Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Gotta get me a job...
Here's a little gem I first heard on a road trip I took last June. I was feelin' the pure funkiness of it back then, but now the lyrics hit a little closer to home.
I was enjoying the first few days without a job because it gave me a chance to catch up on a lot of things that I didn't have as much time to do before like: reorganizing my room and getting rid of unnecessary junk, reading, writing in my journal, riding my bike, etc.
The last couple days I finally came back to reality and told myself, "Shit. I don't have a job!" So I've been on the grind and trying to get my hustle on with finding a job, but it's pretty damn frustrating. All that really seems to be out there, based on my education and experience, are Sales jobs, which I'm not really feelin'. Some people love it and are good at it, so more power to them. But it's just not my kind of thing. I had the same sentiment when I first graduated from college, but now that I have actual experience I can say that it's truly not for me.
Monday, February 23, 2009
"Daaass my jaaaaam!!!"
{MySpace post from 10/21/08}
In my quest to take a walk down memory lane, I was checking out YouTube for some old school videos when I started coming across some 90's R&B joints, which got me thinking: Am I trippin' or is the R&B nowadays just not what it used to be?
I'm trying as much as possible not to be the older "Shake your fist / complain about 'kids these days' / back in my day the music had substance" kind of guy, but no matter how much I try to sugarcoat it, it's gonna come off wrong. All I'll say is this: I pretty much stopped listening to R&B around 2000 or 2001 (with the exception of a select few like Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, India Arie, John Legend, Estelle, etc). I'm not knocking it b/c I'm sure there are still a lot of good singers out there that don't follow that simple Pop Music formula, but I'm just not exposed to it as much. I'm more into Hip Hop and 60's/70's Funk & Soul...and that's simply where I'm at in my musical journey.
But let's get back to the 90's R&B joints. Maaan, it just takes me back to my days growing up (these are mainly from middle school and high school, but the SWV joint was when I was in elementary). There might be some dudes reading this right now thinking "Man, this dude is WACK! I can't believe this fool is talking about some old ass R&B songs." Hey, fair enough. But before you became Mr. Masculine Machismo, you were probably bumpin' these songs like the rest of us. Check out this video of Little Brother at a show that I went to a month or two ago (peep the first 4.5 minutes). Yo, Phonte hit the nail on the head!!! He summed it up perfectly...
Now check out a few of the slow jams from that era. There's A LOT of them, but it's all good. This is barely scratching the surface. Now TELL ME this doesn't bring you back!!! (feel free to comment with your flashback joints...and put the video if possible)
And before you youngstas out there start clowning, there's a chance you might've even been conceived with these songs playing. haha.
In my quest to take a walk down memory lane, I was checking out YouTube for some old school videos when I started coming across some 90's R&B joints, which got me thinking: Am I trippin' or is the R&B nowadays just not what it used to be?
I'm trying as much as possible not to be the older "Shake your fist / complain about 'kids these days' / back in my day the music had substance" kind of guy, but no matter how much I try to sugarcoat it, it's gonna come off wrong. All I'll say is this: I pretty much stopped listening to R&B around 2000 or 2001 (with the exception of a select few like Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, India Arie, John Legend, Estelle, etc). I'm not knocking it b/c I'm sure there are still a lot of good singers out there that don't follow that simple Pop Music formula, but I'm just not exposed to it as much. I'm more into Hip Hop and 60's/70's Funk & Soul...and that's simply where I'm at in my musical journey.
But let's get back to the 90's R&B joints. Maaan, it just takes me back to my days growing up (these are mainly from middle school and high school, but the SWV joint was when I was in elementary). There might be some dudes reading this right now thinking "Man, this dude is WACK! I can't believe this fool is talking about some old ass R&B songs." Hey, fair enough. But before you became Mr. Masculine Machismo, you were probably bumpin' these songs like the rest of us. Check out this video of Little Brother at a show that I went to a month or two ago (peep the first 4.5 minutes). Yo, Phonte hit the nail on the head!!! He summed it up perfectly...
Now check out a few of the slow jams from that era. There's A LOT of them, but it's all good. This is barely scratching the surface. Now TELL ME this doesn't bring you back!!! (feel free to comment with your flashback joints...and put the video if possible)
And before you youngstas out there start clowning, there's a chance you might've even been conceived with these songs playing. haha.
Chopping Block...
{MySpace Post from 2/18/09} --> Make sure to read the previous post first!!
[THIS IS WHAT I WROTE AT WORK THIS MORNING]:
To follow up on my last blog, the rumors and speculation have been confirmed. The company is doing lay offs.
As I'm typing this, there is definitely a somber feeling in the air. Everyone is trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but how can we honestly do that when any minute one of us can be called in to the interview room where we can potentially receive a devastating blow not only to our wallets, but to our overall morale and well being?
The office is usually filled with the sound of laughter, phones ringing, people talking on the phone, side conversations and a whole lot of other craziness – but not today. We're all pretty quiet, but there is still a lot being said. As I switch back and forth from my computer screen to the rest of the office, I make the occasional eye contact with another co-worker as we peer over our short little cubicle walls. Again, nothing is actually said, but a whole conversation takes place in those 1-2 seconds of eye contact: "Who's been let go so far? Do you think you'll be next? Will I be next? What are we going to do after this? What about our co-workers? What will I do for income?"
It's 9:30 am and the anticipation is unbearable. Our boss said she'll be interviewing people all day, even the ones who aren't being let go. Every time my phone rings, I ask myself if this is the call. "Is it my turn to go into the interview room?" I can only imagine how heavy each step will be as I inch closer and closer to the room. Just thinking about it has left me with a heavy heart and a twisting, churning feeling in my gut.
Shit. I just found out one of my closest friends here got the axe. I can't take this…I don't know what to do.
[HERE'S A REAL-TIME UPDATE]:
It's 11:40 am and I'm typing this from home. Nuff said...
[THIS IS WHAT I WROTE AT WORK THIS MORNING]:
To follow up on my last blog, the rumors and speculation have been confirmed. The company is doing lay offs.
As I'm typing this, there is definitely a somber feeling in the air. Everyone is trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but how can we honestly do that when any minute one of us can be called in to the interview room where we can potentially receive a devastating blow not only to our wallets, but to our overall morale and well being?
The office is usually filled with the sound of laughter, phones ringing, people talking on the phone, side conversations and a whole lot of other craziness – but not today. We're all pretty quiet, but there is still a lot being said. As I switch back and forth from my computer screen to the rest of the office, I make the occasional eye contact with another co-worker as we peer over our short little cubicle walls. Again, nothing is actually said, but a whole conversation takes place in those 1-2 seconds of eye contact: "Who's been let go so far? Do you think you'll be next? Will I be next? What are we going to do after this? What about our co-workers? What will I do for income?"
It's 9:30 am and the anticipation is unbearable. Our boss said she'll be interviewing people all day, even the ones who aren't being let go. Every time my phone rings, I ask myself if this is the call. "Is it my turn to go into the interview room?" I can only imagine how heavy each step will be as I inch closer and closer to the room. Just thinking about it has left me with a heavy heart and a twisting, churning feeling in my gut.
Shit. I just found out one of my closest friends here got the axe. I can't take this…I don't know what to do.
[HERE'S A REAL-TIME UPDATE]:
It's 11:40 am and I'm typing this from home. Nuff said...
Job "Security"...
{MySpace post from 2/17/09}
These are rough times that we're living in right now. The economy has gone to absolute shit and people are getting laid off left and right. To say that this is "crazy" is a huge understatement. As much as I would love to work on music full time, it doesn't pay the bills...so I need to have my day job.
It's definitely not my career, but I work as a recruiter (aka headhunter), where day in and day out I'm on the phones with people, trying to find them a job. Yeah, there's some people who get fired b/c they pull some stupid shit (like one guy who got caught sleeping in his car in the middle of his shift. Really?!? C'mon dogg...). But then there's people who've been with their company for 20+ years and are getting let go. As one guy told me last week, "I'm 55 years old. Who's really going to hire me now when they can get someone in their 20's at a lower salary?" These are people who show up to work on time every day, bust their ass, and truly EARN their paychecks. They would've never imagined that it could happen to them, but it is...and it's happening at an alarming rate.
What I've learned from this experience is that no one's job is safe right now. There's no such thing as "job security" these days. Despite all the constant reassurances by the head honcho at work ("don't worry about it guys. Even in this rough economy we're still a billion dollar company"), I can't help but feel real stressed out right now. She called a mandatory meeting at 7:45 tomorrow morning, and we were instructed to reschedule all interviews and client meetings...which I've never heard her request before. On top of that, it just so happens that ALL the other offices in the West region will be conducting the same meeting...at the exact same time.
There's been a lot of speculation going on amongst the co-workers -- and most of it revolves around some major lay offs that are about to take place. As much as I try to stay away from office gossip, this is an all too real possibility and I'm hella trippin' right now. I've been trying to convince myself that there's no point in worrying about it until it actually happens, but I haven't had any success with that.
I know what it's like to be unemployed. Will that happen again? Will I be jobless by the time I come home tomorrow night? Or what if I make the final cut? Do I celebrate in the presence of other people's misery? What if my friends/co-workers get the boot?
Whoever it is that's reading this, please don't take this as self-pity or anything like that. I'm not saying my struggle is any more or any less significant than yours, but it's a struggle nonetheless. This is real talk. This is Real Life.
But as my co-worker said at lunch today: "whether you live rich or you live poor, you're still living."
Word.
These are rough times that we're living in right now. The economy has gone to absolute shit and people are getting laid off left and right. To say that this is "crazy" is a huge understatement. As much as I would love to work on music full time, it doesn't pay the bills...so I need to have my day job.
It's definitely not my career, but I work as a recruiter (aka headhunter), where day in and day out I'm on the phones with people, trying to find them a job. Yeah, there's some people who get fired b/c they pull some stupid shit (like one guy who got caught sleeping in his car in the middle of his shift. Really?!? C'mon dogg...). But then there's people who've been with their company for 20+ years and are getting let go. As one guy told me last week, "I'm 55 years old. Who's really going to hire me now when they can get someone in their 20's at a lower salary?" These are people who show up to work on time every day, bust their ass, and truly EARN their paychecks. They would've never imagined that it could happen to them, but it is...and it's happening at an alarming rate.
What I've learned from this experience is that no one's job is safe right now. There's no such thing as "job security" these days. Despite all the constant reassurances by the head honcho at work ("don't worry about it guys. Even in this rough economy we're still a billion dollar company"), I can't help but feel real stressed out right now. She called a mandatory meeting at 7:45 tomorrow morning, and we were instructed to reschedule all interviews and client meetings...which I've never heard her request before. On top of that, it just so happens that ALL the other offices in the West region will be conducting the same meeting...at the exact same time.
There's been a lot of speculation going on amongst the co-workers -- and most of it revolves around some major lay offs that are about to take place. As much as I try to stay away from office gossip, this is an all too real possibility and I'm hella trippin' right now. I've been trying to convince myself that there's no point in worrying about it until it actually happens, but I haven't had any success with that.
I know what it's like to be unemployed. Will that happen again? Will I be jobless by the time I come home tomorrow night? Or what if I make the final cut? Do I celebrate in the presence of other people's misery? What if my friends/co-workers get the boot?
Whoever it is that's reading this, please don't take this as self-pity or anything like that. I'm not saying my struggle is any more or any less significant than yours, but it's a struggle nonetheless. This is real talk. This is Real Life.
But as my co-worker said at lunch today: "whether you live rich or you live poor, you're still living."
Word.
I'm baaaack...
Wow, it's been almost a year since I last did something with this blog. I realized that I was still getting more hits on the MySpace page so I reverted back to that format. And although this isn't a popularity contest, I still want people to read it, otherwise I'd just put it in my personal journal. So I decided to give this thing another shot after one of the homies encouraged me to do it. When I told him about my concern with the number of hits, he simply replied, "Just double post on this AND on MySpace." It was that easy.
I just spent a bunch of time formatting this page with fonts, colors, headings, etc. but I'm still not satisfied with it. Oh well...I'll mess with that stuff later and start writing now. But I'll also probably re-post some of my favorite myspace blogs as well.
I just spent a bunch of time formatting this page with fonts, colors, headings, etc. but I'm still not satisfied with it. Oh well...I'll mess with that stuff later and start writing now. But I'll also probably re-post some of my favorite myspace blogs as well.