I'm feeling today as if I've been letting myself and others down
My company was asked to do a community event last night
One of the artist that I had committed for the event couldnt make it
And so the organizers looked for me to take their place
I had music prepared in case but hadnt really prepared myself for it
I havent performed in so long and dont remember my new material that well
At least the material that I have instrumentals for
And so my business partner Rodney met me and we left for the Dallas, GA community center
We all know the area as "The Projects"
I was immediately asked to "sing" when it was revealed that Lonnie J couldnt make it
Actually I was repeatedly asked and I repeatedly declined
So as the event is starting, the organizer grabs the microphone
And she begins to tell the kids that I was supposed to rap but chickened out
And how maybe they could rap for me because i was so scared
I laughed harder than I had in a long while
But deep inside I felt as if I should have performed something
Before the event started there was a fight between two of the neighborhood girls
And it took some time to get it settled
The organizer later told me that my "singing" (she called rapping singing) may have stopped it
Throughout the remainder of the evening I reflected on her words and she had a point
Music has the ability to calm, to excite, to relax, to motivate and to inspire
And so I have made a pledge to myself
to step in at anytime that I'm unable to secure a performance by one of the artist I work with.
Or at least to have a plan B in place
She was embarrassed because of the fight and I was embarrassed because I had no performance to give her
I watched the kids throughout the evening
Rodney with www.livingunity.org did a great job of interacting with the kids
He knew to get in and get out as soon as their attention started to fade
And then the H.B.O. Crew came back out to dance
I stood around and talked before leaving
I talked to a young lady that I had known from highschool
She was the daughter of the organizer and was just as beautiful as she was in high school
I remember all the guys would talk of wanting to date her
She showed me her 3 boys and her husband (who did an excellent job of difusing the fight situation)
And we talked for longer than we ever had.
I'm not even sure if we had conversations in high school
I liked this feeling of white's and black's coming together to help
A feeling that wasnt really around during my highschool years
So to be able to interact and be apart of someone else's movement filled my heart with joy
And I promise that I will practice my music and keep instrumental CD's ready
I promise that...
One Love,
Mario D'Andre Robinson
COO _ Zealot D'Andre's DREAM, LLC
www.zealotdandresdream.com
www.echoesoflostgenerations.blogspot.com
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Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Echoes of My Generation: Journal 013 09/05/06
Wow! The crocodile hunter is dead?
Is this some new inernet rumor? Some prank to stur up yahoo buzz words?
44 years old, caught by a stingray while underwater.
Out of his element no doubt.
And this past week I've just been wondering if I'm out of my element
I'm an artist simply put.
I have a unique ability to paint things exactly how i see them no matter how great the detail
I'm almost ashamed to say that I havent been using that talent
I've since made a promise to myself
To spend a few hours a week perfecting that talent once again
You'll one day see a local art exhibit boasting the works of Mario D'Andre Robinson
It's been years since I've done an art exhibit
But lately I've been thinking about the importance of using all of my talents
I think the problem was that I was attempting to compile everything into one company
Which as I have found only complicates matters
Things have been great since Zealot D'Andre's DREAM, LLC has focused on Character-Based Entertainment
SO now I want a fine arts company, and possibly a web/graphics company
I like the possibility of expanding brands and opening new doors
As always I will need a team of like minded individuals to assist
My son has been playing little league football ince august
We were told that he could play on scholarship
After I informed the league i couldnt pay the $250 required to play
So now after several games and many weeks of practice
They send me a letter asking for $100
I wonder to myself what makes them think that I have the money for that
And what ever happened to a man keeping his word
So I'm at a crossroads now
By scraping here and there to raise the money am I teaching my son that its alright to allow people to go back on their word
Am I showing him love by continuing to struggle financially so that he can play football for a season
then I wonder what makes them think I have the money
Is it my 2006 Jeep cherokee that I'm leasing
It being one of the major reasons why I'm having to work harder to catch up
It cost me nearly $2,000 in june to get into that
Money I had to borrow and have only just paid back to the lender
I pay almost 2 times what the average car note is each month
Is it the fact that I own a business and a person with a nice website and branded business must have money?
This has been stressing me for weeks now
Just when it looks like I have a plan to get rid of debt
Everything is lined up and ready for action
And here comes more people asking for more money
Right now I'm thinking that I refuse to be bullied or made to think I dont support my kids
And I think my son will learn the bigger lesson this year
That a man's word is his bond
And with no hard feelings, I'll talk to his coach who is a board member for the league
I'm sure there are players who need scholarships just as much as I do
Some need them even more
I remember when I was young, we played for free each year
There was no way that my father could pay for 6 boys to play football at $175 each
It's getting harder to find good honest people these days
Everyone is out to make a dollar
So much stock is being put into the american dollar which is losing value a very fast pace
I wonder if people know whats happening outside of their immediate circles
there are some powerful forces at work around us
And right now, the future doesnt look as bright as they would want us to think
And I have but one goal for the next few years
I want to be debt free. I will be debt free.
I grew up in a time where being poor was just accepted
Even now we brag about the projects and ghettos we come from
I drive through the area where I grew up and its dead now
Houses burned down or vacant, old cars in the driveways for years
Seems like the birds dont even chirp there anymore
And when I lived there we never thought of ourselves as less
It was just accepted that this was our plot in life
I watched a movie called "The Boys of Baraka" and was deeply touched
20 kids were pulled from the roughest schools of Baltimore, MD
They were shipped to kenya to attend school for two years
It was amazing to watch the transformation of the boys
Who learned how to work out indifferences with words
they learned what it felt like to be loved
And when they returned home for the summer
They were told that the school was closing and they had to return to their normal lives
I was hurt at how it was just another let down in their lives
But relieved at how some of them took what they had learned and moved on
One became a youth minister, another was accepted into one of the best schools in MD
Another went on to the Job Corps
ANd i walked away wondering where were the opportunities for the boys in our hoods
Where were the local business men and leaders that would take them in
I need to teach my son that life is so much bigger than who can run the most touchdowns
Or who is the fastest boy on the team
We've been taught to excel in everything but academics and its crippling the minds of our youth
So I will take the shame of quitting mid season
I will take the taunts of other parents saying "he couldnt pay"
I've talked with my son and he understands the nature of business and ethics
and so now I'll contact the league board and tell them that we will see them next year maybe
One Love,Mario D'Andre Robinson
COO / President Marketing & New Media
www.zealotdandresdream.com
http://echoesoflostgenerations.blogspot.com
Is this some new inernet rumor? Some prank to stur up yahoo buzz words?
44 years old, caught by a stingray while underwater.
Out of his element no doubt.
And this past week I've just been wondering if I'm out of my element
I'm an artist simply put.
I have a unique ability to paint things exactly how i see them no matter how great the detail
I'm almost ashamed to say that I havent been using that talent
I've since made a promise to myself
To spend a few hours a week perfecting that talent once again
You'll one day see a local art exhibit boasting the works of Mario D'Andre Robinson
It's been years since I've done an art exhibit
But lately I've been thinking about the importance of using all of my talents
I think the problem was that I was attempting to compile everything into one company
Which as I have found only complicates matters
Things have been great since Zealot D'Andre's DREAM, LLC has focused on Character-Based Entertainment
SO now I want a fine arts company, and possibly a web/graphics company
I like the possibility of expanding brands and opening new doors
As always I will need a team of like minded individuals to assist
My son has been playing little league football ince august
We were told that he could play on scholarship
After I informed the league i couldnt pay the $250 required to play
So now after several games and many weeks of practice
They send me a letter asking for $100
I wonder to myself what makes them think that I have the money for that
And what ever happened to a man keeping his word
So I'm at a crossroads now
By scraping here and there to raise the money am I teaching my son that its alright to allow people to go back on their word
Am I showing him love by continuing to struggle financially so that he can play football for a season
then I wonder what makes them think I have the money
Is it my 2006 Jeep cherokee that I'm leasing
It being one of the major reasons why I'm having to work harder to catch up
It cost me nearly $2,000 in june to get into that
Money I had to borrow and have only just paid back to the lender
I pay almost 2 times what the average car note is each month
Is it the fact that I own a business and a person with a nice website and branded business must have money?
This has been stressing me for weeks now
Just when it looks like I have a plan to get rid of debt
Everything is lined up and ready for action
And here comes more people asking for more money
Right now I'm thinking that I refuse to be bullied or made to think I dont support my kids
And I think my son will learn the bigger lesson this year
That a man's word is his bond
And with no hard feelings, I'll talk to his coach who is a board member for the league
I'm sure there are players who need scholarships just as much as I do
Some need them even more
I remember when I was young, we played for free each year
There was no way that my father could pay for 6 boys to play football at $175 each
It's getting harder to find good honest people these days
Everyone is out to make a dollar
So much stock is being put into the american dollar which is losing value a very fast pace
I wonder if people know whats happening outside of their immediate circles
there are some powerful forces at work around us
And right now, the future doesnt look as bright as they would want us to think
And I have but one goal for the next few years
I want to be debt free. I will be debt free.
I grew up in a time where being poor was just accepted
Even now we brag about the projects and ghettos we come from
I drive through the area where I grew up and its dead now
Houses burned down or vacant, old cars in the driveways for years
Seems like the birds dont even chirp there anymore
And when I lived there we never thought of ourselves as less
It was just accepted that this was our plot in life
I watched a movie called "The Boys of Baraka" and was deeply touched
20 kids were pulled from the roughest schools of Baltimore, MD
They were shipped to kenya to attend school for two years
It was amazing to watch the transformation of the boys
Who learned how to work out indifferences with words
they learned what it felt like to be loved
And when they returned home for the summer
They were told that the school was closing and they had to return to their normal lives
I was hurt at how it was just another let down in their lives
But relieved at how some of them took what they had learned and moved on
One became a youth minister, another was accepted into one of the best schools in MD
Another went on to the Job Corps
ANd i walked away wondering where were the opportunities for the boys in our hoods
Where were the local business men and leaders that would take them in
I need to teach my son that life is so much bigger than who can run the most touchdowns
Or who is the fastest boy on the team
We've been taught to excel in everything but academics and its crippling the minds of our youth
So I will take the shame of quitting mid season
I will take the taunts of other parents saying "he couldnt pay"
I've talked with my son and he understands the nature of business and ethics
and so now I'll contact the league board and tell them that we will see them next year maybe
One Love,Mario D'Andre Robinson
COO / President Marketing & New Media
www.zealotdandresdream.com
http://echoesoflostgenerations.blogspot.com
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