The New Abnormal

North Carolina is looking now at 6 months of restrictions before we are told if we can "move up" to Phase 3 of the imaginary number of Phases, according to the North Carolina Department of Didacts & Narpets at the state capital.  Governor Alice Cooper is doing everything and more to keep small businesses closed and areas known to sometimes breed revolution, bars, out of the equation.  Karen's work added hours to the store's week and subtracted hours from employee's schedules.  That's Common Core Math, I assume?

Nothing new on the music front, we have 3 originals written and ready to record and have knocked around ideas for covers over the past 3 months, but nothing is concrete including a schedule or a possible date to resume recording.  

If I were a betting man, I'm not, I'd bet that the NFL doesn't play this season.  Seeing suggestions that the NCAA move this fall's football games to next spring.  Not sure how that's supposed to work.  They've already cancelled the pre-season completely and now college teams are cancelling their entire seasons as well.

Totally enjoying the Atlanta Braves' season so far, great to see the young guys stepping up and the veterans showing out.  The stars are waking up in this short-short season and it may be the year of the Braves' bullpen, something I can't recall ever saying.

The "n" word

Before one can totally destroy a person and their memory, one must dehumanize said person.  That has been done for years by the use of the "n" word.  I've heard it all of my life, I hear it still today.  But the tables have been turned, and those who used to be dehumanized by the "n" word have a brand new "n" word of their own to dehumanize another group.  The new "n" word is "Nazi".

Don't @ me.  It's the same despicable attack, with the same despicable connotations, just a new "n" word to replace the old to dehumanize another group.

Actual history is no longer something taught in public schools, as is obvious by the words and actions of today's youth.  There's another new attack word, the "k" word being used to marginalize white women, that's the word "Karen".  Chuckle at the memes, but realize this is about something totally evil.

America hasn't learned a thing since the late 1960s.  If anything, we've lost more than 50 years of good race relations with the current atmosphere and attitudes.  When the troops came home from Vietnam, the lessons were learned.  Whites and blacks embraced our differences and referred to each other as "soul brothers."  What has happened since 2008 is sickening.

You can argue all you want, but America is NOT a racist nation.  A racist nation would not have elected a black man president and then re-elected him again.  The news loves to tell a story of one being victimized over the color of one's skin, but the biggest "race" stories of the past year or so are pretty much hoaxes.  From Jussie to the Nascar noose.

I have been called "racist" because I believe what the Bible tells me, that ALL LIVES MATTER.  I also remember the lessons from Sunday School where we were taught that it is not our place to judge anyone, it is our job to love them and let God handle all judgements.  "Judge not lest ye be judged."

Peace out ya'll.  We have plenty of problems to face in 2020 and it would be a lot better for everyone if we took them on together.  United.  

Think about it.

Failed Governors Know Best

Failed NC Governor Roy Cooper still hasn't let us past "Phase 2" and is hinting that due to the fact that EVERY SINGLE BATTLEGROUND STATE IS SURGING that we will be forced to wear a mask in public.  Can't wait to see how that is enforced.  I've not worn a mask anywhere yet.  Probably won't.  CDC now saying that 50% of positive Covid tests are false and I've read for weeks that anyone who has had a flu shot in the past 3-8 years will also get a false positive for materials in the shots.  And Cooper says he's going by "science".

I got your "science" right here Roy.

Picked up the clipboard, purchased a new set of drawing pens (and a couple of new mechanical pencils), and have attempted 2 pieces at this point.  First one is a replica of a Jim Lee "card" he drew for a fan at a comic con in ink and the second is freaking Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke in pencil.  Not happy with Dillon, too many stark contrasts, meaning I SHOULD sit down and darken in the area around his face...But I'm lazy.  I'll get to it.

Used to use art for therapy, today it seems I'm so out of practice I'm going to have to relearn a few tricks and control of the hand.  But I'm up to it.  Just having a time deciding what to do next.

What IS Wrong With People Today?

Karen's back to work, NC has entered "Phase 2" of 3 million possible phases and suddenly the pandemic is taking the back seat in the news to a race war.  I was verbally assaulted on Facebook over a Black Lives Matter post where I offered that ALL Lives Matter.  So Google insists in the guidelines of culture in 2020, that it's some kind of insult to mention All Lives Matter to anyone preaching BLM.

I'm not an advocate for division in this country, far from it, but the way I was taught, in Sunday School, was that Jesus loves EVERYBODY regardless of color of skin.  That's how it's supposed to work, together.  We are more divided now than at any time in MY lifetime and that includes the radical 60's.  I have my own notions about who may have single-handedly divided this nation again, but that's neither here or now.

Being called a racist isn't new, I was NOT a fan of Barack Obama, but being called racist for suggesting all lives matter makes no sense whatsoever.  My life matters, your life matters, OUR lives matter.  Too much division, too many hyphens, too many excuses.  You kids chill out, I'm about to put the whole world on ignore.  Peace.

Surviving Lockdown

It's been strange.  It's been a much simpler routine with no choices and actually not a lot to do.  Karen has caught up with her television routine on demand and is to the point she is actually watching some new shows as they air the first time.  I'm enjoying the pre-2000 Nascar races shown on Fox and love the interaction between the competitors in the Fox I-Racing Invitational series.  Nascar is back in a couple of weeks in overdrive, MBL is suggesting July 4 will be opening day and those ice hockey guys are ready to go back to war too.  I am more than ready for baseball for sure.

Karen's employers met in the parking lot on Friday afternoon, just to let everybody know what was going on.  The company reopened 105 stores in 5 states on Friday and they are awaiting a "go" from Raleigh before calling in employees as the lockdown ends here Saturday.  I almost figure she will be back to work within a week, as Belk is appearing to be a leader in companies returning their workers to the payroll and to work.

Hobby Lobby reopened stores in the NC Triad area yesterday, while remaining closed in "hotter" areas virus-wise.  The Feds (the CDC) has "updated" the death count and this pandemic is looking to be less and less fatal than even the regular flu, for which supposedly, there IS a vaccine for.  Nope.  I won't consider anything backed by Bill Gates, W.H.O. and George Soros.  Don't ask.  Gates is being sued over deaths in Africa connected with him jacking around with vaccines, and he's probably responsible for nearly a quarter million paralyzed kids in India for the same reasons, jacking around with vaccines.  #RealTalk

On the #RoxX front I've accepted the challenge of trying to film my own parts for a "home lockdown-style" music video, shot on my phone.  OK, the phone's not a problem, HD cameras on front and back, same stats on both.  Ran through it completely a few weeks ago, uploaded the video to Tommy.  He makes suggestions, so no, this isn't the end, I'm just getting started.  A week later I shot two complete versions using my LED light strip for color and effect and uploaded them to Tommy.  A week later I reach out and ask how he's doing and he replies he's had some technical difficulties.  Suggests I do my video in segments.  So I re-shot it last night, ended up uploading four segments to complete the song.  I hope?  To be continued!

Rocking the Quarantine

Karen is home, on "furlough" and now unemployment, and we have spent a lot of time "sheltered at home" even though most of our neighbors apparently are essential workers.  Everything that was "normal" for me no longer exists, travel, wrestling, etc., and I feel like I'm going to explode from the new enthusiasm Karen has gotten for cooking.  No, I am NOT complaining, but I bet Biscuit Factory thinks I've dropped off the face of the earth, only visiting once a week.  But hey, I LOVE the bacon and egg biscuits Karen makes for me.

Last RoxX song Tommy sent, I actually wrote lyrics for in a single day.  So a few weeks later, here comes another one.  Can't think of a thing for it.  For days.  And lo and behold yet another original arrives awaiting lyrics.  So with two songs to write, I sat down and listened to the "first one" and actually got the first verse written, then shut down on the chorus.  Fine.  Loaded the "second one" and within a half hour had the first verse and the beats of this song done.  I have never attempted to write two songs at once, but I'm going to keep doing the same thing until one or the other is finished.  I'm sure returning to the studio depends on finishing at least one more original since we like to knock 2 songs a session out when possible.  

Tommy informs me that we are releasing the Cherokee legend inspired "Uktena Demon of Darkness" on Soundcloud on Saturday.  Links will appear on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud sometime around high noon.

To Whom It May Concern:

For the last few months my son has had this notion that it is his place to tell me I have no sense when it comes to politics and what's going on in the world.  He suffers from TDS, for which there is no known cure, and using every opportunity he can to call me out for supporting our president.

In December, he posted that he was no longer going to discuss politics online (to my relief), but a short time later he appears on my Facebook wall EXPLAINING how anyone who supports Trump is an "asshole".  He also told me after Trump was cleared by Congress in the sham impeachment for me to "not bother" replying, as he "knows what I am going to say" and he's "not going to read it."  So fine.  I have quit communicating with him at his request.

So why does it escalate to the point he's copying my posts, sharing them as "photo of Randy" to get my friend's attention to tell them Trump is bad, or a liar, criminal and whatever else they "believe"?  Your guess is as good as mine.  

Personally, I take these as personal attacks as there has been not one ounce of respect for MY beliefs since the attacks began.  I do not like being talked down to, I'm not some middle school dunce, and face it, he is confused as to who is the parent and who is the child in THIS relationship.  Yes, I pushed him to speak his mind, and not let others walk over him.  Apparently, I taught him nothing whatsoever about respect and how to speak to your elders. 

I understand he feels he has equal footing to speak his mind, but calling me and my friends names on Facebook isn't exactly a method of debate.  Holding my grandchildren over my head (not sending any messages or photos for nearly 2 months now) is not a way to win an argument.  It's a way to make me even more bitter at how I am being treated and talked to.  And don't get me started on what it's doing to his mother.

Nope, we're not the 'victims' here, there are none.  To me, the entire argument, or reason to argue, is childish.  Nothing anyone says to me is going to make me suddenly consider our president as "crazy" after eight years of Obama.  You'll have the same amount of effect on me as when a JW knocks on my door.  Realize this and move on.  

Take a Flyin' Leap Already!

I've made a point to watch all of the XFL possible this season and after the idea that "hey, this looks like football", the reality of the situation is beginning to set in.  Watching two 1-2 teams battling in a giant NFL stadium with a sparse crowd is not inspiring.  After 4 weeks, I know a few outstanding players, but in this brand of football, that seems to be mercurial too.  I like the PAT options and wouldn't have an issue if the NFL did something similar without removing the 1 point 3 yard kick option.  I'm getting used to the kickoffs, and I understand it was designed to be safer for the players than the traditional NFL style kickoff.  I also understand that getting a return past the 30 isn't in the cards very often, they've taken the prospect of a kickoff return out of the game for the sake of safety.

I actually like the idea of position players having the coach in their ear without it being shut off before the snap.  That works on both sides of the ball and is a good way to make the game move faster.  One question arises from commentary on today's first game:  Since there is no coin toss at the beginning of a game, will there be a coin toss prior to beginning an overtime period?  Anyways, they may make it the whole season, and I'm really not seeing the injuries you see almost every week in the NFL, but that may be because this isn't the same quality and speed of football as the big league.  I dunno, the XFL is a good excuse to not watch college basketball before March Madness, but I don't see it being any sort of a challenge to the dominance of the National Football League.  #SorryPerry

Tommy keeps grinding out music ideas, I keep writing lyrics for his ideas and it seems right now we are currently on auto-pilot.  Things that used to make Tommy scratch his head ("how do you make this fit in here?") he just goes with to see what MY ideas are.  We can seriously complete my vocals for an average of two new songs per 4 hour studio visit, so we do try to have more than one project to record before we contemplate recording.  Our last three or four originals are crazy progressive and I'm excited for where we seem to be heading music-wise.  And really?  A four-hour studio session sometimes starts with anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour sitting in the garage catching up before any business is attended to.  I really dig the comfort level I have going to record.  His motto since day one has been "if you don't like it, no one will EVER hear it".  In other words, "go for it!"  #RoxX

If you're on Twitter, search the hashtag #RushFamily for the absolute coolest bunch of music lovers on the planet.  We all gather to discuss the music of the spheres and our favorite 3-piece Canadian band Rush daily!

Changing Priorities

Yep, it's time to change priorities.  That being said, I suppose I have effectively retired from the indy pro wrestling business.  I have been somewhat shocked and stunned by the lack of contact and communication from the majority of the folks I've been working with the past 20 years.  It's like I've fell off of the face of the freakin' earth.

It's ok.  As I said before, I got this.

I've been offered spots and a couple of positions, all of which I have declined, as things are already changing.  Someone contacted me about an event near Charlotte next month, asking if I could announce.  Well, to be honest, in order for me to do this event, I would have to rent a car, take the rental from my home in High Point to Burlington to borrow the ol' CWF PA system, then drive down toward Charlotte for the show.  After the show I'd have to run back to Burlington to pass the PA system back to the owner before returning the car early the next morning.  I don't think I'm willing to do that any more.  That's it.

It's not that I totally miss it, but I realize now how small of a cog in that machine I actually was.  I get kind of giddy seeing posters full of guys I've worked with over the years, especially ones where they are headlining in another city or state.  Some of "my guys" are representing us in WWE, NXT, ROH and AEW and many of the other alphabet soup of promotions and that in itself is exciting.  I wish them all continued success, growth and safety.  They're still my brothers and sisters.

On the music front, we're kicking it back up a notch after recording and releasing our third Rush cover, Tom Sawyer, in the last two weeks.  We've also recorded another new original, titled Perpetual Night, which I'm still waiting for the first mix of.  Tommy tells me he's working on yet another original and we're knocking around Rush cover #4, Spirit of the Radio in the near future!

Click here to listen to the new #RoxX release, TOM SAWYER!

All this and we've got some music videos to produce as well.  Our first three (this IS a learning process) show improvement in the progression, and right now we're kind of struggling to determine which original to produce on video next.

The Last Word?

It's been a couple of months and I have been involved in exactly one event, CWF BATTLECADE XX on Dec. 28th.  I've ridden the emotional roller coaster and made peace with my situation and the state of the sport in this area.

We left the area fully well capable of training the next generation of pro wrestlers, and with the list of guys who have came through our doors that are performing in WWE, NXT, ROH, AEW and all of the rest of the alphabet of wrestling companies around the world, right now, we are good.  We are accomplished.  And we ran the area for 20 years.  Twenty.

I felt the rug was pulled out from under my feet a couple of months ago and was seeing the end of my life as I knew it then.  That's not how I see it today.  I spent a LOT of my waking hours in the promotion of events, wrestlers and companies in the past 30+ years and today I can look back and say "I did well, WE did well."

There's also now what I see as oversaturation in the local market, with wrestling events happening all over every weekend, in small towns, armories and wrestling schools and arenas.  Oversaturation also indicates that no one will make financial inroads when everybody in the area is using the same formula week-in and week-out.  No matter how hard everyone tries, there are no more unique, one-of-a-kind events, regardless of how they are advertised.  There will be very few "break-out stars" as there will be so many faces vying for exposure and fame.

Yes, perhaps there is too much indy pro wrestling today.  Perhaps there are too many wrestlers in training.  Perhaps the marks outnumber the actual smarts, since so many smarts are nothing but marks in the first place.  I was the one looked at sideways a couple of years ago when I stood up and said it was time to tighten the circle.

"NO!" they declared, "Now is the time to get anyone interested on the inside!"  If everyone interested in pro wrestling is on the inside, who then is left to buy tickets?  That will be the $64 Question in this area moving forward.  

Well, "they" got their way and everybody with even a passing interest in the sport has been welcomed inside, inside the industry and inside of the locker rooms.  No one from today's generation will ever know what it's like to be seen near a locker room door holding a camera and hearing multiple voices inside declaring "Kay Fabe!" because someone has a camera outside of the locker room.

Wait until the real indy stars start feeling the oversaturation in their pay envelopes and in their bookings, when promoters will start short-selling them by reminding them of all of the other "up and coming" young folks that are willing to take their places on the card for less money.

Hey.  I tried to warn everybody and you all thought I was screaming in the night or something.  As a matter of fact, I have no urge currently to step into another building for anyone's event.  The fire has died down quite a bit and I am enjoying using my time driving down different avenues.  Yes, I'll be there when CWF decides to run another event, but don't hold your breath at this point.  We are looking at a market with 3-6 events within driving distance every weekend, so why bother?  A few short years ago, that was NOT the case and new promotions generally fell as quickly as they rose.  Today?  Too many places and too many faces.  Wrestlers are not unique today, and with everybody involved, the mystique is taking a shot below the belt, to be honest.

No, I'm not bitter.  I'm no longer angry.  I've woke up from a fog that saw me willingly spend good money to continue to keep a firm grip on my "spot".  All it took was for the whole shooting match to close down and the fatigue hit me right between the eyes.  I have learned to enjoy time away from people, as much as I miss the familiar faces of the last 20 years, the ones that want to communicate are right there at my fingertips online.  The rest?

I dunno.  But I get it.  I got this.  And I'm cool.  

I'm a Complicated Man ya'll.

Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother, man? (Shaft)
Can ya dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about? (Shaft)
Right on

You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother (Shut your mouth)
But I'm talkin' about Shaft (Then we can dig it)

He's a complicated man but no one understands him but his woman (John Shaft)

Well, we're still alive, we're still kicking and we're speaking from a different place as of late.  A place without a constant barrage of information, photographs, profile updates and such involved in running three shows a month.  I'm feeling refreshed, excited about Battlecade XX.  I'm also having difficulty turning back on the "wrestling promotion" mode, something I can't recall happening in the past.

It appears I was correct on the whole burn-out deal and have a new wind behind me now.  I'm already contemplating the next #RoxX sessions in January, we'll be shooting new music videos for remixes of originals Unwavering Light and I Walk Alone.  We'll see where CWF's future leads me, as I'm not ready yet to contemplate returning with another company (thank you for the invite!), so I'm thinking I'll be spending a lot more quality time with my cat, the Pip Rocket until the itch returns, then we'll see.  Maybe I'll drop in somewhere as a manager, that's something I did WAAAAAY way back.  At a Rider's show at that.  Do you smell hair burning?