In my audition, I tell Oprah I want to talk to roller derby girls. And I mean it. It’s a fast growing sport that empowers women and it is fun to watch. In the 70’s, everyone watched it and loved it. Let’s get it back on T.V.
I want a show thats a mix between Soul Train and old school Oprah. You know, when she used to have real-life, everyday people on and they’d tell amazing stories and experience transformation before your eyes.
How about if we do transformative shows and mix it up with fun stuff like music and roller derby? That’s what I want to do and you can help me by voting today. Vote early, vote often. Your opportunity to vote ends June 3.
This past Sunday I realized one of the many ways my Toastmasters training comes in handy. In this video, you’ll see how the hostess of the party invites each person in attendance to light a candle and “tell the birthday girl why you’re glad she was born.”
None of us was prepared for this speech, including me. However, thanks to my many hours of training in Toastmasters, I have improved my impromptu speaking skills.
Toastmasters helps you to think on your feet and teaches you skills like vocal variety, body language and storytelling. After I told Tina why I’m glad she was born, someone said “good speech”. I simply held my hands out, shrugged my shoulders and replied, “Toastmasters!”
First there was a Flip Video camera, given to someone like me who loves gadgets, has an idea a minute and some time off for the holidays. Second there is the resulting video. In less than two minutes I will list seven things that Galvanize My Mind. (Maybe they’ll galvanize your mind too):
1. Strolling the streets of Bluff Park with my iPod
2. Going to the farmer’s market
3. Snuggling with my cat
4. Working out on the bluff with Your Next Victory
5. Visualizing my ideal 2010 and beyond
6. Reading good Tweets
7. Watching Hello Ross on YouTube
This and more captured in my “not quite 2 minute” video. If you can’t see the video here, watch it on You Tube.
You’ll see me doing push-ups at the beach with a pink wig on and you’ll meet Fenix, my persian tabby cat. One of my favorite clips is “Boys on Bikes.” I was out strolling the sidewalks of Bluff Park in Long Beach with my Flip Video in hand and a group of about 10 young men on skateboards and bicycles rode by, it was pretty exciting. Some of us screamed in joy. Including me. It’s on video.
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
This week’s song is from Interpol’s frontman Julian Plenti (aka Paul Banks). It’s the first track from the upcoming Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper, LP set to be released in early August. Enjoy.
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
It’s not often you can see an entertainer with this level of talent live but it is a joy to witness the expression of an artist. It’s hard not to get happy while watching this video.
Celebrate and commemorate the election and inauguration of Barack Obama with this mixed-media, stop motion music video. The video blends the imaginative stylings of toy artists Dalek, Bill McMullen and Kubrick and showcases Adam Freeland’s remix of Daft Punk’s “Aerodynamic.”
Who’d ever thought that I would see this day….
Where I would see my ghetto life fade away…
Cos I was lost and couldn’t find a way…
and now I look forward to every day….(welcome to my sunny day)…
Block don’t stop always stayed hot…
No matter how the seasons got..
I still remember when they took me away….
Kept it on lock then I got caught then I realized that I had to stop…
Then I took the time to explore a better way…
Searched high and low, so close, yet so far to go…
I just know, there’s a sunny day
Who’d ever thought that I would see this day….
Where I would see my ghetto life fade away…
Cos I was lost and couldn’t find a way…
And now I look forward to every day….
Welcome to my sunny day…
my sunny day…
everyday….
a better day…
Welcome to my sunny day…
my sunny day….
every day…
a better day…
welcome to my sunny day…
Been a long day…
On my way to my holy place to pray…
Give thanks for every blessing given to me…
I know there’s more to see…more to me…no more living in misery…
Cos this is how I visioned life to be…..
Searched high and low, so close, yet so far to go…
I just know, there’s a sunny day
Who’d ever thought that i would see this day….
Where I would see my ghetto life fade away…
Cos I was lost and couldn’t find a way…
and now I look forward to every day….
Welcome to my sunny day…
my sunny day…
everyday….
a better day…
Welcome to my sunny day…
my sunny day….
every day…
a better day…
welcome to my sunny day…
The song of the week is brought to you by Michael Zampelli, former owner of Southern California punk rock icon, Zed Records. For almost 30 years, this mecca of punk and alternative music kept Southern California enthusiasts adequately supplied with unique, original and innovative music.
Currently, Zampelli manages a hockey fan message boards at www.letsgokings.com with thousands of subscribers. He takes photos for the LAist and the LA Derby Dolls. Each week he will contribute a song with a theme, a message and a beat. Enjoy and stay tuned.
You know how the web is, you start one place then end up someplace completely unexpected. That’s what happened today when I started at Mateo’s Flashback Video Show at letsgokings.com. Mateo is going through the entire alphabet posting 80’s videos for each letter.
Today Mateo is on ‘R’. Two things came to my mind immediately: Red Alert and Red Kross. I found a Red Alert video on YouTube, it was them doing the song In Britian. I couldn’t understand why this song was so strong in my mind. I figured it was on one of the many mix tapes I highjacked off Andrea Enthal shows on KPFK.
Actually, the reason it is burned in my mind is because it was on the Punk and Disorderly compilation that I used to play endlessly in my teen years.
So now, I’m listening to snippets of the songs on iTunes and seeing which ones I want to buy. I already have a few like Banned From the Pubs by Peter and the Test Tube Babies (how’s that for a descriptive song title and band name?) So, I’m not sure which I’ll buy and which I won’t.
That’s one thing I love about buying music on iTunes and having and iPod is that you don’t have to listen to the whole album if you think some of it stinks. When it was on a cassette or an LP, you’d have to make an effort not to listen to it.
Just for fun, here’s a track listing for Punk and Disorderly. Available on Amazon and iTunes. All song links go to iTunes.
About 1/2 way through Q-tip’s story about the journey to retrieve his wallet, I am profoundly aware that Petco is offering a $5 in-store coupon. All I have to do is just click on the bright white picture of the Christmas Tree and the dog with the santa hat and it’s mine for the printing. I begin to get distracted. Do I need something from Petco? Do I have cat litter? How about cat food? Check and check. Meanwhile, I miss the part where Q-tip is telling the police about what was in his wallet, “Yo, it was a brown wallet, It had props numbers, it had my jimmy hats, I gotta get it man” he says.
Advertising is a way of life, it will always be everywhere. During this time of transformation in where and how we consume media, we need to be aware of what we’re absorbing and to create our own media channels and our own “news” when possible. In the meantime, I will endure the subliminal advertising from Petco to go over to YouTube and watch this video because it is THAT cool. Q-Tip really has a powerful, rich communication style and watching this song on video gives it another level of depth.
How about if we do transformative shows and mix it up with fun stuff like music and roller derby? That’s what I want to do and you can help me by voting today. Vote early, vote often. Your opportunity to vote ends June 3.
If you need help learning how to love yourself as you are, consider the 
I practiced with using audio clips in the video. I sampled 
Been a long day…
