Ever since that fateful day when Hurricane Katrina careened into the beloved city of New Orleans, huge piles of debris and garbage have been exchanging places all over the city. As many of you may know, I take pride in digging through piles of junk and building things out of what I find. It's fun, I can be creative, and it keeps stuff from going into the landfill. It's really amazing what people throw away, considering that there's such a large percentage of the population (worldwide and here in NOLA) that don't have the basic necessities. If we stopped thinking of ourselves long enough to realize that one man's trash is another man's treasure, I wonder where we'd be.
Alright kiddos, here's a test.
What do you see? Ok. Cool. What else? Would you have kept driving by?
The homeless population in New Orleans has tripled since the hurricane. Men, women, and quite a few children have absolutely nowhere to go. They've been huddling together under bridges all winter and sleeping on the concrete...
Back to the trash pile. Naturally, I pulled over and looked through the rubbish.
Here's what I found...
I know what it's like to sleep on the concrete, so I brought 'em back to the highway.
In conclusion, I think everyone should look twice at things they throw away. Now, I don't go around looking through garbage bags or anything. I know what's in those and most of the time it's pretty fucking gnarly. But seriously, those were perfectly good cots that people less than a mile away really needed.
Drop your pride and dive in.
You'd be doing the Earth a service as well as your fellow carbon units.
PEACE.
I've decided to take a step towards my goal of working half a year and chillin' half a year by traveling down to Ecuador and Costa Rica in May! I'll only be gone a couple of weeks, but my plan is to look at as many properties and gauge as many surroundings as possible in that time. I'm thinking I may choose Ecuador, since Costa Rica is still part of the North American continent. Needless to say, I've got lots to do before then. Brushing up on the Spanish...
So, back to the goal. I only want to work half of the year, and use the other half to focus on art, music, sustainable farming, ect. So, I figure I can buy a place down there for pretty cheap, rent a place while working in the states, then go back and fix up my home while hanging out with howler monkeys.
It might take a little while, but that's the path I'm on. I've been meaning to catch up on some other folks blogs, so I'm off.
P.S. - I just added a shout-box and tags to my side bar... So, holler at me or scroll down and click on the "SONGS" tag to get all of my craptastic songs. Peace.
Well, It's that time of year again folks! As if I didn't party enough... Tonight is Crew De Vieux, which is by far one of my favorite parades of Mardi Gras season. It's definitely the most irreverent of them all. Every float is a satirical take on either local or national politics. I'll take plenty of pics.
Ya'll know I like to "fix" things up. Here's my latest creation. I call it the "Booze Buggy"... Yep, it's a baby buggy that attaches to a bike. I modified it a bit for Mardi Gras. I don't half-ass anything, so I re-built a mountain bike to pull it with. I won't be needing to spend any dough at the bar this year. I'll be pulling my own.
For years I've stumbled in and around it, but didn't realize how to apply it. I've always been able to manifest what I needed to get by on. Everything from food to lodging to the 11:11 phenomena. But I couldn't put my finger on the underlying creative process behind it. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. We our mental constructs of this energy. We are God and part of a universe that is becoming concious of itself! We are forever and can manifest through our positive thoughts the desired outcome of our dreams! We've always known this but have been decieved by a great lie. The lie is that things are finite and there's not enough stuff to go around. The lie is intentional. Those that know the secret protect it by hiding behind the lie. This insures their power and maintains inequality. Many of the greatest thinkers in history embraced The Secret. Watch it if you haven't already, apply it to your life, and spread the message far and wide. Love, Peace, and Prosperity. Dillon Roberts
Hey Kids,
I've been really busy as usual. Working for yourself is great. Life is good.
I finally got to work on the JUKEBOX.
I had to rip all of the 70 year old wiring out of it and re-wire the light fixtures. As I was doing so, I noticed that there were round, hand painted discs that spin in front of the lights, creating a kaleidoscope. I need to track down a couple of motors to get 'em working again. I also built a top and stained it to match. Then, I installed the speakers from my record player and wired it up to a foot switch, so everything comes on at once. I now have a working jukebox.
I just finished painting a huge old house down the street. The house was amazing, but inside even more so. It's completely filled with old collectibles and antiques. As I was leaving today, the owner asked if I wanted to take a couple of things off their hands. (They've been renovating the inside as well and have been letting go of lots of junk..) I said "Sure! Watcha got?" "How 'bout this old jukebox? Gotta use for it?" "Hell yeah!" I said. The history behind the jukebox is interesting. It was the original jukebox in the Half Moon Bar in the 1940's. The Half Moon is only two blocks from my house and is the neighborhood dive bar. Back in the Forties, it was a popular hangout for the "Jet-set" which included folks like Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Bing Crosby, Charlie Parker, ect. So... Marilyn Monroe touched this jukebox... Awesome. Here it is. The top is missing and the wiring for the lighting is fried but I can fix that.
I did some research and found the picture below with this caption on the Science Service website, which is a branch of the Smithsonian Institute. They're almost identical. Here's the LINK "JUKE-BOX QUEEN" E&MP 93.012 Phonograph no date [possibly ca. 1938] Jo Stafford, "Queen of the Juke Boxes," and the nations most popular female singing star listens to her latest recordings on the first electronic juke-box in history which has just been introduced by the Aireon Mfg., Corp.
Electronic jukes are expected to replace present-day machines which make a bedlam of the country's taverns and other social centers.
It cannot blast or blare because its volume is automatically controlled by surrounding room-noise.
(Original Caption by Science Service)
Holy Shit! I scored a model of the first electronic jukebox in history! Now to make the lights work... I'll be up all night with my soldering iron re-wiring this old thing. Also, I'm going back to that house to see if I can find more of it. When I get it done, I'll post the pictures.
What's up ya'll. I'm back in the groove of writing and recording tunes. Here's one about standing up for yourself. I was in the third grade and being assaulted by a bully. My dad gave me permission to clock him. Ever since then, I haven't taken shit from anyone... well, except women...
Check it out.. Third Grade Smackdown - mp3
Here's a rough draft of a song I wrote a while back called "Another Day Above Ground".
It's about the way I perceive things to be down here in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina leveled it in August of 2005. Humanity is like one big organism and when it gets hit, it bruises...
We in NOLA are one of those bruises. There's still a heavy, depressing vibe hanging over the city like a shroud. Suicides and murders have gone up recently as we approach the holidays. Some things are going well and, well, some things are just going. We'll be alright... Another Day Above Ground - mp3
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For those whom I haven't talked to in a while, here's a quick look at what I've been up to..
Willing the world to work for you
is easy as it seems
when one foot falls in front the other
in the direction of your dreams.
I don't even know where to start. The sun is rising as Fall is falling into place like the pieces of my life. As many of you know, I've been working for myself lately and things are picking up.
Ever since I purchased a movie screen and began showing films in the local park, doors have started opening for me. Since October 3rd, I have done a benefit for a non-profit providing Katrina Relief, which lead to the 50th Anniversary celebration for a gifted high school. Someone even hired me to set it up for a fashion show in the park.
Tomorrow, I get to set it up at the VOODOO FEST! Not only do I get paid, but I get hooked up with a couple of VIP passes worth $900. That means all-access backstage goodness. I'm gonna get to chill with Rage against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, The Black Crowes, and Ben Harper. I'll have plenty of pics in the next few days...
The painting business is picking up and I stumbled upon a niche' market. Concrete staining. I did an experimental job for a lady a few days ago. I'm still waiting to see what the finished product will look like, but here's a sketch of some ideas I gave her....
Here's what I've done so far.... BEFORESO FAR...
I don't think anyone in the city is doing this kind of thing. Eureka. This stuff is easy, I get to be creative, and I can charge an arm and a leg. Heh heh... I just started subbing out the other painting work. I find the jobs, and I pass the work on to really good painters. They give me a pretty good deal and I keep the difference. I made $1400 in fifteen minutes today. Why didn't I figure this out years ago?
I'm also still working on the song-writing website, but have put it on the back-burner for a few weeks. Hopefully, it will be fully operational by the end of the year.
I'm finally making money doing stuff I don't mind doing, which is mostly nothing....
I eat when I'm hungry.
I drink til I'm dry.
If whiskey don't kill me
I'll live til I die!
I gots lots of stuff going on as usual and I'll tell you about it tomorrow but for now check this out.
I think all you Sam Cooke fans out there will dig it....
P.S. - Until I get better monitor speakers, I am mixing these new songs through headphones. So, they sound better through headphones....
powered by ODEO Bring it on Home - mp3
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