Results of the Haiti Relief Show

Well, first of all, I want to thank everyone who came out to the show at Buffalo Wild Wings Casselberry. I think we all had a blast. If you couldn’t make it out, you really missed a lot of fun. Most of my friends brought their kids out there with them and invited friends and family to join. It was a great turn out and the kids had a great time dancing and singing along. Those of you who passed the word on to coworkers and family, I can’t thank you enough. I hope they all enjoyed themselves and that they become new additions to my “Crowd of Tens.”

That what I call you guys, by the way. “A Crowd of Tens” if I haven’t explained it to you before, it was a name I came up with while watching the presidential election. “The senator appeared today to speak to a crowd of hundreds (or thousands)” Most of my shows, I can count the crowd myself and name half of them. So, as a joke, I started referring to my fans as “A Crowd of Tens.” I hope you don’t mind, because last night our handful of people made a big difference to the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti.

As promised, I donated 100% of my tips to the Red Cross. Together we collected $55 to aid in the stabilization and rebuilding efforts after the tragic earthquake in Haiti. You guys did an awesome job getting the word out and I hope you’re as proud as I am of the donation we made. As a bonus, I decided to throw in and extra $45 to make an even $100! I could not have done it without your help and I hope you know how much I appreciate every one of you.

Thanks again for all the support. If you didn’t make it to the show, I hope you’ve done your part to help those in need after the devistation in Haiti. There’s still so much to do. Remember September 11? Remember Katrina? It’s just like that. Find out what you can do and do it.

Much Love, DK

Nostalgia

So I posted a status update on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace today that read: "Remember the first time you made $100? Birthday, Christmas, Summer Job. Didn't you feel rich? I want to feel rich again." Never have I felt so misunderstood.

First of all, I want to thank my friends who commented back for their optimism and philosophy. I'm aware that I have a great wife, great son, great friends, good job, and so on. I'm aware that people with money are not necessarily happy people. All that glitters is not gold, I know. That isn't what I was trying to convey. I was attempting to impart a feeling of nostalgia in 140 characters or less. The first time you held $100 in your hand and felt the possibilities were endless. The baseball cards, the candy, the CD's, the dolls, the whatever. Remember? Think about it. At this point, most of earn a paycheck. When was the last time you got your paycheck, hopefully it was over $100, and thought of infinite possibilities? Go ahead. Think about it. I'll wait. You've never held your paycheck in awe! You know exactly where every penny of that is going. Groceries, rent, power, water, cable, car, insurance, phone, etc. etc. That's "adult life." I was simply stating earlier today that I miss getting excited about money.

I noticed it yesterday when my wife told me we got a check in the mail from the escrow on our house. Well over $100 dollars, but I said, immediately, "Great! Put it on the credit card." Like that. A sizable sum of money in and out of my life in less than a 15 second phone call.

Maybe that's why I enjoy parenthood so much. I may be jaded, but I get to watch my son experience the things I take for granted for the first time. First steps. Bubbles are awesome. Jumping on beds is the bomb. Running through sprinklers; if you haven't done that lately, please do. What else? Pulling a quarter out of his ear, or, even better, "stealing" his nose! Everyday is brand new to him. And so it is new to me vicariously.

But, nostalgia. That was what I meant. I don't want to BE rich (I won't say no if I win the lotto), I want to FEEL rich. To hold ANY sum of money with no prior obligation, just infinity.

What to say?

I still haven't decided what I want this blog to be. Outside of writing and playing music, I really have no agendas. No great religious arguments or political stance. I've no desire to publicize my family life. I do have interests in fitness, especially in the realm of running and triathlons. I also think I need to do more within the community. As it stands, I take no part in charity events or organizations. There are a lot of charities that hold runs to raise money for their cause. Perhaps I can get the "Crowd of Tens" to follow me out there as well.

What I don't want to do is flood this page with junk about ME. Because, my life is pretty dull day to day. There's work in the morning for 8 to 10 hours and, believe me, there's nothing fun to talk about there. Then a drive home and a few hours before the house goes quiet. Those pre-silence moments are dedicated to dinner and quality time with the family. Some games, a little music, or TV. Then, after munchkin bedtime, it's time to update the websites and put the posts up for upcoming shows. That's all if I'm not actually playing a show! There's not much to talk about at the shows. Every once in awhile there's a stand out situation, but, more often than not, it's... not boring, but generic.

I've always been the type of person that is great in conversation. I'd never be a great comedian, but I'm very funny in conversation. I need stimulus. So 2010 will see me manufacturing stimulus. I'm going to go out and create subject matter to talk about and, consequently, create a life.