My Dreams

Ok, so I'm writing this from my work computer, which doesn't have the hiccups like my home computer. The grammar should be improved as a result. My album is coming in less than 24 hours. It feels strange. When the Wade Waters album dropped, I was excited and nervous. I lobbied everyone I knew personally to buy the record. Now, I am floating this piece of work out into the atmosphere. I don't even think my pops is going to buy it. I still believe God has a blessing in store for me. It's still exciting. Devin Jones is getting his start. DEllis is getting his official tribute. It is a way for me to tell people I care for them. The staff from Foundation for the People of Burma wrote me a touching letter and email. I responded that I was embarassed i could only send them a small amount of money. They reponded that that was not what mattered. It made me think that however this album does or how much it sells isn't the most important thing. It's how it effects the people it actually touches. I hope that some kid stumbles upon it, and stands tall for his/her friends, community, or someone he/she doesn't even know. I hope straight kids listen to this and want to stand tall for gay kids. That the next good leader of Burma is a young person whose community is being served by Foundation for the people of Burma. He may never hear the album or understand it, but would be affected by it indirectly. i pray that the first female president of the US is some intern on the hill who workes for the DC Rape Crisis Center hotlines in her sparetime. Again, she's probably got Drake in her iPod, but will be indirectly affected by the resources made available by the sales of this record.. I hope someone purchases the album in order to make my hopes, prayers, and dreams come true.

Life and Death and Life After Death

Wow it's been a minute! Recently, I haven't really been focusing on promoting the album. I know alot of people have been wondering what's been going on (by alot of you, I mean the two of you who actually read this blog). Well, last week was a challenging one to say the least. First, I received a message from my mom telling me that she was having chest pain. She was reluctant to go to the hospital because of the cost, even though she survived a triple bypass surgery about 10 years prior. She is one of the 40 million or so uninsured Americans who have to choose between death and financial ruin. Eventually the pain became unbareable and she had to go to the hospital. I stay with my niece until her return. One night became two, two became three, until she was sent over to Hopkins for surgery. After bypass surgery, any operation on the heart becomes that much more delicate. While I stayed in Ellicott City, MD, I decided to see my doctor to check up on the fatigue i had been experiencing. I wanted to get some blood work down to make sure it wasn't a thyroid problem or something. My doctor felt my lymph nodes and immediate sent me down for a chest x-ray. He later said "I don't want to scare you but some of this is consistent with Hodgkins disease." So, thoroughly freaked out, I returned home and waited both my results and those of my mom. During which time, I became obsessed and convinced of my own mortality and approaching decline. "How could this be?" I keep thinking. I weight 162 pounds and I bench press 235. I'm as strong and healthy as i have ever been. My doctor told me he would call me friday, but I finally got the results Tuesday that everything looked normal. My mother left the hospital Sunday and her heart surgery was a success (we'll see about the financial ruin thing). As I spoke to friends about this situation, I realized how much or little my demise would effect people. Many people who i suspected would have been as frightened or concerned for me as i was, were almost unaffected. At first this made me sad to think that i didn't make the mark with my life and the time that God had given me. In the end, It made me even more convinced that I am doing the right thing by giving my music money to charity. If I haven't made a big enough difference in the lives of the people I know, the least i can do is help provide resources for the people who change peoples lives for the better. I you care for and appreciate someone let them know. Also, acknowledge when someone you know does something to benefit another, big or small. I appreciate everyone at Words Beats & Life, Inc who serve some of the forgotten communities in DC. I remember when Mazi told me he was going to do WBL fulltime, i told him he was nuts. He needed health insurance and a steady pay check. However, that was what drove him. The people at Foundation Burma and the DC Rape Crisis Center the same way. I salute all of you, in whatever you do to help others. It's a blessing that I have alittle more time to make a mark.
The debut Haysoos album
Standing Tall: A Life Changing Experience
Oct. 28, 2009