Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Summer of Planting Grass Seeds

So far this summer, I have been working on my "pondering" of ways of marketing TOOLS ..My Test Tips..& Video Diary. I am often reminded of the spiritual lesson in the movie, Field of Dreams..."If you build it...they will come." Well I've never thought for a moment that all I had to do was create something..and it will be a home run(another baseball tag.) Even a little bunt would be nice...but it doesn't work that way. Just like writing and creating is a process....so is spreading the word about the baseball field of dreams you have just constructed. It is a process...it is a way...a thought...a hunch...a plan...a moment of inspiration...a moment of frustration and exhaustion......remembering relationships..making requests...and most importantly....knowing the difference between taking chances and taking action. I better get back to planting more grass seeds..right field is looking a little patchy.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Making Re-connections

I was googling an old friend's name the other night...and accidentally came across another friend....his name is Ray Cerimele...I first played original acoustical music with Ray back in Youngstown, Ohio in 1975-76...did our first coffee-houses at YSU. As I read Ray Martin Cerimele's MYSPACEMUSIC page, I noted my name listed by Ray as someone important in his life. I didn't realize that and was deeply moved and swept up in many memories. After sending Ray an email greeting, I heard back from him the next day. We hope to speak this weekend. It has been way too many years since we talked. Ray viewed my Video Diary & All Along the Way music videos...and watched as my family aged through these years. I realized the power of the internet at our fingertips to reconnect with old friends. But I realized even more, the power of friendship itself. An encouraging friendship that spawned and launched two young blue-collar italian-american boys...sons of steelworkers...grandsons of immigrants... musical dreams...dreams that ultimately shaped both our lives..led us to new places far from Steel Valley...where we planted new roots..made the best of opportunities...yes...for better and worst...our early musical dreams changed both our lives.