life...

This happened yesterday: Akron man killed in Fairlawn crash.

This man is Roger Kevin Flee of Akron, 49. This could be your friend, co-worker, spouse, cousin, et cetera. It just happened to be my son's great uncle and someone who I considered a friend.

Kevin, as those who knew him personally knew him, was a guy who always tried to give people a fair shake. He was a really affable guy. He and I would often talk about computer stuff. Sometimes he would call and bounce some things off that he could try. No one's really sure why the accident happened but it took the life of a good guy.

Rest in Peace, Kevin.

To you all...remember, love all of your friends and loved ones and show them as such. Life's too short to do otherwise.

Common's new CD or Why People Don't Buy Music as Much...

I bought Common's new "Finding Forever" CD 2 days ago (it came out 3 days ago) and...wow. Common is the same man as he was when he started rapping...but he has not been shy about the fact that he has grown since "Can I Borrow A Dollar". Growth is a part of life that is often devoid of hip-hop. People don't talk about how to grow themselves, their communities, hell even the losses that result in growth experiences. This is real life. Forget what BET is showing you. Forget what MTV is showing you. Common is real to me. I can relate to songs like "Book of Life" from "Resurrection" about being young, black and full of life questions after college doesn't go as planned.

People don't buy music because they don't feel music. It doesn't touch your soul, the essential part of who you are or who you are aspiring to be. Common's CD does that for me.

I hope you all find music that strikes you like that. If you don't have a relationship like that with music (or some kind of art), you are missing out.

Realization...

I just came to a realization...I don't have to rewrite War and Peace everytime I blog. I just have to write something of meaning, not short, not long, just meaningful.

I think that's why so many bloggers experience burnout. The key? Write something little every day and, should I need to write something bigger, I think it may come out easier.

This is how people such as Jack can post for years straight. I ran into Jack again at the July Cleveland Blogger Meetup and he mentioned that he has been blogging for a couple of years every day. I realized, I hardly ever write. I always want to write these long pieces completely encapsulating my point of view. I don't have to do that. I put too much pressure on myself.

This is why slow and steady wins the race...