I continue to be overwhelmed by all the e-mails and Facebook messages that I get from friends, family, and fans, asking about what I’m working on musically, and when my next song will be released.  It really feels great to know that so many people care, and are interested.  I never get tired of answering questions, or talking about my music, since it is something that I am really excited about.

     I love hearing from all of you, and appreciate your support, and words of encouragement.  Many of you have, in the past, used word of mouth, or links from your own sites, to direct people to where they can buy my 1st CD.  It’s pretty cool when your own friends are actively promoting you, without even having been asked.  Stuff like that just blows me away.  You know who you are, and you know how much your actions mean to me.

     I may have changed genres for the time being, but I hope that all of you will continue to let others know when you like the songs I put out.  I always love hearing your comments, as well, so please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks again to everyone who has supported me on this journey – I look forward to having you by my side as we move forward with my music this year.

     One of the things I dread most at the start of my day is the annoying sound of the alarm clock going off.  It awakens you abruptly, steals you away from the beautiful dreams you were having, and means that you have to leave your warm, cozy bed.  For most of us, this is just part of life.  We have to get up, and go to work, so that we can have food, shelter, and clothing. 

     I have never been one to sleep peacefully.  I have been an insomniac for as long as I can remember.  It takes me at least an hour or two to fall asleep at night, and then if there is even the slightest noise, I wake up.  Then, it takes a long time for me to be able to fall back asleep again.

     I have tried all the usual remedies – warm milk, herbal tea, not eating close to bedtime … and nothing seems to work.  It seems that my mind is just always far too active, and I can’t stop thinking about all the things I want to do , need to do, and should be doing.  I try to imagine how I can fit them into the next day or the day after, and when I realize I will never have enough time to possibly do all the things I feel I should, I still keep trying to figure out a way.

     On the rare occasion that I am actually able to get an uninterrupted, o.k. sleep – ( 7 hours or more would be heavenly ) it doesn’t seem to matter what the day brings – I can handle it.  Sleep deprivation always makes everything seem much worse than it is.  I find if I am constantly tired, emotionally and physically, my view of life is not so pretty, and it’s easy to be negative. ( and I don’t like negativity )

     Back in November, we started a regular exercise routine again, after several months of not doing much in that area.  Now that we’ve been into it for a while, not only is it starting to become a regular part of the day, but I’m finding that when I work it really hard, I am actually tired at night, and don’t lay there thinking for hours any more.  Yes, it’s a lot of hard work, especially after not having done much for a while, but finally being able to get a good sleep more regularly is worth it.  I also find I have more energy during the day, I’m in a better mood, and all the breathing associated with using the weights etc. really helps in terms of the power in my singing voice.

     I’ve learned  that a good night’s sleep is vital to one’s well-being, on so many levels.  On that note, it’s time for bed.

     I just got off the phone with my good friend and Producer,  Jarome Matthew.  We had a good long talk – over an hour, in fact – and we are both really excited about the songs we are currently working on together.  We are planning on getting my 2nd single ( the 80’s Ballad ) up soon on my website, so everyone can hear it.  We’re very pleased with how it turned out, and we can’t wait to hear what all of you think.

     Jarome has been working on my 3rd single, and we’ve even had help from yet another “Sam The Record Man”  co-worker of ours from the late 80’s/early 90’s on this track …. but I’ll tell you more about that as the song gets closer to completion.  It’s kind of cool that there are several of us that worked together in that store all those years ago that are still living in the Vancouver area, and not only have we kept in touch, but we support each others’ projects, whether it be art, or music. 

     We have a lot of things planned for 2009, so please check back frequently to find out how the 80’s music is coming along – I’ll keep you posted.

     I would like to start off the New Year by wishing my family, friends, and everyone else who has been following my musical journey, a fabulous 2009 !  I hope that this will be a great year for everyone. 

     Before I talk about my plans for this new year, I would like to reflect back on 2008, and all the changes it brought for me.  As many of you know, it was the year that I made a lot of major decisions about my life.  I wasn’t feeling much joy in my day job any more, we were living in a tiny, old, noisy apartment for many years, and we were tired of all the noise and traffic in the city.  We decided to do something about it – all of it, at once, actually.  I left my job, which was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in many ways, as my stress level has gone way down since then.  We gave our notice at our tiny apartment, stopped throwing away rent money into someone else’s pocket, and finally purchased our first home. ( yes, rather late in life, but better than not at all .) Lastly, we left the big city to move somewhere much more peaceful, where the pace of life is not so rushed.  All of these have turned out to be good decisions for us, as our quality of life has vastly improved.  Of course, as my Producer and friend Jarome Matthew said soon after all these changes, ” making one major life change is huge, but changing all these big things at once is nothing short of overwhelming ” –  he was so right.  There have certainly been times when I have wondered if we made all the right choices …. but then I quickly come to my senses, and realize that we did what he had to do to try and make our life better.  We have had to make a lot of adjustments, and we miss being able to see some of our family and friends as often as we used to, but the important people in your life always stay in touch.  ( you know who you are, and how much I love you all !!! )

     Now that we’ve had a few months to settle in to our new life, and all that it entails, we are ready for a fresh start in 2009.  I have been keeping very busy with a lot of different tasks over the last while, but am now feeling totally ready to focus on moving forward with the 80’s Music Project that Jarome and I started in 2008.  I was already very happy to be working with him, but now that he has launched his Pro Soul Record Label, things are going to be even more exciting this year !

     I will write more soon, and let you know how things are going.  Thankyou all again for your love and support – and I will say it once again – it really is your encouragement that keeps me following my dreams !!!