Catching Up

It's time for me to catch up on my posting. It's been a while because as always - life gets in the way of my writing. This is a dilemma I have got to find a solution to and soon. It's been so bad lately that I haven't even had an opportunity to catch up on reading some of my favorite bloggers. Even worse a couple of my friends new to the blogsphere have caught the bug and are regular posters. If you're interested in Hip Hop and want to get the inside track you have to check out Indy Hip Hop World where my girl Kim is keepin' it real! If you're looking for some interesting beats of the literary kind, you must hop on over to Lori's Old School Mix. Lori is a wonderful writer and soon to be published author. Her work has a lyrical flow and a lot of down home flavor, so check her out!
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Learning to say NO!!
I'm really working on this, but boy is it hard. I have a number of interests and work/life just continues to get in the way of me pursuing them. My first passion has always been the written word - both has a writer and as a reader. I have been an avid reader since I was a very young child and that has continued throughout adulthood with the only real hiatus coming while in college when text books took the place of novels.
In my previous full-time career I was a journalist which meant writing on a regular basis and it was and is something I enjoy, however now I have to schedule the time to do it. Today I handle marketing and public relations for Cleveland Public Power (CPP), a municipal electric company in Cleveland.
Over the last several months this has drained me of any energy to enjoy reading, writing or anything else.
As the old adage goes "There is a light at the end of the tunnel" and boy can I see the light! We (CPP) are winding down on our Centennial celebration so I should have a little time to do other things soon.

While in the throws of putting on a week of Centennial celebrations I received a call asking if I would be interested in doing some freelance PR work for a play opening at Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre tomorrow. I said yes of course. Why, because I really have a fondness for Karamu, which just so happens to be the African American performing arts theatre in the country and I'm always looking to branch out into other areas.
Well, little did I know! The principles involved in this production are heavyweights in this industry. The production, Gospel! Gospel! Gospel! was written and conceived by Otis Sallid who is an award-winning choreographer, director and producer. The co-producer of the play is a Cleveland native and Karamu alumnus - James Pickens, Jr. of "Grey's Anatomy" fame!
The long and short of this is - when you already have your plate full, accept it and decline offers that will tax you even further. I learned this the hard way, but along the way I did have the opportunity, however short lived, to meet some amazing people and have a small role in helping them spread the word about this wonderful production. So if you're in Cleveland now or anytime before November 5th, you must experience Gospel! Gospel! Gospel! it's an historical look at gospel music from slavery through the present!
In case you didn't get it - the moral of the story is DO NOT put too much on your plate. You loose your creative juices, energy and the possibility to flourish at something new.