Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s announced earlier today a deal California had made with Tesla Motors to bring that electric car company’s manufacturing to the Bay Area.
Watch above as he is joined by Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Tesla Motors President Ze’Ev Drori to deliver a few words about the significance of keeping Tesla in California.
It's a 15-minute long video (which I hardly ever have the patience for), but it was both really entertaining and intriguing for me to sit through it.
First of all, it continues to blow my mind that someone whose past career included professional body-building, Conan the Warrior, and the Terminator is my governor. I love listening to him talk. Beneath his goofy Austrian accent, he is very intelligent, warmly genuine and funny.
Second, a little while back, I read an article in WIRED magazine about Tesla Motors. While I am definitively a musician now, I will not deny that I am still, at the core, a huge nerd and lover of technology. Piggy-backing off the hundreds of millions of R&D dollars computer companies have put into making smaller, more efficient batteries for laptops, Tesla brought these innovations into creating a zero-emission lithium ion car battery. An AWESOME car battery. (0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, minimal noise and zero gas.)
Our governator swiped the manufacturing plant sights of Tesla from New Mexico to California, baby. Considering the amount that I jump around the States, I've never wanted or needed to own a car. But when I move back to Cali someday, a Tesla might be my first set of wheels!
In other good news, I am eating healthier and working out again. Minimize the McDz, I've learned.
Songwriting, playing a lot of guitar and singing with more heart than I have in a long time. Something big's been brewing with me, and in time (hopefully sooner than later), I'll be able to share with everyone.
What's next? Maybe Yoga. Haha yeah, I know how that sounds.
But someone told me I could really benefit from that "free your mind" shit. I believe 'em.
Remember when you were in elementary school, and they had Career Day?
Firefighter? Police Officer? Yoga Instructor??
Awesome, inspiring, boring, or just out of place, our Moms, Dads, & a plethora of other strange adults would come to share the highlights of their daily duty.
Today, I set foot on a Bronx elementary school campus to do just that. It was a whole new kind of crowd, talking and singing to 4th & 5th graders. I've gotta say though... after doing a number of workshops for college students and adults, it was pretty refreshing to see so many little hands shoot up in the air like rockets to my questions.
Because my attention span is similar to theirs, I figured more clapping, singing & generally noisy activities would suit us best. When they asked me what musicians inspired me to start, my mention of Stevie Wonder and Boyz II Men drew collective silence. Thinking on my feet to update them with a comparison, I said, "Well... like John Legend & Diddy's new group, Day26."
Which drew an uproar of applause. This moment made me both very happy and sad at the same time.
Three sessions later, I had handed out dozens of my last Cd to the kiddies. They wanted to keep in touch somehow and I wondered outloud... "Wait, you guys aren't even old enough to use MySpace, are you?"
What followed was the most hilarious, unanimous, guilty confession of "Yes..." I had ever seen, as their eyes turned back to a teacher who clearly disapproved of promoting MySpace to elementary school kids.
"Vu. Sshhh. Don't worry, we gotchu."
As I left the school grounds, someone commented that now, all their students want to write songs and become rockstars.
Today, I successfully became a hero to the children... and quite possibly their parents' worst nightmare.
My good friends who put on the international Vietnamese entertainment series "Van Son" hit me up just a second ago...
They need a Rockin' Asian Guitarist in Texas LIKE NOW!! Here's da info...
VANSON
ENTERTAINMENT is putting on a multi variety entertainment concert this
coming Saturday, May 24th at the Majestic Theatre in Downtown DALLAS,
Texas!
We're looking to cast one male lead guitarist to be featured in a TINNA TINH solo number.
Must
be "rocker" looking, Asian American (please refer to youtube link)
Long hair preferable. Must have charming stage presence and ready to
rock out on stage! Age range - 20's/30's
Commitment: Friday, May 23rd - a few hours for tech rehearsal (Time, TBA) and Saturday, May 24th - all day, time TBA
Compensation: $300 cash
Please contact JENNI TRANG LE, Stage Manager, ASAP at (310) 873 7333 and please email a photo to jennitrangle@gmail.com
Vudoo Soul does not look or sound like anything the music industry would traditionally label a "soul man". However, driven by an unwavering desire to break that mold, the MIT-graduate-turned...
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