According to new poll results, my approval ratings are lower then George Bush's in San Francisco right about now. It's a landslide! Most, no all voters feel that I will regret my decision to use credit to survive right now. Regret what?

 

Regret implies that there exists some feeling of sorrow or disappointment during reflection of a decision or action. I can tell you right now that I have never felt happier in my life. After all isn't that what's important? Folks always say 'I just want to be happy' -sometimes going for that happiness means doing some crazy sh** that will aid you along your path.

 

I know that this is just a short-term solution, but I'm glad that I'm not working a job right now. Anybody out there know what I'm talking about? Having to wait for my paycheck like its some damn allowance weeks after earning the money, wasn't making me happy. Giving up tax dollars to fund 'smart' missiles just seemed dumb to me. What's at stake here isn't how I pay for that steak, it's about what I need to experience and create before moving on to the next world. 

 

And in the next world I doubt that I'll look back on my life and say, 'damn I should have used cash instead of credit on July 14 to buy those groceries'. What an idiot I was!  I'm more likely to ask, ' Hey anybody know where I can find John Coltrane?' That's something to look forward to.

 

I can't look back now or ever for that matter and regret actions I've taken. Time is fleeting and I dont have the luxury of changing the past so why bother? What I can do with my time is be productive creatively and work toward a long-term solution and that is what is taking place. If I have to go back to the plantation I will, but believe me I'm in no hurry.

 

Today I noticed that at the bottom of every page on this site, exists a link that says 'tell me when this page is updated'. I guess all you have to do is give 'tripod' your email address and you'll get an email update. Who knows what they do with your info, but at least you'll save some time.

 

It is almost time for Nerissa & Earl's wedding (Friday) and one of my best friends Pablo is in town for the special occasion. Beyond that, he is also presiding over the wedding uttering such words as 'I now pronounce you....etc, etc'. This should be interesting cause he's not a priest, not that he has to be, but it's a very 21st century approach. I'll make sure he doesn't have too many drinks before hand and forget his lines.

 

Remembering those lines must be a lot easier then becoming a U.S. citizen these days and Pablo did just that about a month ago. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, we crossed paths during my college years in New Orleans. As I become more disillusioned with our way of life in this country, I'm still reminded that the demand to get here is higher then anywhere else. Yes, not even a 'Prince' concert can outdraw the daily influx of people coming here by train, plane, boat or automobile. And that's not even counting those shadow people who travel here by spaceship. Let me stop before you guys think I'm even crazier.

 

Yeah its great to have my brother Pablo here and stay tuned for a recap of the wedding and his performance.

 

Let me send my love and congratulations to Nerissa and Earl Johnson on their marriage and for a beautiful ceremony today. Looking out at the Manhattan skyline from Long Island City Piers in Queens was an amazing site to behold. The couple hail from New Orleans and that brought people up to ny for the occasion. Great fusion!

 

'Minister' Pablo being one of them and yes he did a fabulous job. His classic line was "By the power vested in me by me I now pronounce you husband and wife".

 

The reception was held at the Stinger Club where I had a great dose of soul food. I'm talking jambalaya, colla greens, macaroni and cheese-the whole nine. I started to miss my parents after the meal and even more so when Earl's mom, Mama Johnson, gave speeches about being a good man and about thanking the chef. I know if I ever get married, my mom will do the same thing.

 

So tonight begins a new moon and a new life together for Nerissa and Earl. Tonight before you go to sleep, channel a bit of your energy in their direction for happiness, understanding and strength now and forever.

 

I returned to the world of television today. No not in the employment since but in the sit on the couch and turn my mind off way. Or so I thought....

 

One of my favorite programs on PBS, Nova, has a series called the Elegant Universe. On this show, I was introduced to the String Theory-a so called Theory of Everything.

 

I'm always skeptical of anything that attempts to provide a single solution to an entire group be it people, planets or peanuts. In this case, I became intrigued with an element of the theory that explains reality and non-reality. I assure you it has nothing to do with reality tv shows, but it could.

 

In our 'real world' we see things in 3 dimensions (aka 3-D) and are ruled by a fourth dimension called Time. The string theory speaks of 10 dimensions (one modification allows for 26) in our own universe! Can you imagine? My mind races with the overall possibilities of this.

 

At my educational instituitons we were told that we only have five senses. I think that as this theory evolves, what we call intuition or conscious or karma or the holy spirit will be officially crowned as the a 6th sense needed in 'viewing' these other unseen dimensions. But hey, what do I know? I'm just another smuck watching the tube.

 

After reading Wahab's email today, I understand how severe the pressure is on him right now. The choice before him isn't just about marriage, its more about his individual freedom versus the will of his family. To choose his own path would be interpreted as a slap in the face to his famliy, religion and tradition. But why?

 

This is very upsetting to me because I know how giving Wahab is to everyone in his life. There are times when he gives too much. One time while he was in New York, a man approached us and asked if we spoke Spanish. A lady needed help transferring to another train and the station was across the street. Wahab starts chatting in Spanish and walks out of the station escorting her to the other platform. It was a very kind gesture but his unlimited subway card wouldn't let him re-enter for 2 hours. I gave him my card to re-enter but that just shows that he's willing to go out of his way for a stranger. Can you imagine what he does for his family?

 

Now I find myself sitting here wishing I could do more. Wishing there was some way for me to interject and get him out of this situation, but I can't. It's a rite of passage the he's going through and we just have to wait until he makes it through this dense forest with all of its traps and snares. And when you reach the other side my friend, we'll be waiting for you with open arms. Geez that just sounded like a hallmark card or something but I hope you get what I'm saying.

 

Today started out so promising! I woke up early (9am), made breakfast (pancakes w/ bacon) did some household chores (what am I Cinderella or something?) and I couldn't function after that. From like noon on, I was a complete vegetable. My body just shutdown and all I could do was sleep.

 

And it wasn't the good deep sleep where you wake up feeling refreshed. I could only sleep in 90-minute spurts and each time I would be awaken by different dreams. Were these things really happening to me? Did I enter some parallel universe?

 

Maybe or maybe not. My vegetable intake has been really low lately so there may some truth there. With this guilt feeling that I have now, I'm sure I'll be more active tomorrow.

 

Somehow today felt like 1984 all over again. Suddenly everyone used film instead of digital cameras, Michael Jackson (Warning Parental Discretion Advised on the link) was almost human and bad eighties clothing covered the bodies of unsuspecting people around.        ....send....help....stuck....in....80's....again...over..

 

I'll get back to that later. So I got off my arse today and was active. I had lunch with the great Gerald Marks aka Jerry. Everyday when we worked together, we'd go to a Korean Deli that has a pay by the pound buffet. It was essential to get there a little before twelve to get the 'pre-sneeze' version of the buffet. Ah the old days, I hope we can work together soon on another project.

 

Next I dropped off some film at Duggal. I'm excited to see what's on them! It's a combination of people and places from when I left California up until a few weeks ago.

 

Got home and applied for two attractive jobs. One is a chess instructor for children in the New York Public School System and the other is an associate producer in.....tv. There I said it! No, actually the job looks pretty cool.

 

And that brings us to our final presentation of the night, a concert at the Bowery Ballroom featuring Tarantula, VHS or Beta and Elefant. I joined forces with Lauren, David and his son Tristan-thanks for the tickets guys. Is it me or is the first band always better then the headliner? Tarantula was incredible! The band consisted of a violinist, cellist, guitarist and drummer;a beautiful combination. In some songs they would play all of kinds of homemade instruments including a kitchen pot. Yep I'd say they are pretty hungry.

 

VHS or Beta really is the cause of my 80's nightmare. The band wasn't bad it just that they brought out creatures from the 80's. I'm not kidding. Everyone looked like Madonna or someone from Journey except us. I couldn't concentrate on the music because of the mayhem.

 

Rounding out the evening was a decent performance from Elefant. The group hails from New York and was clearly disappointed in the energy coming from the crowd. Who's got time to listen to a band when you're admiring someone else's gear? As the lead singer said though 'hey, this is New York.' Yeah I got that part, I wish someone would have told me before getting here that it was also 1984 again.