March 11, 2003

Hey, hope you guys are doing well. I'm having a very good day. Yesterday I worked on the new song I added to the album last month. The album will be released in the next few months. Everything is almost ready. I have to schedule new photo shoots as well. I've done the art direction and design for them already and I've written most of my album's liner notes. I did more work on the film as well. So, I'm really happy with how everything is coming together. 

I'm in the office section of the studio working on the promo tour right now...and watching a tennis match at the same time. It's the same with other television shows. Though when I have to make business calls, I have to mute the TV. And in soccer, on Saturday I saw the game between Chelsea and Newcastle. 

I added more cities to the promo tour this week. However, one of the theatres I was interested in booking has an alcohol policy (they want to serve it during the show as they would make more money off the gig instead of just hall rental fees). I wasn't aware of this regarding this theatre. Therefore, I will not use that venue, but they were very polite. I've found another theatre in that city.

Another concern I have regarding these shows is I want to ensure that people of all ages will be able to attend. Teenagers email the site all the time. I don't want them to be excluded and some venues don't allow teenagers.    

I showed my mom the dates for the promo tour and to my surprise she said are you gonna leave me that long. I was surprised as I didn't think she would mind and she always has people visiting anyway. Not to mention, she saw the first list, not the new one with the additional cities I've added. Maybe I can convince her to accompany me on the promotional trip. 

The book I've been writing is coming along very well. I've written half the book already. I finalized the menu and plans for the restaurant as well. I can't devote the attention to it that is required before the album and tour, so God willing I will launch that after the album and promo tour. 

I don't usually sing for people (yes, and I'm a singer), what I meant was I don't usually sing for people individually, but I sang for someone last week and he told me I'm gonna be the next Whitney Houston. Come to think of it, I've never sung for a crowd either. I'm not intimidated by it though.

March 19, 2003

It's been a very busy week so far. I'm yawning as I write this, and no, not because my writing is boring, it's not -raspberry-, but because I'm a bit sleepy. I did more work on my album and the promo tour. I made a few minor changes to the set list. I'm still working on the song I've added to the album.   

I'm also a bit tired because I helped my mom with paperwork that she had to complete by a certain deadline for her job. At first she gave me a few files to complete, but when she saw how quickly and accurately I completed it, she plopped down about 10 files in front of me containing a few hundred pages. I told her that I would call child services (government) and report her for making me do all that paper work. She laughed and said "you're not a child." Good comeback mom. I was kidding though, I didn't mind helping her.   

Yesterday I made dinner for my mom and one of our friends (shrimp and linguini in clam sauce)...and no one had indigestion afterwards -applause-. A little humor there. I'm kidding, not that no one had indigestion, no one did, but kidding regarding the self-depreciating comments about my cooking. I can cook. I do most of the cooking here, with the exception of a few Sunday's when my mom wants to cook. We usually eat out on the weekend excluding Sunday's. 

I spoke to my dad on the phone yesterday. We spoke about different things. He is doing well. I'm going to visit him soon and my little sister is gonna spend time with me here as well. My sister and I speak on the phone and on line often. We talk about different things, some of it girl talk, where we talk about who we like and the guys that like us. I enjoy our talks and she has a great sense of humor.  

My god-brother and his mom went to Jamaica for Spring Break. They left for the airport from here. Ever since he was a child, she has been taking him to Jamaica for spring break... and as a surprise. It's not a surprise anymore, she's been surprising him for about 10 years now every spring break. The same surprise almost 10 years in a row. He's thirteen and very smart, he knows already! He even jokes about it. They do have a good vacation when they go there, though.  

March 22, 2003

It's 4:48 AM, I got home after dinner at about 12:30am. Then I started working again. 

I went through my emails, then started songwriting. I wrote a lot of material yesterday until about 5 AM this morning. I also did some work in the studio. I wrote and recorded the instrumental parts for some music I've been working on. They were great sessions. By God's grace I have a lot of material to choose from for my albums and the other ones I'm working on. My debut album looks very good. I still have some more to record, but there's not a lot left to do. The movie is also coming together very well. 

Right now I'm working and listening to some music. I feel pretty good, sleepy, but good. 

I have so many other decisions to make, for which I'm praying to God for guidance. The business decisions are the easiest to make, it's the personal decisions that are sometimes the most difficult. 

I've got a joke for you... I was telling my little sister how much I love my dad’s first name and that God willing, if I have children one day, I would give my son that as a middle name since daddy doesn’t use it as a first name. My little sister replied “naw, don’t punish them like that.” I laughed my butt off when she said that, but I told her I’m telling daddy she said that about his name. 

Then I said, "you wouldn’t want your future nephew to have that for a middle name? but knowing you, you’d probably just call him by his first initials anyway." For example, one of her nicknames is Tru, short for Trudi and her nickname for me is AI, short for Aisha. I’m like, huh, AI? Artificial Intelligence? Are you trying to say something about my intelligence level, Trudi.

I'm going to go to sleep in a while. Have a good night...er, I mean, a good morning. God bless. 

March 24, 2003

Hey guys, hope you are doing well. I had a long day and the funny part is, it's only half finished. 

The site had a few errors that I fixed recently. It seems the contest page and a few others were on line and they were not supposed to be until the album launch. ooops! Those pages are under construction, but I really should have earmarked those pages as do not publish. It was my fault that they were on line too early. I changed the navigation because some of you don't have Java enabled and the navigation buttons were Java based, which meant it was not displaying on some of your computers. When I changed the buttons, it activated links that should not have been on line. So if you clicked on the contest page and a few others, those items, contest and events are not available/taking place until the album is released. Sorry for the inconvenience. There will be links on the front page of the new site when it's launched with the album to inform you of each event and when each item goes on sale. 

Today I worked in the studio (music), worked on finishing up the new song I've added to the album (lyrics), went scouting locations, ran a few errands, went over to the beach, then went shopping. The weather was nice. It's warm, but there is a nice breeze. I'm back in the studio now.

My god-brother and his mom returned from Jamaica today. They had a good time. They brought back stuff for us, specialty food items - not that other stuff that some people try to smuggle. I've never seen that actually. Most people think every Jamaican knows about that stuff, but it's just not true. I've never even seen or taken drugs. 

There are a lot of misconceptions about the standard of living out there as well. The homes are made of cement and cinder blocks with proper plumbing, contrary to what some think of Caribbean homes. My dad's house out there is worth just as much as my home here (that he gave me the down payment for - thanks daddy) and my house isn't cheap either. I put a lot of work into it and property values are constantly on the rise. I like my dad's kitchen more than mine, though. The craftsmanship of the wood cabinets look like they belong in the kitchen of an old English manor house. Jamaican woodworkers are very skilled. They create furniture that is reminiscent of English antiques. Jamaica came from British rule, so that influence still exists on the island. Britain has a large Jamaican population as well. 

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Jamaica last year as apart of The Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations. When my mom and her sister were teenagers they were among a group of people that went out to greet and sing for her when she visited Jamaica. My aunt has lived in England for the past 35 years and my uncle for the past 40 years. When I was a kid I would imitate my British cousins accents. 

Speaking of England, I've been keeping up with my Premier League matches as usual. My dad, his brothers and my cousins love English soccer and Jamaican soccer (Jamaican National Soccer Team - The Reggae Boyz) but they support Brazil...and considering my grandmother was half Brazilian I should as well, but I love English soccer as well. I like Arsenal and Man U games the most. My dad is convinced I support Manchester United, but I don't support a specific team, I just have favorite players on different teams because of how well they play. I watch soccer matches from several countries and sometimes, not in English. Hey, I know a goal when I see one. 

My dad was one of the youngest people to ever play for The Jamaican National Soccer Team. His brother played as well. I've spoken to people that know about their soccer careers, more than I did, which surprised me. I wish I could have seen them play. My dad was more preoccupied with music and chose that as his profession. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

Last year there was a ceremony where the former players met the current players and exchanged handshakes in a line up. History repeats itself. What is ironic is that my dad's last name is Goodison (as is mine) and there was a new Goodison on the team. He plays in England as well. They shook hands during the ceremony. How poetic.

March 27, 2003

Hey guys, I'm working on transcribing and transposing a song (don't ask man, don't ask). I want to record a bit later. I haven't decided on the music I want to write yet. The song I'm working on right now doesn't have much accompaniment. I already know what I want it to sound like, though. I did some work on the film today as well. 

I wanted to make kebabs for dinner, but then it dawned on me, I have the chicken and vegetables, but I don't have any skewers. There's also a thunderstorm outside. I'm not going out there for some sticks! especially if they are metal (lightning joke). Stir fry it is. 

I've been watching the NASDAQ 100...no, not the stock exchange, the tennis open (well, I do watch the stock exchange as well). It's being played at Key Biscayne here in Miami. My dad and I have been talking about the matches by phone. My dad loves tennis, as do I and growing up I would watch a lot of tennis matches with him. However, like I always joke on here, the only time you'll see us at Wimbledon will be as spectators. He plays very well, though. My dad's favorite tennis player is Borg. I have a few favorites as well.   

Is it just me or are some spectators a little too happy that Venus Williams lost this week. Nothing against the winner because she fought hard and congratulations to her, but the cheers from certain parties in the crowd at the outcome of the match was almost un-sportsmanlike, as it seemed to be more directed at her defeat. 

Speaking of tennis, I was watching a local entertainment news program tonight that most people in Miami know pretty well and one of the hosts interviewed one of my favorite tennis players. She said they told him that she knows how to play, but they arranged for him to give her a tennis lesson...and it was hilarious. She didn't know a backhand from a forehand - no, really, I'm not laughing...okay, yeah, I'm laughing. Admittedly, she doesn't know how to play, but she kept holding on to him and hugging him during the interview because she said he is gorgeous. She couldn't even wait until the camera was off to start gawking. Just shameless! I'm kidding. 

March 31, 2003

Hi guys, hope you are doing well. It's 4:07 am. I'm getting read to record in a bit. Just thought I'd drop a note on here to let you know that I've written an article on the sound off page for aspiring musicians who want to get into the music industry. I've received emails asking about this topic, so I decided to write one article to answer those questions. It contains detailed information that can really help you if applied correctly. God bless.