What the hell?

This is a story that blows my mind. I know it happens a lot all over this country, but there's gotta be a point where enough is enough. I don't want to preach, but I just don't understand how we became a society of cowards and looky loos who would rather watch someone get hurt than step in to help.

Story here.

Mixtape Luv...

Here's a new mixtape from a friend of mine J.A.Y.E. Negative, and mixed by my bro DJ Cues.

Jaye Negative - No Patience No Mercy Mixtape by Dj Cues Radio on Mixcloud

-Mr. DJ

Tiss the season...

So I've never really been a great proponent of the "holidays". i would say that I like the idea of the holidays; with the good will towards your fellow man and such, but I will be the first to say that for the most part...HOLIDAYS SUCK BALLS!!!

I'm not a fan of the commercial side of the holidays, just the very thought that I have to go gift shopping urks me to no end. Stores are always full of overly anxious people who are busting their butts to show the ungrateful people they surround themselves with how much they mean to them with a usually very expensive gift that has been marked off 70% this weekend only.

...but...

I will say that I'm looking forward to the season this year. Call it a failing of my cynical nature in my impending old age (HA!), but I'm looking forward to the fanfare of it all this year. For some reason, I'm looking forward to the carolers; the window dressings, the non-stop holiday songs on the radio...

For some reason my life long Grinching has been undone by some invisible little Who, and this year for the first time I am in the holiday spirit. This is probably also helped along by the early arrival of the 'nog' to store shelves this year (WOOHOO FOR ADULT BEVERAGES!!!!). Matter of fact, I'm gonna end this one here and go pop in my bootleg copy of "White Christmas" and have some more 'nog' (YESSIR!!).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

-Mr. DJ

Dev-j vs Televised Organized Sports

I like sports-I really do. I like to play sports, and I like to watch them on tv. I usually find watching sports to be highly entertaining and for the most part really engaging. I (like most Americans) watch NFL football on Sundays, the college version on Saturdays and split up my time during the week with NBA, ESPN at the bar/club, and re-runs of the Olympics on the Universal Sports channel. I really do like sports.

With that being said...

As much as I like sports...I don't LOVE sports. I don't care about the stats or who got drafted, or what coach is screwing up or what play/pattern would've been best last possession or any of that. I just like sports for their entertainment value. I like being there with the crowd and cheering while clinking beer mugs either on the couch or in the stands, and I dig the cheerleaders and so on. I enjoy seeing other people get amped up and seeing fathers with their sons and mothers with their daughters and little babies dressed up in onesies mocked up in their parents favorite team. I love stadium hot dogs and even dig the $20 small soft drinks. I love my team jerseys and the fond memories that come with remembering my younger days going to see the greats play, and I remember wanting to be just like them...but like I said, I really don't love sports. I wear my football jerseys because they're comfy and easy to clean and I'm a guy, so I can get away with that. I like baseball caps because that's just been my thing since I was 11, and old habits are hard to break.

I always feel awkward when guys walk up to me and make small talk about sports. I know, it's what guys do, and I don't shy away from it, but I usually feel bad for the guy engaging me because deep down inside I know I have nothing to offer him in the way of deep rooted sports talk and I feel like the bad blind date. I find myself just smiling and nodding and dodging direct answers or just making up some random shit so I sound like I've been following along, and trying to hide any facial giveaways that I'm feeling like a trapped fox and are seriously contemplating gnawing off my arm to get out of the conversation.

Now-don't get me wrong, like I said before-I like sports. I know all the rules and positions and a good deal of the play calls etc and have no problem following sports. I just don't care enough about them to follow them past the final buzzer. And I'm only saying all of this because I know it's odd to hear a guy say that (maybe), but I know I'm not alone. Sports are fun, but I'm not addicted. I don't care if I ever go to a fantasy sports camp with Troy Aikman or play a round with Tiger. I love my Bears and Bulls and Sox (eff the Cubs-FOR REALS) and love to see them earn W's. I dig marathon runners and all of the other sports I see on tv, but that's pretty much it. Once the tv goes off my sports brain goes with it.

...sorry.

-Mr. DJ

About the Fish...

So if you've noticed at the top of the page under the header there are some fish moving around. Well that's my new aquarium, and it's interactive-so please, feel free to feed the fish, they love the attention.

-Mr. DJ

New Release from Khingz (mixtape luv) **Free Download**

New free download from the homie Khingz Aquino titled "Khake & Khool-Aid". One of my faves this month.




-Mr. DJ

Mix luv...

Here are a couple of new mixes that I recently uploaded to the web. As always I share what I do with you, so here ya go!

Quick mix-tech house by Dj Dev-j

Quick mix-jackin house by Dj Dev-j

-Mr. DJ

Who We Are vs Who We Want to Be...

I was just thinking to myself about life...

I was thinking about being an American male and thinking about what that means...

I was thinking about perception, and thinking about who we are vs who we want to be...or moreso who we want to be seen as to others-whether they be loved ones, family or perfect strangers. I was thinking about how comfortable we as people may or may not be with ourselves, and how...as much as we may want to be excepted, liked and appreciated for who we are as individuals, we may not really want anyone to really know who we are. Maybe...maybe because we don't really know who we really are ourselves. Maybe we don't want to accept that we're fragile, silly, emotional, funny or whatever else that makes us..."us". Maybe we don't want the drama of perception vs reality, or we don't want people to ask questions or make assumptions about who we are really. Or maybe we just want to keep the stories of ourselves a private diary of sorts...tucking away the good parts for a limited amount of exposure...

I don't know...I was just thinking about myself and thinking about what I say and do in this modern world of mine and thinking about what I do let be known about who I am. Do I want people to think I'm full of bravado and pimpery or do I tell all of my sob stories, or do I want to seem wise and enlightened yet very humble and open...

Things like this I view as lessons along the road to understanding one's self. Moreso, I see them as a chance to connect to being human. I guess all of it is just funny in a sense, because at the end of the day what does it matter? We will always be who we are who we are no matter who we want to be. Maybe if we could find the balance between what we know and what we think we see in ourselves...well...if we learned to love ourselves regardless of who we were we wouldn't worry about who we wanted to be...because we'd already be there.

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Sorry, I meant the other white woman...

So I'm at the club with some friends and I just finished spinning. I order a white Russian at the bar, get it, and join my friends on the dance floor. So they asked, watch got there, to which I replied I got my white girl. So me being me, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and apparently my comment was over heard by some young (white) ladies who were huddled in a group directly behind me.

Well I guess that didn't go over too well because I hear "WHAT?!?!" directly behind me...

So I turn around and look at the group and they immediately turned around and refused to make eye contact. Which is good because I had a few drinks prior to the "white girl" and I was not in the mood for getting my ass whipped by a crew of over tanned model wish-they-weres, who have the shittiest eavesdropping skills known to man.

Jussayin...

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Technology is BOLLOCKS!!!

UGH!!!  My laptop is dying.  Stupid stupid technology...UGH!!!  Here's the deal:

I have an Apple PowerBook G4, which I know is by now in the same category as the Tyrannosaurus, but it's what I have by way of cool gadgetry and for what it's worth it's worked pretty well for me since I picked it up in 2007.  It's been very sturdy and fast and has held up against the multitudes of upgrades that apple have launched since I was able to afford this one on eBay clearance.

Well anyway...

Like I said my laptop is dying.  Since picking it up it's had 2 battery replacements, a power cord replacement, a hard drive replacement, and now it's looking like it's going to need a logic board (i.e. Mother Board for you PC users), which honestly means I need to replace it completely because let's be honest-the way Apple Corp likes to charge to the moon for any and everything it sells, a logic board will probably run me just under the cost of a new MacBook Pro...(BOOOO THAT SHITE!!!)

So for now I have the defibrillator on standby just in case my PowerBook decides that today, tomorrow etc is the day it needs to join Elizabeth, with hope that I can hold out for a little while longer before I give in to Steve and his coven down in Frisco...but I gotta be honest, it ain't looking so good for the home team.

-Mr. DJ

Trak Luv...

Really digging this tune today.  Heard her stuff before, but this one just speaks to me today.



-Mr. DJ

Progress...or just an update

I forgot to mention what I've been up to lately.  Well here are the highlights (short entry):

I started work on my own original EP-which means I've started learning how to produce music and have churned out several crappy pieces of music in hopes that I can learn how to create one really cool piece of music.  So far I'm still in the crappy phase.

I've started P90X (I know-the informercial got me).  Wish that there was more to say there, but...yeah I'm still XXXL...let ya know how it goes when it goes.

Actually...that's it.  Those have really taken up my time as of late, and will be for a while lol.  I promise that I'll keep you updated with both as I progress with both.


-Mr. DJ

Potholes & Bumps along the road to fame...

Ever have one of those days where you just feel like you're in way over your head?  Well I'm having one of those days.  One of those days where it just seems like nothing I do is going to get me over that hump/hurdle that I need to get to where I want to be.  I know that lief is full of setbacks and I'm not really complaining...just stating that sometimes I have moments where I feel like I bit off way more than I can chew.  Days where I have to ask myself...do I really want this?  Do I really deserve it?  Knowing that you're good enough to have what you want in this world vs knowing that it's gonna take a lot more than skill to get there is often a hard pill to swallow.  In these days of pre-fame I know that these questions will be there...today is just one of those days that I don't have the answers.

-Mr. DJ

Dev-j vs The Dead Computer

Funny how some sleeping dogs just won't lay...

So I used to have this computer that I built myself.  It was my baby.  It held all of my secrets, my musical projects, pics of my son, and a lot of original digital art that I did.  It also held a ton of programs that I used to make the projects and art.  It was a beast.  Sadly, my computer made it's transition one night in Oct of 2009.  I'm not exactly sure why of how it happened...but one night before bed, I decided to back up my computer.  Something inside of me was worried that anything could happen, and I needed to be safe.  Now, I do make it a habit to back up my computer about twice a month as it is, because it's just the right thing to do, but for some reason, something inside of me just wanted to it one more time.  So I prepared a the back up drive, and shut off the main computer for the night to give it a break (I usually run my computers non stop, only putting them to sleep when not in use).  So i was tired and decided I needed to go into sleep mode too, so I crashed for a few hours, looking forward to getting back to work the next day...but little did I know that tomorrow would never come.  The next morning I woke up, went to the office to start my baby up...nothing.  No hard drive recognized.  After trying everything in my very locally limited power to bring my hard drive back from the dead, I conceded defeat and was heart broken over my loss.

Now, the reason why I even bothered to mention the above is because in the last year I have had moments where my current life is still feeling the impact of the death of my deceased computer.  Every now and then I may need a picture, or a song sample or something like that.  Well today was/is no different.  Today I had a chance to finally talk with the good people over at Incentive Solutions, about some t-shirt marketing and what's requested?  Old logo PDF files that were located on the old computer.  If you haven't had a chance to see any of my dj logos, check them out here.  so now I'm faced with trying to redo all of them, or trying to convince the marketing team to work with PNG files or worse. 

...ahh...you are still missed computer...

-Mr. DJ

Neat video

So here's a video that I found via YouTube that actually has me in it lol. Every month I participate in the Scratch Lounge which is hosted by the Groove Technicians (kind of like the hip hop version of my house crew Gruv Mechanix). Well Carter Johnson of Carter Films (www.carterfilms.com) filmed the one for this month, and this is the video!!!



-Mr. DJ

mobile blogger...

This is me blogging from my phone. Funny thing about doing this from the phone...there's no preview mode, so I will never know what its going to look like before posting. There's also a severe lack of ambience with this blogger app, so I really feel like I'm blogging Cloak & Dagger style, almost like a blogger ninja...doing sneak attack blogs and shit.

And this app only lets me post, so no editing of old posts, which is cool-I mean, who wants to do that via phone? Okay, I'm done with my test blog. if this pans out i have way more that I want to talk about.

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Thank you Angie...

Here's a song that I just really needed to hear today. I don't hear this enough in my daily life so I have to thank Angie Stone for having the reminder for us brothas

-Mr. DJ

Time to blog...

I wish that I could update my blog via mobile phone.  It seems like most of the cool stuff I want to say usually comes when I'm out or when I'm not near the computer and I always have my phone on me.  Maybe I should research phone apps for blogging.  Maybe I should just stay near a computer lol.  I just feel like I'm cheating you guys out of good material by not writing when the good stuff comes to me.  Damn technology...

-Mr. DJ

You said WHAT?!?!

"To my djs. From now on, I'm not supporting you if you can't show some support. Start shouting out other shit than your own shit for a change. Jussayin if you want this to be a community, you need to start acting like you're in one."

This is a recent post from my personal Facebook page.  I know it may seem a bit assholish at first, but trust me-it's a poignant statement.

-Mr. DJ

This is Hip Hop

Courtesy of my good friend and fellow dj Tony Burns.

Yeah, that's pretty gay...

This is one of my newist addictions (pardon the punnage).  Insightful and witty, and FUCKING HILARIOUS!!!!

Promoter woes...

Tweety bird

So I've been updating on Twitter a lot.  And for those of you who have been following me...sorry for the roller coaster styled "tweets", but as you all know-when they ask what's on your mind...sometimes you just have to tell it like it is.  Don't know what I'm talking about...look to the top of the page-there's a tab there for ya.

-Mr. DJ

A Challenge perhaps?

Okay, so this one came across my desk last week, and it seemed interesting enough to talk about...

So I'm in the club last week to show some love to a few friends that were spinning, of which one of the shows was verrry interesting...

One of my good friends DJ Flave (Seattle) was hosting a dj challenge of sorts at one of the clubs.  The event was called DJ Flave vs Seattle and comprised of Flave vs 5 other local djs in a game of keep up.  Basically this was a chance for Flave to show off that he could handle spinning several different genres just as well as any of the other "mainstays" in that genre locally.  In all honesty, it was a basic tag team of Flave w/5 other djs.  Not much of a challenge, but still pretty entertaining to watch.

Well, while I was soaking up the show and trying to steal as many showmanship pointers as I could from Flave, a few of my other dj buds that were in the audience approached me and asked me why I wasn't involved in the show.  My reply was simple-I had no idea until I got to the club that the show was even going on...but it did make me think-what if I was involved...even more so, what if it was me in the challenge position instead of Flave?  What would a Dj Dev-j vs ____ look like?  Could I handle it?  As I continued to watch the show, I really got to thinking-what if I did issue a challenge to the other djs around town?  Who would step up?  Would it really be a challenge, or just another "tag" opp?  The more I think about it the more I wonder about it on a larger scale...what if I could challenge say...Mark Farina or Derrick Carter?

Now this is a question that only becomes important when thinking about my future as a dj.  Do I have what it takes to spin along with and possibly take down the current greats in my field?  Shit, it would at least make a good show.  What do you all think?  Who would you put up against me?

-Mr. DJ

Where have you been?!?!?!

Hey kids-now before you lay into me about my absence, let me assure you-you can't beat me up any more than I already have already.  I know I promised months ago that I would be making moves to keep you all updated on the regular about my happenings and what not, but funny thing about being a dj-sometimes you have the time, and sometimes you have no time at all.  So to become a better blogger I have employed a calendar reminder to help me stay on track so that I can at least keep you all posted once a week on my adventures.

A quick update-I have had a long few months.  I had to move into a new place, I was laid off of my second job, I've been having some major ups and downs with Scoops and have been enjoying some really nice activity (gig wise) for the summer.  Now, unfortunately I can't go into full detail right now as to what all happened (I can hear the boos from here), but as time goes on, if my reminders stay on time, I will open up more as we get more comfortable with each other.

-Mr. DJ

Why I'm a DJ

This question has been asked of me a lot over the years, as I know it's asked of a lot of djs. The answers are usually very straight forward and cool-filled with personal anecdotes and such. Normally, I would give a very 2 dimensional answer, like "I just really love music", or "I can't rap" or the like-but in truth there's a lot more to it for me, and I figured that I might as well share it...so here's the full answer (prepare for cornification...):

Do you have a song that, when you hear it, transports you to another place? A song that speaks to you and makes you feel like the writer understands how you feel, or went through what you went through? For me, I have several hundred of those songs. When I was young, I used to make mixed tapes of songs that spoke to me, and play them for my friends. We'd sit at school with the walkman and just listen, singing along and letting the music take me away. For me it was a good time to be alive. 

I remember dancing as a child to McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stopping Us Now", and feeling so care free...

I remember the first time I heard "In the Stone" by EWF, and remembering the hold it had on heart.

These memories helped define me as a person, and it also gave me a personal connection to music that is unlike any other.

Music became very personal to me...not that I felt possessive of it, but governed, taught, molded, educated and partially parented by it. Music has been a good friend-I've always loved it and wanted to share it with others. Most times playing a song would say the certain something to someone that I couldn't say...

When I was a teenager, I was known for 2 things...I always had a baseball cap on, and I always had a walkman on me. The walkman was a tape only walkman. This was mostly because back in the day the walkman cost as much as an iPod, and you had the version that was radio only, tape only or the combo. My mother (bless her frugal butt) gave me a choice-tape or radio, since either of these were cheaper than the combo. Seeing as I already had a radio at home, I opted for the tape version and decided that I would make tapes to walk around with. It seemed like fun, plus I could just have the music that I liked with no commercials. Little did I know that this would be the beginning...

Making those tapes taught me to "program" music. I would make tapes to fit my various emo teenager moods...slow drag tapes, breezy summer tapes and so on. These tapes became the story of my youth, as each song was personally selected and had purpose and a memory attached. That connection was a deeply emotional one and I still feel that connection to the music I play as a dj.

Every time I hit the stage, I feel like a chef who's charged with creating the meal of a lifetime. Every song is personal, and I'm doing more than playing music...I'm sharing a part of who I am with the audience. I remember reading something that Bob Marley said about his music...about how he believed that what he created could help change the world-and how he wanted to use music to heal the sick and empower the powerless...I sort of feel the same when it comes to spinning.

In my head...no...in my heart I'm reaching out to the person that's had the hard day/week etc. I want to give that person the relief that they didn't know that they needed. I want them to know that if no one else understands I do, and while I can't write the song that gives you the relief, I can play for you the music that helped keep me alive for 34 years, and maybe it can keep you going for another day. When I play, I do it with my heart on my sleeve. I'm hoping that I can be like Bob, and Stevie and Dr King and do my part to "save the world", or lift my people. It's how I give hugs and say thank you and it's how I tell my story. I play for the 5yr old inside of me that still dances to McFadden & Whitehead, and for the confused teenager that wanted summer to last forever. I play for the friends that I've lost and the ones that I've gained. I play for my son in hopes that he more days of happy dancing than anything else...

So why am I dj? For all of the above and so much more...music is just as universal as math in the chord of life. This is just me playing my part.

-Mr. DJ

Trak Love

Frank-I "Let the Record Play"



-Mr. DJ

New Rel!g!on...

So I discovered that I have a few subscribers on YouTube.  One of which is a hip hop producer from Canada by the name of Rel!g!on. Being the curious soul that I am, I had to check him out.  This is what I found.  I'm thinking that it's worth sharing.



"Lucid" ft. Moka ONLY!



-Mr. DJ

Because it's been on my mind...

Originally, this post started as several conversations/posts that I had on Facebook.  I wanted to expand it a bit, and felt it deserved to be here.

Okay, so yesterday I mentioned feeling like Prince  in Purple Rain, when he was tripping about if he should play the song Purple Rain...it's like you know you have something unique and special-you doubt anyone will get it, but you're faced with a choice of do you keep trying to make it work, or do you just face that it may be you that's crazy, or even way wrong, and you should just do something else. What I meant is...when I play, I don't just play for the sake of partying-but I play to tell a story. Each song is a detail, a section of explanation as to who I am and what I'm about. I play with lots of emotion and it not only gets displayed in what you hear, but what you see from me on stage. I only play because I believe in every note, every melody and song.  Sometimes I feel that people won't really ever understand that, whether is be my peers or the people in attendance at the club where I'm playing.

Being a dj was always more than just the music.  Even the money wasn't really important...for me it was always about the chance to express myself.  Kind of like when kids used to make tapes to give to their bf/gf to tell them how they felt.  They would gather up all the love songs, or heartbreak songs, or happiness or how everyone used to listen to Sade when they felt bad.  For me, being able to place the songs together...remixing, mingling, mixing & matching...that was why I jumped in with both feet.  I haven't changed since day one, but the world around me has...or that's how it feels.

As a dj, I understand the value of what I do.  I know that we bring music to the party-period, end of story.  But for me that's not where it ends, it's where it starts.  I've noticed that in this modern society, money and status are huge contributors to the state of play when it comes to djing.  It's become less about musical expression and more about imagery & bravado...kind of like the current state of mainstream hip hop.  The reason why I even started this talk online was to air out feelings that I had about my chosen profession, and I felt was the ever growing limitation on what I could do with it (in terms of social acceptance).  The feelings that I have been dealing with are basically just feeling like I'm in a world that I don't belong when it comes to doing what I've loved to do for so long.

I've never been a conformist by any means.  I will jump on the wagon of advancement, but doing what everyone else does because I think that's what I'm supposed to do isn't going to happen.  Unfortunately, with being a dj, either you have to find a way to stay ahead of everyone around you, do what everyone else does, or risk life and limb and try to think outside the box.  Now I say life and limb on the latter because these days it's a huge risk to be different and unique.  Either you are spot on and you shoot ahead of everyone else into stardom, or you spiral off into the abyss known as independent thought, and become an outcast of sorts.

Now, I'm not a hater...or at least I try not to be.  I try not to think about my peers who make a ton of money doing what I do and who don't do it half as well as I do.  I try not to get caught up in looking at them and thinking, why isn't that me...but I'm human.  So human that while I try my best to feel good for them, I can't help but to look at my bills and outdated equipment and bus pass and turn green every time I see their names on a flyer, or online event invitation.  I often find myself thinking "why isn't that me?  I'm that good...aren't I?  My last show was dope...they saw that.  How come no ones calling me to book me for another show?".  It's at times like those where the first thing I said becomes the hardest thing to remember..."it's like you know you have something unique and special-you doubt anyone will get it, but you're faced with a choice of do you keep trying to make it work, or do you just face that it may be you that's crazy, or even way wrong, and you should just do something else".

I guess for what it's worth, all of it forces me to constantly think and rethink what it is that I've chosen to do with my life, and in it's own way it's healthy.  More to come on this subject later.

-Mr. DJ

RIP Nujabes

I just found out that Nujabes (Jun Seba), a Japanese hip hop producer, who was one of my favorite producers in the biz, passed away on St. Patty's day.  In my opinion he was one of the more brilliant producers working, and I adored the way he evoked emotion into his work.  It's like each track could tell a story by itself without words.  There are legends that to this day are still trying to make that work for themselves.  As a fan, I'm saddened for the loss, and as a dj I'm really sad that one of my peers is gone.  He recently turned 36, and was killed in a car accident.  This is a dedication vid done by Shang 01 (Battle Cry-Samurai Champloo/Nujabes soundtrack).

Rest In Power Jun...



-Mr. DJ

New additions...

Okay, so I just had to mention that I've made some changes to my blog.  I'm now accepting comments (my arm was very sore from twisting on that one), and I have a new page for music.  As time goes on, I will make more adjustments in order to find new ways to keep my crap interesting for you.  I'm also making strides to put more effort into this blog because I do want to share all of the wonderful things that make up my world with you.

I know, one more blog out there-go figure.  I promise, I'll try my best to make it worth your time.

-Mr. DJ

UGH!!

I don't like being sick.  I can't imagine anyone does though lol.  I mean-sure, there are upsides, like weight loss and time off work, but it's a lame trade off when you compare the pain and puking you endure while losing weight and bed rest...no vacation I assure you.

For those who aren't aware (and at this point I'm thinking that since I currently have 3 followers...they know), I had pneumonia.  Not that I need a series of oohs and aww Mr. DJ's needed, but I just had to say it.  It was a BIOTCH!!!  I'm glad I went to the doctor though (thanks Scoops!!!). 

Now if you haven't had pneumonia-let me tell you it's not fun.  There is a positive to it, in that it's not contagious because it's a bacterial infection, and that also means it's serviceable with a series of meds for a few days, but that's where the good pretty much runs it's course.  First of all (and I just have to say this), I'm not a smoker.  I used to smoke cigs from time to time, and yes, I hit my fair share of blunts and bongs (sorry mom, I'm grown now-I can say it)-but when you get pneumonia, you feel like you've smoked 100 packs back to back and you've only stopped because you can't inhale.  Fuck me that's a painful feeling.  Not like childbirth painful (I can hear Scoops now...), but searingly painful all in the rib cage, and did I mention it's not fun?  Plus the non-stop coughing, and the endless amount of goo that seems to come from the goo factory recently installed in your feet, that just got the biggest order of goo in history, and the delivery pipeline is direct from the feet through the belly, into the back of the friggin throat and UGH!!!!  Saying it's gross is (pardon the pun) GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT!!  My abs did get a good workout though (another plus-YESSIR!). 

I dunno, I guess I'm posting this because I felt like total poop, and now I'm just about completely over it and it was 3/4 weeks of crap and I'm just glad that I feel better for what it's worth.

-Mr. DJ

Blogging rules?

Okay, so I've been going over this in my head for a while now...

What necessarily are the rules for blogging?  I mean-sure I know spill your thoughts out in some form of prose for the world to see via the internet, something similar to an online diary or journal...but what I'm asking about is the writing/content rules.  Are there any stipulations as to what you should talk about in your blog?

Now, understanding that it is just a blog, and in its simplicity is also the complexity that inspired the initial question.  I mean-people can very much so write about whatever they want.  They can post simple things like instructions, to stories, to jokes and anything else that you can think of.  But for me...well...I was wondering exactly where to draw the line.

I know that with this being the internet, just about anyone knowing that this blog exists can read it.  That's the whole point-give people something to read.  So when I write I can't help but to think about how personal I do/don't want this to get.  Do I keep it simple and ramble on about the various things that I see in this world, or do I dare to air my dirty biz for all to see.  It's not in me to drag people's names thru the dirt, but sometimes it makes for a good story-especially if there's a moral or something positive to be learned from it.  I guess I'm thinking about the possible backlash I would get from all the shit in my head that I need/want to get out.  And yes, I know that I started this blog so I made my bed in that respect, but it's just one of those things that I can't shake every time I get inspired to put fingers to keys and tell my side of things.

Also, I would have to ask for forgiveness when I write.  I have Twitter® and Facebook® and all of that, so the occasional rant or 15 is usually saved for that-but there are times when I just want to lay it all out there and I've often wanted to just put it all out there right here.  But I was wondering if that would be less entertaining and more a cry for help...or maybe just more fodder to convince the masses that I really do need help lol.

I know-randomness indeed.  But that's why we're here right?  Better out than in mama used to say.

Later kids
-Mr. DJ

...what to say...(aka About the author)

So understanding that I've taken the time to activate an account, edit a profile, set preferences, adjust settings blah blah blah, I should probably try posting something to this thing...

...but what to say...? (CORN)

Something like "hello world" or "hey blog" just sounds silly-especially this early in the morning.  I know the whole point is to write something, and technically I am smack dab in the middle of doing just that-but I'm not really awake, plus I'm still fairly new to the big kids version of blogging, so I'm still finding myself stuck on how to come out of the gate (so to speak).  Hmmm...I think I just found my muse...

What do you say when you're just starting out?  I've often been told that first impressions/moves can dictate what will come after.  I'm guessing the same can be said in the world of blogging.  I hope to eventually post enough crap so that how I started this trip won't matter, but nonetheless here we are.  Let me also add that I'm seriously not the best with words, so if you're reading with hopes of finding the next Dooce®, then I will seriously suggest you keep your receipts.  I also hope that as time goes on I will get more comfortable with telling my bidness (not misspelled-we'll get to that later), so please excuse me as I stammer my way thru the first few posts.

To start off, I'm thinking I should tell you something about me so that you at least know who you'll be making fun of when you leave...

I'm Mr. DJ.  Pretty simple.  The name is a play on words (in a sense).  My initials are literally DJ, but also-I am a real life DJ.  I also work (currently) for a shuttle service at the local airport her in Seattle, WA.  I'm originally from Chicago, IL and Nashville, TN simultaneously.  I lived part of each year from ages 4-20 in both cites.  My mommy is in Chicago (where I went to school) and pops is in Nashville (where I spent my summers).  After high school I attended TSU-Nashville and there ya go.  I've been a dj for 16 years, and hopefully I'll be doing that for the rest of my non-arthritic years.  My shuttle job is just to help pay the bills until Obama finalizes the nightlife industry stimulus package (yes, I still believe it's coming-KEEP HOPE ALIVE!). I have a son named Chase who's 3, a girlfriend names Scoops, and she's got a son named Butthead (her words not mine).  All of the things mentioned above are only mentioned because knowing me, they will be inspiration at some point for either a rant, funny story or just pawns for my amusement-and I want you to be able to follow along.  Pie charts and legend forthcoming.

Oooh-this would be a good time to tell you WHY I started this damn thing.  Well, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
...seriously-my life has been full of...well lots of random stuff.  A lot of it has given me perspective and whatnot, and some of it just flat out confused me.  Some things are just cool to the point that you want to tell someone, but you don't really want to bother with picking up the phone because it's one of those "had to have been there" type of situations.  Well, for all of that and more, I decided to gather my ramblings here.  Plus it spares the people in my real world existence the series of Bill Cosby moments I tend to have when story telling.  Plus I have a serious case of adult ADD (which you probably have picked up on by now), so me telling a story in person can be a bit...painful is what Scoops called it.  I also thought about using the space to post my music and talk about industry stuff, but I know that there are a lot of blogs dedicated to that, and I didn't want to do the Rev Run thing-so I decided to just be me, online.  So there will be industry crap and personal crap and I may curse/cuss and I may be funny, or cranky, or sad/introspective/smart/whatever.  But in the end I'm really just trying to get the random shit in my head out of my head, and maybe get some therapy along the way.

With all of that being said-thanks for reading.  By now you probably need an Advil®, and I look forward to having you along for the trip (don't forget to keep your receipts!!!!).  Later kids!

-Mr. DJ

Test

This is a test posting. I'm new to the whole super blogging thing, and I'm posting this to see exactly how it works. In case anyone sees this...I'll be posting more official ones (better ones) for you to read/follow.