody 'hates' Twilight right now. There's a spoof movie coming out called "Vampires Suck". “R...

I miss Def Poetry. I don't have HBO anymore, I might go back and get these on DVD. Black Ice so eloquently poses the question of what life could be like on a level playing field. I wonder how some conservatives can hear the obvious skill and intelligence presented when posing this question and still somehow believe that anyone can be born with a 'losing' hand? Maybe the soulless can't identify with soul? Anyway, check out the video... and if you are so inclined, listen to some of Black Ice's other work. The guy is a genius. -ere'bodee's favorite mega, blogninja

This is the blog that has taken almost 2 days to even sit down and prepare to write. Some may feel that I'm being melodramatic, but I'm only trying to accurately convey my feelings on the subject. I can recall reading the advance reviews of Heroes in TV Guide and other media calling it "interesting". I already knew two paragraphs in that this was going to be an unadulterated hit, at least in my world. One of the criticisms about the show was its similarity to X-Men, and I thought that was rather stupid. Not everybody read the X-Men, and it wasn't exactly the same thing. Anytime you talk about mutation, people are going to throw Marvel's merry mutants at you. So what? Regardless, the idea of mutation allows for rich storytelling. People fear what they don't understand. I couldn't wait until the 1st episode, and the first season did not disappoint. Save The Cheerleader, Save The World. Then comes the Writer's Strike. I understood the mechanics of it ...