Didn't We Talk About This Six Months Ago!

I visited my friend Don's crib the other day, because I was seeming to have writer's block for my blog. I needed a kick in the ass to get my creative juices flowing again, so I grabbed a beer from the fridge and we began to talk about my blog. Don begins to be frustrated with me and screams, "Didn't we talk about this six months ago!"

I obviously don't remember every detail of that conversation six months ago. However, I do remember that he told me to start blogging about things that interested me and content that was sticky enough for an audience to be engaged to read about. He grabbed some blank paper and pen and told me take notes, since he was frustrated that I forgot about our prior conversation.

As I was struggling to find who my target audience, Don told me to forget who my target audience is for now and just focus on writing what I feel, my experiences and what I have learned about myself. For me the transition is not that easy, since I still have that corporate mentality where it is all about the bottom line, and I need to take WD40 to remove rust off of my creative self.

As I began taking notes on paper, Don told me that he wished he was in my position because I have the golden opportunity to blog about the experiences that a lot of people don't have the opportunity to explore. He reminded me that I have the inside track on the underground Hip Hop/DJ community since I am friends with Mike Relm. That can go a long way because people are interested in the behind-the-scenes and thought process in his work and other artists like Relm.

I have a rare opportunity to go on tour with Mike Relm and Del tha Funkee Homosapien for two months around the country. I can be like Anthony Bourdain in his show No Reservations and create a video blog about the trends, people and culture of each city we visit. I can interview fans, performers and employees of each venue we visit to get a geniune insight of each city.

This will create an interesting timeline of events and experiences as I transition myself from the high pressure corporate world to doing things I can truly be creative. This reminds me of the movie Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise wrote his personal mission statement and got fired for it. Well I am taking the goldfish with me on this trip, anybody else wants to join me?

Mike Relm Performs for Astro Gaming

Yesterday, I watched Mike Relm perform his video mashups for an intimate party for Astro Gaming. Astro Gaming specializes in premium gaming equipment for pro players. Check out astrogaming.com to see their specialized gaming equipment.

A special thanks to Josh LaTrendresse and his team for hosting the event in their beautiful offices located on 6th Street in San Francisco.

Check out Mike Relm's new video on Youtube entitled Sushi Choo Cam. Relm put a camcorder on a sushi boat to shoot video of DJs including Roni Size and Deadmau5 while they are eating sushi. Pretty inventive stuff.

What Stays in Vegas...Stays on the Hockey Rink

I just came back from Las Vegas with my best friend Mike Relm. For those who don't know who Mike Relm, he is an amazing turntablist and video DJ who creates mashup videos. (Visit his sight at mikerelm.com and you will see what I mean.)

Mike Relm performed in front of 3,744 fans during a hockey game for the Las Vegas Wranglers against their heated rivals, the Alaska Aces. He doesn't normally play to a hockey audience, but he definitely won over the crowd with his video mashups of Led Zepplin and Peanuts. He had his fans buy tickets to the Wranglers game just to watch him perform.

Since this was the first hockey game I ever watched, the game itself was intense and has converted me into a hockey fan. Watching the Wraglers game felt like watching Fight Club on ice. Even the Wranglers mascot got complaints for throwing popcorn at the Alaskan fans.

I give a special thanks to the Billy Johnson, President & COO of the Las Vegas Wranglers, for his generous hospitality during the game. Billy is a very creative person, and I had one of the most intriguing conversations with him about hockey, Picasso's artwork and former baseball star, Pete Incaviglia.

After the game, Mike and I had burgers at the Crown and Anchor Pub with members from the Blue Man Group. They highly recommend the award winning restaurant to us for a low key experience with great food and an extensive beer selection from around the world.

If you are not counting calories, you have to try their Graveyard Special: the British Burger, a 1/2 pound hamburger with bacon & your choice of Stilton, Cheddar, Swiss or American.
It was also the first time I tried a Scotch egg, a hard boiled egg wrapped in spiced sausage. A Scotch Egg goes great with a tall pint of Guinness.

This Vegas trip was an awesome experience even if I didn't gamble or party all night at posh nightclubs that I normally do in Vegas. Watching my first hockey game with Mike Relm and having a Scotch Egg with members on Blue Man Group was definitely priceless.

The Start of Something New

Everybody has told me that if you have just lost your job, then you start blogging. Hopefully this will be the start of something new. This will be my new medium to express how I see the world from being umemployed.